Understand Moto G Model Names

You are not alone if you are confused by Moto G model names. There are simply too many Moto G models.

Motorola has been introducing more than 10 Moto G phone models every year since 2020. However, the naming convention of these models has become quite confusing for most potential buyers and even the sales staff in Lenovo/Motorola stores. The naming convention is often complex and doesn’t make sense, making it difficult for people to understand which Moto G model they should choose.

This Moto G guide explains the naming convention of Moto G phones in the US and international markets to help you understand the meaning of Moto G model names. It also includes a list of known Moto G models.

Why are there so many Moto G models?

When Google sold Motorola to Lenovo in 2024, Moto G was the most valuable brand in assets. The first generation of Moto G (2013) was a success in the crowded Android smartphone market.

The first generation of Moto G (2013) actually set the standard for a real middle-range smartphone: reasonable price with decent performance. Moto G 2014 (2nd Gen) was also well-received in the market.

Compared to Moto E (which is in the death spiral) and the abandoned Moto X, Moto G has its unique brand value among Android users.

After years of trial, Lenovo/Motorola found Moto G to be the most valuable brand, and therefore, they put the Moto G stick on as many phones as possible. Since 2020, on average, you’d expect one new Moto G model each month.

With Samsung and Apple dominating the high-end smartphone market, Motorola has to seek opportunities in the middle-range market where Moto G targets.

Currently, Motorola has 4 major brands (series) for smartphones:

• Moto E for entry-level Android phones. It is actually in the death spiral. The lower end of Moto G competes against Moto E directly.
• Moto G for middle-range Android phones.
• Motorola Edge (and Edge+) for the high-end Android phones.
• Motorola Razr (and Razr+) for foldable phones.

Motorola Edge never claimed a meaningful market share in the high-end market. Instead, Motorola has to lower the price so that Motorola Edge (and Edge+) can compete in the middle-range segment.

So, in the current situation, Motorola has to put most of its eggs into the Moto G and some into the Motorola Razr.

Moto G model names in the US and North American market

Moto G model names in the US (and North American) market actually are simple. At least, it is not difficult to understand.

Currently, there are actually 4 Moto G models

1. Base model (Moto G). It is named as a format like Moto G 2024 or Moto G 2023. If the model supports 5G, 5G will be inserted, for example,  Moto G 5G 2024.
2. Budget model (Moto G Play). In recent years, it has always been named Moto G Play with the release year, for example, Moto G Play 2024 and Moto G Play 2023. Motorola has cut some corners in the hardware specs to lower the cost for the Play model.
3. Upgraded model (Moto G Power). It is named like Moto G Power 2024, Moto G Power 2023, or Moto G Power 2022. The special feature of this model used to be the larger battery capacity. In the past, the hardware specs are usually somewhere between the Moto G and Moto G Play. However, in recent years, the difference in battery capacity of Moto G modes has become marginal. All Moto G models are now packed with about 5000mAh battery. Moto G Power is now an “upgraded” (e.g., more RAM) model of Moto G to fill the gap between the Moto G and the Motorola Edge series.
4. Stylus model (Moto G stylus). Motorola introduced a stylus to Moto G in 2020 and named this model Moto G Stylus with some exclusive stylus features. The latest ones are Moto G Stylus 2023 and Moto G Stylus 5G 2023. The hardware specs are similar or slightly better to the base mode.

In short, in the US and North American market:

• Moto G is the base model.
• Moto G Play is the entry-level model that actually is replacing theMoto E series. This model is a downgraded version of the base model.
• Moto G Power is the “premium” model of Moto G.
• Moto G Stylus is a special model with a stylus. Sometimes, this model has slightly better hardware specs than the base model.

Moto G model names in the International market

In the international market, Moto G model names are messy. Sometimes, they are not consistent in different regions. The chaos started in 2021 when Motorola introduced different model names to various markets.

Currently, Moto G models for the international market use this naming convention: Moto G xy, with x between 0 and 8  and y between 0 and 4. The first digit usually represents the “premium” level. Higher the first digital number usually (not always) means better hardware specs.  The second digit usually represents the “generation” (or year). For example, the Moto G 04 is the “base” (usually cheapest) model released as the 4th generation. Moto G84 is the 4th generation of the top model. Each generation do not have all the models. For example, there is no Moto G80, Moto G81, or Moto G83.  Moto G82  jumps to Moto G84.

The generation usually matches the year as:

• 0–>2021
• 1 –>2022
• 2–>2022
• 3–>2023
• 4–>2023-2024

There are two exceptions: Moto G100 (2021) and Moto G200 5G (2022).

So, when you see a model name of Moto Gxy, it is generally (not always) true:

• The bigger the first digit, the better the hardware specs.
• The bigger the second digit, the newer the phone.

Moto G Power 5G | 2024 | Unlocked | Made for US 8/128GB | 50MP Camera | Midnight Blue

Motorola Moto G Play LTE | Unlocked | Made for US 4/64GB | 50MP Camera | Sapphire Blue

$129.17

$107.99

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Amazon

Moto G Power 5G | 2024 | Unlocked | Made for US 8/128GB | 50MP Camera | Midnight Blue

$129.17

Buy on Amazon

Motorola Moto G Play LTE | Unlocked | Made for US 4/64GB | 50MP Camera | Sapphire Blue

$107.99

Buy on Amazon

List of all Moto G models

Here is the list of all known Moto G models with the year of the release.

Motorola needs to do a better job in updating Moto G phones. Most Moto G phones receive only one major update. The table lists the Android versions of the Moto G models when they were released. So, most of these phones ended up with a version newer than the one listed. For example, Moto G 2023 was released with Android 13. It will end up with Android 14.

Please let us know in the comment box below if you find any missing Moto G models. We will then update the table.

Do you have any questions about Moto G model numbers?

If you have questions about Moto G model numbers, please let us know in the comment box below.

For more Moto G online manual pages, please check this page.

For detailed step-by-step guides, please check the Moto G How-to guides page.