Introduction, specs, unboxing
Motorola launched the Moto G200 5G back in November, nine months after the first Ready For-capable smartphone - the Moto G100. And it is shaping as an outstanding sequel and probably one of the most interesting bang-for-the-buck offers on the market right now. With display, chipset and camera getting major boosts it's looking like a well-rounded package.
The Moto G200 5G carries a mid-range price tag, but its specs sheet really blurs the line to flagships. It impresses right out of the bat with a 6.8" 1080p LCD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. One of the most powerful chipsets - the Snapdragon 888+ can really drive the fast-refreshing screen and will make sure you can reach the 144fps wherever support is present. Oh, and the triple camera on the back sure sounds premium with that 108MP primary and a 13MP ultrawide with autofocus for Macro Vision.
Motorola has been known for its water-repellent designs and the new G200 5G is no different. The IP52 rating is not exactly impressive as it covers no water splashes, let alone submersion, but then official IP ratings aren't that common in this price range so at least it's not going to hold the G200 back.
More of Motorola's DNA shines through in the 33W TurboPower charging for the large 5,000mAh battery and the clean Android experience with limited Moto customizations. And we do appreciate the Ready For support, which despite its gimmicky name, promises a powerful desktop experience.
And while the package sounds great on its own, the thing that makes the Moto G200 5G really interesting is its price. In a smartphone world with constantly increasing prices this Motorola that could have been easily an Edge series member, is priced at €449, while some shopping around can let you have it for as low as €400 in some markets.
So, let's take a quick scroll through the complete Moto G200 5G specs and get this review started.
Motorola Moto G200 5G specs at a glance:
- Body: 168.1x75.5x8.9mm, 202g; Glass front, plastic frame, plastic back; Water-repellent design.
- Display: 6.80" LCD, 144Hz, HDR10, 1080x2460px resolution, 20.5:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888+ 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1x2.99 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680); Adreno 660.
- Memory: 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1.
- OS/Software: Android 11.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 108 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.52", 0.7µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 119˚, 1.12µm, AF; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.2, (wide), 1.0µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30ps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5000mAh; Fast charging 33W.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); NFC.
We see two notable omissions compared to the Moto G100. The first is the microSD expansion slot. We realize these are an increasingly rare sight these days, but it still pains us to see them go. The second is the 3.5mm audio jack, though the way TWS earphones are exploding in popularity this may well bother fewer people.
There are no stereo speakers either, which may count against the G200 against some rivals, but cutting corners is the name of the game in the mid-range and we are now going to find out if Motorola cut the right ones.
Unboxing the Motorola Moto G200 5G
The Motorola Moto G200 is packed within a beautiful Moto box that has the same color as the G200 inside.
The box contains a 33W TurboPower charger, a 3A-rated USB-A-to-C cable, and a soft transparent case. And that's all the essentials covered and a lot more than some makers have been offering recently.
Design, build, quality
Motorola is proud with the Moto G200 5G design and specifically its ramp-like camera bump that's slowly raising from the side. This unique element makes the Moto G200 easily standout of the crowd and gives it a personality of its own.
The Moto G200 has a traditional mid-range build that includes a glass front, a plastic frame and a plastic rear panel with curved edges. Thanks to these curved sides, the phone feels thinner than it is and looks better.
The Mogo G200 is IP52-rated, but that's rather limited as to what it covers as it doesn't even include splashes. So it doesn't really earn it any bonus points, but seeing how most competitors don't have an official rating at all it's not going to count against it either.
Even if the G200 is mostly a plastic phone, Motorola has made sure it doesn't feel cheap. On the contrary, the matte rear panel looks and feels like glass, and we found it attractive and eye catchy.
The matte finish frame has a flat piece on the top that looks and feels a lot like metal. We are not sure if it's an actual aluminum element or not, but it is a nice touch, and we are awarding points to Motorola for making it this way.
We have the Stellar Blue option and while its somewhat translucent top layer on the back makes for cool light effects when light is available, it is also a giant smudge magnet. Those are relatively easy to clean, but if you don't want to bother with that we suggest getting the Aurora-like Glacier Green option, which will hide them a bit better.
