Motorola's Moto G06 budget phone is a mixed bag of upgrades and downgrades

Motorola announced the Moto G05 (read our review) in December before releasing it about a month later, which makes the device about eight months old. Rather than wait a full year, Motorola has chosen to announce the Moto G06 as its successor at IFA 2025.

The new Moto G06 is larger as it swaps the 6.67-inch display of the Moto G05 for a larger 6.88-inch IPS display protected by Gorilla Glass 3. Motorola claims it is the largest display on a Moto G series smartphone, but the resolution remains HD+, similar to that of the previous generation.

While the refresh rate has been increased from 90Hz to 120Hz, many will not appreciate the decision to switch from a hole punch design to a waterdrop notch for the front camera. Thankfully, it hasn't lost the G05’s Water Touch technology, which enables operation with wet hands.

Apart from the larger screen size, the Moto G06 shares a fair amount of its specs with the Moto G05. It has the same MediaTek Helio G81 Extreme processor, which is paired with 4GB or 8GB of RAM and the option of 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB of expandable storage. It also has an identical camera setup made up of a 50MP f/1.8 camera with a 2-in-1 light sensor on the back and an 8MP front-facing camera.

The entry-level Motorola smartphone has an audio jack, stereo speakers with a Bass Boost feature that delivers twice the bass of the Moto G05, and Dolby Atmos. It also has Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, a fingerprint scanner, and an FM radio. Unlike the Moto G05, which has an IP54 dust and water-resistant rating, the Moto G06 has a higher IP64 rating.

Unfortunately, despite the larger display, the Moto G06 hasn’t received a battery boost as it packs a 5,200mAh battery just like its predecessor. The disappointment doesn’t stop there, as the Moto G06 will charge even slower since Motorola has downgraded its charging speed to 10W from the Moto G05’s 18W.

The Moto G06 will run Android 15 out of the box with Google Gemini, Circle-to-Search, and AI photo editing tools such as Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, and Photo Unblur via the Google Photos app.

With a starting price of €129.99, the phone is available today in four Pantone colors — Laurel Oak, Arabesque, Tapestry, and Tendril — all of which have a dust-resistant and oleophobic coating. Depending on the region, the Moto G06 will come with a USB-C cable, a pair of earphones, a case, a screen protector, and a 10W charger.