Motorola Moto G86 Review

Motorola packs quite a phone into the Moto G86 and ties it up with a nice bow using an OLED panel. Given the sharp price tag, this mid-ranger might be interesting for those looking to maximize their tight budget, although a misleading camera island and limited updates make us think twice.

The Motorola Moto G86 costs you about 299 euros incl. VAT. This positions Motorola’s smartphone at the lower end of the mid-range, leaning towards a budget device. Both the spec list and the build quality of the device itself suggest a slightly higher price tag. Motorola seems to offer quite a lot under 300 euros.

You get a sturdy-feeling 6.67-inch smartphone with a soft plastic back that feels a bit like leather. It looks neat and doesn’t feel cheap.

Misleading Design

The device also has three camera lenses on the back. That’s one more than, for example, the OnePlus Nord CE5, which costs 50 euros more.

Motorola Moto G86 5 — *Behind the lens at the bottom right, there is no functional camera.*

Motorola Moto G86 6 — *Behind the lens at the bottom right, there is no functional camera.*

Only: Motorola misleads. Behind one of the three lenses, there is nothing at all, except for a small mirror that reflects an expression of disbelief when you peer into it. The third lens is like an extra exhaust pipe on a tuned car that isn’t connected to anything: an attempt to suggest more qualities than are actually present.

Talk about a false start. The Moto G86 still has to prove itself. At 299 euros, the phone is priced more sharply on paper than comparable devices, but for 50 euros more, there are interesting alternatives. Both the Nothing 3a and the OnePlus CE5 are formidable competitors eager to convince potential buyers to spend that extra 50 euros. Is it necessary?

Performance

Inside the Motorola Moto G86 is an adequate engine with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300. This chip is accompanied by 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 was also in the Motorola ThinkPhone 25, which cost 499 euros at the end of last year.

CPU

The chip does what it needs to do, but not much more. The OnePlus Nord CE5 is somewhat faster. The difference with the Nothing and the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion from last year is already smaller.

All these devices were launched at 349 euros. The smaller brother Moto G56 does slightly worse with a lighter processor but is also cheaper (249 euros).

The combination of CPU and RAM is enough for a smooth smartphone experience. Those who surf, chat, lose more hours than desired on social media, and watch photos and videos are adequately served. Switching between apps is also not a problem. If you want to multitask heavily, switch between dozens of tabs and apps, and not lose a second, then a higher price range might appeal to you a bit more.

3d

That also applies to the 3D aspect. The Mali-G615-MC2 is not such a spectacular GPU. The OnePlus Nord has an MC6 variant on board and performs much better.

Of course, you can play simple games on this smartphone, but if you’re looking for a gaming monster, you’re not in the right place here.

Battery and charging

More interesting is the battery. Motorola gives the Moto G86 5,200 mAh, which is not bad at all. The device can compete well with slightly more expensive phones in the same price range. However, we also see here that those who spend a little less also get a little less in return.

Motorola completely misses the mark with charging. The 30-watt charging capacity is limited, and the name Turbopower is misplaced. It takes almost 50 minutes to charge the battery to 80 percent, and for a half charge, you’re just under half an hour.

It’s not only noticeable that OnePlus and Nothing do better, but also the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion from last year charges much faster. Fast charging is not included in the EU’s assessment of energy efficiency. For that, Europe uses a somewhat artificial standby test that the Moto G86 passes with distinction. The phone thus receives energy class A and is available with those eco-cheques for which you were still looking for a use.

Screen and other Advantages

The 6.67-inch OLED screen is definitely a real asset. OLED under 300 euros is a rarity. The Moto G56, for example, has to make do with LCD. The display of the Moto G86 gets 1,220 x 2,712 pixels with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. The maximum brightness of 830 cd/m² is adequate.

Here too, the difference with slightly more expensive devices remains small. For 349 euros, you can also buy OLED from Nothing and OnePlus, with slightly higher brightness.

The Motorola Moto G86 has a few other aces up its sleeve, such as the IP68 rating, which officially makes the smartphone water-resistant. You don’t often see that at this price point. Even the more expensive OnePlus Nord CE 5 doesn’t get past IP65. The Moto G86 can really be taken underwater, the OnePlus cannot.

Motorola’s own system of ‘kinetic gestures’ is also enjoyable. These are a trademark of the manufacturer. For example, you can shake twice to activate the flashlight or twist your wrist twice to go straight to the camera, each time without unlocking. That’s handy, fast, and brings basic functionality to the forefront in winter when you’re wearing gloves.

Software

Not everything Motorola adds to Android is, however, an added value. A multitude of unsolicited junk is pre-installed on this device. Think of rubbish like Block Blast!, Tile Explorer, or even worse: Temu. Such bloatware we can do without, even at 299 euros.

Sparse Update Policy

The phone runs Android 15 at launch and will receive two more years of OS updates. Motorola promises only four years of security updates, which is poor. All other smartphones we tested this year, except for other Motorola models, do better with six or usually seven years of security updates.