The front is a home to the 6.8-inch IPS LCD screen that's been improved with a buttery smooth 144Hz refresh rate. The panel has an extended 1080p resolution, supports HDR10 and DCI-P3 color gamut, and has a tempered glass of unknown maker for protection.
One major change compared to the Moto G100 is the absence of a second selfie camera. Now, the Moto G200 has a singular punch-hole for its 16MP selfie camera. The fewer cutouts certainly make for a better look, but there are scenarios where that ultrawide selfie camera is super convenient and it will be missed.
Above the screen is the earpiece and a bunch of sensors. There is no visible grille for the earpiece, just a long thin outlet.
The curved back has a nice matte finish and is pleasing to the touch. Its centerpiece, of course, is the unique camera bump with a ramp-like design that slowly raises from the right side, envelops the three cameras, and then flows back to the panel with a steep curve. It's certainly an innovative solution and Motorola deserves praise for coming up with it.
The three cameras at the back are surrounded by jutting out rings. The top one is the 13MP ultrawide shooter, below it is the 108MP primary camera, and last is the 2MP depth sensor. A dual-LED flash is also around.
The Moto G100 had a TOF 3D sensor, which is absent on the Moto G200. But with the present depth sensor and the AF-capable ultrawide camera, we doubt it would have made a huge difference anyway.
The top has a lonely microphone.
The bottom has the USB-C port, the SIM tray, the mouthpiece, and the speaker grille. There is no second speaker on the Moto G200.
The left side houses a single key, which summons the Google Assistant.
The volume and power keys are on the right side of the Moto G200. The power/lock key is where the fingerprint scanner is embedded - it's always on and satisfyingly fast.
The Motorola Moto G200 5G feels solid and secure when handled. Its matte finish does help a lot with grip, while the phone's shape is comfortable and makes handling easy despite large size.
The signature Motorola logo on the back and the unique camera bump are aesthetics boosters, and together with the traditional build and shape everything clicked into an enjoyable and carefree experience. And that's plenty enough.
A 144Hz LCD display
The Motorola Moto G200 5G packs an upgraded display over the Moto G100 - it has a larger panel with fewer perforations and a faster 144Hz refresh rate. The screen supports HDR10 and is calibrated for the DCI-P3 color space.
The 6.8-inch IPS TFT LCD screen has a resolution of 1,080 x 2,460 or 395ppi, making for a 20:9 aspect ratio. There is a single centered punch hole for the selfie camera and thankfully no weird light bleed or uneven backlighting around the cutout. The panel is protected by a flat sheet of tempered glass.
Let's start with our traditional display test - we recorded 462 nits of maximum brightness when manually adjusting it with the scrubber. Combined with the deep blacks we got an excellent contrast ratio of 1633:1.
There is a 100-nit boost when using Adaptive Brightness and expose the phone to a bright light. This means we measured 558 nits and once again got a superb contrast ratio of 1627:1.
The minimum brightness at point white was outstanding at just 1.9 nits, meaning using the phone in a very dark room will be no trouble at all.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, |
White, |
||
| 0.283 | 462 | 1633:1 | |
| 0.343 | 558 | 1627:1 | |
| 0.349 | 498 | 1427:1 | |
| 0.434 | 613 | 1412:1 | |
| 0 | 466 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 650 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 484 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 673 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 443 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 650 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 383 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 800 | ∞ | |
| 0.327 | 458 | 1401:1 | |
| 0.4 | 534 | 1335:1 | |
| 0 | 498 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 798 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 497 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 802 | ∞ | |
The Moto G200 5G supports DCI-P3 color space. It comes with two Color modes - Saturated (default) and Natural. Both yield relatively accurate presentation excluding the white and gray hues. When using the Saturated option those have a noticeable shift towards blue, while in the Natural mode the shift is towards red.
You can tweak further the color temperature in either mode, but it won't lead to significantly better accuracy.
Then there is the HDR10 support. Both YouTube and Amazon Prime stream high-res HDR content hassle-free. The Moto G200 supports Widevine L1 DRM, but just like other Moto phones, this one is not whitelisted in Netflix and while it can offer Full HD streaming, it won't do HDR.
Finally, let's talk about the refresh rate behavior. Motorola offers three modes - fixed 60Hz, fixed 144Hz, and Auto.
The fixed 60Hz and 144Hz always force the respective refresh rate, no matter what.
