Verdict
The Moto G86 Power offers unique looks, a huge battery, a nice OLED screen and loads of storage, all for an affordable price. However, mediocre performance and underwhelming cameras mean that this phone struggles to stand out from the crowd.
-
Unique design and fun colours -
Gorgeous OLED screen -
Huge battery -
Very affordable
-
Speakers aren’t great -
Not great for gaming -
Mediocre cameras
Key Features
-
Review Price: £299 -
Unique looks
The Moto G86 Power is available in a variety of unique Pantone colour options, with a matte textured back that’s unlike any other phone I’ve tried. -
Massive battery
The 6720mAh battery is one of the largest in its class, and it means you can easily make the phone last two days on a charge. -
Lovely screen
This 120Hz OLED panel looks luscious, and it’s bright enough to compete with direct sunlight.
Introduction
If long battery life, stunning visuals and lots of storage are top priorities when shopping for a phone, the Moto G86 Power might just grab your attention.
This phone comes in at an affordable £299 price point, but it still manages to offer a 120Hz OLED display, a gigantic 6720mAh battery and 512GB of storage as standard (in the UK). If that’s not enough, it also supports microSD cards, so you can add to the storage once it starts to fill up.
Sounds good so far, right? At this price, there are always compromises, and I wanted to find out what they were. After living with this phone for the past week, here’s everything I learned.
Design
- 161.2 x 74.7 x 8.7 mm, 195g
- Plastic frame, vegan leather back
- IP68/IP69 rated
The Moto G86 Power has a pretty unique design, with what Motorola calls a PU Soft-Luxe Texture rear panel. I’ve never held a phone that feels quite like this one, and I can imagine it being quite divisive.
On the positive side, it’s very grippy, you’ll never get fingerprint smudges, and it’s not likely to get scratched. However, something about the way it feels is a little off-putting, to me at least. I think it’s the fact that it looks like fabric, but feels more like rubber. Of course, everyone’s different, and you might like it.
At least it’s unique, and the colour options are pretty unique, too. I have the Cosmic Sky model, which is a pale lavender-ish shade. There’s also Chrysanthemum, which is a pastel red colour, Golden Cypress, which I’d describe as greenish-yellow, and finally Spellbound, which is a darker black/navy flavour.
Each option comes with a matching hard-shell case in the box. My version has a subtle multi-coloured speckling on it, and I like the way it looks. I chose to keep it attached almost all the time, not for fear of damaging the phone, but purely because I didn’t like the feel of the textured rear panel.
The phone has a plastic frame, but the side rails look and feel quite metallic. The phone feels solid and confidence-inspiring overall, and that’s backed up by a MIL-STD 810H rating, along with IP68/69 water and dust resistance.
One thing that’s quite odd about this design is that the model information, CE mark and associated info are etched onto the base of the phone, alongside the USB-C connector. I’ve never seen that before; it looks quite unusual, but I suppose it beats printing it on the back panel.
Screen
- 6.67-inch 120Hz 1220×2712 OLED
- Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
- 4500 nits peak brightness
The G86 Power has a spacious 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED display, covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. It’s a fully flat screen with fairly slim bezels on all sides, though the forehead and chin are a little thicker than the sides.
The panel can get very bright, boasting a peak output of up to 4500 nits. This means it’s easy to see in super bright sunlight, and HDR content on apps like YouTube and Netflix looks lovely.
It’s a highly accurate display, able to display 100% of the DCI-P3 colour space. If you like to tweak your colour settings, there are three options to choose from: Natural, Radiant and Vivid. You can customise the colour temperature and tone of each preset, too.
It’s a really impressive panel, especially considering it’s such an affordable phone. The only differences between this and a typical flagship screen are the slightly uneven bezels and the fact that the adaptive refresh rate will only drop to 60Hz, rather than 1Hz.
Cameras
- 50MP main camera (1/1.95-inch sensor)
- 8MP ultrawide
- 32MP selfie camera
While the design of the Moto G86 Power may make it seem like it’s stacked with cameras, there are actually only two usable lenses on the rear, and a selfie camera around the front.
The main camera uses a Sony 50MP 1/1.95-inch sensor with a 23mm equivalent f/1.9 lens. It’s paired with an 8MP ultrawide camera with autofocus capabilities, which pulls double duty as the macro snapper. The selfie camera has an ample 32MP resolution, an f/2.2 aperture, and it’s fixed focus.
The camera performance is very middle-of-the-road, and there’s not much here that will appeal to keen snappers. It can take decent photos, but it’s limited compared to some of its competition.
The main camera delivers the best quality, but I found its zoom capabilities to be disappointing. At a 2x crop, the image degradation is noticeable, and it only worsens if you push it further.
The ultrawide is a noticeable step down in quality, and it struggles in low-light conditions, too. It can focus very close up, at least, but the distorted perspective, and the fact that you need to be so physically close to your subject mean it’s far from the ideal macro solution.
The selfie camera is decent, but it tends to look oversharpened, and motion blur becomes a problem at night. The portrait mode is fairly effective, but I noticed more subject detection errors than I’m used to.
