Which Motorola Phone Should You Buy?

Motorola phones often play third (or fourth) fiddle to Samsung and Google, but the winds are changing. Motorola is now one of the fastest-growing mobile companies in the world, and the company claims its Razr folding smartphones are the number one in the flip category in North America. The company has also been experimenting with colorful Android phones and fun textures, making its devices stand out from the sea of boring glass handsets.

If you’re an interested buyer, picking the best Motorola phone can be tough, because the company launches many models each year. I’ve tested almost all of them, and in this guide I break down the pros and cons and steer you toward my favorite Moto models—from the Razr Ultra to the Moto G Stylus 2025.

Check out our mobile buying guides for more, including the Best Android Phones, Best Samsung Phones, Best Cheap Phones, Best Pixel Phones, and Best Phones With a Headphone Jack.

Updated May 2025: We've added the Motorola Razr 2025 series.

The Razr Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best reason to get a Motorola phone over the likes of Samsung, Apple, and Google. It's a statement piece, not just because it's a compact folding flip phone, but because Motorola offers it in several snazzy and stylish designs. There's the Mountain Trail, which employs sustainably sourced wood; Scarab, the first use of Alcantara on a smartphone; Rio Red, a leather-inspired finish; and Cabaret, which feels like satin. You'll be hard pressed to find a phone that looks this fashionable these days.

The spacious 4-inch OLED screen has more customization options than ever, with the ability to add more widgets for glanceable information, so you don't need to constantly open the phone. Once you do, you're treated to a large 7-inch AMOLED display that's sharp, bright, and smooth thanks to the 165-Hz refresh rate. Motorola has improved the Razr Ultra's durability with a new Gorilla Glass Ceramic mixture for the screens that makes it tougher to crack, and the titanium-reinforced hinge design is supposedly stronger, too. It now has an IP48 rating, offering some proper dust protection.

Motorola has stuffed flagship features through and through (which explains the high price), from 512 GB of internal storage to the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset powering it all. Performance is not a problem at all, with apps and games operating smoothly. This Razr Ultra also has the biggest battery ever in a Razr at 4,700 mAh, and it reliably lasted me a full day with average use. That said, power users who rack up screen time may find themselves reaching for the charger before bedtime. At least it supports fast charging speeds, wired and wirelessly.

The cameras are a nice improvement—you can get pretty great photos from the 50-megapixel primary camera and the 50-megapixel ultrawide. You need to stay still in low light, especially since Motorola confusingly hides the Night mode function in the “More” tab of the camera app. (It doesn't automatically kick in in low light.) The best part is that you can use the superior primary cameras—typically on the “back” of the phone, but are now at the front—to snap selfies and see previews on this external screen. They’re some of the sharpest selfies you’ll snap.

Video capture is also much better on the Ultra than on any other Motorola phone. Once you enable Dolby Vision (and you do have to tap it manually), you can get well-exposed footage that's not too grainy or shaky. The camera results, whether in photo or video, still don't quite match the competition at this price, but this is still Motorola's best camera system to date.

The software experience is great, except for all the artificial intelligence features Motorola is marketing. Copilot! Perplexity! Gemini! Moto AI! There's a boatload of options, even a dedicated AI button, though I haven't found Moto AI too helpful. The best perk is Pay Attention, which makes the phone start recording with real-time transcriptions—handy for interviews, but that's a common feature on most phones. It's also a shame that Motorola's software update policy is still not as good as the competition.

As always, I recommend waiting for a big sale event, as Motorola phones are frequently discounted. The Razr Ultra is the most expensive Razr to date, but I think it'll be a great buy once it comes closer to $1,000 or $1,100. It barely takes up any room in your pocket or purse, will look more fashionable than any other smartphone out there, and you'll feel super satisfied ending a phone call with a flip.

You don't need to spend $1,300 to get a good folding flip phone. The Razr 2025 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) wins the “Most Improved” award because performance is finally not as choppy as on prior models. Mind you, it'll still stutter here and there, but that's not a defining aspect of this phone anymore. My experience with it wasn't massively different from the Razr Ultra—battery life is roughly the same, lasting a full day with average use, and the screens are nice and bright, even if they're slightly smaller.

Cameras are its weak point compared to the Ultra. You can get some nice photos, but they'll struggle more in high-contrast scenes, look grainy in low light, and feel a bit more processed. Skin tones and colors are also not as accurate as with the pricier sibling, and video capture is noticeably worse. Still, considering the $700 price for a folding smartphone, it's an incredible value, while still managing to look gorgeous.

Note: Motorola is expected to announce a new 2025 Edge phone this summer.

This phone is frequently on sale for $330, and it's a no-brainer for anyone on a budget. You get a large 6.6-inch AMOLED screen with a 144-Hz screen refresh rate and speedy performance thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. It's not a flagship processor, but enough to deliver snappy app launches and lag-free gameplay, and it's leagues better than the performance you'll find on the other Motorola phones featured below.