The Auto on the other hand toggles between 48Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz. In theory it should be able to use 50Hz, too, but it will never go to 144Hz. This mode should strike the best balance between power efficiency and smoothness and is the default option.
When using Auto, UI and compatible apps are shown at 120Hz, while 48Hz is used for static images (and if you are not touching the screen). Same goes for streaming - UI is usually 120Hz, while the video is either 60Hz or 48Hz depending on its frame rate.
Gaming is a bit different - most games with unlocked refresh rate ran at 120Hz, but some like Dead Trigger 2 (also unlocked) used 60Hz. We tried a bunch of games, and the majority got to 120Hz, so it's safe to say that apps like Dead Trigger 2 are exceptions rather than the rule.
Battery life
The Motorola Moto G200 5G is powered by a large 5,000 mAh battery and the maker is promising about 36 hours of battery life on a single charge and heavy usage. Our test is a bit different, but the results are indeed good.
The Moto G200 5G scored a total endurance rating of 102 hours. It did great when it comes to call time, and it didn't disappoint in our on-screen tests with 13+ hours of web browsing and 15 hours of video playback. The only average component was the standby battery draw.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSerDevice app. The endurance rating denotes how long the battery charge will last you if you use the device for an hour of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. More details can be found here.
Video test carried out in 60Hz refresh rate mode. Web browsing test done at the display's highest refresh rate whenever possible. Refer to the respective reviews for specifics. To adjust the endurance rating formula to match your own usage patterns check out our all-time battery test results chart where you can also find all phones we've tested.
Charging speed
The Moto G200 5G supports 33W TurboPower charging and comes with the required charger in the box.
When hooked on the 33W power adapter, the G200 goes from 0% to 52% in 30 minutes.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Higher is better
- OnePlus 8T
94% - Realme 8 Pro
88% - Realme GT 5G (65W)
87% - Xiaomi 11T
86% - Motorola Edge 20
68% - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
53% - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
53% - Motorola Moto G200 5G
52% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
50% - Motorola Moto G100
37% - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
33%
A full charge requires 74 minutes, a superb result within and even outside the mid-range segment.
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Lower is better
- OnePlus 8T
0:36h - Realme 8 Pro
0:38h - Realme GT 5G (65W)
0:39h - Xiaomi 11T
0:41h - Motorola Edge 20
1:01h - Motorola Moto G200 5G
1:14h - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
1:17h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1:21h - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
1:28h - Motorola Moto G100
1:54h - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G
2:00h
Speaker quality
The Motorola Moto G200 5G features a single bottom-firing speaker, which is a bit disappointing.
The speaker scored a Good mark in our loudness test and we can confirm it's decently loud when ringing or playing Moto's notification sounds.
The speaker quality on the other hand is mediocre - voice and mid-tones in general sound okay, but there is no bass, and the high tones are barely there.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Vanilla-like Android 11 with Moto app and Ready For support
The Motorola G200 5G, the spiritual successor of the first Ready For-compatible smartphone, runs on a similar firmware. In fact, if you have used any of the recent high-end Moto phones, you will feel at home right away.
Motorola has guaranteed one major Android version update, meaning the phone will get the already available Android 12, like that's something to brag with. This is disappointing, as we, and we bet a lot of users as well, will probably expect it to get Android 13 that's coming later this year. Here is hoping Motorola reconsiders this policy.
So, the Moto G200 offers a stock Android look with a fair share of in-house features added on top and controlled via the Moto app hub. The 'Ready For' functionality is available, too, it is something like Samsung's DeX albeit with a bit more limited features.
The majority of the proprietary features are arranged in the Moto app. The first category is personalization allowing you to choose the icon shapes, the quick toggles appearance, the accent colors and the font. There is also a wide selection of wallpapers, plus the option to leverage AI to create your own from the photos in your gallery.
Moto App • Personalization
Then come to the gestures. By now, you all must have seen the karate chop motion that turns on and off the flashlight and the twisting motion that launches the camera app. Both work even when the device is locked.
The lift-to-unlock gesture works well with the face unlock as it unlocks the device as soon as you pick it up and look at the screen.
A swipe-to-split function is available, too, it triggers the split-screen multitasking. There is also Power touch. When you double-tap the power button, a shortcut menu appears where you can arrange apps, tools and even contacts for quick access.
