If you’ve been on the lookout for a budget smartphone that doesn’t feel rudimentary, the just-announced Moto G45 5G might be the answer.
Motorola has been on a roll of late, cranking out strong handsets with clean software and no-nonsense hardware. With the G45, it seems that they’ve been able to stuff in everything that counts—without driving the price up.
Here’s what to know about what this budget-friendly 5G phone has to offer and whether it’s worth your hard-earned dollars.
Design: Clean, Simple, Modern
Motorola has never been about flashy designs on its phones and the G45 5G is no different. The phone has a plastic back with matte finish that feels sturdy and doesn’t pick up fingerprints. It’s available in muted, unglaring colours — think Forest Blue and Arctic Silver — which makes it quite pretty.
It is 8.1mm thin and weighs about 185g, which makes it comfortable to hold while not looking cheap. A side-mounted fingerprint sensor that doubles as the power button is a handy and responsive addition.
Big, Bright and Butter-Smooth Display
The Moto G45 arrives with a slightly larger 6.6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD screen, and guess what, it boasts 120Hz refresh rate support! It’s not something you see a lot in phones at this price.
Scrolling, swiping and gaming all feel super smooth. Colors are reasonably vivid and while it doesn’t have the deep blacks of an AMOLED panel, it performs respectably in outdoor visibility and media playback. For the binge-watcher or casual gamer, though, this is a screen that ticks a lot of the boxes.
Performance: Middle-of-the-Road Muscle at a Reasonable Price
The G45 is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset. It comes paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded with a microSD card.
The phone’s an absolute workhorse when you’re going about your day to day business: app switching is snappy, multitasking a breeze, and even the likes of Call of Duty: Mobile run with impressive smoothness on medium graphics settings. And with 5G support, you’re futureproofed in terms of network speed.
Software: Pure Android with a Motorola Twist
I would say one of the biggest strengths of Motorola is the software. The G45 operates on Android 14, nearly free of bloatware and with a near-stock experience.
You also get Motorola’s signature gestures — a double chop for flashlight, for example, or twist for camera — which lend some practicality without inundating users.
Motorola guarantees two years of “major” Android updates, which is pretty generous in this price range.
Camera: Gets the Job Done
The rear camera module comprises a 50MP primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. Images are okay in daylight — you get good detail, natural colours, and fast focus. Low-light performance is average, although Night Mode makes a bit of a difference.
The 16MP selfie camera is more than fine for selfies and video calls, of which the portrait mode does a surprisingly good job on a mid-range handset like this.
Battery & Charging: Up to 24-hour battery with rapid charge
Battery The G45 5G houses a 5000mAh battery and with moderate to heavy usage runs all day long. You also get a 33W TurboPower charger in the box, which will take you from 0 to 50% in about 30 minutes — not the fastest, but certainly not slow.
Pros & Cons Summary
Pros Cons
✅ Smooth 120Hz display ❌ No AMOLED panel
✅ Clean, close-to-stock Android ❌ Camera could have been better in low light
✅ Strong 5G performance ✅ Killer two-day battery ❌ Plastic build might not feel premium
✅ Long battery life + fast charging ❌ No IP rating or stereo speakers
✅ Affordable price-tag ❌ 2 years of software updates only
Moto G45 5G come with Smooth Display
The Moto G45 5G isn’t out to impress, but it is out to make the connections you need it to. And in that, it succeeds.
For students, young professionals or anyone who wants a no-frills 5G phone that gets the job done without emptying your bank account, this one’s a winner.
Motorola knows who its audience is — and the G45 5G should have exactly what that audience wants: a clean Android interface, solid performance and a price that doesn’t sound too out of whack.