It has all the basics from NFC so you can pay with your phone via Google Wallet, plus an IP68 water resistance rating, ensuring it won't succumb to a drop in the pool. It supports wireless charging, comes with 256 GB of storage, and packs some pretty loud Dolby Atmos stereo speakers. I used it as my daily phone for two weeks, and it performed remarkably well. The 5,000-mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day with average use and often can go well into the second day before a top-up. Use the Edge heavily, and it's firmly in the charge-once-a-day territory.

I do have a few gripes, though. The Edge uses a so-called waterfall display, where the glass on the front curves into the edges for a more immersive look. It certainly looks fancy, but I've had several moments where my fingers holding the phone's edges disrupted an action I was trying to complete with my other hand. This has long been an issue on phones with curved screens. It's easy to get used to and adjust your grip quickly, but it's annoying.

Second, the 50-MP main camera has a bit of shutter lag, which can be frustrating when you're trying to capture moving subjects (like my dog, who won't sit still). The pics you can get out of it are solid, perfectly acceptable images during the day. The contrast is a little too strong sometimes, and it doesn't handle high-contrast scenes all that great, but there's good detail. In low light, you'll encounter a few more blurry photos due to that shutter lag and shaky hands, but if the conditions are right, you can get some sharp, in-focus shots. This is where a phone like the Google Pixel 9a handily beats the Edge 2024.

Unfortunately, Motorola promises only two Android OS upgrades (up to Android 16) and three years of security updates to the Edge 2024. The Pixel 9a will get seven years of software support. This is one of Motorola's biggest weaknesses, but this may not be as much of an issue at its frequent sale price.

The Moto G Stylus 2025 is the best Moto G phone right now, which might be a given considering it's the priciest model in the family. Still, for $400, it's one of the best smartphone values on the market. As the name suggests, it comes with a built-in stylus—the only other phone with that feature is Samsung’s $1,300 Galaxy S25 Ultra.

This is a slim and beautifully blue phone. My mom said it looked nice. Even a stranger stopped me to ask what phone I was using! The Surf the Web blue really pops with the vegan leather back, though you can get it in a more muted Gibraltar Sea color. You'll notice a headphone jack on the bottom, a rarity in today's smartphone climate, and pop open the SIM tray to find a spot to add a microSD card, another rapidly disappearing feature. Motorola also includes 256 GB of storage, a nice bump compared to pricier smartphones that offer only 128 GB.

You get a 120-Hz AMOLED 6.7-inch screen that's plenty bright in sunny conditions, and satisfactory, stutter-free performance with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. It might not feel the speediest, but this is the smoothest-performing Moto G; I've rarely seen choppy animations in the interface. Speaking of, there's a good deal of bloatware apps in the Android 15 operating system, but they're easy to uninstall.

The 5,000-mAh battery in tow has frequently lasted a full day for me with roughly 35 percent left by bedtime, with average to high use. It's not quite a two-day phone. You can top it back up fairly quickly with Motorola's 68-watt TurboPower charging system, but I've largely juiced it with my Qi wireless charger with no problems.

I've been impressed with the 50-megapixel main camera. It takes crisp photos in good lighting, and in low-light settings, Motorola's Night mode does a nice job of preserving details and shadows. The catch is you need to be very still—any movement and you'll end up with a blurry shot. (I have a few of those in my camera roll.) I think most people will be happy with the results.

The problem? There is a significantly better phone for just $100 more: the Google Pixel 9a. Google will support that device for seven years, and it also comes with flagship-grade performance, better cameras, and more smart software features. The Moto G Stylus will only get two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates. This is precisely why you should buy it on sale. Wait for this Moto phone to drop to $300 or $330.

I would buy the Motorola Edge 2024 at its $330 sale price over the newer Moto G Power 2025 (7/10, WIRED Recommends), but if you wait for this phone to go on sale, it'll be a great buy. A few months after the Moto G Power 2024 launched, it dipped as low as $250—if the same happens again here, that would make the 2025 model a better proposition.

Last year's Moto G Power was fantastic. It introduced wireless charging—a rarity on a sub-$300 phone—had good performance, and checked off many boxes. This year's version retains much of that and adds even more: It's now IP68/69 rated, meaning it will be fine in heavy rain and even submerged in water for some time. Motorola is also promising two Android OS upgrades, giving these budget phones a slightly longer shelf life.

Unfortunately, it took two steps forward and one step back: The performance got a slight hit. The MediaTek Dimensity 6300 chipset inside delivers decent speed, but the stutters are more noticeable. It's not frustrating to operate, but I wish it were as fluid as the 2024 Moto G Power.

If you can deal with that, this is still a capable and attractive budget Android phone. I like the green color and the fake leather texture on the back, which gives this phone some character. The 6.8-inch LCD is sharp and bright, and you get a fingerprint scanner, a 3.5-mm headphone jack, and a microSD card slot. The 5,000-mAh battery can last a good while into a second day with average use, though heavy usage ended my days with around 30 percent left.

