Moto G45 5G: Solid Mid-Range Smartphone with Familiar Design and Competitive Features

The device may prompt you to enable a Glance plugin, which creates a persistent area on the lock screen displaying weather and news updates—this can be disabled if you inadvertently activate it during setup. Additionally, the MotoHub app should be turned off to avoid unnecessary notification clutter.

The Moto G45 5G operates with Android 14 utilizing the My UX interface

Features familiar across Motorola’s devices are present, including Family Space, Moto Unplugged, and Moto Secure. Many of these applications provide valuable functionality, such as the secure folder, phishing protection, and quick gestures to access various features or tasks on the phone.

According to the manufacturer, the Moto G45 5G will receive an Android 15 update sometime in 2025, along with security patches every two months for a period of two years. Typically, devices in this price range receive one major Android update, except for the Samsung Galaxy A15 5G, which is slated for two major Android upgrades and four years of security support.

Moto G45 5G Performance: Above Average

• Processor — Snapdragon 6s Gen 3
• Memory — Up to 8GB
• Storage — 128GB (UFS 2.2)

Similar to the more expensive Moto G85, this model is also driven by the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, a 6nm Qualcomm chipset that is effectively a rebranded Snapdragon 695 SoC from three years ago. While it was disappointing to find this processor in the Moto G85 amidst competition deploying 4nm chips, it is more reasonable in this price category.

This device performs competently for everyday activities including web browsing, social media engagement, email responses, and light gaming. Some apps took slightly over a second to launch upon the first load, but reopening them was seamless.

The performance of the Moto G45 5G is comparable to similarly priced mobiles

Games like BGMI operate on HD settings and the ‘High’ framerate by default, while Asphalt Legends: Unite runs on the default settings without apparent issues concerning lag or sluggishness. A feature called Moto Gametime automatically activates to allow users to disable notifications, block calls, and optimize other settings. Though you can select from balanced, turbo, and battery-saver modes, their impact on performance is minimal.

Benchmark tests show that the Moto G45 5G scored similarly to other devices like the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite and iQOO Z9x, delivering comparable CPU and GPU performance to the more premium Moto G85.

Below is a summarized table allowing comparison of the Moto G45 5G’s benchmark results against other smartphones available in the same price range.

The smartphone features a 6.5-inch HD+ (720×1,600 pixels) IPS LCD display that struggles with brightness in direct sunlight. However, the adaptive brightness setting adjusts quickly based on the surrounding lighting conditions.

The screen refreshes at 120Hz, providing a smooth experience for everyday usage. The ‘natural’ display mode appears slightly warmer compared to other Motorola phones like the Moto G85, leading me to prefer the ‘saturated’ display mode on the Moto G45 5G.

The Moto G45 5G’s display is not very bright outdoors

Moto G45 5G Cameras: Slow Yet Consistent

• Main camera — 50-megapixel, video up to 1080p/30fps
• Macro camera — 8-megapixel, fixed focus
• Selfie camera — 16-megapixel, video up to 1080p/30fps

In well-lit conditions, the Moto G45 5G produces satisfactory images, but it has a noticeable delay of over a second when taking photos. Some noise and softening is evident when zooming in. In overly bright situations, dynamic range can suffer, making the skies appear overly bright compared to the actual image. However, the detail holds up well under zooming, with minimal noise or softening apparent.

Sample Images from Moto G45 5G. Top to bottom — Daylight, Low Light, Macro (Click images to enlarge)

The delay in taking photos becomes even more noticeable in low light situations, as the Moto G45 5G needs a few seconds to capture an image in Night Vision mode and require additional processing time. This may be inconvenient when photographing moving subjects. However, if you can keep the phone still, it captures bright pictures with good detail.

Additionally, you can utilize the 8-megapixel macro camera to get closer to your subject, although it occasionally has difficulty focusing, necessitating some adjustments until the image appears sharp in the viewfinder. Color accuracy is not as strong as the primary camera, with some colors appearing oversaturated and brighter areas often overexposed.

The 16-megapixel front-facing camera performs well in bright conditions, yielding detailed selfies without the beautification features enabled by default. The camera app also provides filters when taking selfies. However, the performance in low light leaves much to be desired, often capturing images with excessive noise and softening effects.

The Moto G45 5G features a dual-camera system on its back

Video recording is available at 1080p/30fps for both rear and front cameras, with the rear camera producing significantly better quality. For vlogging or video content creation, it may be advantageous to use the rear camera with a tripod or Gorillapod for superior white balance, contrast, and clarity. Low-light video recording quality is lacking, despite the inclusion of built-in stabilization.

Moto G45 5G Battery: Highly Dependable

• Battery Capacity — 5,000mAh
• Wired Charging: 18W USB PD
• Charger: 20W (included)

Weighing over 180g, the Moto G45 5G’s battery life is supported by its robust 5,000mAh battery, offering more than a full day’s use under typical conditions unless you are excessively using it. During the review period, I achieved around seven hours of screen time and 15 hours of standby before needing to recharge.

The Moto G45 5G easily lasts over a day with moderate usage

This usage included about two hours spent on social media, texting, and an hour playing Asphalt Legends Unite. This level of battery endurance is in line with budget smartphones, which typically have lower-resolution screens that do not reach high brightness levels.

In our HD video battery loop test, the Moto G45 5G managed approximately 23 hours of playback before depleting the battery. Charging the phone fully using the supplied adapter took around two hours and five minutes.

Moto G45 5G Review: Conclusion

There’s significant competition in the budget 5G smartphone market, and the Moto G45 5G stands out as a competent option for under Rs. 12,000. While it lacks standout features, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 processor provides decent performance comparable to higher-end competitors.

The Moto G45 5G competes against numerous options in the budget category

However, the sluggish camera software, mediocre macro performance, and notification overload are valid reasons to think twice about purchasing the Moto G45 5G. Its battery life is dependable, but faster charging would have been a welcome improvement.

If the Moto G45 5G doesn’t meet your needs, other comparable options in this price bracket include the iQOO Z9x (Review), Realme C65 5G, Realme Narzo N65 5G, Infinix Hot 50 5G, or the older Samsung Galaxy A14 5G.