Moto G Power 2025: It’s OK to stick with last year’s model

Motorola’s 2025 update to the Moto G Power ($299.99) is about as minor a refresh as you can get. The phone has a slightly larger screen and a more comprehensive waterproof rating—and that’s about it. The carried-over cameras are average at best, and, puzzlingly, the new processor produces worse performance than the 2024 model. Ultimately, we prefer the better battery life, sharper cameras, and longer support window of the $299.99 Samsung Galaxy A25 5G, which is our Editors’ Choice winner for affordable phones.

Design: It Looks More Expensive That It Is

The Moto G Power looks like a premium phone despite its low price. It features the same stylish rounded corners and thin bezels found on most modern phones, and the vegan leather back is soft to the touch and looks sophisticated right out of the box. It measures 6.56 by 3.04 by 0.34 inches (HWD) and weighs 7.34 ounces, which is bigger and heavier than the 2024 version (6.47 by 2.95 by 0.32 inches, 6.84 ounces), while the Samsung Galaxy A25 (6.34 by 3.01 by 0.33 inches, 6.95 ounces) is marginally shorter and lighter.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The Moto G Power comes in two colors: Leaf Green or Slate Gray. The Slate Gray version is featured in this review. While the vegan leather back is easy to grip and appealing to look at, it does have a major problem: It’s a dirt, dust, and debris magnet. It picks up any small particles it comes in contact with and holds onto them for dear life. Within five minutes of unboxing it, I noticed hair and dust attached to the phone’s rear cover. I tried to wipe it away but to no avail. Eventually, I had to use a damp paper towel to clean it effectively. This phone demands a case just to keep it clean—which somewhat negates Motorola’s efforts to make it look and feel nice. 

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The same material also covers the three-camera array, so while the bump may look pleasing, it’s destined to attract unwanted debris. 

The combined SIM card/microSD tray is on the left side of the phone, while the volume rocker and power button are on the right. The buttons feel high-end and make a satisfying click when pressed. The bottom edge of the phone has a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port for charging, and a speaker grille. A small, circular cutout for the selfie camera sits at the top of the display.  

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The power button has a built-in fingerprint scanner, or you can use the selfie camera for facial recognition. I found the fingerprint scanner slower than I would have liked, but facial recognition worked well. Keep in mind that the fingerprint reader is more secure. 

One of the phone’s biggest improvements is a more robust IP rating to protect it against dust and water. The phone has an IP68/IP69 rating, which means it can withstand immersion in about five feet of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. It can also withstand high-pressure water jets at high temperatures. Most phones in this price range—including the Galaxy A25—lack an IP rating altogether.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Display: Not Bad for the Price

The Moto G Power has a 6.8-inch display, up from the 6.7-inch screen on last year’s model, and a similar resolution of 2,388 by 1,080 pixels. It also carries over the 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, which is great for gaming. The phone’s display is clear and bright. It struggled under direct sunlight in testing, but I had no problems watching videos in most lighting conditions.

(Credit: Sarah Lord )

For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy A25 has a slightly sharper 6.5-inch display (2,340 by 1,080, which has more pixels per inch because it’s smaller) with a refresh rate of 120Hz. 

Performance: Not as Powerful as Last Year’s Model

Like the 2024 Moto G Power, the 2025 edition comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, though you can expand that up to 1TB via the microSD slot. This year, the phone runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor. While it’s newer than the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 found on the 2024 model, it’s a step down in processor class and not as powerful.

Everyday tasks like opening apps and navigating around the user interface feel identical to the 2024 model, but benchmark testing reveals slower performance across the board. 

(Credit: Geekbench/GFXBench/PCMag)

We use Geekbench 6 to test CPU performance and the Moto G Power scored 795 on the single-core test and 2,095 on the multi-core test. This is a notable drop from the 889 and 2,345 results from the 2024 model. The Galaxy A25 (which is powered by a Exynos 1280) did much better in the single-core test (964) and similarly in the multi-core test (2,058).

Graphics performance is also not as good. In the GFXBench Aztec Ruins gaming test, it ran at 6.4 frames per second (fps) compared with the 2024 model’s 7.2fps and the Galaxy A25’s 10fps.

You can still play graphics-intensive games on the Moto G Power, but they don’t perform particularly well. I was able to load Genshin Impact, though it stuttered quite a bit during gameplay, especially in combat-heavy situations. Casual games like Alto’s Odyssey play better. 

