Moto G87 debuts with a 200MP camera, brighter display, but downgraded performance

Among the numerous smartphones announced today is the Moto G87, and it arrives as a successor to the Moto G86 released almost a year ago. The Moto G87 is advertised as the Moto G series smartphone with the best camera and the brightest display.

In terms of design, the Moto G87 closely resembles the Moto G86, but upon closer look, there are some subtle changes. While it still has a protruding camera island, the outline of the protrusion now curves at the top right corner and bottom left corner, giving it a unique look. The phone also seems to have rounder corners compared to its predecessor. Overall, it is a refinement of the previous design and a welcome one, too.

The Moto G87 is said to have the brightest display of a Moto G series smartphone, boasting a peak brightness of 5000 nits. However, the display is not only brighter but larger than that of its predecessor. The AMOLED panel is now 6.78 inches with a 1.5K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, but still uses the same Gorilla Glass 7i protection.

Powering the Moto G87 is MediaTek's Dimensity 6400 processor which is a downgrade from the Dimensity 7300 of its predecessor. It is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. There's RAM boost too (up to 24GB) and a microSD card for adding up to an additional 2TB of storage.

The camera is another area Motorola says it has upgraded as the Moto G87 has a 200MP f/1.8 primary rear camera with 2x lossless zoom and optical image stabilization (OIS). It also has an 8MP ultrawide angle camera and a 32MP front-facing camera. Users have at their fingertips access to a pro mode, different live filters, and AI editing tools using Google Photos.

The Moto G87 arrives with a refined design and upgrades in the display and camera departments. Unfortunately, performance takes a hit, while the battery capacity and charging speed remains unchanged.

The Moto G87 isn't just a pretty phone. It is also quite durable as it boasts triple dust and water resistance ratings (IP66, IP68, and IP69) and MIL-STD 810H certification. It also has support for water touch which means the display will work even when wet or operated with wet fingers.

Other features of the Moto G87 are Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, WiFi 5, dual SIM support, fingerprint scanner, and stereo speakers that are advertised to be 280% more powerful than those of the Moto G86. Just like its predecessor, the Moto G87 has a 5,200mAh battery capacity and support for 30W fast charging. It ships with Android 16, but there's no mention of software support.

The Motorola Moto G87 is available in Pantone Blue Atoll and Pantone Overture, both of which have different finishes. The Moto G87 has a starting price of €399 and will be available in Europe and the META (Middle East, Turkey, and Africa) region in the coming weeks.