In a world where budget smartphones often feel like unimaginative compromises, Moto G85 is a refreshing outlier. With its curved AMOLED screen and vegan leather back, it’s a phone that brings premium flair to the sub-Rs 20,000 segment. But does the G85 have the smarts to match its looks? Buckle up as we put the G85 through its paces to see if the Moto G85 belongs in your shopping cart or not.

Slim, slim and curves in all the right places

As soon as you unpack the Moto G85, it is obvious that Motorola has put a lot of thought into the design. At just 172 grams and 7.5mm thick, it’s a featherweight champion in a world of increasingly chunky phones. The vegan leather back (in our olive green review unit) adds a touch of sophistication that’s rare in this price range. It’s not just about the looks – the textured surface offers excellent grip, so the phone sits securely in the hand.

Motorola’s decision to go with a curved display is a bold move that pays off. The nearly bezel-less design elevates the G85’s aesthetics and makes it feel more like a premium device than its budget roots would suggest. The subtle camera bump on the back blends seamlessly into the overall design, avoiding the eyesore that plagues many modern smartphones.

However, the vegan leather finish is not without its flaws. It tends to attract dirt and stains more easily than traditional glass or plastic backs. While this is easily remedied with the included clear case, it’s worth noting for those who prefer to keep their phone natural.

The phone’s IP52 rating offers basic protection against dust and light water splashes. While it’s not as robust as the IP67 or IP68 ratings found on more expensive phones, it should give you peace of mind in the event of an accidental spill or light rain.

The 6.7-inch Curved pOLED display is undoubtedly the crown jewel of the Moto G85. With a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits peak brightness, it’s a visual treat that outperformes many of its competitors. Colors burst with vibrancy, and the high refresh rate ensures smooth scrolling and fluid animations throughout the UI.
Outdoor visibility is excellent, with text remaining legible even in direct sunlight. While the rounded edges are primarily an aesthetic choice, they do provide a more immersive viewing experience, especially when consuming media or gaming.

Motorola has carefully chosen Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Protection and a balance between durability and cost. The in-display fingerprint sensor is fast and accurate, adding a premium touch to the unlock experience.

The viewing experience is also enhanced by the G85’s stereo speaker configuration, which features a downward-firing speaker and the earpiece as a second channel. Audio quality is surprisingly good for a budget device, with clear voices and decent bass response. Dolby Atmos support adds an extra dimension to the audio experience, which is especially noticeable when watching movies or playing games.
The lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack might disappoint some users, but this is becoming more and more common even in the budget segment.

Get the job done

Under the hood, the Moto G85 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset. This is essentially a repackaged version of the older Snapdragon 695 with a slightly faster CPU speed. In day-to-day use, the phone handles basic tasks with aplomb – sending messages, browsing social media, and surfing the web – all smoothly.
The phone comes with 8GB or 12GB of RAM (depending on the variant) and supports multitasking, allowing you to switch between apps without constantly reloading. The 128GB or 256GB UFS 2.2 storage ensures quick app launches and fast file transfers, contributing to an overall responsive feel in daily use.
However, when running more demanding applications or games, the chipset’s limitations become apparent. Titles like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG run acceptably at medium settings, but during more intense moments you’ll notice frame drops and occasional stuttering. The phone also tends to heat up during longer gaming sessions, though it cools down relatively quickly.
While the Moto G85’s performance is respectable for its price, it lags behind some rivals in the same price range, particularly those using MediaTek’s Dimensity series chips. However, for the majority of users who don’t push their phones to the limit, the Moto G85’s performance will be more than sufficient.
Equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, the Moto G85 is a device that will easily last a full day of heavy use, and often a second day of more moderate use. In our time using the device, which involved a mix of social media browsing, video streaming, and casual gaming, the phone consistently lasted well over 24 hours on a single charge.
The G85 supports 33W fast charging, which isn’t the fastest in its class, but it’s respectable. In our testing, it took about 80 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent. While that’s not a record, it’s fast enough for most scenarios. A quick 15-minute charge can easily add a few hours of usage time.

Motorola has long been praised for its near-original approach to Android, and the Moto G85 continues that tradition with its Android 14-based Hello UI. The interface is clean, intuitive, and thankfully low on bloatware—a refreshing change in a segment often plagued by ad-laden software. There are, however, a few apps that install on first boot, but you can uninstall them.
The Hello UI offers some welcome customization options that allow users to tweak the look of their device without being overwhelmed by choices. Motorola’s signature gestures, like double-tapping for the flashlight and twisting for the camera, remain present and are as useful as ever.
One of the standout software features is Smart Connect, which allows seamless interaction with larger screens like laptops or TVs. This type of ecosystem integration is usually reserved for more expensive devices, so its presence here is a pleasant surprise.
Motorola promises two years of comprehensive Android updates and four years of security patches for the G85. That’s a respectable promise for a budget phone, but it remains to be seen whether Motorola can keep its promise, as Motorola isn’t particularly good at software updates.

Everyday bargains

The Moto G85’s camera setup is led by a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) – a rarity in this price segment. There is also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens that also serves as a macro shooter. On the front, a 32-megapixel selfie camera takes portrait shots.
In good lighting conditions, the main camera takes vibrant and detailed shots. Colors tend towards the saturated side, which isn’t entirely accurate but results in photos that are instantly shareable on social media platforms. The OIS does a great job of reducing blur in less than ideal lighting conditions, but you’ll still want to keep your hands steady for optimal results.
While the ultra-wide angle lens doesn’t quite match the quality of the main sensor, it’s a versatile tool for shooting landscapes or group photos. Some distortion is noticeable around the edges, but for a budget offering, it’s not bad. The macro capabilities are a nice addition, allowing for some creative close-up shots, although the results can be a bit hit or miss depending on the lighting.
In low light, the hardware’s limitations become more apparent. While the dedicated Night mode helps brighten scenes and bring out more detail, images can sometimes look over-processed and lose natural colors. However, for occasional nighttime shots for social media, the results are more than acceptable.
The front camera delivers appealing selfies with good detail and natural-looking skin tones. Portrait mode can separate the subject from the background quite well, but can struggle with more complex edges.
Video capabilities are solid too, with the G85 capable of shooting up to 4K footage at 30 frames per second with the main camera. The OIS helps keep handheld shots steady, but you’ll want to stick with 1080p for the smoothest results.

More than meets the eye (and your wallet)

In a sea of ​​plastic-clad, run-of-the-mill smartphones in this price range, the G85 stands out with its premium vegan leather back and striking curved AMOLED display. It’s a phone that offers a touch of flagship flair at a budget price. At Rs 17,999, it’s a phone that punches well above its aesthetic weight class, which could be enough for many users to buy the device. But can good looks and a reasonable price make up for any potential performance sacrifices?
While it may not be at the top of the list in terms of performance or camera capabilities, the G85 offers a harmonious blend of features that come together to create a compelling overall package. The clean, middling software experience with no bloatware is a breath of fresh air in a segment often weighed down by clunky UI overlays and pre-installed apps. Combine all of this with a capable camera system with OIS, a long-lasting battery, and a price that won’t break the bank, and you have a smartphone that ticks many of the average user’s boxes.

Our rating: 3.5/5