Motorola Moto G85 5G Review: A Flagship Grade Display on a Lower Mid-Range Smartphone

August 21, 2024, 02:31 PM
by Shahriar Rabab

UNB News
Publish- August 21, 2024, 02:31 PM
Shahriar Rabab
Update- August 21, 2024, 02:46 PM

Motorola Moto G85 5G

When it comes to mid-range smartphones, Motorola has been consistent with their G series. Last year we had the Moto G84 with its impressive design, display, and performance. Motorola launched the updated G85 5G this year on 25th June 2024. Does the Motorola Moto G85 5G bring value for money performance with other upgraded features? Let’s check it out in detail.

Key Specifications of Motorola Moto G85 5G

Design and Build Quality

The design and build quality of the G85 is almost reminiscent of the outgoing G84. The near edge-to-edge front, tapering edges, matte back, and merging camera housing make the G85 stand out as uniquely Moto.

The dimension of the device comes in at 161.91 mm by 73.06 mm by 7.59 mm with around 171 g or 173 g weight (depending on the vegan leather option). As for the back, there’s either a PMMA/acrylic finish or a silicone/vegan leather finish. Both the variants use plastic as a base but the cover material exudes a premium feel to the hand.

Ports and buttons are all in their usual spot. There’s an extendable storage option through micro SDXC. However, there’s no headphone jack on the G85 which was one of the highlights on the G84. There’s a single nano-SIM configuration with an additional e-SIM option.

Motorola claims a water-repellent design on the G85 but they didn’t provide any certification for it.

The Display

The display is the biggest highlight of the G85. Unlike last year, the G85 features a near edge-to-edge curved panel. The 6.67 inches P-OLED display has 1B colors, 120 Hz high refresh rate, and 1600 nits of peak brightness. The panel has a 2400 by 1080 resolution with 395 ppi density. The 20:9 aspect ratio and curved panel account for a whopping 92.70% screen-to-body ratio.

The 120 Hz refresh rate is also coupled with a 240 Hz touch sampling rate. Motorola has also included DCI-P3 color space SGS Blue Light Reduction and SGS Motion Blur Reduction technology for increased ease of use.

In terms of real-world use, the display on the G85 feels every bit like a flagship. The steady refresh rate, color calibration, and excellent viewing angles make the G85 a treat to use. The front glass is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 so you can rest assured about its durability.

The Camera

There’s a dual camera setup on the Moto G85. The main camera is a 50 MP, f/1.8 wide-angle shooter with a 1/1.95" sensor and 0.8µm pixels along with PDAF and OIS. The main sensor is the Sony LYT 600 which is commonly seen in mid-range devices. The secondary camera is an 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ ultrawide shooter with AF. The front features a 32 MP, f/2.4 wide-angle shooter.

In terms of performance, the G85 punches above its weight. The main sensor can take some great photos in daylight and well-lit environments. The excellent dynamic range especially stands out due to its balance. There’s a good contrast, color reproduction, and details in each shot. However, the pictures may seem a bit overprocessed in subjects with a lot of colors. The portrait mode lacked a 2x feature. Other than that, it produced decent results.

The wide-angle shooter also performed well though it didn’t quite match the details and vividness of the main sensor.

The night mode on the G85 is the saver when it comes to night photography. It doesn’t over-expose the subjects but rather brings a good balance between details and exposure.

The videography on the G85 is rated at 1080p@30fps. The included OIS does a pretty good job of stabilizing the footage.

Processor and Performance

The processor on the Moto G85 is Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 based on a 6 Nm architecture. The 6s Gen 3 is a slightly upgraded version of the Snapdragon 695 5G in terms of raw performance.

The processor has a chip design of 2x2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold & 6x1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver with Adreno 619 GPU. The internal storage is UFS 2.2 which is a slight bummer considering the “ancient” read and write speed. The RAM is also relatively older at LPDDRX4.

In tests, the processor performed similarly to last year's G84. Games like PUBG could be played at Smooth/Ultra settings with smooth frame rates and zero jitters. Free Fire and COD also performed well. However, Genshin Impact saw frame drops here and there with noticeable stutters in the gameplay at times.

The device did pretty well in heat management as we didn’t notice any thermal throttling.

Its RAM power ranges from 8 to 12 GB. Starting from 128GB its internal storage ranges up to 256GB. The Moto G85 is available in 8/128 GB and 12/256 GB configurations.

Benchmark

Antutu 10: 471,687

GeekBench 6: 926 (single core); 2145 (multi-core)

GFXBench T-Rex: 4949

PCMark: 11.6

Software

The Moto G85 is running on Android 14 with a custom Motorola skin on top. Motorola went with a stock-like UI without much customization. The lack of bloatware is complemented by useful stock Android features making it a great UI for stock enthusiasts. Motorola has also committed to up to 2 years of software updates on the G85.

Battery and Charge Time

The battery on the G85 is 5000 mAh. The battery is complemented by 30W if wired for fast charging. If you’re going with the Indian variant, you’ll get a 33W wired option. Motorola claims up to 34 hours of normal usage on a single charge. Claims aside, the G85 is easily an all-day device.

Pros and Cons of Motorola Moto G85 5G

Pros

- 5G network
- P-OLED display
- Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- 120Hz refresh rate
- Water-repellent design
- 30W fast charging
- Android 14 OS and NFC
- Stereo speakers
- Under-display fingerprint scanner.

Cons

- No Wireless and reverse charging support
- No optical zoom camera
- No 4K video recording mechanism
- Lacks Gyro-EIS support
- No audio jack
- Lacks custom UI
- Heating issues may arise on heavy use.

Price of Motorola Moto G85 5G

Moto G85 5G is not officially available in Bangladesh now. In India, 8/128 GB and 12/256 GB variants prices are 17,999 INR and 19,999 INR respectively (with offers). It roughly translates to 25,564 BDT and 28,404 BDT (1 INR = 1.42 BDT). However, the official price of the Motorola Moto G85 in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues.

Verdict

The Motorola Moto G85 5G brings several upgrades to its ancestor G84. Users now have a better camera, display, and processor. However, the omission of the headphone jack might be a bummer for many. In terms of performance, the G85 holds steady though a faster ROM and RAM would’ve benefitted the overall experience.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13, Nothing CMF Phone 1, and the Samsung Galaxy M35 can be considerable alternatives at a similar price. However, the G85 still holds the edge in terms of the overall package. As for who this is for, anyone who’s looking for a durable lower mid-range device can easily pick up the Moto G85.