The Moto G34 5G: An Affordable 5G Smartphone With Some Trade-Offs
The Moto G lineup has been a mainstay in the budget smartphone market for over a decade, consistently offering affordable devices with a focus on pure Android experience. The newly launched Moto G34 5G continues this legacy, arriving with a tempting price tag and promising 5G connectivity, a 120Hz display, and a unique vegan leather finish. But is the G34 5G the perfect budget phone, or does it come with some compromises? Let’s dive into the details to find out.
Moto G34 5G Price in India
Before exploring the phone’s features, let’s address the elephant in the room: the price. The Moto G34 5G starts at just Rs. 10,999 for the base variant with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The 8GB + 128GB variant we reviewed is priced at Rs. 11,999. This makes it considerably cheaper than the original Moto G, launched in 2013, which had 1GB RAM and 8GB storage for Rs. 12,499. The G34 5G also undercuts its predecessor, the Moto G32, which had a starting price of Rs. 11,999. In today’s competitive market, the Moto G34 5G is undoubtedly one of the most affordable 5G smartphones available.
Moto G34 Review: Design
One of the standout features of the Moto G34 5G is its vegan leather finish, which gives the phone a distinct premium look and feel. This is a welcome change from the typical glass or plastic rear panels often seen on budget phones. The soft leather surface feels pleasant to the touch and resists fingerprints and smudges. The phone has a sleek and slim design, measuring just 8mm thick and weighing 180 grams, making it comfortable to hold and use. The camera bump is subtle and well-integrated into the rear panel, adding a subtle design element without being overly obtrusive.
While the display bezels are thin on the sides, the top and bottom bezels are thicker and not uniform. The phone has a flat panel with rounded corners, offering a comfortable grip. It also carries an IP52 rating, providing basic splash resistance against accidental spills.
Moto G34 Review: Specifications and Software
The Moto G34 5G is powered by the reliable Snapdragon 695 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. This combination ensures smooth performance for everyday tasks and even some light gaming. The phone features a hybrid SIM tray, allowing you to use either two nano SIM cards or a nano SIM card and a microSD card. Connectivity options include USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.1, 5G, dual-band Wi-Fi, and support for all GPS standards. The phone boasts support for 13 5G bands, providing wide-ranging network compatibility.
The Moto G34 5G utilizes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner integrated into the Power button. This is a welcome feature, as capacitive fingerprint scanners often offer faster and more reliable unlocking than in-display sensors.
The phone packs a substantial 5,000mAh battery, offering impressive battery life. While it supports 18W fast charging, the box includes a 20W charging adapter, resulting in slightly slower charging times.
The Moto G34 5G runs Android 14-based MyUX out of the box. MyUX builds upon stock Android with additional features, providing a user experience that’s both familiar and enhanced. Some notable features include Game mode, Sidebar for quick app access, Split-screen multitasking, Family Space, and Moto Unplugged mode. The phone also supports Moto Gestures, offering intuitive ways to perform tasks like turning on the flashlight, launching the camera, and silencing calls. Motorola promises 1 year of OS updates and 3 years of security updates, aligning with common practices in this price segment.
However, the phone includes bloatware and pre-installed apps, which might be a concern for some users. While the phone features folders for GamesHub, Entertainment, and Shopping, these folders are rife with ads and can be difficult to uninstall, although the folders themselves can be removed.
Moto G34 Review: Performance
Motorola claims the G34 5G is the fastest phone in the 5G segment, specifically within the same price range. Based on benchmark scores, this claim seems plausible. The Snapdragon 695 SoC delivers solid performance, providing a smooth experience for everyday tasks and light gaming. The phone achieved 912 points in the Geekbench 6 single-core CPU benchmark and 2050 points in the multi-core CPU benchmark, while the GPU benchmark scored 1411 points. On AnTuTu, the phone managed a score of 3,50,965, which is decent for the price.
The phone’s 6.5-inch IPS LCD display boasts HD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It features a hole-punch cutout for the front camera and Panda glass protection. The display achieves a peak brightness of 580 nits, suitable for indoor use, but struggles outdoors due to its LCD nature. You can choose between Natural and Saturated color modes and adjust the refresh rate between 120Hz, 60Hz, or Auto.
The Moto G34 5G features a dual stereo speaker setup, including one speaker at the bottom and the second speaker acting as the earpiece at the top. While the phone supports Dolby Atmos and delivers clear audio, the speakers lack bass. The speakers are sufficient for indoor use, but for outdoor listening, headphones are recommended. Fortunately, the phone includes a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Overall, the Moto G34 5G performs well for its price point. The software is smooth and lag-free, and the 120Hz display enhances the overall user experience. While heavy multitasking might lead to some choppiness, the phone handles basic tasks and light gaming without significant issues.
Moto G34 Review: Cameras
Cameras have become increasingly important in smartphones, even in the budget segment. However, the Moto G34 5G’s camera system doesn’t quite live up to expectations. The phone comes equipped with a 50-megapixel primary rear camera and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. On the front, a 16-megapixel sensor handles selfies and video calls.
The camera app is fairly straightforward, offering easy access to various camera modes. The main Photo mode includes 1x and Macro modes, along with 8x digital zoom and various aspect ratio options. Motorola also provides several filters to enhance your photos. Other modes include Video, Slow Motion, Portrait, and Pro. Additional features such as Night Vision, Dual Capture, Timelapse, and Panorama are hidden under the "More" menu.
The image quality from the main camera is decent in daylight, producing photos with some detail but saturated colours and underwhelming HDR performance. While the phone’s low price point might justify some compromises in camera quality, the camera performance falls short compared to its competitors in the budget segment. The Macro camera is largely unusable, failing to deliver satisfying close-up shots.
As the light fades, the image quality suffers significantly. Even with Night Vision mode, photos lack sharpness and exhibit noticeable noise. Only in well-lit environments can Night Vision mode effectively capture some details. The selfie camera is also only passable, delivering adequate performance for everyday use.
Video performance from the main rear camera is limited to 1080p video capture at 30fps. Even in daylight, videos show noticeable noise and artifacts. While electronic stabilization is present, it’s not particularly effective. Video quality deteriorates significantly at night. Surprisingly, the Macro camera manages to capture better close-up videos than photos.
Moto G34 Review: Verdict
The Moto G34 5G faces stiff competition from other budget smartphones from brands like Xiaomi, Realme, and Poco. But the G34 5G stands out by offering 5G connectivity, a 120Hz refresh rate display, and a unique vegan leather finish, features rarely seen at this price point.
If you’re looking for an affordable 5G smartphone and camera performance isn’t your top priority, the Moto G34 5G is a compelling option. It boasts a good display, dual speakers, impressive battery life, and even handles light gaming. However, if you prioritize a strong camera system, you’ll need to spend a bit more to find a phone that meets your needs.