When it comes to video, I was pleased to see that all cameras support 4K 30fps recording, and the main sensor will even do 4K 60fps. However, the stabilisation is terrible, so you’ll need a gimbal or a tripod to make the most of it.
Performance
- MediaTek Dimensity 7300
- 8GB RAM, 512GB storage
- Dual stereo speakers
The G86 Power has the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 at its core, at least in the UK, some other regions get the 7400 instead. In Blighty, it’s only available with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, though, again, it differs internationally.
That’s an excellent amount of storage for a phone at this price, so you’ll have tons of room for all your apps, pictures and videos. Plus, to sweeten the deal further, it has a microSD card slot, so you can always add more storage if you need it. Data hoarders rejoice!
This isn’t the most powerful chip around, but if you’re just swiping around the OS and your social media feeds, you might have a hard time telling. It feels very quick and snappy, and it’s only under heavy multitasking that I saw the occasional stuttering animation.
Our benchmark tests show that it’s no flagship performer, and it’s a long way behind devices like the Poco F7 when it comes to compute and graphics performance. If you’re looking to edit videos on your phone or if you like to play graphically demanding games, you may find yourself wanting more power.
For instance, when playing Genshin Impact, I had to select the lowest graphics preset to get a solid 30fps. You can push it a little higher, but you’ll experience the occasional dip in the framerate.
In fairness, it is playable like this, but you’ll have a better experience with a more powerful handset. Meanwhile, if you prefer less graphically challenging games like Peglin (my current favourite) then this phone will run them without issue.
The phone has dual stereo speakers, one fires from the base, next to the USB-C port, and the other fires from the earpiece. These speakers can get quite loud, but they don’t sound very impressive. There’s a distinct lack of bass, and they’re a little shrill at higher volumes. I’d recommend grabbing some headphones or a decent Bluetooth speaker whenever possible.
Software
- Android 15
- Circle to Search and Gemini
- Lots of bloatware
The Moto G86 Power runs a very “stock” feeling version of Android 15, which looks and behaves a lot like Google’s Pixel UI. It feels quick and lightweight in use, but some of Motorola’s additions are far from ideal.
This phone comes with a lot of junk installed, and upon first setup, it immediately prompts you to add more bloat to the pile. Of course, you can delete pretty much all of it, but be prepared to spend some time doing so when you first get your hands on the phone.
On a more positive note, Google’s latest creature comforts are all included here. Gemini is the default assistant, you can use Circle to Search, and there are even features like Magic Eraser and Photo Unblur for tweaking your photos.
The customisation options are very decent, too. There are plenty of different layouts for the home screen, some useful widgets and a variety of styling options. A highlight for me is the ability to add animations to your custom wallpapers. There’s a ripple effect, water droplets, as well as zoom and parallax effects.
What’s less impressive is the support window. Motorola only promises two years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates. It’s not the worst, but with other brands continuing to improve their support terms, the G86 Power is behind much of the competition.
Battery life
- 6720mAh battery
- 30W wired charging
- No charger included
As the name suggests, a key selling point of the G86 Power is its battery capacity. It has a whopping 6720mAh battery, one of the largest cells you’ll find in a modern phone.
Motorola’s marketing claims this phone will last you an entire weekend on a single charge. However, in reality, it all depends on how you use your phone. With my typical use, two days on a charge was easily achievable, but for heavier users, you can expect around a day and a half.
In any case, it’s never going to run out before the day is done, which is what most people need.
The phone supports fast charging at up to 30W, but there’s no charger included in the box. With a suitably quick wall adapter, you can expect a 50% charge in around 40 minutes, while a full charge takes about an hour and a half.
Should you buy it?
You want a big battery, a nice screen and lots of storage
The G86 Power has one of the largest batteries of any phone in its class, the screen is excellent, and the generous 512GB of storage can be expanded with a microSD card.
The Dimenisty 7300 is decent for basic tasks, but gamers will likely crave more power. If performance is a high priority, there are better deals elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot to like about the Moto G86 Power, and for the right person, it could be a very solid option. The key features are the large battery, a lovely OLED screen, IP68/69 dust and water resistance, and big, expandable storage. At a price of just £299, it’s a solid deal, especially if the styling appeals.
On the other hand, the cameras are underwhelming, the performance isn’t anything to write home about, and the software doesn’t have any killer features. So while the Moto G86 Power nails the basics, it doesn’t really excel at anything in particular.
If you’re into gaming and can stretch your budget a little, the Poco F7 is in an entirely different league, able to run the most demanding games out there. Meanwhile, the Nothing Phone (3a) has vastly superior cameras and one of the best operating systems on the market.
That said, neither can quite match the G86 Power’s battery capacity, and neither gives you 512GB of storage and a microSD card slot. It’s all about finding the right balance for your needs, and the G86 Power might be the one for you.
How We Test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
- Used as a main phone for a week
- Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
- Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
FAQs
The Moto G86 Power has the highest IP68/69 rating for dust and water resistance. It can handle full submersion in freshwater as well as blasts from jets of hot water.
No, there’s no headphone socket on the G86 Power. You’ll need an adapter to use wired headphones.
