Is the Moto G96 a lousy phone?

In the first half of 2025, Motorola has recently launched the Moto G96 at a starting price of $209. And it is an affordable smartphone that the company aims to offer an attractive vegan leather design, a durable build, and a high-grade primary camera. However, it is powered by a somewhat powerful Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 chipset. We have tested it in our review. Read on to know how it performs in day-to-day use.

Moto G96 5G review:- Specification.

• OS:- Android 15.

• RAM:- 8GB.

• STORAGE:- 128GB, 256GB.

• DISPLAY:- 144HZ, 3D CURVED (6.67″).

• FRONT CAMERA:- 32MP with 4K Rec.

• PROCESSOR Snapdragon:- 7s Gen 2.

• REAR CAMERA :- 50MP Sony LYT 700C 4K Rec.

• BATTERY CAPACITY:- 5500mAh.

Moto G96 5G review:- primium beautiful “Design“.

The main thing to talk about the design of the Moto G96 is the vegan leather-based panel, which is slightly rounded at the side corners, and feels smooth to the touch. The Moto G96 is available in several different colors such as Cattleya Orchid, Ashley Blue and Dresden Blue. The back side of the phone has an elevated camera island, which houses vertically aligned cameras, an LED flashlight and the main camera’s sensors. And there is Motorola’s “M” logo.

Looking at the corner side, the left side is very simple. And while the right side has a volume rocker, power button and a microphone. The top frame also has a microphone, “Dolby Atmos” branding or earpiece speaker. The side of the button is a speaker, Type-C port and SIM card slot. And the frame is made of polycarbonate, even fingerprints are not visible. Apart from this, the earpiece secondary speaker is also a drawback.

The quality of the speaker is above average, but still produces high sound. The voice of the caller on the other side is heard clearly and clearly, without spoiling the call quality. The main quality of this phone is IP68 protection. The Moto G96 weighs just 178 grams and is 7.9 mm thick. The phone takes a long time to hold, whether it is vertical or horizontal orientation, there is no discomfort.

If there is a drawback in the design, then it is the position and size of the power and volume buttons. They are too close to each other or too small. Apart from that, although the bottom corners of the back side are circular in shape, still they can get stuck in the pockets of the pockets if the phone is used without a cover. Talking further, Motorola has not provided a back cover with the Moto G96.

Moto G96 5G review:- “Display“.

Talking about the display of Moto G96, it has a 6.67-inch FHD + 3D curved POLED display with 144Hz refresh rate. And this display panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. We have done some tests, brightness test, brightness test, G96 has achieved 832 nits (manual) and 2173 nits brightness in auto mode, which means that its outdoor performance is excellent even in high sunlight.We have also tested the color accuracy of the display at some level.

In the natural color profile, G96 achieved a Delta E of about 1.3, which shows bright colors and gives you a great experience when watching content. And along with this, the gamut coverage is almost 100%, which means that this display is capable of rendering the color range completely. And so, whether you’re streaming on YouTube or watching shows on your favourite OTT apps, the viewing experience is seamless and enjoyable.

Moto G96 5G review:- “ Camera“.

If we talk about the camera in Moto G96, then it has a dual camera setup at the back, which includes a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA 700C Premier camera with OIS and an 8-megapixel macro lens. On the front side, the device has a 32-megapixel selfie camera with 4K recording support. And so, how does it perform in real life?

If we talk about a budget phone, then the camera works very well. The main camera takes sharp and clear photos during the day. And so, however, the colors in the pictures sometimes appear more vibrant than in reality. Portrait shots are very good, but we have noticed that the background highlights are often too bright.

The front camera is clear and crisp with very poor skin tones. It also supports 4K video recording, which is a great feature for the price. At night, colours do appear a bit oversaturated, but photos look more vibrant and appealing this way. The Moto G96’s camera might not be perfect if we last used it, but it’s perfectly capable for day-to-day use.

Moto G96 5G review:- nice “ Battery“.

Talking about the battery, the Moto G96 has a 5,500mAh battery, which is more than the Galaxy M36. However, considering that Moto has made the G96 so sleek and lightweight, 5,500mAh is not a big deal. If we talk about actual battery life, in our test, the phone lasted 10 hours and 48 minutes, which is about 2 hours more than the Galaxy M36. Talking about the battery, the charging that it has is 33W fast charging support, and two adapters are given in the box.

In our testing, we were able to charge the device from 20 to 100 percent for just over an hour. The special thing about the battery is that it maintains its health and gives it a long life. The company has provided features like optimized charging and overcharge protection in the software. Which changes the charging power according to the charging percentage.

Moto G96 5G review:- “Software & full mobile Performance“.

Motorola opts for its preferred Qualcomm chip, the Snapdragon 7S Gen 2, as it is often essential to meet performance needs. And first seen in the entry-level Moto Edge device, the chipset is now capable of delivering reliable performance to even affordable mid-range phones. With a standard 8GB RAM and a choice of 128GB or 256GB storage, the Moto G96 is well-equipped.

Our device runs Android 15-based Hello UI, which the Moto G96 continued to deliver a smooth and lag-free user experience during our testing. Whether you want to browse, use apps, and play games, there is no major deal-breaking experience with the handset. To say more, the Moto G96 also impressed us with its network reception performance. The performance is awful, and the same can be said about the battery life.

And lastly, talking about the segment with Motorola, the Pixel-inspired Halo UI interface is top in this segment, and shares the top position with Samsung UI. The interface is clean, well designed and relies on good animations to deliver a smooth experience. There is the usual bloatware like AI lock screen.

Credit youtube channel:- Techwisher.

Moto G96 5G Review:- “Conclusion”.

There can be no point in concluding the Moto G96, there are pros and cons of the Moto G96, but if we focus on the price under $209, then it is a great achievement. There is a lot of scope for improvement in the camera tuning, fast wired charging, and more. Moreover, the robust 144Hz OLEd display with trendy curved corners, the LeVegan leather finish that looks great in touchscreen on the black panel, water and dust resistance, consistently smooth user experience and reliable battery life make the Moto G96 an easy option for users who want a feature-rich Android smartphone experience and your camera vivo X200 mobile.

Pros 

• lightweightand Sleek design.

• Beautiful 144Hz curved display.

• Best primary camera.

• Great battery life.

• Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Chipset.

Cons

• Limited Android upgrades.

• Performance could have been better.

• No 3.5mm headphone jack.