motorola introduced the moto g96 5G in India, positioning it as a strong new addition to its popular G-series, with a starting price of ₹17,999. The smartphone stands out not only for its impressive on-paper specs but also for its refined design language. The moto g96 5G brings a bold combination of premium aesthetics and capable hardware, including a 144 Hz 3D curved pOLED display, a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset, and a 50 MP Sony LYT-700C sensor with OIS – all wrapped in a Vegan Leather finish with an IP68 rating for added durability. The moto g96 5G also scores extra points by offering Android 15 out of the box. We got to spend some time with the device, and here’s what we have to say in our full moto g96 5G review.
moto g96 5G Specifications & Features
- Design & Display: 6.67-inch 3D Curved pOLED display, 10-bit color depth (1.07B colors), Full HD+ Resolution (2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 395 ppi pixel density), 144 Hz refresh rate, 1,600 nits peak brightness, 300 Hz touch sampling rate, 92.77% Active Area-Touch Panel, SGS Low Blue Light, SGS Low Motion Blur, Water Touch, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, IP68 dust and water resistance, Vegan Leather Design, 7.93 mm thickness, 178 grams weight
- Software & Updates: Android 15, MyUX, 1-year OS upgrades, 3 years security updates
- CPU: 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 octa-core SoC clocked up to 2.4 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 710 Graphics
- Memory: 8 GB LPDDR4x RAM, up to 24 GB RAM Boost
- Storage: 128 GB OR 256 GB UFS 2.2 storage, no microSD card support
- Main Camera: Dual Cameras (50 MP f/1.8 LYT-700C OIS Main + 8 MP f/2.2 Ultra-Wide 118.6° FOV and Macro Vision), Optical Image Stabilization, Quad PDAF, All Pixel Focus, LED flash
- Selfie Camera: 32 MP f/2.2, Quad Pixel Technology
- Connectivity & Others: USB Type-C, in-display fingerprint scanner, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, FoD FPS, Face unlock, Moto Secure, Thinkshield for mobile, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
- Cellular: 5G network, dual SIM, VoLTE support
- Battery & Charging: 5,500 mAh battery, 33W fast charging
- Colors: PANTONE Greener Pastures, PANTONE Cattleya Orchid, PANTONE Ashleigh Blue, PANTONE Dresden Blue
- Price: ₹17,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹19,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage)
- Availability: 16th July 2025 on Flipkart.com, motorola.in, and offline retail stores
- Offers: ₹1,000 off on AXIS Bank Credit Cards
Design, Display, & Build Quality
The moto g96 5G immediately stands out with its ultra-slim, elegant design, measuring just 7.93 mm in thickness and weighing a mere 178 grams. It feels incredibly lightweight and premium in hand – the curved edges seamlessly merge into a soft-touch vegan leather back, which not only adds a classy aesthetic but also improves grip and comfort, especially during extended use.
The camera module blends beautifully into the vegan leather back with almost no protrusion, making the rear design feel seamless and smooth edge to edge. The dual-camera setup is subtly integrated without any distracting bump, maintaining the phone’s clean aesthetic. It’s also well-protected against dust and water due to its IP68 rating.
The g95 5G is available in a series of PANTONE-inspired colors, including PANTONE Greener Pastures, PANTONE Cattleya Orchid, PANTONE Ashleigh Blue, and PANTONE Dresden Blue – each contributing to the device’s standout personality. Flip it over, and the front is dominated by a gorgeous 6.67-inch 3D curved pOLED display that stretches nearly edge-to-edge.
The screen uses a Full HD+ panel (2,400 x 1,080 pixels, 395 ppi) with a smooth 144 Hz refresh rate, up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness, and 10-bit color output (over 1.07 billion colors), making everything from games to HDR content look vivid and fluid. Other features like 300 Hz touch sampling, SGS Low Blue Light, Water Touch, and Gorilla Glass 5 protection further enhance usability, eye comfort, and resilience.
For its sides, ports, and button placements, the USB Type-C port, primary microphone, SIM tray, and bottom speaker sit at the base, while the top houses a secondary mic and another speaker for a true Dolby Atmos stereo setup. On the right, the power button and volume rockers are well-positioned and tactile, while the left side is clean and minimalist, keeping the overall look sleek and refined.
