Moto G35 5G Review: Delivers More for Less

We’ve seen the launch of several smartphones in India in 2024, from entry-level handsets to flagship models and foldable phones. The budget segment sees a lot of competition from handset companies in the country, with each new model offering iterative upgrades over their predecessors. Motorola recently launched the Moto G35 5G as its most affordable 5G smartphone. This handset will compete with smartphones like the Redmi A4 5G, Tecno Spark 30C 5G, and Lava Blaze 2 5G.

You can pick up the Moto G35 5G for Rs. 9,999 in India, and it is sold in a single 4GB + 128GB RAM and storage configuration. Does it offer enough value for money like other smartphones priced under Rs. 10,000? Read on to know more about this handset in my Moto G35 5G review.

Moto G35 5G Design: Familiar Looking

• Dimensions – 166.29×75.98×7.79mm
• Weight – 185g
• Colours – Guava Red, Leaf Green (In this review), Midnight Black

The new Moto G35 5G is available in matte and vegan leather finishes, and it looks very similar to its more expensive sibling in the G series — the Moto G45 5G (Review). In fact, if you placed these handsets next to each other with their rear panel facing up, you might not be able to tell them apart. Subjectively speaking, it’s one of the more polished-looking smartphones in this price segment.

The Moto G35 5G looks very similar to the more expensive Moto G45 5G model

The sides of the smartphone are made of plastic and have a smooth feel. The left edge features the SIM tray, while the right side has the volume rocker and power button — the latter also doubles as a fingerprint scanner. There’s a USB Type-C port at the bottom, along with a 3.5mm headphone port and a speaker grille.

The company sent us the Moto G35 5G in a green colourway with a vegan leather finish that makes it easy to grip. It also comes with a transparent TPU case in the box, as well as an 18W charger and a USB Type-A to USB Type-C cable.

Moto G35 5G Software: Clean UI, Ships With Bloatware

• Software – My UX
• Version – Android 14
• Latest security patch – December 5, 2024

Motorola’s latest G series smartphone runs on Android 14, with the company’s My UX running on top. This is the same interface that is available on more expensive models like the Moto G45 5G, and it comes with software features that are exclusive to the company’s handsets, such as Motorola Secure (secure folder, network protection) and Family Space (family controls).

Moto G35 5G ships with Android 14, along with the company’s My UX skin (tap to expand)

After setting up the smartphone, I was prompted to “try” (install) three third-party applications by the Moto App Manager app that is also preinstalled on the company’s smartphones. The installer informs users that it will install three new apps monthly when a system update is installed. These apps can be uninstalled like any other app that a user chooses to download on their smartphone.

This handset is slated to receive only one Android OS update, meaning it should get Android 15 sometime next year. It would have been nice to see the company deliver at least two Android OS upgrades for this smartphone, considering the fact that it ships with Android 14, which was released a year ago. The Moto G35 is scheduled to receive security updates until August 2027, according to the company’s support website.

Moto G35 5G Performance: Decent for the Price

• Processor – Unisoc T760
• Memory – 4GB LPDDR4X
• Storage – 128GB UFS 2.2

The Moto G35 5G is equipped with a 6nm Unisoc T760 chipset launched in July. It is an octa-core processor that comprises six Arm Cortex-A76 cores (2.2GHz) and four Cortex A55 cores (2GHz), along with a Mali G57 MC4 GPU. This puts it on par with the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, which has slightly faster A76 cores (2.4GHz) but a slightly older Mali G57 MC2 GPU.

As you can probably tell, this isn’t an exceptionally fast processor. Still, it’s pretty good at handling day-to-day tasks like browsing the web, texting someone on WhatsApp, and using social media apps like Facebook or Instagram. I noticed a bit of lag in slightly more demanding apps like Snapchat and Google Maps.

Moto G35 5G benchmark results (tap to expand)

You can play casual games on this handset without any issues — I tested out a couple of the third-party games that were downloaded after setting up the phone — and it can also handle some titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) if you use the lowest graphics settings. I also ran Asphalt Legends Unite on the default setting without any issues.

I also ran multiple benchmark tests on the Moto G35 5G to get a better understanding of how it fares against smartphones equipped with processors that offer comparable performance, such as the Redmi A4 5G, Samsung Galaxy A16 5G and the Infinix Note 40X. The handset’s performance appeared to be on par with some of these models that are sold at higher prices.

