The Moto G85 5G was recently unveiled as the latest mid-range smartphone from the Lenovo-owned technology firm, equipped with a Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM, a 50-megapixel rear camera, and a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. This handset competes with several other affordable smartphones in the same price segment, including the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G, CMF Phone 1, Infinix Note 40 5G, iQoo Z9, and the Samsung Galaxy M35 5G.
In India, the
Moto G85 Design: Nice to hold
- Dimensions – 161.91×73.06×7.59 mm
- Weight – 172g
- Colours – Cobalt Blue, Olive Green (in this review), and Urban Gray
One of the most notable differences between the Moto G85 5G and its predecessor is the curved display — it’s nice to see handsets with these screens under the Rs. 20,000 mark in India. The rear panel has a vegan leather finish and is quite easy to grip. Aside from Motorola’s batwing logo on the back, there’s no branding on the rear panel.
The Moto G85 features a rear panel that is quite easy to grip
Subjectively speaking, I’m not too fond of the Olive Green colour option, and it definitely appears darker than the images Motorola displays on its website. It is also prone to picking up some dirt and marks, so you’re probably better off picking the Urban Grey colourway, which is available in a matte finish. The sides of the phone are made of plastic, and it gives you the impression that this is a more affordable phone.
At the bottom, there’s a speaker grille and a USB Type-C port — but no 3.5mm audio port, unlike the Moto G84. The top edge has a microphone along with the Dolby Atmos logo, which is faintly visible in the centre. Motorola ships the Moto G85 with a charging brick and a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable, and you also get a very slim transparent TPU cover.
Moto G85 Software: Hello, bloatware
- Software – Hello UI
- Version – Android 14
- Latest security patch – June 1, 2024
The Moto G85 runs on Android 14, with the company’s new Hello UI interface on top. This skin replaces My UX and mostly resembles Google’s version of Android, which ships on Pixel smartphones. The phone automatically installs a handful of games (Block Blast, Carrom Disc Pool, Doll Dress Up: Sweet Girl) after the setup process is completed, which is quite disappointing.
There’s another app called MotoHub that sends you notifications — about five or six notifications per day — for news stories and suggests apps to install via a dedicated home screen widget, but they’re mostly clickbait articles.
Once known for its clutter-free interface, Motorola’s latest handset contains both bloatware and notification spam
Once you disable these distractions, you’ll notice that Hello UI packs some useful tools such as Family Space, which offers…
