(Image source from: x.com/motorolaindia)

The Moto G45 5G was launched in India last month as the latest addition to the company's G series of smartphones. It is a spiritual successor to the Moto G34 that was launched in India earlier this year, with several optimizations and hardware improvements. The Moto G45 5G is powered by a Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset and features an IPS LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The back of the device is covered in vegetable leather. It competes with smartphones in the same price range such as the iQOO Z9x and the Realme Narzo 70x 5G. The phone is available in 4GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB RAM and internal storage variants and is priced at Rs. 10,999 and 12,999 respectively. The company provided us with a Moto G45 5G review unit with 8GB storage. In synthetic benchmark tests, the Moto G45 5G performed on par with smartphones like the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite and the iQOO Z9x. It also offers the same CPU and GPU performance as the company's more expensive Moto G85. The smartphone has a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS LCD display (720 x 1600 pixels), but it does not provide enough brightness when you use the phone in strong sunlight. The adaptive lighting mode is very responsive and can be quickly adjusted to the ambient lighting. The 120Hz display has been updated for a smooth experience and optimized for everyday use. We ultimately chose “Saturated” mode for the Moto G45 5G because the “Normal” screen mode feels a little warmer than other Motorola smartphones like the Moto G85.

Dimensions - 162.7 x 74.64 x 8.03mm
Weight - 183g
Colours - Brilliant Blue (in this review), Brilliant Green, and Viva Magenta
Software - My UX
Version - Android 14
Latest security patch - June 1, 2024
Processor - Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
Memory - Up to 8GB
Storage - 128GB (UFS 2.2)
Main camera - 50-megapixel, up to 1080p/ 30fps video
Macro camera - 8-megapixel, fixed focus
Selfie camera - 16-megapixel, up to 1080p/ 30fps video
Battery Capacity - 5,000mAh
Wired Charging: 18W USB PD
Charger: 20W (included)

If you look at the Moto G45 5G and the slightly older Moto G34 side by side, you'll notice a lot of similarities between the two in terms of design. The back of the new phone has a vegetable leather cover that makes it easier to hold when you want to use the phone without a protective case. There's no mention of the Moto G45 5G name on the back and the only clue that this is a Motorola phone is the Batwing logo in the middle of the screen. The phone has a smooth plastic edge and the top edge has the Dolby Atmos logo. The Moto G45 5G's camera island is located on the top left edge of the back and wobbles a bit when the phone is placed on a flat surface. Luckily, the device has a clear TPU case that solves this problem. On the bottom edge of the phone there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port and a speaker grill. The Moto G45 5G also comes with a USB Type-A to Type-C cable and a 20W charging adapter.

Like other budget phones from Motorola, this smartphone also features the company's My UX skin based on Android 14. The phone appears to have no system-level software that cannot be uninstalled, but it downloads apps and installs adware. Home Page Folders (Shopping, Entertainment, Game Center) – These folders can be disabled manually. Your phone will also ask you to activate the Glance plugin, which will activate a dot on your lock screen that shows weather and news updates. If you accidentally turn it on while booting up your phone, you can turn it off. You should also disable the MotoHub app to prevent your phone from spamming you with irrelevant news articles. The Moto G45 5G has features from the company's other smartphones, including Family Space, Moto Unplugged and Moto Secure. Some of these apps are very useful, especially Moto's Secure Folders and Anti-Phishing features, as well as Quick Gestures that let you switch between different features and perform actions on your phone. The company says the Moto G45 5G will be updated to Android 15 in 2025 with two years of bi-monthly security updates. Most phones in this price range receive a major Android update, but the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is an exception with two Android upgrades and four years of security updates.

Like the more expensive Moto G85, this device is powered by the 3rd generation Snapdragon 6s. It's Qualcomm's 6nm chipset, a rebranded version of the three-year-old Snapdragon 695 chip. The presence of the processor in the Moto G85 was disappointing when its competitors had 4nm chips, but it is acceptable for this price. The phone easily handles everyday tasks like surfing the web and social media, answering emails, and playing light games. Some apps took a little over a second to open when first loaded, but there were no problems reopening them. Games like BGMI run at HD settings and “high” frame rates by default, but I was able to play Asphalt Legends: Unite at default settings. I didn't notice any major problems like stuttering or slowness. Moto Gametime features are activated automatically, allowing you to turn off notifications, block calls, and optimize other features. You can also choose between Balanced, Turbo, and Battery Optimized performance modes, but I didn't notice any significant performance changes with these.

During the day, when there is enough natural light, the Moto G45 5G can take decent pictures, but the camera takes a little over a second to capture each picture. Magnification causes noise and blur. In very bright scenarios, the dynamic range is slightly affected, making the sky appear brighter than when the picture was taken. Even when zoomed in, there is plenty of detail and hardly any noise or blur. The lag in image capture is more noticeable in low light conditions, as the Moto G45 5G takes a few seconds to process a photo in Night Sight mode. It can be annoying when you try to click a photo that contains a moving subject. However, if you can hold the phone long enough, the phone will capture bright and detailed images.

You can also get close to your subject and take photos with the 8-megapixel macro camera. Focusing on the subject can be difficult and requires you to move the phone until the image in the viewfinder is clear. The color reproduction is not as good as the original camera. Colors are highly saturated and some bright areas are overexposed. The Moto G45 5G's 16-megapixel selfie camera performs well during the day and takes detailed pictures. The “Beauty” function is also disabled by default and the camera app offers built-in filters at the touch of a button for a selfie. The selfie camera leaves room for improvement in many ways in low-light environments, drawing and smoothing images with a lot of noise. 1080p/30fps video recording is supported by both the main rear camera and the selfie camera, but the former offers much better video quality. If you want to record your videos, we recommend using the rear camera with a tripod or Gorillapod as it offers better white balance, contrast and clarity compared to the rear camera. Even with built-in stabilization enabled, low-light shots are pretty poor.

The Moto G45 5G weighs over 180 grams, but its 5,000mAh battery will last more than a day if you're not glued to your phone. During the time I tested the phone, I was able to get around 7 hours of screen time and 15 hours of standby time before the phone needed to be charged. This includes approximately 2 hours of social media apps, texting and 1 hour of Asfalt Legends Unite gameplay. This is to be expected for a budget smartphone with a low-resolution and not-so-bright display. During our HD video battery loop test, the Moto G45 5G lasted about 23 hours before the battery completely drained. It took about 2 hours and 5 minutes to fully charge the phone using the included charging adapter. There is a lot of competition in the budget 5G smartphone segment and the Moto G45 5G is one of the few phones that offers a decent experience under Rs 100 million. 12000. Although the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset does not have any outstanding features, it is at the level of high-end smartphones.