Motorola Moto G73 5G review
Motorola Moto G73 5G Intro
Motorola launched a bunch of affordable and mid-range devices recently — the Moto G series — and the most expensive of them all is the Motorola Moto G73 5G. It starts at 300 euros, for which you get a phone that is overall decent, covering all the basic requirements a regular user might have. But is the Moto G73 good enough to stand a chance with similarly priced phones from other manufacturers? Let's dive in and find out.
What’s new about the device
- Supports 5G connectivity
- Refreshed design
- Drops the OLED display for an IPS one
- Better performance
- New main camera
- Bluetooth 5.3
- Changes from optical to side-mounted fingerprint sensor
- Slightly lower max charging speed
Table of Contents:
Motorola Moto G73 5G Unboxing
Motorola is generous with the Moto G73 and gives you a preinstalled transparent plastic case, as well as a 30W charging adapter alongside a USB-C cable to juice the phone up. Unlike the Moto G53 5G, though, the box of the G73 is not made out of cardboard and doesn't have all the eco-friendly writing and stickers. Why not, Motorola?
Motorola Moto G73 5G Specs
A bit disappointing
If you are familiar with the Moto G72 from last year at all, the spec sheet for the Moto G73 5G would probably be quite the disappointment for you.
| Specs | Motorola Moto G73 5G |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 161.4 x 73.8 x 8.3 mm (6.35 x 2.91 x 0.33 in), 181 g (6.38 oz) |
| Display | 6.5" IPS LCD, 120Hz, 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Processor | Mediatek Dimensity 930 (6 nm) |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 8/256 GB for €300 |
| Software | Android 13 |
| Cameras | 50MP wide camera, f/1.8 aperture 8MP ultra-wide camera, f/2.2 aperture 16MP front camera, f/2.4 |
| Battery Size | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 30W |
You can check out our dedicated Motorola Moto G73 5G specs page to learn more about the phone's components. But the gist of it is that you have a pretty run of the mill budget-friendly Android phone, which for some reason is in more ways than one worse than its predecessor. The addition of 5G might have been the reason for Motorola to cut back on so many other aspects of the Moto G73, but whether that could be justified if it is the reason is another matter.
One highlight that should be mentioned here is that the phone starts at 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which cannot be said for even high-end flagships.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Design & Colors
Exactly what you would expect
The design of the Moto G73 5G is an understated one, like Motorola's other affordable handsets from the same series. It comes in either Midnight Blue or Lucent White, but depending on your region you might be able to buy only one of the two color options.
The phone comes in a plastic body, including its back and frame, which feels rather slippery to hold and is quick to attract smudges from your fingers. Being fully plastic though, the G73 is rather light for its size (although not as light as the G72) and is very comfortable to hold without the case.
We would suggest putting a case on, though, as it is easy to drop this one. Just maybe don't use the one in the box for too long, as it often gets tinted and becomes rather yellowish.
The front of the Moto G73 5G is plenty fine for this price point as far as bezels are concerned, with all four being thin enough to not be intrusive. Of course, the lower one is slightly bigger, but nothing excessive at all.
On the right side of the phone is where you will find the power and volume buttons, both of which feel to be well made and satisfying to click. The power also functions as the phone's side-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is sometimes quick to react and sometimes its not. I noticed that installing some apps or other software in the background makes even small tasks such as reading your fingerprint and unlocking the display a bit slow. Also, I have to mention that the sensor often did not recognize my finger.
Durability-wise, there is not much going for the Moto G73 5G besides the fact that it is water repellent, which means you should be safe if some water gets splashed over it or in some light rain.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Display
The display on the Moto G73 5G is definitely not one of its strong suits. It is rather average besides the 120Hz refresh rate it comes with. It is also rather big, coming in at 6.5 inches with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels.
What is disappointing about it, however, is that it uses an IPS LCD display panel instead of an OLED one, like its predecessor the Moto G72 did. And might think that might think that Motorola sacrificed the the better contrast and colors OLED provides in order to get that 120Hz refresh rate, but the G72 was also capable of that. So, in other words, we are looking at a clear downgrade from last year.
Now, disappointments aside, the display of the Moto G73 is alright. While its viewing angles are bad because of the panel it is using, at least the colors and brightness are good enough to enjoy some media throughout the day. Don't expect any stellar image quality here though.
Display Measurements:
Motorola Moto G73 5G Camera
Could be better
The camera on the Moto G73 5G could definitely be better for the phone's price. The main shooter, which is supposed to be the strongest one, does an alright job at delivering snapshots, but they are visibly soft. But if you think the main camera is not sharp, wait until you see the ultra-wide, which is barely usable. Thankfully, the 16MP front-facing camera does a great job, albeit with a bit of oversaturation of the colors.
Main Camera - Day
As you can see for yourself, the main camera is doing okay. As long as you don't zoom in on the photos you would get away with sharing them on social media. Dynamic range is surprisingly good, although the conditions were cloudy so it is not exactly the most difficult test for the camera here.
Main Camera - Low-light
I am genuinely impressed with the Night Vision mode on budget Motorola phones, and the Moto G73 5G is no different. Yes, you have to sit very still to make it work and it is not exactly the sharpest image in the world, but you can see everything in the shot perfectly well. I also appreciate that it is not overdone, making the photo appear much brighter than it should be and introducing noise in the process.
Portrait Mode
In the sample images above I am wearing a hat, so it is somewhat easier for the software to create clean edges around me and add the blurred background effect. I'd say the Portrait Mode on the G73 is plenty acceptable for a phone of its caliber.
