Moto G34 5G review – A budget smartphone with a sharp design

• The Moto G34 5G is the latest budget offering from Motorola in India.
• The smartphone is priced starting at ₹10,999 and is available in two variants.
• Here’s our user review of the Moto G34 5G that will help you decide whether to buy the device or not.

Motorola recently launched the$4, the company’s latest affordable offering in its G series in India. The device is the successor of the company’s Moto G32 smartphone and brings several improvements over its predecessor.

The Moto G34 5G is an affordable smartphone that comes with 5G support. One of the highlights of the device is its vegan leather design. Additionally, the device also comes with a clean software, which is something that Motorola is well known for.

I have been using the Moto G34 5G smartphone for a few days now, and here is my review of the latest budget smartphone from Motorola.

Moto G34 5G price and availability

The Moto G34 5G is priced at ₹10,999 for the 4GB RAM + 128GB internal storage variant and ₹11,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage variant.

The device is available in Charcoal Black, Ice Blue and Ocean Green colour options. It is available from Flipkart, Motorola Online Store and authorised retail stores across the country.

In the box

• Moto G34 5G smartphone
• 20W charger
• USB Type-C cable
• SIM ejector
• Documentation

Moto G34 5G specifications

Particulars	Specifications
Display	6.5-inch HD+ IPS
Refresh rate	120Hz
Protection	NA
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 695
Variants	4GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB
Rear camera	50MP + 2MP
Selfie camera	16MP
Battery	5,000mAh
Charging	18W
Fingerprint sensor	Side-mounted
Weight	180 grams
5G	Yes, SA/NSA

Moto G34 5G pros and cons

Pros

• Vegan leather design
• Decent battery life

Cons

• Only one Android update

Design and display

The Moto G34 is available in three colour options – Charcoal Black, Ice Blue and Ocean Green. While Charcoal Black and Ice Blue variants come with an Acrylic Glass, the Ocean Green colour variant which I tested comes with a vegan leather back.


The device feels really premium to hold due to the vegan leather back, which also sets it apart from other smartphones in the segment, most of which come with a plastic back. The vegan leather also prevents fingerprint smudges on the device.

The device is also sleek in terms of build and comes with flat sides. The device weighs 180 grams, which is good considering it comes with a 5,000mAh battery and a vegan leather back. The device does not feel heavy to hold and can be used with one hand with ease.

The device comes with a rectangular camera module at the back with two camera cut-outs and a cutout for the LED flash. It also comes with the Motorola logo at the back.


On the right side, you get the volume rockers and the power button, which also doubles up as a fingerprint sensor.


On the left side, you get the SIM tray.

At the top, you get a microphone and the Dolby Atmos branding.


At the bottom, the device comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, a microphone, USB Type-C port and the speaker grille.


Coming to the display, the device features a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with a punch-hole notch in the middle. The device’s predecessor, the Moto G32 was equipped with a Full HD+ display so this is a slight downgrade.

The display offers good brightness and is visible even in bright sunlight. The colours on the device are vibrant and accurate.

Software and performance

The software is one of the areas where the Moto G34 5G offers both good and bad experiences. The smartphone runs on Android 14 out of the box with the company’s My UX and offers a clutter-free UI. While it is not stock, it offers a near-stock experience.


While there are no flashy advertisements, the smartphone does come with some pre-installed applications such as Facebook, Block Blast and more. The number of pre-installed applications are minimal and can be easily uninstalled.

While not surprising in this segment, the device will only get one Android update to Android 15. Apart from this, the company will offer three years of security updates.

The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset and comes with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. While it is not an extremely powerful chipset, it is a great option in this segment, which usually offers low-end chipsets.

I tried popular titles such as Battlegrounds Mobile India Call of Duty: Mobile on the device. The Moto G34 5G offers a decent gaming experience, with minimal stuttering and heating. The gaming is however limited to HD graphics.

It is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with 18W charging support despite coming with a 20W charger. The large battery ensures that you don’t have to worry about charging the device every day. Charging may be an issue as a full charge takes around 2 hours.

Camera

Coming to the camera department, the Moto G34 5G features a dual camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera and an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor.


The smartphone is able to capture decent images in daylight conditions, with decent details and minimal noise. However, the colours are slightly saturated.

Images captured in low-light turned out decently, however, there was a noticeable delay in the shutter speed and the noise in the images. However, considering the price of the device, this is expected.

On the front, the device sports a 16MP camera for selfies and video calling, which gets the job done. As expected, it performs decently in daylight conditions but struggles in low-light.

Verdict

The Moto G34 5G is a good device that comes with a good design, big battery, decent chipset and a clean UI. It is a good option for those looking for a no-hassle smartphone at an affordable price.

You will have to compromise with an average camera and 18W charging support, which takes a long time to charge the device.

SEE ALSO:

$4

$4

iQOO 12 review – flagship performance and cameras at an affordable price>$4