moto g54 5G Review: Sleek, smooth, striking and more than value-for-money

The moto g54 packs several noteworthy enhancements, including a 6.5-inch 120Hz Full HD+ display, improved camera capabilities, a massive 6,000 mAh battery, the rarely seen 3.5mm headphone jack, and more — all this for under ₹16,000.

The moto g54 comes in two variants — 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage priced at ₹15,999, and 12/256 at ₹18,999. Most brands tend to send the specced-out variant for review, but Motorola sent me the base 8/128 variant and I'm glad that it did so because this is the option most buyers will likely choose. This allows me to test the device that will be in many buyers' hands.

Motorola is also one of the few companies to still include a charger in the box — the g54 comes with a 33W charging brick and an end-to-end USB Type-C cable, plus all the other sundries you can expect, such as a SIM ejector tool, a clear case, et al.

The g54 is available in three colours — Mint Green, Pearl Blue (my favourite), and Midnight Blue. Sadly, my review unit is in the Midnight Blue colour, which is still an attractive colour, my personal preference notwithstanding.

This is a standout feature on the g54 — with a 20:9 aspect ratio, punchy visuals and enough brightness, it makes for a great viewing experience, be it reading texts, emails or browsing the web, or streaming/watching videos. The adaptive refresh rate, which can go as low as 30 Hz, intelligently makes scrolling feel buttery smooth, but I'd suggest locking it to 120 Hz, as the mammoth battery will barely feel a ding. Trust me. While it lacks an always-on display, which has become a mainstay in most Android devices, this is an LCD panel and Motorola works around this by offering a feature called 'peek display,' which will allow you to view interactive notifications and quick information when the screen is off.

Despite packing a substantial 6000mAh battery, the g54 maintains a slim profile, measuring just 8.89 mm in thickness and weighing a mere 192 grams. The device's back feels like satin in the hand. The smartphone is rated IP52 for dust and water resistance, so it can withstand light rain and splashes.

Now we come to the one feature that is probably the most important on a potential buyer's mind — the camera system. The moto g54 boasts a 50 MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS), an 8 MP ultrawide shooter and a 16 MP selfie camera.

The camera interface is user-friendly, featuring quick toggles for various settings, including switching between the main camera and macro camera, and adjusting the flash, timer, and aspect ratio, among others. The camera software includes an array of features, such as night vision, portrait, spot colour, panorama, scan, dual capture, slow motion, time-lapse, and dual capture.

In terms of image quality, daylight shots exhibit impressive dynamic range, thanks to the Quad Pixel technology providing 12.5MP output. HDR shots display improved dynamic range — I would strongly recommend turning on auto HDR for the best results. The ultrawide camera and the autofocus-enabled macro option both performed well during my testing. Portrait shots too showed good edge detection, which is a huge win at this price point.

The phone supports 1080p video recording at up to 30 fps from both front and rear cameras, with OIS delivering stable footage.

The moto g54 runs on Android 13-based My UX which provides a clean, stock software experience. The only downside is that the G series comes with only one year of OS updates and three years of security patches. There are some quintessentially moto touches to the software, such as ThinkShield to protect your phone, and gesture-based app launches — moto mainstay for nearly as long as I can remember.

The MediaTek Dimensity 7020 SoC is powerful enough to handle the g54's daily tasks and then some. The dual-firing stereo speakers are pleasantly loud, and Dolby Atmos support further enhances the experience. Furthermore, you get FM radio that can record audio, which I felt was a nice touch.

The moto g54 integrates a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, offering swift and convenient unlocking without requiring a physical press. You can register up to five fingerprints, although my thumbs and right index finger were more than enough for my use case. The device additionally offers face unlock functionality, but be warned that this isn't the most secure option. It only adds convenience to unlocking the phone.

My favourite feature by far is the PIN scrambler. Like every other smartphone, the g54 requires you to set a numeric PIN, a pattern, or a password to enable biometric authentication. Should you go with the PIN, then you have the option to scramble the numeric pad, which means every time you need to enter the PIN, the digits are differently placed. No one can surreptitiously memorise your PIN when you're unlocking your phone.

Conventional wisdom dictates that you get what you pay for, but that's increasingly not the case in the world of smartphones. And the moto g54 embodies that, with superlative performance, excellent and premium-feeling build and capable hardware. If you're strapped for cash or want to buy an affordable yet excellent phone for any other reason, the g54 makes a compelling case for itself.