The Motorola Moto G96 5G is the latest addition to Motorola’s popular G-series, launched in India on July 9, 2025. Priced starting at ₹17,999, this mid-range smartphone brings a compelling mix of premium aesthetics, modern features, and reliable performance, making it a strong contender in the sub-₹20,000 segment. With a sleek design, a vibrant 144Hz OLED display, and a capable Snapdragon processor, the Moto G96 5G is designed for students, professionals, and social media enthusiasts who want a feature-packed phone without breaking the bank. Let’s dive into the full details of this device, exploring its design, performance, display, camera, and more, to see why it’s generating buzz in the Indian market.
Design and Build Quality: Sleek, Lightweight, and Premium
The Motorola Moto G96 5G stands out with its elegant and modern design, blending style with practicality. At just 7.93mm thick and weighing around 178 grams, it feels incredibly light and comfortable to hold, even with its massive 5,500mAh battery. The phone features a vegan leather back, which not only adds a luxurious, soft texture but also ensures a secure grip. This premium touch is rare in the budget segment and gives the Moto G96 5G a flagship-like vibe. The polycarbonate frame complements the eco-leather back, striking a balance between durability and aesthetics.
Available in four Pantone-curated color options—Greener Pastures, Cattleya Orchid, Ashleigh Blue, and Dresden Blue—the Moto G96 5G appeals to those who value style. Its IP68 rating for dust and water resistance is a significant upgrade over its predecessor, the Moto G85 5G, ensuring it can withstand submersion up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. Additionally, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the front, offering scratch and impact resistance. The Water Touch 2.0 technology allows seamless use even with wet hands, making it practical for everyday scenarios like rainy days or sweaty workouts.
The phone’s 3D curved design enhances its ergonomics, with the curved edges flowing seamlessly into the vegan leather back. The minimal camera layout and centered Moto logo add to the clean, sophisticated look. Reviewers have praised the Moto G96 5G for its premium in-hand feel, noting that it rivals more expensive devices in the Motorola Edge series. Whether you’re a student scrolling through social media or a professional using the phone for work, the Moto G96 5G’s design makes it a joy to carry and use daily.
Display: A Vibrant and Smooth Visual Experience
The Moto G96 5G boasts a 6.67-inch Full HD+ OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, setting it apart as one of the smoothest screens in its price range. The 3D curved design and near bezel-less layout create an immersive, edge-to-edge viewing experience, perfect for watching videos, gaming, or browsing. With a resolution of 2400×1080 pixels and a pixel density of 395 ppi, the display delivers sharp and vibrant visuals. The 10-bit panel supports 1.07 billion colors and 100% DCI-P3 coverage, enhanced by Display Color Boost technology for rich, lifelike colors.
The screen reaches up to 1600 nits of peak brightness (1200 nits in high brightness mode), ensuring excellent visibility even in bright sunlight. The 144Hz refresh rate makes scrolling through apps like Instagram or Chrome buttery smooth, and the adaptive refresh rate optimizes battery life by adjusting based on content. While the display lacks HDR certification, it supports 4K video playback on platforms like YouTube, a step up from the Moto G85’s 1080p limit. SGS Eye Protection and Low Motion Blur certifications reduce eye strain and ensure a flicker-free experience, making it ideal for extended use.
Gamers will appreciate the 300Hz touch sampling rate, which ensures responsive touch input during fast-paced games like BGMI. The curved edges minimize side bezels, enhancing the premium feel, and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 adds durability. Reviewers have called the Moto G96 5G’s display a “segment-leading” feature, praising its smoothness and vibrancy for both casual and multimedia use.
Performance, Camera, and Battery: Power and Versatility
Performance: Smooth and Reliable
Under the hood, the Motorola Moto G96 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, a 4nm octa-core processor with a maximum clock speed of 2.4GHz, paired with an Adreno 710 GPU. This chipset offers a significant performance boost over the Moto G85’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 3, with AnTuTu scores ranging from 629,000 to 650,000. Available in two variants—8GB LPDDR4X RAM with 128GB or 256GB UFS 2.2 storage—the phone handles multitasking, casual gaming, and media consumption with ease. The RAM Boost 3.0 feature allows up to 24GB of virtual RAM, enhancing performance for heavy users.
Running on Android 15 with Motorola’s clean Hello UI, the Moto G96 5G offers a bloat-free software experience. Motorola promises one major OS update and three years of security patches, though some users have expressed disappointment over the limited OS update commitment compared to competitors. The phone supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual nano-SIM 5G connectivity, ensuring fast internet and versatile connectivity options. An in-display fingerprint sensor and face unlock provide secure and convenient access.
For gaming, the Moto G96 5G performs admirably, handling titles like BGMI at 60fps with HDR and Ultra HDR settings without lag or frame drops. The game mode includes an FPS meter and blocks notifications, enhancing the gaming experience. While heavy gamers might find better options in this price range, the Moto G96 5G delivers smooth performance for everyday tasks and casual gaming.
Camera: Capturing Moments with Clarity
The Motorola Moto G96 5G features a dual rear camera setup with a 50MP Sony LYT-700C main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) and an f/1.8 aperture, paired with an 8MP ultrawide lens that doubles as a macro and depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. The front camera is a 32MP sensor with Quad Pixel technology and an f/2.2 aperture, supporting 4K video recording—a rare feature in this segment. Moto AI features like AI Photo Enhancement, Horizon Lock, and Super Zoom elevate the photography experience.
In testing, the main camera delivers sharp, bright photos with good dynamic range and decent low-light performance. The ultrawide lens adds versatility for wide-angle shots and macro photography, though some images may appear slightly saturated. The 32MP selfie camera produces detailed and vibrant selfies, an improvement over the Moto G85. All lenses support 4K video recording with OIS for stable footage, making the Motorola Moto G96 5G a strong choice for content creators on a budget. Reviewers have noted that while the camera system isn’t perfect, it performs better than expected for the price.
Battery and Charging: All-Day Power
The Motorola Moto G96 5G houses a 5,500mAh battery, offering 1.5 to 2 days of usage on moderate use, with claimed backups of 42 hours overall, 119 hours of music, 35 hours of talk, or 32 hours of video. The 33W TurboPower fast charging fully charges the phone in about 1 hour 15 minutes, and a 20-minute top-up provides several hours of use. While some competitors offer faster 45W charging, the included charger and long battery life make the Motorola Moto G96 5G reliable for daily use. Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio, and Moto Spatial Sound deliver immersive audio for music and movies.
Verdict: A Well-Rounded Choice Under ₹20,000
The Motorola Moto G96 5G is a well-balanced smartphone that delivers premium features at an affordable price. Its sleek vegan leather design, vibrant 144Hz pOLED display, and capable Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor make it a standout in the mid-range segment. The camera system, with 4K video support and Moto AI enhancements, caters to photography enthusiasts, while the 5,500mAh battery ensures long-lasting performance. However, the lack of HDR support, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and only one major OS update are minor drawbacks.
Priced at ₹17,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant and ₹19,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant, the Motorola Moto G96 5G is available on Flipkart, Motorola’s e-store, and offline retail stores starting July 16, 2025. For anyone seeking a stylish, reliable, and feature-packed 5G smartphone under ₹20,000, the Motorola Moto G96 5G is a compelling choice that delivers excellent value for money.