Motorola has been on a roll lately, launching smartphones across various segments and price points. From foldable to mid-range and flagship models, the company has been making its presence felt in every corner of the market. Now, with the Moto G85, the brand is setting its sights on the under ₹20,000 segment, aiming to redefine what consumers can expect from a budget-friendly device. The Moto G85 comes packed with features that are typically associated with more premium devices.

Let’s find out more!

Design

One of the most striking aspects of the Moto G85 is its design. The phone looks premium and feels great in hand. It sports a curved screen design, reminiscent of the company’s more expensive Edge series smartphones. This design choice immediately sets the G85 apart from its competitors in the same price range.

The phone’s body is composed of a plastic frame with a vegan leather back, but it’s not your typical vegan leather finish. Instead, it has a rubberised feel with a fabric-like pattern that provides excellent grip and comfort. This unique texture makes the G85 stand out and offers a more premium feel compared to many plastic-backed phones in this segment.

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The G85 is available in three colour options: Olive Green, Urban Grey and Cobalt Blue (our review variant).

Moto G85 | Photo Credit: Haider Ali Khan

In terms of durability, the G85 comes with an IP53 certification, providing protection against dust and minor water splashes. This adds a layer of reassurance for users who might be worried about accidental spills or light rain.

The button layout is conventional, with the volume rocker and power button positioned on the right spine of the device. The fingerprint scanner is integrated into the display, offering a cleaner look and more screen real estate. For I/O, you’ll find a USB Type-C port at the bottom, flanked by a speaker grille and the SIM ejector tray. Motorola has also included a secondary speaker behind the earpiece, with both speakers fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos for enhanced audio quality.

Display

The device features a 6.7-inch pOLED display that Motorola claims is the best in its segment. With a 120 Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, DCI-P3 color gamut support, and a peak brightness of 1,600 nits, the display certainly impressed.

In real-world usage, the display lives up to its specifications. Whether indoors or outdoors, the screen offers excellent visibility with easy text legibility even under direct sunlight. Colours appear punchy and vibrant, maintaining their quality even when viewed from certain angles.

The 120 Hz refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and responsiveness across the UI and supported apps. For movie and TV show enthusiasts, the G85 is Widevine L1 certified, allowing for Full HD streaming from popular OTT platforms.

OS

One of the G85’s standout features is its software experience. The phone runs on Android 14-based Hello UI out of the box, offering one of the cleanest and most user-friendly interfaces in its price range.

Moto G85 offers a range of customisation options and features like Smart Connect, which allows for seamless wireless file transfer between the phone and larger screens like laptops. There are also Google AI tools such as Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Photo Blur. Also, the phone promises to receive updates up to Android 16 and security patches until 2028.

Processor and Performance

The new Moto G85 is powered by the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC, paired with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of onboard storage. There is also another variant available at 8 GB/128 GB. While this latest mid-range chipset from Qualcomm may not set benchmark records, it delivers solid performance in the real-world. For graphics, the phone is equipped with Adreno 619.

In day-to-day use, the G85 provides smooth operation for browsing and multitasking with limited apps running in the background. Even during gaming sessions, the device maintains its composure without freezing or stuttering. However, it’s worth noting that for some demanding games like BGMI and Call of Duty, the average frame rates can drop to almost half of their peak values.

The Moto G85 delivers good performance for its price range, with Geekbench scores of 924 in single-core and 2090 in multi-core tests. Its GPU score of 1598 further demonstrates that the device offers decent graphics capabilities, making it a competitive option in the sub-20K segment for everyday tasks and casual gaming.

Camera

The camera setup on the Moto G85 is one of its key selling points. The dual rear camera system consists of a 50 MP primary sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and an 8 MP ultrawide lens. The primary camera utilises the Sony LYTIA 600 sensor, which is known for its good low-light performance and image stabilisation capabilities.

In daylight conditions, the G85’s primary camera captures appealing images with vibrant colors. However, there’s a tendency to over-saturate colors and overprocess shadowy areas, resulting in dramatic, social media-ready photos that may sacrifice some natural essence. While this might appeal to users who prefer more vivid images straight out of the camera, those looking for more true-to-life colors might need to do some post-processing.

The 8 MP ultrawide lens, offering a 118-degree field of view, is a welcome addition at this price point. It’s capable of capturing macro shots as well, adding versatility to the camera system. There is a noticeable shift in color when switching to the ultrawide lens, with increased saturation and contrast, but the level of detail remains respectable for a budget device.

Portrait mode on the G85 performs admirably, with good subject separation and pleasing background blur. Edge detection is generally accurate, though it can struggle with more complex outlines.

In low-light conditions, the G85 performs better than many of its peers. The night mode captures sharper images with less noise and more vibrant colors compared to the standard auto mode. While it may not match the night photography capabilities of flagship devices, it’s certainly impressive for its price range.

The front-facing 32 MP camera is a highlight, delivering selfies with impressive facial details and pleasing to the eye, if not entirely accurate with skin tones. The high resolution allows for plenty of detail, making it suitable for social media enthusiasts who prioritize selfie quality.

Battery

The Moto G85 is equipped with a 5,000 mAh battery, which is becoming the standard capacity for mid-range smartphones. In real-world usage, this translates to a full day of battery life with moderate usage. When it comes to charging, the G85 supports 33 W charging. While not the fastest in its class, it can still fully charge the 5,000 mAh battery in about 1:10 - 1:20 hours.

Verdict

The Moto G85 positions itself as a strong contender in the sub-20K segment. It brings several features typically associated with more premium devices, such as the curved pOLED display, OIS-equipped main camera, and a sleek design, at a more accessible price point. It sells at a starting price of ₹17,999.

It’s worth noting that the G85 finds itself is in close competition with Motorola’s own lineup, particularly the recently reviewed Motorola Edge 50 Fusion. This proximity in features and pricing within Motorola’s portfolio might create some confusion for potential buyers.