The camera system consists of a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-MP ultrawide, and a 16-MP selfie camera. Photos from the primary shooter are adequate, even in low light, though skin tones and colors can be off. The ultrawide and selfie cameras are only worth using if it's daytime or you have lots of light. Much of this is par for the course with phones in this price bracket.

If its performance was a smidge better, this Moto would be a home run. It's worth considering if money's tight, but there will inevitably be a sale to make the price more palatable.

I suggest you stick to the phones above, but read on if your budget is tight.

Motorola Razr+ (2025): The Razr+ is identical to the Razr+ (2024), except it employs Motorola's titanium-reinforced hinge for improved durability. The specs are otherwise the same, but it sits in an odd middle-ground where it doesn't offer a massive improvement over the Razr 2025, but doesn't sit too far from the Razr Ultra. You might find the lack of an ultrawide camera annoying, especially for group selfies, and the battery here is the smallest of the current lineup.

Motorola Razr+ (2024) for $800: Speaking of, you can always save some cash and buy last year's Razr+ (7/10, WIRED Recommends), which has good performance and solid cameras, but I highly recommend waiting for a sale. This phone has dipped as low as $580, which is fantastic for a folding phone. There's also the base Razr 2024, which I've seen as low as $450, though its slightly choppy performance is a turn-off.

Moto G 2025 for $200: The new Moto G 2025 straddles the line of annoying and capable. Its performance—powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 and 4 GB of RAM—is sluggish. It can visibly take a few seconds for some apps to load. Sometimes it's fine and manageable, and other times I find myself staring off into the distance, waiting for the phone to work. The cameras are passable, the battery can last more than a day, and the 6.7-inch LCD is adequate. This phone will eventually go on sale for $150 or $170, so wait for the discount. It will thankfully get two OS updates and three years of security updates.

You should avoid buying any other Moto G phone from 2024 or earlier. They likely won’t get any more Android version updates, and the prices aren’t drastically different from the latest models.

Moto G Play 2024 for $125: It works on 4G LTE only and doesn't have NFC for contactless payments, not to mention it receives only one Android OS update. Still, this Moto G Play delivers reasonably decent performance for the money. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 feels quick, the 6.5-inch LCD is plenty bright, and there's even a 90-Hz screen refresh rate. It's unclear if Motorola is planning a successor in 2025.

Motorola Edge 2023 for $264: The 2023 6.7-inch Motorola is not too different in price from the 2024 model, so there's no good reason to buy this dated model anymore.

Motorola’s top competition comes from Google, Nothing, and Samsung. If you asked me what phone to buy, I’d point you to the Google Pixel 9a ($499). It has most of the features folks want in a smartphone, including wireless charging. Nothing also has new devices, the Phone (3a) and the Phone (3a) Pro. They're attractive, elegant, and affordable handsets, though carrier compatibility is not as straightforward. Nothing's sub-brand CMF also has an equally excellent $279 phone, the CMF Phone 2 Pro.

If your budget can stretch, consider the Galaxy S24 FE ($650), the OnePlus 13R ($500), or even the iPhone 16e. But your best bang for your buck? That'd be hunting for used flagship phones from the prior year. Make sure you check sites like Swappa, Back Market, and Gazelle. Read our Best Cheap Phones and Best Android Phone guides for more options.

Moto AI: This is Motorola's version of Apple Intelligence. There are several core artificial intelligence features, like Remember This, which lets you ask Moto AI to remember something (even a screenshot), and allows you to ask about it later on. Pay Attention is another that enables audio recording, real-time transcribing, and a summary after the meeting is over. Catch Me Up summarizes your notifications when you come back to your phone after some time.

Moto Gestures: One of the first proper smartphones I bought was the Moto X, and that’s when (then Google-owned) Motorola debuted Moto Actions, which let you use physical gestures to trigger some features on the phone. They are still very much a part of a Motorola phone’s identity, even if they’re now called Moto Gestures. You can head to the Moto app on the phone to find all of them or go to Settings > Gestures. The ones I use most often are the double-chop gesture to trigger the flashlight and the double-twist action to launch the camera.

Smart Connect: Formerly known as Ready For, this isn't available on some cheaper Motorola phones. It lets you wirelessly connect the phone to a nearby display, where you can see mobile apps, use your phone as a webcam, and share files. If your Moto is supported, you can find it by heading to Settings > Connected devices > Smart Connect. If you’re connecting it to a PC, you’ll need to download the desktop client (Windows only) or the Smart Connect app if you’re connecting an Android tablet. If you’re using a TV, it needs Miracast support to connect wirelessly, but you can use a USB-C or HDMI cable as well. Meta recently announced that Smart Connect will also be available for virtual reality headsets in the Meta Store, so you don't have to take a Meta Quest VR headset off just to look at your phone's notifications.

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