Motorola promises only four years of security updates.

Motorola does not feel obliged to offer more, despite recent European regulations. The smartphone manufacturer has looked into the fine print and found that it is not really required to provide five years of updates after the last day of sale. For Motorola, that is reason enough not to take that step.

The manufacturer does not do itself any favors there. For 299 euros, you buy a device that is software-wise retired four years after launch. With the OnePlus Nord CE5, you can go two years longer, the Nord CE5 even three years. If you plan to use your phone until you buy a new one, that extra 50 euros suddenly becomes an investment rather than an additional cost.

Cameras

On to the cameras then, where, as mentioned, oddities are going on. The large camera island at the back shows four circles: three lenses and a flash. You also find this design language in more expensive phones, which actually have three cameras on board. A Dacia painted in Ferrari red remains a Dacia. The only reason we see for this choice by Motorola is deception: the Moto G86 pretends to be more than it is.

The Main Camera Saves the Day

Fortunately, the main camera is not bad. The 50 MP sensor sits behind an f/1.9 lens and comes with optical image stabilization. Motorola delivers fine photos with it, with a nice dynamic range. Here and there, the saturation of certain colors (like yellow) is a bit bright, but we really have no complaints. Even in slightly less light, the result is acceptable.

Motorola Moto G86 Main Camera Night 1 — *With the main camera, details remain reasonably well preserved at night.*

Motorola Moto G86 Sax Night — *With the main camera, details remain reasonably well preserved at night.*

The quality of the photos is maintained when using the 2x zoom. Zooming is done exclusively digitally, but the photos retain enough details.

Motorola Moto G86 Station Wide-angle — *Wideangle*

Motorola Moto G86 Station Main Camera — *Wideangle*

If you zoom in more, the quality visibly decreases, and you get blurry smeared photos that serve no purpose. This is especially true at night, and in that case, even for the double zoom. At 2X, the photos look quite okay on the small screen, but as soon as you zoom in a bit, they fall apart.

Motorola Moto G86 X2 Night — *2X Zoom with the main camera at night is possible, as long as you don’t look at the details.*

Motorola Moto G86 Zoom Day — *2X Zoom with the main camera at night is possible, as long as you don’t look at the details.*

Wide-angle and Selfie

The second camera combines a wide-angle lens with an 8 MP sensor. This camera is a disappointment like all 8 MP wide-angle camera systems on budget phones. Even in bright daylight, details in the corners are lost. Especially in the shade, we quickly see how details turn into smudges. Be sure to click on the photos below to see for yourself what we mean.

Motorola Moto G86 Turnhout Wide-angle — *Wideangle*

Motorola Moto G86 Turnhout Main Camera — *Wideangle*

This second camera also serves as a system for macro photos. Focusing on something really close is difficult, however. If it works, you get a nice photo, but it’s not really a macro.

Motorola Moto G86 Macro 1 — *Even in the ‘macro’ setting, the camera doesn’t always want to focus closely.*

Motorola Moto G86 Macro 2 — *Even in the ‘macro’ setting, the camera doesn’t always want to focus closely.*

Behind the third camera lens, as mentioned, is an empty box. Motorola does not mention a third camera in its specifications, and the thing does nothing. We briefly thought it was a depth sensor for portrait photos, as was sometimes the case in the past, but that also turns out not to be true.

The selfie camera is real, though. Here, the Moto G86 gets a 32 MP sensor that does a good job. Both a vacation selfie and a professional video call look good.

Conclusion: 50 Euros Too Little

Is the Motorola Moto G86 a bargain at 299 euros? Not really. The updates are the first problem. If you buy a OnePlus Nord CE5 or Nothing 3a and keep it for five years, the price per year is already lower than that of the Moto G86, which will receive its last update four years after launch.

And yes, those updates are necessary: you pay with your phone, your banking app is on it, along with private data and possibly sensitive work data. Soon, your ID and driver’s license will even be valid via an app. Even a budget device should receive security updates.

If you only look at the investment at the moment itself, you can also buy a better device for 50 euros more, with a battery that lasts longer and charges faster.

OnePlus Nord CE 5 Review: Cardio over Muscles

The cameras of the Motorola Moto G86 are misleading again. The main camera performs quite well at this price point, but the wide-angle camera and the fake camera are about equally useful. If you’re the type to put a spoiler on a Nissan, you might find the ‘design’ choice less disturbing. Other people may rightly find it strange to buy a phone with components that do nothing.

All in all, we find the Motorola Moto G86 a strange device, and not in a good way. The beautiful OLED screen and the IP68 rating are not enough for us to recommend this phone with confidence.

The device has three cameras on the back, and the OnePlus ‘only’ two. Only: Motorola misleads. Behind one of the three lenses, there is nothing at all, except for a small mirror that reflects an expression of disbelief when you peer into it.

Motorola Moto G86 (XT2527-2) – from 299 euros incl. VAT – 4 years of security updates – two-year warranty – Ecolabel A.