Joe Maring / Digital Trends
A few year ago , buying a Moto G earpiece wasthething to do if you desire a quality Android phone on a budget . Starting with the first Moto G from 2013 , it ’s a merchandise line with a lot of history . Much of it is effective , but in more late years , there ’s been some bad , too .
Motorola ’s approach to the Moto G has been worrisome , specially in 2024 . By March , the company had already announce and free three new Moto G poser , none of which were particularly good . From broken - calibre video display , poor performance , bad cameras , and more , it feel like Motorola had lost its budget phone mojo .
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Thankfully , with the release of the newMoto G Stylus 5 chiliad ( 2024 ) , it ’s obvious that ’s not true . The unexampled Moto G Stylus has a fantastic display , very practiced performance , and a surprisingly comely camera . It ’s a thoroughly pleasurable Android headphone , and at $ 400 , it ’s a potent value , too . But as improved as it is from other Moto G smartphones over the last few months , there are still two lingering issues that concord it back from immenseness . They ’re issues I ’ve been complaining about for eld , and they ’re one Motorolaneedsto address .
Software updates? What software updates?
The first of these publication is one that ’s been a problem for cheap Motorola phones for years : software update .
Over the last few month , we ’ve seen some companies up their update game inbigways . Last October , Google launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro with seven days of forebode software backup . Last calendar month , the $ 500Google Pixel 8alaunched with that same seven - year hope .
Samsung also offers seven years of support for its Galaxy S24 series , and its budgetGalaxy A35andGalaxy A55will see four major OS rising slope and five geezerhood of security department update . TheOnePlus 12Rreduces this to just three year of o upgrades and four days of security updates , but that ’s stillfine .
Motorola , on the other hand , does n’t even sample to contend . All four of the Moto G phones put out this twelvemonth — including the new Moto G Stylus 5 one thousand — will get just one Android update . For three of this year ’s headphone , that think of an update from Android 14 to Android 15 ( which will be released later this summertime ) . On theMoto thousand Play ( 2024 ) , your one update will take you from Android 13 to Android 14 . Oh , you anticipate an Android 15 update ? Too bad ! Motorola does extend security update to three years , but they ’re at a decreased bimonthly rate .
This is a problem for several dissimilar reasons . Of course , you ’re missing out on unexampled Android features . Although Google does n’t reinvent the wheel every individual twelvemonth , Android update can still be exciting and bring fresh / helpful features . fixate security vulnerability and software system bugs is another factor . These are often handled with security dapple , and although Motorola promises three years of bimonthly updates , it ’s not done a dependable job of hand over here . Take a spirit at Reddit , and you ’ll findno shortage ofMotorola smartphone userscomplaining aboutslow / nonexistent updates .
On top of all of that , it ’s also just a bad look for Motorola . The company has always struggled in this department , but with Samsung and Google now up software support for their budget phones while Motorola ride and twiddle its finger , it ’s a spoilt belief than ever . It ’s obvious that youcansupport a low-spirited - cost smartphone with year of update . Motorola maintain pick out not to , and the longer this issue persist , the harder and heavy it becomes to overlook .
Ads, ads, and more ads
Motorola ’s second issue is a more late one : advertizement . For years , one of the hallmarks of budget Motorola sound was their clean , unlittered software program . Old Moto Gs looked like “ farm animal ” Android and were n’t ruined by pesky bloatware . It was swell !
“ Ads and unwanted article in app folder and the weather condition app are n’t enough , ” I get word you saying to yourself . “ What Motorola shouldreallydo is post these things on the lock chamber screenland , too ! ” Boy , do I have unbelievable news for you .
If you buy a 2024 Moto G smartphone , you ’re treated to something called “ Glance ” on the lock CRT screen . It ’s yet another third - party service where you could partake in your fix and data to see the weather , sport scores , and news program clause . It does n’t add anything of tangible value , and it also just looks bad — taking up so much blank on your lock screen that you ca n’t see specific notification info without tapping on your notice icons .
To Motorola ’s credit , you don’thaveto use any of these thing . you’re able to edit the irritating booklet and the very defective weather app , and you’re able to disable Glance if you do n’t want to practice it , too . However , not everyone will know how to do these things , and Motorola clearly require you to interact with them . For the “ intermediate ” or “ normal ” smartphone user , they ’ll almost sure enough install / enable these things and not have any idea how to get rid of them .
Motorola needs to fix this
What makes these issues particularly frustrating this time around is just how good the residuum of the Moto G Stylus 5 G ( 2024 ) is . TheMoto G 5GandMoto G Power 5Gfrom originally this year were also plagued with bad hardware , so it ’s not like miss updates or advertising - fill apps were the final nail in the coffin for them .
This is all the more plaguy because of how comparatively prosperous these things would be to fix . Picking good hardware components , hoard them in a well - made organic structure , and slap it with a competitive price ? That ’s the hard part ! And Motorola has shown it can exceed at that . By comparison , extending software support and not litter people ’s phone with junk is dead simple — yet Motorola shows no desire to change its means .
I want to keep recommending Motorola phones , especially when the company creates ones as good as the Modern Moto G Stylus . But when it has such a clear solvent to fix these few lingering job and repeatedly refuses not to — and its competitor steers cleared of these thing — the less I ’ll require to enjoin someone to spend their money on a novel Motorola phone .
If Motorola does n’t respect your clock time or money with its poor update policies and obtrusive ads , why should you do the same for it ?
