Motorola has made a great comeback in recent years, producing some of the best phones on the market. Its strength is its diversity – you can buy a £100 or £1,300 Moto phone, depending on your needs and tastes, and still get a quality and consistent user experience.
Motorola - now owned by Lenovo - focuses on a consistent design ethic, has software close to stock Android and, often, offers incredible value for money. The Moto G series is a consistently-excellent choice for those looking for a genuinely excellent budget phone.
At a similar price, you'll find the Motorola One series, where each phone focuses on a specific element or a unique feature, such as a zoom lens or an action camera. But Moto also makes the more expensive Edge line to cater to bigger budgets, including the newly announced (but so far China-exclusive) Moto Edge S, and that's before we mention the return of the Razr.
1. Motorola Razr 5G
- $1,399
Obviously, the price alone renders the return of the Razr an aspirational purchase for most, but that isn't why it tops the list.
For a phone brand that once rode high and has since settled to serve up solid affordable Android phones instead, the Razr 5G is an impressive statement piece that highlights the company's technical capabilities, as well as reminding us of its pedigree.
There are obvious downsides to getting a foldable flip phone beyond price but this 5G model is more robust and more considered than the 2019 revival, with more power and better cameras to boot.
Read our full Motorola Razr 5G review
2. Moto E6s
- $159
Once you recognise just how cheap the Moto E6s is, it’s hard not to be impressed by everything you’re getting.
Performance, an area cheap phones so often cut corners in, is surprisingly great despite what the benchmarks tell you. There was no need for Motorola to change what was already great software, while the modern design does a good job of imitating more expensive handsets.
The cameras are a bit hit-and-miss, but if you’re prepared to be patient, it will pleasantly surprise you. There are compromises dotted throughout the Moto E6s, but for what you’re paying these are incredibly easy to forgive.
Read our full Moto e6s review
3. Motorola Edge
- £549.99 (around $675)
Though it's more expensive than most other models in this chart, the flagship Motorola Edge does offer great value for money - compared to the Edge Plus, anyway. It features the same 6.7in OLED 'Endless Edge' display as the Plus model, giving the phone a high-end look, plus it boasts many of the features of other Motorola phones in our chart in one single package.
There's a downgrade in terms of performance, sporting a Snapdragon 765 where most rivals feature 2020's top-tier 865, but a trio of rear cameras do a decent job, even if they're not what we'd class as industry-leading. It might not be perfect, but this is still a stunningly good looking, wallet-friendly flagship 5G smartphone.
Read our full Motorola Edge review
4. Moto G100
- Unavailable in the US
One of the first phones on the market to sport Qualcomm's powerful Snapdragon 870 chipset, the Moto G100 is a mid-ranger that offers superb performance. It's so capable, in fact, that in our review we dubbed it as something of an "undercover gaming phone."
Its internals are supplemented by a pleasing 90Hz display and superb battery life, thanks in part to the phone's large 5000mAh cell, and while its cameras leave room for improvement, the desktop-like Ready For functionality (made possible by the included dock) turns the G100 into a productivity beast when needed.
Read our full Moto G100 review
5. Moto G8 Plus
- $249
The Moto G8 Plus delivers in principal areas like photography, performance and battery life. It also brings a premium-looking design, a clean user experience and some smart modifications on top of the base Android experience.
The biggest challenge it faces is pricing. Despite being a touch cheaper than its predecessor, the competition has grown more fierce over the past year and newcomers, primarily from Chinese manufacturers that weren't previously established in Europe now throw their weight around with more impressive specs or lower price tags for equivalent performance.
6. Moto G 5G Plus
- From £299 (around $383)
The Moto G 5G Plus doesn't necessarily have the wow-factor compared to some of the competition, but it more than makes up for it under the hood, sporting the same combination of the Snapdragon 765G and 4GB or 6GB RAM as the OnePlus Nord and Realme X50 5G; offering lag-free performance at a slightly cheaper price.
There’s also a decent camera setup - fronted by a 48Mp rear snapper, a tall 21:9 6.7in display that's great for watching movies on-the-go and a 5,000mAh battery that has what it takes to get you through the day, even with moderate-to-heavy use.
It’s not the perfect smartphone, but it’s a decent all-rounder at a tempting price.
Read our full Moto G 5G Plus review
7. Moto G9 Power
- $199.99 (32GB) | $249.99 (64GB)
The Moto G9 Power offers up superb value for money, with a capacious 6,000mAh battery validating the phone's name.
The cell offers up enough juice for multiple days usage at a time and the Power also sports a pleasing display and a water-repellent design.
Its cameras are on the underwhelming side but if they're not your top priority, there's a lot going for the Moto G9 Power.
Read our full Moto G9 Power review
8. Moto G9 Play
- £159.99
If you're not hankering after super-fast 5G mobile speeds, the Moto G9 Play is a great affordable option with a big screen and a huge battery.
The display needs work, as does the camera but for the price and paired with Motorola's slick user experience, the G9 Play isn't a bad budget offering by any means.
Read our full Moto G9 Play review
9. Moto G8 Power
- $249
The same strengths and weaknesses as its successor, the Moto G8 Power is an ever-cheaper alternative with the same great longevity as the G9 Power.
The main sacrifice here is performance, but in general, this is still a well-rounded low-cost offering.
Read our full Moto G8 Power review
10. Moto G Pro
- $299.99 (Moto G Stylus)
One of the more unusual phones in Motorola's 2020 lineup; partly due to its name and partly due to its nature.
Ignore that fact that this is the 'G Pro' and not the 'G8 Pro' - as would make more sense - this phone is a large-screened all-rounder that serves as the best budget alternative to those after a Galaxy Note-style stylus-driven user experience.
The camera also has some fun shooting modes too.
Read our full Motorola Moto G Pro review
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