Gestures
The display-related features are Peek Display and Attentive Display. The former works as a second-best alternative to the Always-on display but with some added functionality. The screen lights up when it detects motion that's close to the phone or when you pick it up. Once you've received some kind of notification, you can tap on it and see the message itself and even interact with it from the lock screen.
Attentive Display disables the screen timeout as long as there's a face looking at the screen. Pretty useful when reading long articles, though you do probably scroll often enough for the screen not to lock anyway.
Display
All of these aside, the rest is pretty much Android 11 as Google intended it to be. Google's apps handle the multimedia, too - you get Photos and YT Music.
Notification grouping keeps your notification shade tidy and focuses on your conversations. Notification cards from ongoing conversations from your messaging apps will appear on top as high-priority compared to other app notifications. Notification Bubbles are available, too.
Bubbles is one of the long-awaited features for messaging apps that Facebook's Messenger pineered years ago. The apps that support the feature will prompt you with a notification in the form of a floating, interactive bubble. Tapping on it will open up the chart for a quick reply, just like Messenger.
Nearby Share with other devices running a recent Android version is also possible, making file transfers easier than ever.
And lastly, we have the updated power menu that now displays shortcuts to connected devices such as home automation or Chromecast through the Google Home app.
Lockscreen • Homescreen • Folder view • App drawer • Notifications • Quick toggles
The Ready For platform lets you connect to a Miracast-capable TV and get a Windows-desktop-like experience - play a game on your phone, display it on the external screen, or even have a big-screen video chat experience. If you don't have a mouse and/or keyboard handy, the phone's screen can be used as a trackpad and/or keyboard.
Ready For Wireless • Wired with Windows PC
You can also use Ready For on a Windows-based PC - it runs within a window on your desktop. This is helpful for when you want to run an Android app from your computer or to multi-task between devices on just one screen.
Here, you can also enable Phone mode and view your phone's screen on the Ready For big desktop screen, which is on your Windows desktop. That's some inception-level multi-tasking!
Ready For desktop experience
Another use case of Ready For on a Windows PC is for video calls, where you can use the phone's camera to capture yourself and an external display to see the other participants.
Ready For • How to close Full Screen app
The final Ready For use case is for gaming on a bigger screen - be it TV or laptop/monitor. You connect an external controller and run the game on the phone, with the obvious benefit being the larger display for gameplay.
Performance and benchmarks
The Motorola Moto G200 5G employs the powerful Snapdragon 888+ 5G chipset. It has a total of eight Kryo 680 CPU cores and an Adreno 660 GPU, built on a 5nm process.
All but one CPU cores are set up the same in the Snapdragon 888+ as they were on the Snapdragon 888. That includes the "small" four Kryo 680 cores that go up to 1.8 GHz, as well as the three "big" ones, clocked at up to 2.42 GHz.
The only difference is with the "prime" core, which can go up to 3.0 GHz on the Snapdragon 888+, while it is limited to 2.84 GHz on the vanilla Snapdragon 888.
The Adreno 660 GPU uses the same frequency and hasn't changed since the regular SD888. The Hexagon 780 DSP has been improved, though - it can now handle 32 TOPS (trillions of operations per second), up from 26 TOPS in SD888.
The Motorola Moto G200 5G is available with 8GB LPDDR5 RAM and you can choose between 128GB and 256GB UFS3.1 internal storage.
And now, let's runs some tests.
While the Snapdragon 888+ is no longer the most powerful chipset in the Android world, in the mid-range it's a true chart topper.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
3319 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
3140 - Realme GT Explorer Master
3050 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
3049 - Realme GT Master
2917 - Motorola Moto G100
2860 - Xiaomi 11T
2834 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2801 - OnePlus Nord 2
2792 - Motorola Edge 20
2550 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
1780
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
1096 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
1096 - Realme GT Explorer Master
1020 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
972 - Motorola Moto G100
950 - OnePlus Nord 2
814 - Realme GT Master
785 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
771 - Motorola Edge 20
762 - Xiaomi 11T
742 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
569
The Adreno 660 GPU is a king in the graphics department and can handle high-refresh rate content hassle-free. Gaming is an extra smooth affair on the Moto G200.
GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
60 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
56 - Realme GT Explorer Master
50 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
49 - Motorola Moto G100
47 - Xiaomi 11T
40 - OnePlus Nord 2
38 - Motorola Edge 20
29 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
28 - Realme GT Master
27 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
16
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
98 - Motorola Moto G200 5G
97 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
83 - Motorola Moto G100
79 - Xiaomi 11T
72 - Realme GT Explorer Master
60 - OnePlus Nord 2
57 - Motorola Edge 20
51 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
49 - Realme GT Master
46
GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
129 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
116 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
112 - Xiaomi 11T
96 - Motorola Moto G100
89 - Motorola Edge 20
70 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
69 - Realme GT Explorer Master
60 - OnePlus Nord 2
59 - Realme GT Master
57
3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
5617 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
5432 - Realme GT Explorer Master
4255 - OnePlus Nord 2
4224 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
4206 - Xiaomi 11T
4172 - Motorola Moto G100
4114 - Motorola Edge 20
2494 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
2491 - Realme GT Master
2481
As expected, AnTuTu declares the Moto G200 5G the fastest smartphones in its price range.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
682346 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
566529 - Motorola Moto G100
556137 - OnePlus Nord 2
512164 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
429675 - Motorola Edge 20
424031 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
295442
AnTuTu 9
Higher is better
- Motorola Moto G200 5G
811124 - Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
719696 - Realme GT Explorer Master
717879 - Motorola Edge 20 Pro
711090 - Motorola Moto G100
681559 - OnePlus Nord 2
598022 - Xiaomi 11T
590837 - Realme GT Master
529263 - Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G
506432 - Motorola Edge 20
488574
So, there is nothing the Motorola Moto G200 5G cannot do computation-wise - it offers flagship-performance across the board and can do HRR gaming easily. It has what was until recently the best chip on the market and will continue to ace tasks and games for the next couple of years at least.
The phone doesn't become hot even when running stress tests, though the SD888+ generates a lot of heat and some throttling occurs when running CPU and GPU Throttle tests.
The CPU stress test reveals the G200 offers about 70% of its maximum performance when running CPU Throttle for an hour. Meanwhile, the GPU gets to keep 73% of its maximum performance when looping the 3D Mark Wild Life stress tests. Both stability numbers are excellent for a phone that doesn't use a particularly fancy cooling solution and probably the hottest chip on the market. Good job!
CPU test • GPU test
A promising triple camera setup
The Motorola Moto G200 5G has a triple camera on its back with a 108MP primary cam, a 13MP ultrawide-angle shooter, and a 2MP depth sensor. There is also a dual-LED flash around.
The front camera is placed within a punch-hole and uses a 16MP Quad-Pixel sensor.
The Motorola G200's primary camera is a match to the Moto Edge 20's. It uses a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KHM2 module also known as just HM2, which is 1/1.52" big with 0.7µm pixels and an f/1.9 24mm lens. The color filter is Nonacell, which means 9 sensor pixels are combined into one 2.1µm pixel, and the output resolution is 12MP. PDAF is available, but there is no optical stabilization. The primary camera is the only one to support Night Mode.
The ultrawide-angle camera uses a 13MP Hynix Hi1336 sensor with 1.12µm pixels that sits behind f/2.2 12mm lens. Autofocus is available on this camera, which enables Macro Vision and you can capture macro photos from as close as 3cm.
The third and final camera on the back is a 2MP OV02B1 depth sensor, which hardly contributes much to the photography experience.
The front camera relies on a 16MP OmniVision OV16A1Q 1/3.06" sensor 1.0µmm pixels and with Quad-Pixel filter. It sits behind f/2.2 28mm lens. The focus is fixed. The default output of this camera is 4MP, though 16MP is an option, too.
The default Motorola camera app has gone through some changes in the past couple of software versions, but the main way of navigating through the menus and camera modes remains the same.
The camera modes are arranged in a customizable carousel formation, with the hamburger menu holding a couple of other shooting modes. There's also a Pro mode giving you almost full control over the camera's settings like white balance, ISO, autofocus, exposure and shutter speed up to 32s for the two rear snappers.
Camera app
Additional settings for each camera mode can be found by swiping up in the viewfinder, including video resolution. The gear icon for the general settings menu houses even more settings, including photo resolutions.
