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We may only be a couple of weeks into the new year, but Motorola has already launched its third Moto G phone for 2026, and I’ve been using it for the past few weeks. After testing last year’s Moto G Power 2025, I had fairly tepid expectations for the Moto G Power 2026, and rightfully so; the latest model is merely a minor spec bump over its predecessor, and in some ways, a downgrade.
There are some benefits to getting the newer model, from having the latest OS to the slight increase in battery capacity. However, after a few weeks with the Moto G Power 2026, it hasn’t quite convinced me that it should exist, and Motorola may have been better off skipping a year, as it did with the Moto G Play in 2025.
Opening the box, you would be forgiven for mistaking this for the Moto G Power 2025. The phones are virtually identical in design; even the dimensions are the same, down to the millimeter. That said, there are subtle differences in the camera housing: The Moto G Power 2025 was more of a closed rectangular shape, whereas the 2026 model has a more open shape that fans out toward the device’s frame.
It took me a while to notice because these two phones are so similar. However, what I noticed almost immediately is how the phone feels. Motorola’s campaign against glass pack panels continues into 2026, and the Moto G Power 2026 has the most fabric-like texture I’ve seen or felt on a Motorola phone, save for the Alcantara Razr Ultra 2025.
The way the texture is implemented on the back makes it look and feel like fabric until you get a closer look, and even then, it can still be hard to tell. But despite its synthetic nature, it makes the Moto G Power 2026 feel quite grippy and a tad more premium than even its predecessor.
It also means you’ll never have to worry about fingerprints smudging the device. It also helps with durability; there’s no glass on the back to worry about breaking, and the impressive MIL-STD-810H spec and IP68/IP69 water- and dust-resistance rating mean I don’t have to worry about the inclement Seattle weather ruining the phone. The tougher Gorilla Glass 7i should also prove more durable than its predecessor, but I fortunately haven’t had to put that to the test.
Unfortunately, much of the design sort of goes against that premium feel. The frame matches the color nicely, but the phone is rather thick and slightly boxy due to its flat sides. It’s the same 8.7mm thickness as the 2025 model, but at a time when phones are slimming down, it does feel a bit unwieldy, even for a midrange device.
Then, moving to the front, the rather large and uneven bezels also remind you that this is a cheap Android phone. Fortunately, the display itself isn’t too bad. It’s only a 120Hz LCD panel, but in my use, I found the colors surprisingly vibrant, and the brightness feels fairly adequate, even at just 1,000 nits. My only issue is that the auto brightness sometimes feels too aggressive or not aggressive enough, prompting me to manually adjust it.
Aside from the design, the Moto G Power 2026 also borrows its predecessor’s processor. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 is a capable chip, but it’s not the most performant nor efficient. Curiously, it’s also the same chip used in the lower-end Moto G Play 2026 and Moto G 2026, although Motorola makes up for it here with more RAM. The result is a phone that can handle daily tasks, such as quickly opening and juggling apps, but not much beyond that.
|
Category |
Moto G Power 2026 |
|---|---|
|
Software |
Android 16 |
|
Software update promise |
Two OS upgrades, three years of security updates |
|
Display |
6.8-inch FHD+ (2388 x 1080), LCD, 120Hz refresh rate |
|
Chipset |
MediaTek Dimensity 6300 |
|
Storage |
128GB, expandable |
|
Memory |
8GB |
|
Rear Camera 1 |
50MP wide-angle, f/1.8, 1.22μm (via pixel binning) |
|
Rear Camera 2 |
8MP ultrawide+macro vision, f/2.2, 1.12µm |
|
Rear Camera 3 |
Ambient light sensor |
|
Selfie Camera |
32MP, f/2.2, 1.28μm |
|
Water Resistance |
IP68/IP69 |
|
Protection |
Gorilla Glass 7i, MIL-STD-810H Certification |
|
Battery & Charging |
5,200mAh, 30W wired charging |
|
Connectivity |
5G, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 5, FM Radio |
|
NFC |
✔ |
|
Dimensions |
166.62 x 77.10 x 8.72mm |
|
Weight |
208g |
|
Colors |
PANTONE Evening Blue, PANTONE Pure Cashmere |
Gaming is doable, but you’ll be unable to adequately enjoy graphics-intensive games at the highest settings. I’m able to play Honkai: Star Rail at high settings and 30fps, but anything beyond that will noticeably push the phone, with the frame rate dropping to 10-20fps even in 60fps mode. To get smoother gameplay, you’ll want to play in medium graphics settings, which will provide closer to 30fps at the expense of some graphics quality.
