If you're looking for a decent yet affordable new mobile phone, a key factor you are likely to consider is the price - plus something that can do the everyday essentials.
And now, for te reo Māori speakers, there's one more reason to get one of Motorola's latest low-tier phones - the Moto G24 - because its operating system (OS) has a te reo display option.
I used one of the devices for a couple of weeks and here are my thoughts.
The basics
The Moto G24 is a solid 2024 model that won't break the bank at a little more than a couple hundred bucks.
Officially released in February overseas, but only on sale in Aotearoa since late April, it's a device that is very good at the basics but not so much the advanced.
It has an enormous screen, and there's a lot else to like about it, but it doesn't come with the high-end features a Samsung Galaxy S24 or iPhone 15 offer.
The G24 has similar features as more expensive models like the Moto G34, but obviously cuts some things out to lower its price.
Te reo Māori OS
Now to the cool bit - the Moto G24, like the other models in the 2024 range, has a feature new to Motorola devices: its entire user interface can be changed to te reo Māori - mauri ora!
That means things like the swipe-down menu, settings, back and forward buttons and notifications are in te reo - mostly.
Motorola says it has translated more than 200,000 English words into kupu Māori on its three new low-tier devices.
Not all apps display in te reo Māori and some menu settings have incorrect translations; but this of course can be fixed with future updates.
When switched to te reo, the Google factory-installed apps all display in English, but surely Google's future updates will also include Māori as a primary app language - why wouldn't they?
Affordable quality
A key attraction of the Moto G24 is its low cost. It starts at around $209 for the 128GB model, which is the model I used for this review.
The G24 has decent specs that most users would be perfectly happy with considering the reasonable price. It has two nano SIM slots, supports 15W fast charging and comes with 4GB RAM - enough for your day-to-day basics, but not nearly enough for intense gaming or video editing.
Its main camera produces decent photos, even in low-light, that are fine for your everyday amateur. The selfie camera is just OK, but not quite LinkedIn.
Videos are passable, however the image's exposure isn't the best - and the mic's sound quality is fantastic.
Tech specs:
- Battery - 5000mAh (with TurboPower charging)
- Main camera - 50MP (with Macro Vision)
- Selfie camera - 8MP
- Screen - 6.6 inch 90 Hertz display
- Chipset - Mediatek MT6769Z Helio G85 (12 nm)
- CPU - Octa-core (2x2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6x1.7 GHz Cortex-A55)
- Size - 163.5mm x 74.5mm x 8mm
- Weight - 181g.
The RAM can also be expanded up to 8GB, while there's an option to use expandable storage with a 1TB SD card.
There is also a side fingerprint reader (on the power button) that is super fast, and it comes with NFC so you can use Google Pay and Apple Pay with ease.
The Moto G24 comes preloaded with Android 14 and feels snappy and responsive enough for my liking.
It features a water-resistant design, but is not waterproof or dustproof. It's best not to take it out for an extended time in the rain, just to be safe.
Everyday usage
Its large 6.6-inch display is bright and allows things like watching YouTube videos or reading large emails comfortably.
The screen resolution is fine for internet browsing, emails, light gaming, messaging and reading the news, but don't expect 4K quality.
That huge screen for me has to be my favourite aspect of the phone, along with its te reo Māori support.
The battery is also great. After a full day of usage, I still had about 40 percent battery left on the phone. It goes hard all day, including watching a few hours of videos on ThreeNow or YouTube.
However, the device did freeze on occasion, sometimes taking a few seconds to load an app I had just clicked on, but no apps crashed.
If you like to download loads of apps and use them all regularly, this phone may become slower as it gets more packed.
The Moto G24 also uses primarily Google apps, and there are very few Motorola-branded apps - which I didn't have a problem with since I use Google's stuff for pretty much all of my daily tasks.
Messaging and texting was also a breeze, with the large screen making for easy typing on the nice big keyboard - perfect for those with fatter fingers.
Social media also worked well, with Instagram, Facebook, TikTok having no problems except for minor lag - but that's expected with cheaper devices - and I'm not complaining. It didn't ruin the experience at all for me.
Phone conversations were just as clear as my regular daily phone, as Samsung Galaxy S23, and I had no issues hearing anyone on the other end.
The on-device speaker's sound quality was also surprisingly impressive. It could blast out music and videos around a bigger room, even with a bit of bass too.
When it comes to gaming, I wouldn't recommend playing demanding games like Fortnite or Asphalt 2 - but it can handle simple ones.
Other aspects
Of course, like all modern devices should have, the Moto G24 has a USB-C charging port, plus a rare 3.5mm audio jack.
As for the phone's design and asethetic, its body material is made of plastic, so it might pay to get a sturdy case.
It comes in four colours: matte charcoal, ice green, blueberry and pink lavender.
One other cool little feature is the option of auto-displaying Live Captions on any video you play.
The Moto G24 is the mid-range model and starts at $238, or sometimes you can snag it on special for $20 less.
Meanwhile, the cheaper Moto G04 (only 64GB) starts at $199, and the more expensive Moto G34 starts at $319.
Newshub was supplied a Motorola Moto G24 for this review.
