Motorola Moto G56 review: A solid, stylish budget buy

Best Prices Today: Moto G56

I’ve been reviewing consumer tech for such a long time that I still remember testing the original Moto G back in 2013. It was such a delight of a device, cute and compact while offering insane value for money at £135, that it remains a memorable phone in my personal review catalogue 12 years on.

The Moto G has come on significantly in the last decade – there are now multiple Moto G models for starters – but the premise remains the same as that first model. Motorola is aiming to offer value for money without too much compromise. The company described the Moto G back in 2013 as “an affordable smartphone for people who don’t want to compromise on quality, experience or style”. 

Does the latest Moto G56 still hit those markers? And more importantly, is it worth considering if your budget is £200 for a smartphone? 

Design & Build

• Plastic frame, IP68 & IP69 rated
• 200g, 8.35mm thick
• Corning Gorilla Glass 7i

The Motorola Moto G56 is a far cry from the original Moto G in that it’s now a significantly larger device and the finish is far more premium, as well as fully water resistant. You won’t get a titanium frame or a super slim bezel around the display as you’ll find on flagship phones, but you don’t really expect that at this price point.

The rear is clad in a textured faux leather material, which is excellent for grip and looks brilliant. This isn’t a phone that’s going to slide out of your hand, so you can probably risk taking off the clear cover that comes attached. If you’re accident-prone, it’s slim enough that you could keep it on, but the finish of the rear feels so great that I’d urge you to experience it for yourself. 

There are four colour options, all of which are Pantone-approved in typical Motorola fashion: Pantone Black Oyster (I don’t love this name), Pantone Gray Mist, Pantone Dazzling Blue and Pantone Dill. The Gray Mist model, as pictured in this review, is what I’d consider to be more of a light blue than a grey but it’s a lovely colour that’s my pick of the bunch. 

The plastic frame has subtle rounded edges and is somewhat colour-matched to complement the back. At 8.35mm, some might say the frame is thick, and it is if you compare it to some of the slimmer devices we’re seeing now. Hold it up to the likes of the Apple iPhone 16 Pro (8.25mm) however, and it’s around the same thickness, so it’s far from offensive.

In fact, I’d go as far as to say the design and build of the Moto G56 punches above its weight in terms of price. There’s a responsive fingerprint sensor built into the power button on the right edge, a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom – something of a rarity in phones these days – while a speaker flanks the other side of the USB-C port. 

The 6.72-inch display means it’s on the larger end of the scale, which will be appreciated by some

A SIM tray with microSD support for storage expansion – another rarity – sits at the top left edge, and the camera housing on the rear is built into the finish rather than being a separate housing, for a relatively seamless look. 

At 200g, it’s not the lightest phone around, but it feels solid. The 6.72-inch display means it’s on the larger end of the scale, which will be appreciated by some, but perhaps not all, so consider which camp you’re in before you invest.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.72-inch 120Hz 2400 x 1080 LCD
• 1000 nits peak brightness
• Stereo speakers

The display is an LCD panel so you don’t get the same contrast and lovely deep blacks as you do in more expensive phones that feature OLED displays, but there’s good vibrancy and it’s bright enough that it can be used outside.

The bezel surrounding the screen isn’t symmetrical, which is probably the biggest giveaway to the Moto G’s budget nature

I didn’t think viewing angles were great from some perspectives and there’s no HDR support, but colours are reasonably punchy on the default Vivid setting. You can change this to a Natural mode, but I thought this made the display a little yellow.

The resolution is a Full HD+, or 2400 x 1080 pixels, which results in a pixel density of 391ppi and fairly crisp details. It’s by no means the sharpest display you’ll ever lay your eyes on but it’s good enough at this level and the 120Hz refresh rate means scrolling is nice and smooth.

There’s quite a large chin at the bottom of the display and the bezel surrounding the screen isn’t symmetrical, which is probably the biggest giveaway to the Moto G’s budget nature. I’m a big symmetry fan so the different widths of top, bottom and sides was something I couldn’t unsee, but you may not notice or care. 

The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass i7 which, based on my review time of around a month, has proved pretty resistant to scratches. No complaints there. Despite coming with a pre-installed clear case, there’s no pre-installed screen protector, so that’s something you’ll need to consider buying separately if you think you need it.

In terms of speakers, there’s a stereo setup in the Moto G56 and while it’s not the loudest out there, it’s decent enough for watching something if you haven’t got headphones to hand. The sound performance is reasonably balanced and, while some extra bass wouldn’t go amiss, there is Dolby Atmos on board which isn’t bad for a budget device. 

Specs & Performance

• MediaTek Dimensity 7060
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage, microSD support up to 2TB

As one might expect for £200, you get a pretty middling chipset under the hood of the Motorola Moto G56. There’s no Snapdragon 8 Elite in sight, but a MediaTek Dimensity 7060 processor runs the show, supported by 8GB of RAM, and together they do a decent job on the whole.

There’s lag with the camera shutter button and switching between the camera lenses, while the general performance isn’t as smooth as a mid-range or flagship phone. Depending on what you’re used to, you may not mind. But be prepared for a slightly less nippy experience than a mid-range device. 

The general performance isn’t as smooth as a mid-range or flagship phone

Optimised games like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty Mobile did run smoothly however, so that’s something to be celebrated. There is a Gametime feature too, which allows you to block calls and notifications, as well as screenshot and record your action. That feature also enables you to adjust the ‘performance mode’ between Turbo, Balanced or Battery Saving, depending on your preference.

