Whatever you do, don't buy these 5 Motorola phones right now

The Android world has shrunk significantly over the last few years, especially in the US. Google and Samsung lead the pack when it comes to flagships, but there’s a third member of this trio that’s just as important: Motorola.

While Google and Samsung rule the high end and remain major players in the mid-range and budget segments, Motorola offers a vast lineup spanning the entire price spectrum. Some of these phones are quite good, but not all of them are worth buying. With that in mind, let’s look at five of the worst Motorola phones still on the market today — none of which you should spend your money on.

Razr Ultra (2026)

The Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) is easily one of the most powerful devices the company offers. Not only does it pack the very capable Snapdragon 8 Elite with 16GB of RAM, but it also has a solid camera package and a decent design to boot.

So how is this one of the worst Motorola phones to buy right now? Because as great as it is, the value just isn’t there. Despite its $1,500 price tag, there’s not much new here beyond a bigger battery, a display with slightly higher peak brightness, and a few other minor changes. The other major issue is Motorola’s update policy, which promises only three OS updates and four years of bug fixes. That might be acceptable for a phone well under $1,000, but it’s a big sore point at this price.

If you aren’t sold on dropping $1,500 on a flip phone with only minor changes, consider last year’s Razr Ultra ($1299.99 at Amazon) instead. At its current price of around $800, you’ll get a very similar device for nearly half the price. It’s not that the Razr Ultra 2026 is a bad phone on its own right, but compared to the 2025 model, there’s just no reason to buy it.

Moto G (2025)

There was a time when budget phones were pretty terrible. In fact, it was rare to find anything even half-decent for under $400. The original Moto G changed all that despite a price tag of less than $200, becoming one of the first truly good budget phones. Unfortunately, the series has since gone downhill in many ways.

The Moto G (2025) was the first member of the family to drop budget Snapdragon chips in favor of weaker (and cheaper) MediaTek processors, but that was far from its only downside. The cameras were less than great, and it offered only two years of updates at a time when many budget phones from brands like Samsung were promising far more.

What really stood out about the Moto G (2025) was how little it improved over its predecessor, aside from a few fairly minor changes. That’s a major issue for budget phones, which are already scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of specs.

The Moto G (2025) might only cost around $150 these days, but even at that price, I’d advise caution. The Galaxy A17 ($174.99 at Amazon) can be found for around the same sale price, and it offers a better display and a software update policy that lasts years longer than Motorola’s. Camera performance is similar, though the Moto G’s MediaTek processor is arguably slightly faster.

Moto G (2026)

I wish I could tell you the Moto G series bounced back after last year’s misstep, but that’s far from the case. The Moto G (2026) once again uses the same MediaTek processor, which means it’s still a bit slower than the now two-year-old Moto G (2024). You’ll also find similar storage options and a largely unchanged camera package, apart from an upgraded selfie camera.

That’s not to say nothing is new. The display’s Gorilla Glass has been slightly updated, and there are a few other small changes across the board, like an upgrade to 128GB of storage on the base model from 64GB. The battery capacity has also jumped up by 200mAh this year. These are certainly real changes, but not enough to justify the $250 asking price. At a minimum, we should have seen a major design change or an improved software update policy to justify this asking price. Really though, I think Motorola’s biggest sin was keeping its aging MediaTek 6300 processor.

Unless you absolutely have your heart set on the new Moto G, I think you’re better off with something like the Galaxy A17, or spending a bit more on the Galaxy A37 ($449.99 at Amazon).

Moto G Stylus (2026)

The Moto G Stylus has always been one of my favorite members of the Moto G family, as it’s one of the few phones out there that still includes a stylus. Unfortunately, the Moto G Stylus (2026) is harder to recommend than some of its predecessors.

Like the other Moto G models on this list, it reuses last year’s processor and keeps its spec sheet very close to its predecessor’s. That means the same Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and a nearly identical OLED panel. The battery did get a slight bump from 5,000mAh to 5,200mAh, but that’s hardly a massive change.

That said, this is far from an exact clone of last year’s Moto G Stylus. The biggest change is the stylus itself, which now supports pressure and tilt sensitivity, along with other improvements that bring it a bit closer to something like Samsung’s S Pen. In the past, the stylus offered a passive experience, so this is a nice upgrade if you use it for drawing or note-taking.

As much as I like the stylus changes, the pricing is harder to justify. The Moto G Stylus (2026) will set you back $500, which is $100 more than last year’s model cost at launch. I also don’t appreciate how ad-heavy this year’s model is, with ads appearing on the lock screen, in the app drawer, and even in some first-party tools that previously didn’t show them.

All things considered, I’d recommend last year’s Moto G Stylus ($399.99 at Amazon) if you’re looking for a similar experience. It’s currently on sale, so you can nab it for as little as $350. Don’t care about the stylus? You can pick up the Pixel 10a ($499 at Amazon) for around the same price or slightly less, and you’ll get better performance and much longer software support.

Moto G Power (2026)

At $300, the Moto G Power (2026) offers a reasonably good experience for anyone looking for a budget device with decent cameras, excellent durability, and solid battery life.

Like many of Motorola’s phones this year, it keeps the same chipset and other core features as its predecessor. For those not in the know, that means the aging MediaTek Dimensity 6300. The experience is quite similar to last year’s, with only minor changes, such as a 200mAh battery increase and an upgraded selfie camera. The display also has better scratch protection this year.

As with many of the other phones on this list, I find the Moto G Power hard to recommend when its predecessor is available at practically fire-sale pricing. At the time of writing, you can get last year’s Moto G Power ($299.99 at Amazon) for as little as $170.