Software, User Interface, & Features
The moto g96 5G offers a smooth software experience, staying true to Motorola’s long-standing philosophy of offering clean, close-to-stock Android with just the right amount of intelligent features layered on top. Out of the box, the moto g96 5G ships with Android 15, dressed in Motorola’s minimalist MyUX skin. If you’ve used any recent Moto phone, you’ll feel instantly at home – there’s no bloatware, no intrusive ads, and very little learning curve. It’s a fast, fluid, and familiar interface that focuses on simplicity and speed.
MyUX doesn’t just keep Android clean – it enhances it. Familiar features like Moto Gestures (chop twice for flashlight, twist for camera), and you’ll also get customization options for icons, fonts, accent colors, and the always-on display. motorola promises 2 years of OS updates and 4 years of security patches, giving the g96 5G decent longevity in the mid-range segment.
Even though the moto g96 5G is a more budget-friendly sibling to the flagship Edge series, it inherits several smart AI-powered tools from the Motorola ecosystem:
- Catch Me Up: Get smart summaries of missed messages, emails, and calls.
- Pay Attention: Live transcription for meetings, lectures, or conversations – perfect for students or professionals.
- Remember This: Helps with contextual memory recall, such as remembering a page you read or a note you saved.
- Global Search & Next Move: Quickly find content across your phone or get contextual suggestions based on your usage.
- Gemini Integration: Features like Circle to Search, Gemini Live, and voice-based assistance (if enabled) offer a new layer of AI interaction.
The Glance AI gives you quick, personalized updates on your lock screen – swipe right and get a summary of your day, weather, upcoming events, or even AI-powered styling suggestions. Moto Unplugged helps manage screen time with digital wellbeing tools like focus mode and app timeouts.
Security settings can be easily managed using the Moto Secure, a dedicated privacy dashboard. You can tweak app permissions, lock network access, and hide sensitive content, all from one hub. If you own other Motorola devices like the moto tab 60 PRO or moto book 60, the Smart Connect technology offers advanced multi-device collaboration tools, including:
- Cross Control: Use a single keyboard and mouse across your phone, tablet, and laptop.
- Swipe to Stream: Move content from phone to tablet or TV seamlessly.
- Instant File Transfer: Share files across devices wirelessly, no cables or cloud required.
Hardware, Performance, & Gaming
Powering the moto g96 5G is Qualcomm’s 4nm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 octa-core SoC clocked at up to 2.4 GHz. This is Qualcomm’s mid-range chipset is built for balanced performance – efficient enough for daily tasks, yet powerful enough to handle multitasking, app switching, and even moderately demanding games without breaking a sweat. The SoC is further paired with the Adreno 710 GPU, which handles graphics duties well in most scenarios, including casual gaming and media rendering.
The g96 5G comes in two storage configurations with 8 GB LPDDR4X RAM – 128 GB and 256 GB, both with UFS 2.2 internal storage, ensuring decent read/write speeds and responsiveness. You get up to 16 GB of virtual RAM support, pushing the total available RAM to 24 GB. This makes app loading times and background app retention fairly smooth, especially for a device in this price bracket.
We wouldn’t expect the faster LPDDR5X RAM in this segment; however, we would appreciate a better UFS 3.1 storage, which would drastically improve the app loading times and file transfers compared to previous generations (UFS 2.2). In day-to-day use, the phone runs smoothly with minimal lag or stutter. Whether you’re scrolling through social feeds, jumping between Chrome tabs, or watching high-resolution videos, performance feels fluid and consistent.
Gaming performance is reliable as well. Mainstream titles like Clash Royale and Asphalt 9 run effortlessly at the highest settings, while graphically intensive games like BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile are playable on high settings with stable frame rates. Thermal performance remains under control too, with no major heating issues during prolonged sessions.
