Moto G42: A Familiar Face with Promising Features in a Competitive Market

Motorola has been actively releasing new smartphones over the past few months, and now there’s a fresh entry into the G series in India. The company has recently unveiled the Moto G42, a new 4G device that positions itself between the Moto G22 and the Moto G52 (Review). With a price tag of Rs. 13,999, the Moto G42 comes in a single variant featuring 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Motorola’s recent G-series models have managed to offer a commendable mix of specifications and pricing, so let’s determine if the G42 maintains this trend.

Motorola hopes that the design of the Moto G42 will help it stand out in the marketplace, and I believe they have achieved this quite effectively. The device measures 8.26mm in thickness and is lightweight at 174.5g. The Atlantic Green color provided to me is unique, and I appreciate the matte finish on the frame and acrylic back. Although I’ve only had the phone for a short period, it appears to resist fingerprints well, and its rounded edges make it comfortable to hold.

The Moto G42 features a vibrant AMOLED display although it only offers a 60Hz refresh rate

The physical buttons on the right side of the Moto G42 provide solid feedback, but I found the volume controls a bit challenging to reach. The phone is equipped with stereo speakers enhanced by Dolby Atmos, a headphone jack, and a dedicated microSD card slot within the dual-SIM tray. The revamped camera module on the rear of the Moto G42 boasts sharper lines and includes three camera sensors.

The Moto G42 showcases an attractive AMOLED display with vibrant colors and adequate brightness. It features a 6.4-inch screen with a full-HD+ resolution, but sadly, it only supports a 60Hz refresh rate. This should not pose issues for users upgrading from another 60Hz device, but for those transitioning from a 90Hz display, the noticeable lack of smoothness in animations and scrolling might be disappointing. At this price point, competition includes models with 90Hz displays, making the G42 seem somewhat inadequate.

Notable features of the Moto G42 include an IP52 rating, offering some level of dust and water resistance, along with a capacitive fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button. It also supports carrier aggregation, NFC, and FM radio. The core appeal of a Moto smartphone has consistently been its streamlined Android experience, and the G42 follows this tradition. The device runs on Android 12 with Motorola’s minimal customizations added. The company promises an upgrade to Android 13 and assures three years of security updates for the G42.

The Moto G42 boasts an appealing design and is packaged with a 20W charger

The phone’s interface appears polished and generally operates smoothly. However, I did observe minor stuttering in animations when accessing the notification panel or switching between applications. I’ll need more time with the device to determine if this is a recurring issue. Powering the Moto G42 is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 processor, which is a notable power-efficient chip, and we already have an idea of its performance because the Moto G52 also utilizes this chipset. The Moto G42 is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery and supports 20W fast charging. Motorola includes the compatible charger in the box, along with additional accessories such as a transparent case.

The camera setup on the Moto G42 looks quite promising on paper. It includes a 16-megapixel front camera, and at the back, there’s a 50-megapixel primary camera, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera. You’ll need to wait for the complete review to know how well these cameras perform in practice.

The Moto G42 presents itself as a solid option in its category, especially considering Motorola’s commitment to long-term updates and its appealing design. However, the competition may be challenging, as the Moto G52 is available for just Rs. 500 more. It offers similar specifications and features with some improvements, such as a larger pOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a lighter build, and 33W fast charging. The Redmi Note 11 also poses strong competition in this price range, presenting a better display and extra RAM.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be putting the Moto G42 through various tests, so remember to check back for the comprehensive review.