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| Motorola moto g37 in Pantone Fuchsia Red with rear cameras and front display visible. |
The budget king makes compromises – and one surprising upgrade
Motorola just lifted the curtain on three new Moto G handsets, and while the Moto G47 and Moto G37 Power are grabbing headlines for their beefier specs, it’s the entry-level Moto G37 that might actually be the most interesting of the bunch. Priced at €249 (around $290), this phone is the spiritual successor to 2024’s popular Moto G35 5G, but the upgrade path isn’t as straightforward as you’d hope.
Let’s cut through the marketing fluff and see what you’re really getting – and what you’re losing.
A familiar face with Gorilla Glass 7i
At first glance, the Moto G37 looks exactly like what it is: a budget slab with a big screen. That display is a 6.67-inch LCD running at Full HD+ resolution, and it refreshes at 120 Hz – a feature that was rare at this price point just a year ago. Scrolling through social media or navigating Android 16 feels noticeably smoother than on 60Hz rivals.
The real surprise? Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protecting that panel. That’s a step up from the standard Dragontrail or generic glass you’d expect on a sub-€250 phone. Motorola has also thrown in IP64 splash resistance and MIL-STD-810H certification, meaning the G37 can survive drops, dust, and the occasional rain shower. It won’t survive a swim, but for a phone this cheap? Impressive.
Sound comes from stereo speakers tuned for Dolby Atmos, and yes – the 3.5mm headphone jack is still here. In 2026, that’s practically a vintage feature, and wired audio fans will appreciate the Hi-Res Audio certification.
Under the hood: MediaTek Dimensity 6300
Powering the Moto G37 is the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, a 6nm octa-core chip clocked at 2.4GHz with a Mali-G57 MP2 GPU. On paper, it’s a modern 5G-enabled processor. In real-world benchmark comparisons with the outgoing Moto G35 5G (which used a Unisoc T8100/T760), the results are… mixed.
According to Notebookcheck’s SoC database, the Dimensity 6300 scores around 769 points in single-core and 1,979 points in multi-core on Geekbench 6.6. The older Unisoc chip? 738 single-core (slightly slower) but 2,168 multi-core (actually faster). So you’re getting a small bump in single-threaded performance but a noticeable drop in multi-threaded workloads. Why? The Dimensity 6300 uses only two Cortex-A76 performance cores (plus six A55 efficiency cores), while the Unisoc T8100/T760 had four Cortex-A76 cores. That’s a significant core reduction.
RAM is another eyebrow-raiser. You only get 4GB of LPDDR4X physical memory. Motorola advertises “up to 12GB,” but that includes up to 8GB of RAM Boost – virtual memory carved out of your internal storage. That’s not the same as real RAM, and performance-sensitive apps will feel the difference. Storage options are 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of UFS 2.2, expandable via microSD up to 1TB.
The camera sacrifice nobody asked for
Here’s where the Moto G37 gets controversial. Compared to the Moto G35 5G, Motorola has removed the ultrawide rear camera entirely. You now get a single 50MP f/1.8 main shooter with PDAF and quad-pixel binning (outputs 12.5MP). That’s it. The second “camera” is actually a 2-in-1 ambient/flicker light sensor – useful for flicker reduction in artificial light, but not a lens.
The selfie camera has also been downgraded from 16MP to 8MP, fixed-focus f/2.0. Video recording tops out at 2K 30fps on both front and rear.
So why would anyone buy this over the G35? Because Motorola bet on durability over photography. The G37 is tougher, with better glass, MIL-STD rating, and IP64. For users who drop their phones more than they shoot ultrawide landscapes, that might be a fair trade. But casual photographers will feel the loss.
Battery, software, and everything else
The 5,200 mAh battery is exactly what you’d expect – a full day of heavy use, likely two days of casual use. Motorola guarantees a minimum rated capacity of 5,100 mAh per unit (required for EU energy labelling). Charging is via USB Type-C 2.0, but Motorola hasn’t specified charging wattage – likely 15W or 18W, so don’t expect blazing speeds.
Software is a highlight. The Moto G37 ships with Android 16 out of the box, layered with Motorola’s Hello UX. You also get Gemini (Google’s next-gen assistant) and Circle to Search baked in. That’s impressive for a budget phone – many rivals at this price still ship with Android 14 or 15.
Connectivity covers 5G sub-6GHz, Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac, not Wi-Fi 6), Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, FM radio, and a 3.5mm jack. The phone measures 166.23 x 76.50 x 7.85 mm and weighs 191g – slim and relatively light for a 5,200mAh device.
Pricing, colours, and availability
The Moto G37 is priced at €249 (roughly $290), which makes it about 25% more expensive than the Moto G35 5G at launch (€199 back in September 2024). That’s a significant jump for a phone that objectively loses an ultrawide camera and a higher-res selfie shooter.
That said, inflation and component costs have hit the entire industry, and the added durability features (Gorilla Glass 7i, MIL-STD-810H, IP64) aren’t free.
Colour options are surprisingly stylish, named after Pantone shades: Impenetrable (a dark charcoal), Nautical Blue (deep ocean blue), and Fuchsia Red (vibrant pinkish-red).
Motorola has not announced an exact on-sale date, and it’s unclear whether the Moto G37 will launch outside Europe. For now, the target market appears to be the EU, where the G35 sold well.
The verdict: Who is the Moto G37 for?
If you’re upgrading from a three-year-old budget phone, the G37 will feel like a rocket ship – 120Hz screen, 5G, Android 16, and MIL-STD toughness. But if you already own a Moto G35 5G, there’s almost no reason to switch. In fact, you’d lose the ultrawide camera and take a multi-core performance hit.
The Moto G37 is for rough-handed users who prioritise durability, a smooth display, and clean software over camera versatility. It’s also for headphone jack loyalists and anyone who appreciates that a sub-€250 phone can still ship with the latest Android version.
For official specs, regional availability updates, and that glossy marketing video, head over to Motorola’s website.
Bottom line: A decent budget 5G phone with real toughness credentials, but the camera downgrade and RAM situation make it a side-grade, not a clear upgrade. At €249, it’s competitive – just don’t expect miracles.
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| Motorola moto g37 shown in Pantone Fuchsia Red, Pantone Impenetrable, and Pantone Nautical Blue colour options. |