Motorola, once the undisputed king of mobile, may have fallen from the throne of the best smartphones, but it’s far from banished from the kingdom. While Samsung, Apple, and Google dominate the market, Motorola continues to carve out its niche with a lineup of impressive devices.
From budget-friendly options to high-end flagships, Motorola offers something for everyone. Its recent foray into foldable phones and commitment to delivering top-tier performance have garnered significant attention.
Let's dive into the best Motorola smartphones of 2024 and discover why this iconic brand is still a force to be reckoned with.
The best Motorola phone overall
Motorola Edge Plus (2023)
- Premium, comfortable design
- Gorgeous OLED screen
- Two-day battery life
- 68-watt wired charging
- Motorola's Android interface
- Good update policy
- Very competitive price
- Disappointing speakers
- No always-on display
- Limited telephoto camera
Why you should buy this: It proves Motorola can make flagship phones just as good as Samsung's and Google's.
Who is it for?: Someone who wants the best Motorola phone.
Why we picked the Motorola Edge Plus:
Motorola's flagships aren't considered by enough people. The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) is a fabulous smartphone that's more than capable of taking on Samsung's and Google's very best.
The highlights here are undoubtedly the display, design, and battery life. The display is a 6.7-inch pOLED panel with a 2400 x 1080 resolution and a variable refresh rate that goes up to 165Hz. That's beyond what's offered by most other flagship phones and matched only by high-end gaming phones, like the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro. It's smooth and responsive unlike anything else, but it doesn't just offer speed — it's also gorgeous. The design is softly curved and sits nicely in the hand, and because the screen curves around the edges, it looks like it has no bezel at all. Put succinctly, it's beautiful.
It's also capable of going two days on a single charge. The 5,100mAh battery is a beast. Screen time of almost four hours left the phone at 52%, with enough juice to make it through to the next evening, making this one of the best phones around for battery life. The Edge Plus also doesn't hang around when it's time to recharge, as the 68W fast charging makes short work of recharging the battery to full.
We have yet to mention performance, but that's not because it's not good. It's powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and it's fast. It's obviously not as fast as the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, but you're unlikely to notice the difference, as the Gen 2 devours even the most demanding 3D games. The camera is good, but nothing too exciting. It won't challenge the best camera phones, but it won't let you down. The Android interface is also pretty clean, with only a few preinstalled apps that can be removed easily.
The downsides? There's no always-on display, and the speakers are a bit rubbish — but outside of that, the Motorola Edge Plus is a triumph. With prices starting at $800 for 512GB of storage, this is easily a phone that can challenge flagships from other brands, and if you're a Motorola fan, there's no finer flagship in your eyes.
The Motorola phone runner-up
Motorola Edge (2023)
- Unique leather back
- Gorgeous curved display
- Solid day-to-day performance
- Good battery life
- 68-watt wired charging
- Slow cameras
- In-screen fingerprint sensor
- Only gets two software updates
**Why you should buy this:** It's a cheaper version of the Edge Plus, with a lot of the same strengths.
Who is it for?: Anyone who wants a strong Motorola phone at a lower price.
Why we picked the Motorola Edge (2023):
The Motorola Edge is the companion phone to the Edge Plus, and it offers a lot of what makes the $800 phone great but does so at a lower price. As such, it's our pick for the best runner-up Motorola phone.
It's a little more complex than that, though, as the Edge exists in a strange little world. While it has a lot of the same strengths as the Edge Plus, it's not quite as good, and it apes a lot of the same weaknesses, too.
We'll start with the strengths. Like the Edge Plus, the regular Edge has a strong battery, with the 4,400mAh cell lasting for around a day and a half on a single charge. It has the same 68W charging rate, so it won't stay on the charger for long. The Edge has soft curves with the same bezel-free design, and the addition of a vegan leather back is a nice touch. The 6.6-inch pOLED display is gorgeous, too, with a 144Hz variable refresh rate and a 2400 x 1080 resolution.
Performance is where it starts to fall down a little bit. The MediaTek Dimensity 7030 is a strong chip and performs well, but there were some hitches, like pauses when pulling down the notification shade. It's not clear whether it's the software or processor at fault, but these sorts of issues also crop up in the camera, with shutter presses taking a moment to register and the app itself being slow to start. The camera lenses also aren't great, and while they're serviceable, there's nothing special about the stills you'll take with this phone. Finally, the update policy isn't up to standard, as it'll only get one more Android update now, and the fingerprint scanner isn't very reliable.
That reads as a veritable laundry list of complaints, but don't make the mistake of thinking the Edge is a bad phone. It's a flawed phone, yes — but what it's good at, it's very good at. If you can forgive the shortcomings and embrace its strengths, especially if you can grab it at a heavy discount, the Motorola Edge (2023) is a great phone.
The best Motorola folding phone
Motorola Razr Plus 2024
- A smooth, durable hinge
- Lovely leather back
- Fantastic cover screen
- Much-improved cameras
- Reliable battery life
- Ample charging options
- Fun and charming software
- Tinny speakers
- Three years of OS upgrades
Why you should buy this: Folding phones are the future, and Motorola created a great one.
