Motorola is letting down its US fans again while hitting home run after home run everywhere else

Yup, I’m here today to talk to you about Motorola again. And I know exactly what you’re going to say – what could have possibly happened between my last two editorials focused on this brand and now to warrant another 800-word analysis of the good, the bad, and the ugly things Samsung and Apple’s rising rival is doing to rise further?

The answer, believe it or not, is quite lengthy, including the names of not one, not two, and not three but four different handsets unveiled in the last seven days alone. In order of their recent public appearances, you’ve got the Moto G67 Power, Moto G (2026), Moto G Play (2026), and Moto G57 Power.

For an Android power user, none of those names is likely to sound particularly exciting (which is a little ironic given that two of them actually have the word “Power” in them), but for “normal” folks like me who can appreciate a solid mid-ranger with respectable specs and affordable pricing, this avalanche of new products is like Christmas in November. Unfortunately, just like every Christmas has ugly sweaters and messy family reunions, the aforementioned Moto G quartet has its share of very obvious and annoying flaws.

Why is the US getting the most mediocre new devices… again?

I hope you don’t expect me to answer that rhetorical question, because I’ve been baffled by Motorola’s US product release strategy for many years now, and I can’t say I’m surprised to see the Moto G (2026) and Moto G Play (2026) carry on the puzzling legacy of their forerunners.

The Moto G Play 2026 is a disappointingly (but predictably) low-end handset. | Image Credit — Motorola

Just as the Moto G (2025) is nothing special, with a sub-par “HD+” screen in tow, an unremarkable 5,000mAh battery under the hood, and a decent but not exactly irresistible $199.99 price tag attached to its name, the Moto G (2026) fails to blow my mind with its unchanged display resolution, slightly larger 5,200mAh cell, and unchanged price point.

Can you do better at two Benjamins stateside? Probably not, but I know for a fact that Motorola could have done better and thus make it a lot easier for cash-strapped smartphone buyers to snub the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy A16 5G, and presumably, the Galaxy A17 5G before long.

The $169.99 Moto G Play (2026) is naturally even worse, including in terms of bang for your buck, with a single rear-facing camera and a disappointing 64 gigs of internal storage space paired with a mediocre 4GB RAM count.

And now let’s see what the Moto G57 Power offers at a recommended price of €279 in Europe. 7,000mAh battery – check. Military-grade durability – you got it. 256GB storage and 8GB RAM at no extra cost – check and check.

Incredibly enough, the Moto G67 Power is even cheaper (in India), fetching the rough equivalent of $180 (!!!) while packing the same gargantuan battery as the G57 Power into a similarly robust and surprisingly elegant body.

Will the Moto G Power (2026) save face? I’m not holding my breath

Look, I know how regional pricing works, so I never realistically expected a phone as good (at least on paper) as the Moto G67 Power to come to the US at under $200.

The Moto G Power 2026 could look a lot like the Moto G57 Power… or not. | Image Credit — Motorola

The Moto G (2026) and Moto G Play (2026), meanwhile, are (significantly) worse than the latest international additions to the Moto G portfolio, which makes me pessimistic about the Moto G Power (2026) and Moto G Stylus (2026) as well.

While I know those two US-bound mid-rangers will be better than the newest Moto G and G Play editions, I fear the underwhelming 5,000mAh battery capacity of the Moto G Power (2025) will not be properly upgraded for its 2026 sequel.

It clearly wouldn’t make sense to keep that below the 6,500mAh mark after three different Moto G-series phones broke the 7,000mAh barrier in three different regions in the last couple of weeks alone, but here I am, pleading and almost begging Motorola to take the US more seriously and push Samsung into stepping up its own mid-range game soon. That’s the only way the currently stagnant (and, frankly, boring) market segment can grow in the near future.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.

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Motorola is letting down its US fans again while hitting home run after home run everywhere else

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