The Motorola g32 4G joins the plethora of Moto g-series phones filling all niche markets (and then some). It is a well-priced, well-equipped smartphone.

With apologies to Motorola, it seems a bit like Groundhog Day, where we keep reviewing its g-series smartphones, each just that little different yet strangely similar. You see, its screens are just slight variations on a theme, its primary camera is invariably a Samsung SK5JN1, and they all have 5000mA batteries.

So much is common to the g-series that I could have just copied one review – except that I did not. More than 70 tests show slight differences.

It is the Qualcomm processor version of the Motorola g22 – cheap and cheerful (smartphone review) and pretty well the 4G version of the Motorola g62 5G – everything you need for $399 (smartphone review).

Spoiler Alert: Another superbly priced, fully-featured smartphone you won’t regret buying.

We strongly advise you to buy a genuine model with Australian firmware. It is easy to identify the Australian version – under Settings, About Phone, and Regulatory Labels, there is an Australian RCM C-tick mark. There is also an RCM C-Tick on the box.

Do not buy models PAUU0015IN / PAUU0016IN.

It is now in two parts – a summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

Yes, folks, it is another well-made glass slab, plastic back and frame, and it is all you need. The fingerprint sensor is on the power button, and the three-sensor camera is on the rear. All the buttons are on the right side at the ideal height for one-handed use.

It is a mid-sized 6.5” phone at 161.83 x 73.84 x 8.49 mm x 184g.

It is a relatively bright and colourful 1080p FHD+ with a choice of Auto/60/90Hz. On auto, it swaps between 60 and 90Hz, and the latter takes about a 10% toll on battery life. Leave it on 60Hz.

It is daylight readable (just – in the shade), but you cannot expect more at this price.

Screen orientation is an issue. The combo Accelerometer and Gyroscope are very sensitive, and the slightest movement sends it to landscape. I had to turn autorotation off.

Summary: Good IPS screen for the price

It is fit for purpose, but not for games as it throttles badly under load. This will not worry Joe and Jane Average, but gamers and power users beware.

We love that it still has dedicated microSD storage expansion to 1TB and that you can mount an external portable SSD via OTG, although USB 2.0 means about 30MBps data transfer rates.

Wi-Fi 5 AC is all you can expect, and it connects at 433Mbps. The antenna strength is quite good, out to 10m on the 5Ghz band.

BT 5.2 has Qualcomm standard codecs – SBC, AAC, aptX (most versions) and LDAC.

The dual GPS is welcome, but it easily loses satellites on cloudy days (and we are in the middle of a 100-year rain bomb). NFC supports Google Pay.

It is a dual SIM with a dedicated MicroSD. Only one can be active at a time. It has two ringtones that are excellent for home and business users.

All you need to know is that it supports all Australian 4G/LTE bands. It is a great city, suburbs, and limited regional areas with decent coverage.

The battery is 5000mAh and comes with a 33W fast charger that fills it in 1 hour and 16 minutes. Thank you, Motorola.

It has excellent 2-day battery life and fast charge.

It has an Analytical: (bass/mid recessed; treble boosted) – crisp but not pleasant for most music. It will decode Dolby Atmos and downmix it to the earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker.

The soundstage is limited to the phone width, which, as is usual for earpiece/speaker, has a definite bottom bias. The maximum volume is 80dB. Hands-free is adequate, but the sound is a little tinny.

It is well-made and should withstand the knocks, especially with a clear bumper cover. However, IP52 is a joke – ‘Vertically dripping water shall have no harmful effect when the enclosure tilts at an angle of 15° from its normal position.’ Still, it should withstand light rain.

There is no disclosed screen protection.

It ships with Android 12 and Motorola’s overlay My UX. You can reasonably expect Android 13 soon and two years of updates.

Android is almost pure, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures.

Let’s face it – it is an entry-level Samsung SK5JN1, 50MP with tiny .64um pixels binned to 12.5MP and 1.28um. Add to that the Qualcomm SD480+ has entry-level AI image processing, which is adequate.

It has an Ultra-wide 8MP Samsung SK53H7 sensor that takes decent shots and a 2MP macro sensor.

The result is generally good photos in Day or office light. It struggles with low light introducing a lot of noise, but you will not see that on a 4×6″ print.

At $299, it gives Joe and Jane Average everything they need. It is a safe buy and yet another reason Motorola is shooting up the charts.

Let’s look at the 4G competition.

The OPPO A76 is very similar – the same processor, RAM/ROM, battery/charger and similar size. It has a 60/90Hz 720p screen, better sound, better warranty, no throttling, and not as good a camera.

The Motorola g32 4G is the $299 class leader. Its weakness is the camera; you would need to spend more to get a better camera.

Motorola g32 4G, Motorolag32 4G, Motorola g32 4G

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