There’s a healthy 256GB of internal storage, which is a decent amount considering that some flagships at four times the price start at 128GB, and that can be expanded using the microSD slot up to 2TB too.

Motorola Moto G56 benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp, f/1.8 main sensor
• 8Mp ultra-wide, f/2.2 sensor
• 32Mp, f/2.2 front camera

The Motorola Moto G56 has a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia 600 sensor as its main sensor, featuring an f/1.8 aperture. This is paired with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle sensor with a f/2.2 aperture, while the front camera is a 32-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. 

The main camera delivers the better results of the two rear sensors, as is usually the case. These results were fair for this price point too and that’s especially true in good lighting. The Moto G56 still managed in low lighting conditions but there was definitely more noise and grain visible, though that can be said for most phones. 

There’s no optical image stabilisation so that’s something to keep in mind, but there is a dedicated Pro camera mode, which offers support for capturing in RAW and there’s an Ultra-Res mode if you want the full 50-megapixel resolution rather than the 12-megapixel default output. 

In terms of video, the Moto G56 allows for 30fps and 60fps capture at Full HD from the main sensor. There’s no 4K option and the results aren’t the most detailed. In decent lighting, they’re good enough for short clips you might share to your socials, for example.

On the front, the selfie camera is also perfectly adequate in decent lighting conditions, although it’s not going to break any records. There’s only 30fps video capture as an option, but it will do the job for video calls.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5200mAh capacity
• 30W wired charging
• No wireless charging support

Battery life on the Motorola Moto G56 is great, delivering more than a day of use from its 5200mAh capacity. That’s with what I consider to be heavy use too, as is usually the case during testing periods.

I played all sorts of games on the Moto G56, tested the camera and video capabilities in various scenarios and constantly had the screen on, replying to messages, trying out all its features and functions, while also streaming various pieces of video and audio content. I ended most days on over 40 per cent but for those who are more moderate users, I’d be surprised if you didn’t get closer to a couple of days from the Moto G56. 

It supports 30W wired charging, which is a little slower than the likes of the Moto 60 Edge Fusion and quite a lot slower than some rivals, but it shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. You will get around 30 per cent in 30 minutes which, given how large the battery is, should see you through most of a day. There’s no wireless charging support.

Software & Apps

• Android 15
• Four years security updates
• Two years Android updates

The Motorola Moto G56 runs Android 15 out of the box, and although there’s some Motorola styling, it’s a relatively clean experience that’s pretty much as close to stock Android as you get outside of Google’s own Pixel devices. 

That means you don’t get anywhere near as much bloat as you do on Samsung phones for example, with Motorola opting for Google’s native apps for most things, including the browser and messages. 

That said, there are a few random apps pre-installed, including Temu, Facebook, Amazon Music and some games like Monopoly Go and Ball Sort Puzzle. You’ll also find Motorola apps within a Moto folder, though these are more useful than the likes of Temu and at least allow for some fun customisation and gesture controls. 

You can change the font style for example, adjust colours and apply themes, all of which allow you to make the Moto G56 your own. You can also leave it as is and, with the Moto apps sitting out of the way, nothing is forced upon you. Family Space is great if you’re handing your phone to a child, and I’ve always loved the Moto Gestures. Being able to double flick to turn on the torch and double twist to launch the camera never gets dull and I wish more phones had similar features.

What is a bit of a downer on the software front, however, is that Motorola is only promising four years of security updates and two years of guaranteed Android updates. You’ll therefore get Android 16 when Motorola makes it available, as well as Android 17, but beyond that there’s no guarantee. 

Meanwhile, devices like Samsung’s A26 – which is around £50 more than the Moto G56 – will give you six years of security and Android OS upgrades, taking you through to 2030 at a minimum.

Price & Availability

The Motorola Moto G56 is available in one model in the UK with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. This model costs £199.99 and that applies whichever of the four colour options you choose.

You can buy it from Motorola itself, as well as a number of retailers, including Very and Currys, and networks such as EE.

Should you buy the Motorola Moto G56?

There’s plenty to love about the Motorola Moto G56 for its very reasonable £199.99 price. Its design might have a plastic frame but the material on the rear is lovely and it comes with features many flagship phones don’t, from an IP69 rating to microSD and a 3.5mm headphone jack. 

There is limited software upgrade support, no wireless charging and the performance isn’t the nippiest but you get a nice big display, decent enough camera results in good lighting from the main sensor and a brilliant battery performance.

It’s not the only phone with a sub-£200 price point, with the likes of the CMF Phone 2 Pro and its funky design sitting within this bracket too, but the Moto G56 offers great value for money and a good experience overall. You can see how it stacks up against its rivals in our round-up of the best budget phones.

Specs

• Android 15
• 6.72-inch, 2400 x 1080, LCD, 120Hz
• Fingerprint reader in power button
• MediaTek Dimensity 7060
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage, microSD up to 2TB
• Cameras:
• 50Mp main sensor
• 8Mp ultra-wide
• 32Mp selfie camera
• Up to Full HD @ 60fps rear video
• Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos
• Dual SIM + eSIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 5200mAh battery
• 30W wired charging
• 165.75 x 76.26 x 8.35 mm
• IP68 and IP69 certified
• 200g
• Colours: Pantone Gray Mist, Pantone Black Oyster, Pantone Dill, Pantone Dazzling Blue