One thing we've noticed in there is that the videos are set to H.265/HEVC encoding by default, so you might want to revert to H.264/AVC if you want better compatibility when playing those videos on other devices.
Advanced settings
Just like on previous Moto phones, here you have two choices for the rear camera resolution - 12MP or 8MP. But unlike on the old models, this one does not force this resolution on the ultrawide camera as well - its output remains 13MP as it should be.
You can also choose the front camera resolution - the options are 4MP (binned) and 16MP.
108MP mode is available for the primary camera.
Photo quality
The main camera saves 12MP images by default, but you can opt for lower 8MP resolution of use the high-res 108MP mode.
The default 12MP photos are easily likable. They have a lot of detail and balanced processing - the foliage looks good and intricate objects are not over-sharpened as it often happens these days. The noise is kept well under control.
The contrast in these photos is high and makes them look lively, while the dynamic range is average. We think Motorola has struck a good balance between contrast and dynamic and the samples we took look pleasantly natural.
One thing that could use some tuning is the white balance. While the photos appear with punchy and lively colors, they have this reddish tint that's noticeable only if you compare them with images taken with another device or the ones shot in the 108MP mode.
Main camera, 12MP
And here are a few samples taken in the high-res mode. They do get the white balance right and offer a more true-to-life color presentation. The noise is higher here, too, and the dynamic range is a bit wider.
You get a moderate amount of extra detail, but the Nona-Bayer filter causes various irregularities in areas of high complexity because of the way remosaicing works to restore the missing information. As a result the images look a lot like oil paintings at pixel level.
Main camera, 108MP
But there is a case to be made for shooting with this high-res highly artificial mode. If you shoot 108MP photos and then resize them down to 12MP you get far better detail than in the default mode.
Oh, and these reseized photos have better colors and higher dynamic range to boot. However the differences aren't huge enough to be worth the extra hassle most of the time so we'd use use this mode only for shots that are worth it.
And here are the two resized samples we used in the comparison tools.
Resized 108MP to 12MP photos
The 13MP photos taken with the ultrawide camera are better than what we usually get from the mid-rangers. They are more detailed than the average ultrawide images and the sharpness is once again nicely balanced. Obviously though, these are nowhere near to the quality of the primary camera.
The distortion is proficiently corrected, and the loss of sharpness isn't that obvious. The noise is tolerable. The dynamic range is okay, as is the contrast, while the colors are slightly washed out and duller than they should have been. The reddish tint is present here, but it's less noticeable than on the primary camera.
Ultrawide camera, 13MP
You can get a bit sharper images by turning the Auto HDR off. It stops the multi-frame stacking and is more gentle with the noise cleaning. The difference isn't that major, but it's visible and this way you may end up with more likable photos. Just know that stopping the Auto HDR applies to all rear cameras and while it could save better ultrawide photos, it will worsen the primary camera quality a bit.
No HDR • Auto HDR
The ultrawide camera supports autofocus and even comes with a special Macro Vision mode. There is a dedicated switch for Macro Vision on the viewfinder, next to the 0.5x and 1x. This mode introduces a crop with the same coverage level as the main cam. Unfortunately, this means the photos were first cropped and then upscaled back to 12MP.
The Macro Vision photos are okay. They offer enough detail, though the sharpness isn't that great and upon closer inspection you will be able to tell that some upscaling process was involved. The contrast and colors are great though, and the noise, even if present, isn't too distracting.
Overall, these closeups are pretty good, you just need to try the ultrawide camera and see which shooting modes suits you best.
Macro Vision, 13MP
There is a way to avoid the crop in macro shooting and get sharper phots - just use the 0.5x mode and tap on the object you want to take a closeup when you are at 4cm or so away. This way the macro images will come up with wider FoV, but you will have presereved all the available information and you will be free to crop them as you with in editing.
Ultrawide • Macro Vision • Ultrawide • Macro Vision • Ultrawide • Macro Vision
The Moto G200 has a 2MP depth sensor on its back that captures depth information for the portrait mode. The primary camera is the one taking the actual portraits and those turned out great - the subjects are detailed and with excellent sharpness, the colors are accurate, and the contrast is superb as well.
The subject separation is on par with most phones these days, while the simulated blur is among the better implementations and looks natural enough.