The same goes for Where Winds Meet, which will experience a lot of pop-in while playing, which can be distracting. That said, it is a very big game, and you’d be better off playing it on a console.
Unfortunately, the 128GB of internal storage may keep you from downloading too many high-quality games anyway, although support for expandable storage may help if you have a microSD card lying around. I’ve had to delete plenty of items in order to fully install Honkai: Star Rail and Where Winds Meet.
As for the software, the Moto G Power 2026 runs the latest version of Moto UX based on Android 16. The overall experience isn’t much different from Motorola’s Android 15 software, with seemingly no instance of Google’s Material 3 Expressive. That said, you get the new Modes option borrowed from the Pixel that more or less takes over the Do Not Disturb button, letting you easily switch between pre-programmed or customized modes.
I was thoroughly surprised to see that bloatware was kept to a minimum. You could opt in to install some apps, but the only thing I had to disable after setup was the Games folder, which tries to shoehorn game recommendations from the Play Store. The Glance lock screen, tucked away in settings as “Smart lock screen,” is also disabled by default, which I was happy to see.
Unfortunately, there is no Always On Display, but you still get Motorola’s Sleep display, which lets you interact with notifications and music controls without fully waking up the device. Motorola’s gestures are also here, such as chopping the phone twice to turn on the flashlight, twisting it to turn on the camera, and a customizable quick-tap gesture that lets you double-tap the back of the phone. I was also happy to see the Sidebar option here for quick access to my favorite apps.
While AI is seemingly everywhere these days, don’t expect much of it here. The MediaTek chipset doesn’t seem too capable in that regard, so you’re limited to Circle to Search and Gemini. Fortunately, those are arguably two of the most important features Google has launched in recent years, so I’m happy that at least these two are present.
Unfortunately, there haven’t been any notable improvements in the camera department. Most of the sensors are the same as those on the 2025 model, save for a new 32MP front-facing camera. That’s not to say image quality is bad, but you won’t be particularly impressed by the photos. You can get some decent images during the day with good lighting, but the photos lack detail and can get noisy otherwise.
That goes for the ultrawide camera too, which doubles as a macro sensor. You’d think there’s a third camera sensor on the back, given the layout of the camera housing, but what looks like a third camera is actually an ambient light sensor that doesn’t appear to offer much benefit.
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The Moto G Power 2026 really shines in the battery department, thanks to the 5,200mAh battery. It’s 200mAh larger than its predecessor, and while I would’ve hoped for a significantly larger capacity to really drive home the “Power” in its name, it offers plenty of power. Motorola estimates up to two days, although I’ve been able to average just over one day with somewhat heavy use.
The 30W charging helps, though it’ll take about 40 minutes to go from 1 to 50% and just under 2 hours to reach a full charge. Given the large battery, that’s not too unexpected, although faster charging would be nice. Unfortunately, there’s no wireless charging, which is an odd omission given its presence on last-year’s model.
Ultimately, the Moto G Power 2026 is a solid phone that feels too much like its predecessor. The $300 price is attractive enough that there’s little reason not to buy one if you’re looking for an affordable Android phone, but you can also get away with last year’s model with more or less the same experience.
Of course, with Android 16 on board, you get OS upgrades up to Android 18 and updates until 2029, so that’s an extra year of support if you really care for it. However, for the same price, you can also consider competing phones with longer software support, such as last year’s Galaxy A26.
The Moto G Power 2026 starts at $300 and is available now at Verizon, with other carriers to follow in the coming months. However, you might be better off waiting for the next Moto G Stylus if you want a good, affordable phone.
Motorola
Moto G Power 2026
Solid and cheap
The Moto G Power 2026 may be nearly identical to its predecessor, but it remains a solid phone with great battery life and a processor that can handle daily tasks.
