Motorola’s Moto G range has gone from strength to strength, remaining one of the best budget smartphone ranges around and recently delivering the Moto G8, a phone that we awarded 4.5 stars to.
So we are of course eagerly awaiting the Moto G9 range, since there’s every reason to think the company will continue its streak of excellent affordable handsets.
At the time of writing we don’t know much about the Moto G9 range, but we are starting to hear the first rumors about it, suggesting that at least one model in the range might arrive soon.
Below you’ll find all the news and leaks that we’ve heard so far, along with information on the likely price and release date, and a list of the things we most want from the Moto G9 range.
Latest story: A new listing at the FFC certification body in the US suggests the Moto G9 Plus is nearing release.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next budget smartphone selection from Motorola
- When is it out? Possibly October
- What will it cost? We’d expect a low-end price
Moto G9 release date and price
There’s no specific news on when we might see the Moto G9 range, but the Moto G8 Plus launched in October 2019, ahead of the rest of the Moto G8 range (despite being a ‘Plus’ model) so we might well see the Moto G9 Plus land in or around October of this year.
Indeed, it looks like the Moto G9 Plus may well land before the standard Moto G9 or any other G9 model, as the phone has been spotted by MySmartPrice on the EEC (Eurasian Economic Commission) certification database, and by leaker Sudhanshu on a Spanish retailer’s website.
The phone has also been spotted at the US certification body called the FCC.
There’s no release date listed on either, but they’re both appearances that we’d expect to only happen fairly close to launch. Note that the database listing doesn’t include the name of the phone either, but it does include the model number XT2087-2, which is also on the retailer’s site, alongside the Moto G9 Plus name.
As for the price, according to the retailer (Paratupc) it’s €277.15, which is roughly $315 / £250 / AU$450. Note however that the Moto G8 Plus launched for €269 in Spain, so if this price leak is right then the Moto G9 Plus might be a tiny bit more expensive.
Seems like Motorola moto g9 plus launch might not be so far.#motog9plus #motog9series pic.twitter.com/lFRTBCk6ZlJuly 13, 2020
For reference, the Moto G8 Plus is £239 / AU$499 (roughly $310), so the Moto G9 Plus is likely to either be similar or slightly more expensive. However, it may not be available in the US, given that the Moto G8 Plus isn’t.
Some phones in the range probably will be though, and we’re even less sure when the rest of the Moto G9 range will land. But if they follow in the Moto G8 range’s footsteps then many might arrive in early 2021, and the price tags could well be similar to their predecessors’, just like current leaks suggest the Moto G9 Plus’s will be.
Moto G9 news and leaks
According to the retailer listing above, the Moto G9 Plus has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which would make for the same RAM amount as the Moto G8 Plus, but double the storage. Of course, we’d take this with a pinch of salt as it could just be a placeholder listing.
There may also be different configurations available and there will of course also be other models sooner or later. A standard Moto G9 is sure to show up eventually for a start, while a Moto G9 Power, Moto G9 Power Lite, or other variants are also possible. It’s likely that they will all run Android 10, but everything else is up in the air.
What we want to see
While we don’t know much about the Moto G9 range at the time of writing, we do have plenty of ideas about what we want from it, such as the following.
1. NFC in all models
The basic Moto G8 doesn’t have NFC, which means you can’t make contactless payments with it, which seems a significant omission in 2020, especially when the Moto G7 does have NFC (at least in some regions).
Sure, the Moto G8 Plus has NFC, but for the Moto G9 we want to see it offered across the range. Its absence in the Moto G8 was likely a cost-cutting measure, but hopefully it can be included this time without pushing the price up much if at all.
2. 1080p or better screens across the range
As with NFC, the basic Moto G8 doesn’t have a 1080p screen, and nor does the Moto G8 Power Lite, which even for a budget phone feels like a bit of a miss.
So for the Moto G9 range we want the resolution boosted on these basic models. In a world where many phones are now QHD+, and 1080p is the standard, it’s the least we want to see.
3. Better secondary cameras
The Moto G8 and Moto G8 Plus both have triple-lens cameras, but they’re not without issues. The third of those cameras on the Moto G8 is a near-useless macro one, while on the Moto G8 Plus the ultra-wide lens oddly only works for video, which is quite limiting.
So we want some more thought put into the cameras for the Moto G9 and Moto G9 Plus, so that every lens is as useful as possible.
The Moto G8 and Moto G8 Plus both have plastic backs and frames, marking them out as distinctly cheap, but for the Moto G9 and Moto G9 Plus we’d like to see them upgraded to glass backs and metal frames.
In fairness, most rival handsets are also plastic, so this might be asking a bit much, but with ever steeper competition coming from the likes of the Oppo A5 2020, a more premium build would help the Moto G9 range stand out.
5. 5G
5G phones are quickly becoming more affordable, and Motorola has got in on the affordable 5G action already with the Moto G 5G Plus, but the next step is surely to build 5G into the main Moto G range, so we’d like to see at least one of the Moto G9 models offer it.