Portraits, 12MP
The 12MP low-light photos taken with the main camera leverage multi-frame staking (there is AI low-light enhancer that is turned on by default) and look great. The detail level is okay, while the color and the saturation are well preserved. The contrast is good, too, while the noise is tolerable.
These low-light photos also demonstrate adequate exposure and high dynamic range, and clipped highlights are rarer and smaller than expected. Sure, these aren't the best nighttime photos we've seen, but certainly among the better ones in this class.
Main camera, 12MP
Night Vision is available only on the main camera and it does bring up a bit of extra detail in the shadows. It lowers the contrast but improves the dynamic range even further and restores most, if not all blown highlights.
Main cam Night Vision, 12MP
The low-light phots from the ultrawide-angle camera are good for the class, although the bar is admitedly pretty low. These are adequately exposed and with preserved colors and saturation, and the detail is not bad probably because of the gentler noise reduction (and hence noisier photos).
The ultrawide photos turned out very usable even without the help of a Night Mode, which was a nice surpsise.
There is only one issue with this camera at night - sometimes its focus fails to properly lock and you may ends up with a soft and out of focus images. We suggest, if you ever use this camera at night, you better tap to focus and take a couple of photos.
Ultrawide camera, 13MP
And here are photos of our usual posters taken with the Moto G200 5G. You can see how it stacks up against the competition. Feel free to browse around and pit it against other phones from our extensive database.
Moto G200 5G against the Xiaomi 11T and the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G in our Photo compare tool
Selfies
The selfie camera on Motorola Moto G200 has a 16MP Quad-Bayer shooter behind f/2.2 fixed-focus lens. It saves 4MP images by default but if you want - you can set it up to save its native 16MP resolution instead.
The 4MP default selfies are good - there is enough detail and noise is low, the sharpness isn't overboard, the colors are consistently accurate, and the contrast is high. The dynamic range gets a boost by the Auto HDR when necessary.
The last photo of the batch below was shot in 16MP resolution. It is softer on a pixel level, but it does have a lot more overall detail.
Selfies
The portraits with the front camera are okay, but nothing impressive. The separation isn't as proficient - its weakness is masked with additional blur around the subject's contours and ears and hair often suffer from this. Other than that, the rest is on par with the regular selfies.
Portrait selfies
Video capturing
The Motorola Moto G200 records 8K videos at 24fps, 4K videos at 30fps, and 1080p videos with up to 60fps with its main camera. The ultrawide and selfie cameras are limited to 1080p@30fps. Oddly, you can capture Macro Vision at 4K at 30fps.
Optional electronic stabilization (EIS) is available only on 4K and 1080p at 30fps mode across all snappers.
The video bitrate is extremely generous at 126Mbps for 8K/24fps footage, 62Mbps in 4K and 20Mbps for 1080p. Audio is always captured stereo with a 256Kbps bitrate.
The first clip here was shot in 8K at 24fps and the G200 maintained the framerate perfectly. The picture is detailed and sharp, with excellent colors and contrast. The dynamic range seems adequate, too.
But footage isn't ideal - you can see objects that look like compression artifacts. These could be a result of the Nona-cell nature of the sensor, or indeed compression trances.
The 4K videos captured with the main camera are great, especially for this class. They have a ton of resolved detail, the colors are accurate, noise is impressively low, and the dynamic range is commendable.
The sharpness excellent as well, and the video looks very-well balanced with natural-looking foliage and well-developed complex objects.
The 4K low-light clips from the main camera are not bad. The noise reduction is moderate and is leaving a lot of fine detail for us to enjoy, while the noise levels aren't terribly high. The videos offer good exposure, and the colors are mostly preserved.
The 1080p ultrawide footage is okay. There is enough detail, the contrast is high, and the corners are not warped given the wide-angle 12mm lens. The colors are a bit desaturated, and the dynamic range is average at best.
For their purposes, these 1080p clips are plenty usable. We only wonder why this camera wasn't given an option for 4K shooting. Oh, wait, it was, but only in Macro Vision. Go figure!
Finally, here is the Motorola Moto G200 5G in our video tool so you can do your own comparisons.