Battery Life: Reliable, But Not a Standout

The Moto G Power carries over the 5,000mAh battery from its predecessor. To test it, I played a YouTube video on loop over Wi-Fi at full-screen brightness. The 2025 model lasted 12 hours and 15 minutes on a single charge—exactly the same as its predecessor. The Galaxy A25 outlasted it with a battery life of 13 hours and 10 minutes.

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The phone supports wired charging at 30W and wireless charging at 15W. In comparison, the Galaxy A25 supports 25W wired charging but doesn’t support wireless charging at all.

When plugged in, the phone charged from zero to 100% in 1 hour and 58 minutes, while the A25 took 1 hour and 25 minutes. 

Connections: Just the Basics

The Moto G Power supports sub-6GHz and C-band 5G in the US, but not the faster mmWave technology offered by some networks. I tested the phone using the Google Fi network, which runs on T-Mobile towers. Cell service isn’t amazing in my area, but the Moto G Power still managed speeds of 104Mbps down and 7.96Mbps up. My iPhone 14 Pro on T-Mobile performed better when tested in the same location, with download speeds of 154Mbps and upload speeds of 4.91Mbps. 

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

The phone includes Wi-Fi 6, but not 6E or 7. When tested next to my Wi-Fi 6 router, the phone reached download speeds of 212Mbps and upload speeds of 23Mbps. My iPhone 14 Pro got download speeds of 391Mbps and upload speeds of 22.4Mbps from the same spot. Neither phone performed well at the edge of the Wi-Fi network, where the Moto G Power got 31.7Mbps down and 20.7Mbps up, and the iPhone only mustered 8.83Mbps down and 8.16Mbps up.

Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC are also onboard.

Audio: Good Call Quality, Decent Speaker

Call quality is good. I never had an issue hearing callers or being heard by them. The earpiece peaked at 74.2dB, while the speaker phone maxed out at 83.1dB. These are respectable levels that should be more than loud enough for most people.

The phone supports Dolby Atmos and does a surprisingly good job of filling a small room with sound. The opening bass line in our test track, The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” actually vibrated the phone in my hand. Of course, you’ll get the best sound by connecting either wired headphones via the 3.5mm headphone jack or wireless earphones.

Cameras: Average All Around

The camera hardware remains identical to last year’s model. The phone has a 50MP main camera with an aperture of f/1.8 and optical image stabilization (OIS), an 8MP ultra-wide camera with an aperture of f/2.2 that doubles as the macro camera, and a 16MP front-facing camera with an aperture of f/2.4 for selfies. This year, there are four zoom modes instead of the three found in the 2024 version: macro, 0.5x, 1x, and 2x. 

Main camera (Credit: Sarah Lord)

The camera’s sensors struggle with detail, even in bright light. Colors appear artificially bright, while zooming in your photos reveals pixelation and smudging. Here is a progression of the same scene at 0.5x, 1x, and 2x:

Ultra-wide camera at 0.5x (Credit: Sarah Lord )

Main camera at 1x (Credit: Sarah Lord)

Main camera at 2x (Credit: Sarah Lord)

The cameras can record 1080p video at 30fps, and the quality is middling. It should be fine for taking home videos of kids or pets, but the footage falls short under scrutiny.

Selfie camera (Credit: Sarah Lord)

Likewise, the selfie camera did an average job of taking a picture of my dog in low light.

Software: Not as Much Support as Samsung

The Moto G Power comes with Android 15 installed, and Motorola says it will offer two years of OS upgrades and three years of security updates. This is well behind Samsung’s A25, which offers four years of OS upgrades and five years of security patches. 

(Credit: Sarah Lord)

Thankfully, Motorola has reduced the amount of bloatware this year. It’s still there, of course, but in a way that’s far less intrusive. I’m thankful that the company has removed the large Shopping and Entertainment folders found on last year’s model. 

Verdict: A Step in the Wrong Direction

The Motorola Moto G Power for 2025 is almost identical to its predecessor, and that’s not a good thing. Aside from a more durable rating and a marginally larger display, its cameras, battery life, and design are carried over from last year’s model. The biggest issue is the new processor, which delivers slower performance year over year, making the phone hard to recommend. For the same price, the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G has better cameras, longer battery life, and superior software support, making it our Editors’ Choice.

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About Sarah Lord

Analyst, Mobile

I’m a Mobile Analyst at PCMag, which means I cover wireless phones, plans, tablets, ereaders, and a whole lot more. I’ve always loved technology and have been forming opinions on consumer electronics since childhood. Prior to joining PCMag, I covered TVs and home entertainment at CNET, served as the tech and electronics reviews fellow at Insider, and began my career by writing laptop reviews as an intern at Tom’s Hardware. I am also a professional actor with credits in theater, film, and television.

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