Who is it for?: Anyone who wants a great folding phone from Motorola.
Why we picked the Motorola Razr Plus 2024:
The Motorola Razr Plus 2024 is a stunning leather-backed folding flip phone that addresses every complaint about previous foldables. The hinge is incredibly smooth and durable, with virtually no crease visible on the inner screen. And it's water-resistant too. The cover screen is now a massive 4 inches with a ridiculous 2,400 nits of brightness. The inner 6.9-inch display is just as gorgeous. And get this — the cameras have gone from a significant weakness to a legitimate strength, with excellent detail and colors from the 50MP primary shooter.
Performance is snappy, battery life is solid, and the software experience is fun and whimsical. Little touches like the adorable Moo lock screen and vinyl record music controls make you smile whenever you use them.
The 2023 Razr Plus was one of our favorite smartphones, although we did have some issues with it. Its cameras were disappointing, its battery life was lacking, and the hinge trailed behind the competition. Because of this, we couldn’t recommend it over last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 — but that's not the case this year. The 2024 Motorola Razr Plus maintains the fun and charm of its predecessor while making improvements in almost every aspect. The hinge feels more reliable, the cover display is larger, and the camera quality has significantly improved. The battery life is also longer, and the charging speeds are faster. It’s pretty impressive that all these upgrades come without a price increase, and that helps make it a must-buy.
The best cheap Motorola folding phone
Motorola Razr 2024
- Super-compact design
- Large cover screen with always-on display
- Improved hinge design
- Good cameras
- Long battery life
- Crease is very minimal
- Fun colors
- Ultrawide camera isn't the best
- Only three years of OS upgrades
- No reverse wireless charging
Why you should buy this: It's a great flip phone at a very reasonable price.
Who is it for?: Someone who wants a flip phone, but at a lower price.
Why we picked the Motorola Razr 2024:
Have you dreamed of owning a folding phone, but found that the premium price tags have been a deal-breaker? Well, get ready to have your mind (and wallet) blown wide open. The Motorola Razr 2024 is an absolute gem of a foldable phone that won't leave your wallet crying. At just $700, it delivers an impressive array of features that punch way above its weight class.
The standouts? A massive 3.6-inch cover display that makes one-handed use a breeze, plus a gorgeous 6.9-inck inner folding screen with a minimal crease. And let's not forget the slick design with fun color options like Spritz Orange, which gives the Razr 2024 serious style points. But the value proposition continues beyond there. This affordable folding marvel also boasts excellent battery life, decent cameras, and smooth performance for all your daily needs. While it may not be as beastly as some $1,000-plus foldable phones, the Razr 2024 proves you don't have to splurge to join the folding phone revolution.
Motorola has made significant changes with the more affordable Razr 2024 this year. It's a comparable alternative to its sibling, the Razr Plus 2024. For $700, you get a 3.6-inch cover display that is equivalent to last year’s Razr Plus 2023, a solid camera system, and outstanding battery life.
However, some compromises had to be made. This is evident in the MediaTek processor and RAM, the lack of reverse wireless charging and slower charging speed, and the decision to keep a 13MP ultrawide camera instead of opting for a telephoto like the Razr Plus. But apart from these differences, the phones are almost identical.
If you value having a 4-inch cover display, a 165Hz refresh rate screen, more power, faster charging, reverse wireless charging, and a 50MP telephoto lens instead of just an ultrawide sensor, then the Razr Plus 2024 is worth the extra $300. However, the Razr 2024 at $700 is still a very good phone.
The best value Motorola phone
Moto G Stylus 5G 2024
- Leather back looks and feels great
- Very nice OLED display
- Two-day battery life
- Solid charging options
- Face unlock is excellent
- Expandable storage
- Annoying and intrusive ads
- Will get just one OS update
- Fierce competition
Why you should buy this: Stylus phones are a dying breed, but the Moto G Stylus 2024 is a shining example.
Who is it for?: Anyone who wants a great value phone or a stylus phone at a good price.
Why we picked the Moto G Stylus 5G 2024:
You won't believe how long the $400 Moto G Stylus 5G's battery lasts! Motorola's latest budget Android phone is surprisingly good. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) features a stunning OLED display, solid performance, a remarkably capable camera system, and excellent charging speeds — all for just $400. But the standout feature? Its incredible 5,000mAh battery easily lasted two full days between charges during testing. Even with heavy use like gaming and video streaming, it still had over 60% left at the end of the day.
While there are some annoying preinstalled ads and limited software updates, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. The Moto G Stylus 5G is a budget beast that reminds us Motorola can still make killer affordable phones.
Compared to other Moto G releases this year, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is a slam dunk. It has a nice design, a quality OLED display, solid performance, a surprisingly decent main camera, excellent battery life, and good charging options. To get all of that at just $400 — and presumably even less during sales/promotions, which Motorola frequently runs — is a fantastic offer.
Motorola still has work to do to get its budget phones back to the level of greatness they were once at, but this is a huge step in the right direction. The Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is a strong reminder that Motorola can still make a great budget phone, and it’s one you should absolutely consider.