2160p: Moto G200 5G against the Xiaomi 11T and the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G in our Video compare tool
The competition
The Motorola Moto G200 5G is shaping as one of the best deals this season. It has one of the smoothest displays in the industry, one of the fastest chipsets to date, a very solid camera setup and a large battery with fast charging. There's also a fast Android experience and last, but not least, an attractive stand-out design.
Having the Snapdragon 888+ chip within a €450 smartphone is a high bar to meet, let alone beat. Still, let's explore the competition and see where the G200 currently stands on the market.
The first competitor that comes to mind is the wonderful Samsung Galaxy A52s. It is about €100 cheaper already and has a lot going for it. It offers 64MP OIS primary camera, stereo speakers, a 3.5mm jack and complete IP67 dust and water resistance over the G200. Meanwhile, the Moto has much faster chipset (SD888+ vs SD778G), less cluttered software and Ready For support. If productivity is what you need the G200 is the one for you, otherwise you may consider this cheaper Galaxy.
The Xiaomi 11T is an intriguing offer with a similar price tag. It has a superb AMOLED with better image quality and Dolby Vision support, a powerful stereo speaker setup with Dolby Atmos support and faster 67W charging. The 11T has a similar camera setup but runs on the inferior Dimensity 1200 5G chipset and boots MIUI, which won't do for the Android purists.
The OnePlus 8T currently costs as much as the Moto G200 and is worth considering. It has a 120Hz Fluid AMOLED and runs on the still capable Snapdragon 865 5G chipset. The phone offers stereo speakers, an optically stabilized main camera, 67W fast charging and the ever-snappy OxygenOS interface. These are enough to win quite a few users, though the extra performance, the faster refresh rate, and the Ready For support could easily tip the scales towards the Moto G200 5G.
The Realme GT 5G also costs about €450 and should be on to your shortlist. It has a 120Hz AMOLED display and runs on the more or less the same Snapdragon 888 5G chip. Its camera is somewhat less capable, but the GT offers stereo speakers, a 3.5mm jack and faster charging over the Moto G200. There is no Ready For alternative on the Realme either.
Finally, if you like what Motorola has done with the G200 and you want the same experience but don't need all that power, you may consider the Moto Edge 20, which has an even better 144Hz OLED screen and the same software package with clean Android 11 and Ready For support. The Edge 20, in addition to the identical 108MP primary camera, also offers an 8MP 3x telephoto and a 16MP ultrawide shooter. The selfie camera is better, too, with its 32MP sensor. The Moto Edge 20 is about €100 cheaper than the Moto G200 and if the top-notch Snapdragon 888+ doesn't make more sense than the pretty capable Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset, you may as well save some money.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G • Xiaomi 11T • OnePlus 8T • Realme GT 5G • Motorola Edge 20
Our verdict
So, the Motorola Moto G200 5G is a worthy sequel to the G100 as it brings a bunch of major updates to the key hardware components. The G200 is also a more powerful alternative to the Edge 20, and it might have done well under the Edge 30 lineup, too. Product positioning aside, Motorola Moto G200 5G is a brilliant mid-range offer with a top-notch screen and flagship speed, solid camera and no major weaknesses in its performance.
The cost-cutting needed to make the price tag means no stereo speakers, a plastic body (but nicely executed), and no telephoto shooter. Those were things obvious from its specs sheet, though, so if they were deal-breakers you probably wouldn't be here in the first place.
What we are not thrilled about is the promised one major Android version update, meaning the G200 5G will probably not go further than Android 12. And while that might not be a big shortcoming compared to current rivals soon enough phones with Android 12 out of the box and longer support might find it easier to eclipse it.
But right now at €449 or less, the Moto G200 5G is an excellent offer with more power than we could hope for and many value-adding features like the 144Hz refresh rate, Ready For support, unmatched speed (in its price backet), and clean Android experience. And that's why it gets our unreserved recommendation.
Pros
- Solid build, water-repellent design.
- Great LCD screen, 144Hz, HDR10, tiny cutout.
- Solid battery life, fast charging.
- Outstanding performance.
- Reliable primary and ultrawide cameras day and night.
- Good selfies.
- Clean Android, Moto app, Ready For support.
Cons
- No stereo speakers.
- One major Android update is not enough. More so when launching with last year's Android
- Dropped 3.5mm jack and microSD slot from the G100.
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