In benchmark testing, the moto g96 5G scores 949 points in the Geekbench single-core test and 2,597 points in multi-core, reflecting its capable CPU performance for both light and intensive tasks. Graphics are handled by the Adreno GPU, which achieves 1,802 points, making casual and mid-tier gaming enjoyable with smooth frames. In the CPDT benchmark, the device clocks ~450 MB/s in read and ~800 MB/s in write speeds, while RAM speeds reach up to 5.35 GB/s.
Overall, the hardware package of the moto g96 5G strikes a strong balance between performance, efficiency, and long-term usability, making it a dependable daily driver for most users.
Cameras
The moto g96 5G brings a capable and well-rounded camera system that aligns with motorola’s improved focus on imaging, drawing inspiration from its premium Edge series. At the back, the phone features a 50 MP Sony LYT-700C primary sensor with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). This setup delivers sharp, stabilized, and color-accurate shots across a range of lighting conditions, making it ideal for everyday photography.
Complementing the main lens is an 8 MP ultra-wide-angle camera that also doubles as a macro shooter. This adds welcome versatility to the mix, allowing users to capture expansive landscapes or detailed close-ups without switching devices. For selfies and video calls, the moto g96 5G houses a 32 MP front camera with Quad Pixel technology. The selfie shooter is geared to provide clearer, more detailed self-portraits and better clarity in video chats.
The camera app includes a wide range of modes to suit every shooting scenario, including Night Vision, Portrait Mode, Pro Mode, Ultra-Res Mode, Dual Capture Video, Photo Booth, Long exposure, and more. For videos, the camera supports 4K video recording at 30fps, slow motion at 1080p@120fps and 720p@240fps, along with ultra-wide and macro video capture capabilities.
While it may not have the telephoto or higher-end features found in the flagship Edge models, the moto g96 5G appears well-equipped for users who prioritize social media-ready shots, consistent image quality, and reliable day-to-day performance. We took some samples to show you how the camera performs. Check them out below.
moto g96 5G Camera Samples
Battery Runtime & Charging
The moto g96 5G packs a 5,500 mAh battery in a 7.93 mm slim design, higher than typical 5,000 mAh-equipped phones. You can expect to 1.5 days of battery life with typical use or up to 2 days in certain cases while you can get a full day even with heavy multitasking, gaming, and content creation. motorola’s optimizations in MyUX and Android 15 help keep background power drain minimal, and the 6nm chipset should ensure battery efficiency across the board.
Topping up is handled by 33W TurboPower fast charging, which strikes a solid balance between speed and thermal efficiency. While it doesn’t match the crazy-fast 90W speeds seen in higher-end models or the 44W-45W competition, it’s more than enough for most users, expect 0 to ~50% in around 30 minutes and full charge in over 75 minutes.
Verdict – moto g96 5G Review
The moto g96 5G delivers an impressive all-round package for its price, blending premium aesthetics with dependable hardware. Its ultra-slim, lightweight curved screen design with a vegan leather finish and IP68 durability sets a new standard for mid-range style. The 144 Hz curved pOLED display, paired with Dolby Atmos stereo speakers, offers an immersive and smooth viewing and listening experience that rivals more expensive phones.
Performance is backed by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, powered by a 5,500 mAh battery, along with an enhanced experience through its clean Android 15 + MyUX interface, minimal bloatware, and smart AI tools like Catch Me Up and Glance AI. The 50 MP Sony sensor with OIS ensures solid photography, while the 32 MP selfie camera is great for social media use.
WIth all that said, the moto g96 5G hits a sweet spot for users who want flagship-inspired features without the flagship price. A stylish and capable mid-ranger that’s easy to recommend.
moto g96 5G – Where To Buy
The price for the moto g96 5G is ₹17,999 for its 8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage variant and ₹19,999 for its 8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage variant. The smartphone will be available from 16th July 2025 on Flipkart.com, motorola.in, and offline retail stores. The launch offers include ₹1,000 off on AXIS Bank Credit Cards.
moto g96 5G Price in India, Availability, & Offers
- Price: ₹17,999 (8 GB RAM + 128 GB Storage), ₹19,999 (8 GB RAM + 256 GB Storage)
- Availability: 16th July 2025 on Flipkart.com, motorola.in, and offline retail stores
- Offers: ₹1,000 off on AXIS Bank Credit Cards