Ultra-wide Camera
As mentioned earlier, the photos that the ultra-wide camera on the G73 produces are just not good enough. You can get away with using it for a quick snapshot to show something to your friends or loved ones, but it is definitely not capable enough to produce a pleasing image.
Selfies
I found the selfie camera on the G73 5G to be plenty good for a quick selfie to show yourself off. I was happy with the amount of detail in the image, and it comes with sufficient contrast and saturation to be sent or uploaded without any editing required. It is also perfect for video calls, even though it only shoots at 1080p 30fps.
Video Quality
It seemed to me that the image stabilization, which in this case is electronical as there is no optical image stabilization, was doing a pretty bad job. Once I looked at the recorded video, however, it seemed pretty stable. The other issue that popped up, though, was a constant change in the exposure, which is arguably worse than a shaky video.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Performance & Benchmarks
It does the job
Motorola has decided to go a rather weird route when it comes to the chipset used inside the Moto G73 5G, which in this case is the Mediatek Dimensity 930. Why is that weird you ask? Well, there is little to no other phone on the market that comes with this chipset, outside of some models that are sold exclusively in China. As mentioned earlier, one of the best parts about the G73 is that for 300 euros you get 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
So, how does the G73 feel to use with these specs? Well, somewhat surprisingly, it does not feel great. Given the amount of RAM to go around and a SOC that is decently powerful, everyday tasks should be a breeze. However, there were some instances where the device was noticeably having trouble. The camera app was where these hiccups were most visible, but there were also a few times when I would notice lag while navigating the UI (like minimizing an app).
Thankfully, there were no issues while playing some some lighter games, and even more intensive ones like League of Legends Wild Rift and Apex Legends. The phone got slightly warm at times, but definitely not to an extent where it would feel uncomfortable or reduce the performance.
Performance Benchmarks:
Motorola Moto G73 5G Android version
The Moto G73 5G comes with Android 13 straight out of the box, with Motorola's own twist on it as per usual. This "twist" manifests in additional software features that add convenience and improve the user experience.
A few great examples are the dedicated gaming mode that gives you lots of customization of how the phone acts during your gaming sessions, as well as the numerous gestures you can do with your hand to control specific parts of the phone. All of these you can find in the Moto app, which also houses easy access to many other neat features, and gives you tips and tricks on how to customize your phone just to your liking.
In terms of software support, you will get at least 1 year of software updates meaning Android 14, and three years of security patches. This means that, even though you won't get new software after Android 14 comes around, you would at least receive software protection from Motorola for a couple of more years in the future.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Battery
Best aspect of the phone
The best part about the Moto G73 5G is its 5,000mAh battery, which is a chore to drain. Despite the 120Hz 1080p display, this big boy would probably last you about two days or even more depending on your usage. A large part to play in that is most likely the chip Motorola has opted for here.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Motorola Moto G73 5G Charging Speeds
Charging is also alright for a battery of this size, as the phone supports 30W fast charging, which juices it up in about an hour or so. That said, it is a bit disappointing, since the Moto G72 came with 33W fast charging, but I guess Motorola wanted to even the numbers out. You won't find any wireless charging here though.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Audio Quality and Haptics
You get a stereo speaker setup with the Moto G73 5G, which sounds impressively good for this price point. Motorola has been doing might well with adding great audio quality to its affordable phones lately, and that remains true here as well. The top speaker is not one of those that you can barely hear and produces a lot of the sound coming out of the device. The volume you get is also quite impressive, and as long as you don't max it out, it sounds pretty good too.
A noteworthy mention here should also be the included 3.5 audio jack at the bottom of the G73, which is a rare commodity even with some mid-range phones nowadays.
Haptics, on the other hand, are absolutely abysmal, but that is about what you would expect from a Motorola phone, especially one at this price point.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Competitors
Motorola Moto G72
Yes, it is the previous generation of the phone this review is about, but you just have to look at the spec sheet to realize that, in this case, that is not a bad thing. You get a much better display and slightly faster charging speeds, without having to sacrifice much of the battery life and camera performance. Most importantly, you can get it for much less than the G73 5G.
OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite
This one is more of a question of personal taste than anything else. The camera is not as capable as that on the Moto G73 5G, and performance is about the same. One area where the Nord CE 3 Lite does beat the G73 is with its super fast 67W wired charging.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 12
It might be a bit older, but the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 is better than the G73 (and the OnePlus 3 Lite) in more ways than one. It has a better display, higher-rated water resistance, faster charging, and an arguably more capable camera system. It is hard to go wrong with a Xiaomi phone when we are talking budget-friendly options.
Motorola Moto G73 5G Summary and Final Verdict
Motorola has made respectable lower mid-range phone with the Moto G73 5G. If you tend to use your phone for web browsing, with some occasional gaming and video watching on the side, you will likely mostly enjoy it.
But there are some things that cannot be overlooked, and that is the massive downgrade in display tech when you compare it to the Moto G72 from last year. Motorola did something similar with the Moto G53 which also launched recently, but at least there you could argue that the better display quality was sacrificed for higher refresh rate to make navigating the UI feel smoother. Not to mention the subpar camera experience, especially while shooting video.
Suffice to say, the Moto G72 is not a bad phone per se, but it is not that great either.
*Disclaimer: You may notice review scores have changed on PhoneArena! Since September 20th, we have started using a new scoring system. Learn more about the new PhoneArena Smartphone Review Rating system here.
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