You can look at the table below to see how the Moto G35 5G fared on benchmark tests, in comparison with similar models from other smartphone makers.

Motorola has equipped this smartphone with a 6.72-inch Full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) LCD screen along with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The display’s refresh rate can be e set at 60Hz or 120Hz — while the latter offers a much smoother experience, you might want to leave it on the default mode for better battery life.

Visibility is not ideal when you are outdoors in bright sunlight, but it’s quite usable during other times of the day. After poking around the settings, I found a toggle under Settings > Display > Extra brightness that did improve the display’s brightness level, but also resulted in faster battery drain.

Moto G35 5G Cameras: Gets the Job Done

• Primary camera – 50-megapixel (f/1.8), PDAF, up to 4K/ 30fps video
• Ultrawide camera – 8-megapixel (f/2.2), 120-degree field-of-view
• Selfie camera – 16-megapixel

The Moto G35 5G is a budget smartphone with a dual rear camera setup. It’s good to see that the company hasn’t bothered with adding a low-resolution macro or depth sensor, which are usually disappointing when included on phones in this price segment.

Moto G35 5G Camera Samples. Top to bottom — Primary, Ultrawide, Portrait (Tap images to expand)

When clicking photos with the primary 50-megapixel camera during the day, the phone delivers bright images with a decent amount of detail, for a budget smartphone. It also reproduces skin tones accurately, when capturing portrait images. Subjects that are closer to the camera will definitely have more detail, and the camera app is fast and snappy when taking photos.

The 8-megapixel ultrawide camera produces images that aren’t as detailed as the primary camera, and you will notice a distinct lack of detail when you zoom in on these images. For example, I clicked an image of a sign across the street using the primary and ultrawide camera, and only the image captured with the former included legible text.

In low light scenarios and at night, there’s only one camera worth using on the Moto G35 5G, and the 50-megapixel sensor is best used in combination with the Night Vision feature available inside the camera app. It takes a couple of seconds to capture an image, but the difference in detail is quite evident in our camera samples.

Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Camera Samples. Top to bottom — Day, Night (Tap images to expand)

Motorola has equipped the handset with a 16-megapixel selfie camera, which captures decent images during the day. In darker scenarios, it still manages to let in enough light for a recognisable image, but you also see a lot of smoothening and noise.

There’s no image stabilisation on the Moto G35 5G, and the smartphone lets you record video at up to 4K/ 30fps using the primary camera and up to 1080p/ 30fps using the ultrawide camera. Once again, the former is the one to use while recording with this handset.

Moto G35 5G Battery: Slow to Charge, Slower to Discharge

• Battery Capacity – 5,000mAh
• Wired Charging – 18W (USB Type-C)

The Unisoc T760 chip on the Moto G35 5G appears to be quite efficient, as the handset is capable of delivering well over a day and a half of battery life, before it needed another charge. In our HD video battery loop test, the phone lasted for approximately 18 hours and 50 minutes, but keep in mind that these are synthetic tests.

The Moto G35 5G offers over one day of use on a single charge

In day to day use, battery drain on the Moto G35 is not high during active use as well as in standby mode. I used the phone to make calls using WhatsApp, browsing the web and checking social media apps, and playing a few casual games — it delivered about 5.5 hours of screen on time, along with about 21 hours of standby life.

Charging the Moto G35 5G from 0 to 100 percent can take a while, especially if your battery is low when you plug in the handset. During the time I tested the handset, it took around two hours for a full charge, using the 18W adapter included in the box.

Moto G35 5G Review: Verdict

The Moto G35 5G offers good performance for the price, outperforming more expensive smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy A16 5G (Review) and the Infinix Note 40X on some benchmark tests. It also offers 5G connectivity under Rs. 10,000, reliable battery life, and decent camera performance.

The Moto G35 offers good value for money at its current price of Rs. 9,999

It’s worth noting that the company has offered only one Android OS upgrade for the Moto G35, while the aforementioned Galaxy A16 5G costs more and is slated to receive up to six upgrades.

Other similarly priced smartphones that you can consider instead of the Moto G35 5G include the Redmi A4 5G (First impressions), Tecno Spark 30C 5G, and the slightly older Lava Blaze 2 5G.