Motorola Moto G62 review

Competition

The Moto G62 offers solid performance and great battery life, but its main appeal remains the 5G connectivity support, which is still a rare find in this price bracket, especially in western markets. The Indian version has a performance advantage thanks to its more potent Snapdragon 695 chipset and more RAM, but the Snapdragon 480+ SoC used for the global version arguably makes more sense in the context of an affordable 5G smartphone.

Unfortunately, the phone is somewhat let down by its display and camera setup, forcing you to make the tough choice between the future-proof 5G connectivity or generally better hardware.

If you'd like to lean the other way Poco M4 Pro delivers better camera performance, a superior 90Hz OLED panel and faster charging. The device can be found for less than €200 even. Although, the Poco M4 Pro ships with 4GB/64GB memory as a standard and have to pay a little extra for the 6GB/128GB version. Then again, the non-Indian Moto G62 settles with just 4GB of RAM. The dated MediaTek Helio G96 chipset is what keeps us from unconditionally recommending the Poco M4 Pro over the Moto G62.

Motorola itself offers the Moto G52 with a 90Hz OLED screen and 30W charging that is otherwise identical to the G62. It moves to a lesser Snapdragon 680 chipset and loses the 5G support, though.

Then there's the 5G version of the M4 Pro for the same price but with an inferior IPS panel and camera performance compared to the non-5G option. The Dimensity 810 silicon is a good selling point, nonetheless.

There's also the Redmi Note 11S 5G, which has limited availability at the moment but it's probably the closest alternative to the Moto G62. It has a comparable 6.6-inch 90Hz LCD panel, the same camera setup and battery life and costs just about the same. Its big advantages over Motorola's offering are the more capable Dimensity 810 SoC and the faster charging.

Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro • Motorola Moto G52 • Xiaomi Poco M4 Pro 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S 5G

Yet, arguably the smarter thing to do is shell out €30-50 more and go up the price bracket, where you will find considerably more competent devices like the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G, the Poco X4 Pro 5G, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G and the Realme 9 Pro. What they have in common in this context is that they offer superior display quality, faster chipsets, faster charging and deliver somewhat better camera performance across the board. We believe that the extra few bucks are well worth it.

Samsung Galaxy A33 5G • Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro 5G • Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G • Realme 9 Pro

Verdict

With the first 5G-enabled budget SoCs now available, Motorola is betting big on very affordable 5G phones for the European and North American markets. The Moto G62 is just another of a series of devices along those same lines and even if it's not the cheapest, it's definitely close. But in these price segments it's inevitably about picking your priorities and making the right compromises.

If you don't have 5G connectivity and a pair of very good stereo speakers above charging speed and display quality on your priority list then a lot of similarly-priced alternatives will better accommodate you. Otherwise the Motorola G62 might be just right one for you.

Pros

• Lightweight chassis with water-repellent design.
• Excellent battery life.
• Good-sounding stereo speakers.
• Clean and snappy Android experience.
• 128GB storage as a standard, microSD card slot.
• One of the cheapest 5G options around.

Cons

• IPS LCD panel not very bright.
• More powerful non-5G alternatives available.
• Lackluster camera image quality in both good light and low light.
• Slow charging.