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MagyarMotorola Moto G72 smartphone review – OLED with best-in-class brightness but no 5G
At this point, Motorola offers a suitable device in the mid-range for every customer: with either an OLED screen or IPS, with or without 5G, with a high-resolution camera or fast WLAN. However, we don't see a unified design language anymore.
Now the Moto G72 is also added to the numerous models. At 280 Euros (~$295), it is one of the more expensive smartphones of the series, and its design follows that of the higher-quality Edge series. With its 108-Megapixel camera and P-OLED screen, it looks like a very interesting alternative to other smartphones in the price segment.
Possible Competitors in Comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Best Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.9 % | 12/2022 | Motorola Moto G72 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 | 166 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2400x1080 | |
| 78.9 % | 11/2022 | Xiaomi Poco M5 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 | 201 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.58" | 2408x1080 | |
| 80.3 % | 10/2022 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 197 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2408x1080 | |
| 80.8 % | 07/2022 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 195 g | 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.59" | 2412x1080 | |
| 80.8 % | 07/2022 | Motorola Moto G42 SD 680, Adreno 610 | 175 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.43" | 2400x1080 | |
| 80.2 % | 05/2022 | Realme 9 5G SD 695 5G, Adreno 619 | 191 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.60" | 2412x1080 |
Case – The Moto smartphone is slim and light
Particularly with its square camera module, the Motorola Moto G72 uses a different design language than the other Moto G devices, reminding more of the significantly more expensive Edge 30 Fusion. However, this only goes for the design, since the Moto G72 forgoes the high-quality materials, delivering only simple plastic instead.
On the other hand, at only 166 grams (~5.86 oz), the Moto G72 is a very light smartphone, and at less than 8 millimeters, it is also slightly slimmer than the comparison devices in this price class. Motorola did a good job with the stability and workmanship. The case can only be pressed in slightly, and the parts are clean, fitting together almost without any visible transitions.
There is also an IP certification, but only according to IP52, which corresponds to decent protection from dust. In terms of water protection, splashes are okay, but you should avoid submersing it under water.
Equipment – Ready for Google Pay
The Motorola Moto G72 includes 128 GB of storage, and the buyer has the choice between 6 or 8 GB of RAM.
The Moto G72 offers a 3.5-mm audio port and a USB-C port, which is used for charging and data transfer. However, it is only connected internally with USB-2.0 speed, so that data transfers may take longer.
The mid-range smartphone also brings NFC, allowing you to use mobile payment services.
microSD Card Reader
The microSD card reader occupies one of the two SIM slots. Our Angelbird V60 reference card reaches fairly good speeds in the copy test, and in the CPDT benchmark, the reader performs at class level, but only with some significant variations.
Overall, you can count on slightly faster data transfers from and to the card than usual in this price class.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Angelbird V60) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Realme 9 5G (Angelbird V60) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software – Fairly pure Android
Motorola's smartphone branch was once purchased by Google, and although the smartphone manufacturer belongs to Lenovo at this point, the tradition to keep pure Android on the smartphones has been maintained. This is also the case in the Motorola Moto G72, even if there is a different system font and skin for the symbols. Fortunately, the manufacturer also doesn't install any third-party apps.
Android 12 is installed on the smartphone, and the security patches are from October 2022, which still makes them fairly current at the time of this test. The manufacturer promises updates every two months until October 2025, and the phone is also confirmed to receive Android 13.
Communication and GNSS – Without fast mobile Internet
While many smartphones in this price segment can score with 5G, you have to be content with LTE as the fastest mobile communication standard in the Motorola Moto G72. In addition, the smartphone isn't a world phone with sufficient communication frequencies for all countries either. But it should be sufficient for central Europe.
In the WLAN test with our Asus ROG Rapture AXE11000 reference router, the smartphone delivers good transfer rates for its price class. As in most similarly priced smartphones, WiFi 5 is the fastest standard that is supported, and with transfer speeds between 307 and 372 Mbit/s, the Moto G72 performs convincingly in our test.
Outdoors, the smartphone is able to locate itself quickly with an accuracy of up to 2 meters (~6.6 ft). While the number of the satellites found is slightly lower, it uses the SBAS support system to make the locating even more accurate.
For our practical test, we take the Motorola Moto G72 on a bike tour and determine that the smartphone is able to follow our route decently overall. However, the locating isn't always perfect and often ends up away from our actual route or adds some detours where there weren't any.
While you can use the Moto G72 for navigation overall, you should use it only when you don't need absolute accuracy.
Phone Functions and Voice Quality – Better using the earpiece
Android veterans should be familiar with the phone app, since it is the original app from Google. But if necessary, you can also install another phone app.
We test the voice quality in several calls and also ask our conversation partners to judge the sound quality. You basically don't hear any other annoying noises, and the earpiece is able to get quite loud, allowing you to hear your conversation partner clearly even in noisy surroundings. Our own voice is also transferred fairly clearly.
Using the speaker mode, the conversation sounds less present and emphasizes the high frequencies. Our conversation partner also confirms that our voice sounds less clear in speaker mode.
Cameras – High resolution and what else?
Motorola uses a 108-Megapixel camera sensor from Samsung, the Isocell HM6, in its smartphone. This combines 9 pixels into a larger image point, resulting in 12-Megapixel images with a high light sensitivity. However, optionally you can also use the full resolution in a particular mode.
While the image sharpness and degree of details are at a decent level, they cannot keep up with high-end cameras. The illumination in less than perfect light conditions also turns out fairly weak. The color reproduction of the images generally appears slightly cool. However, compared to cameras of similarly priced smartphones, there is at least slightly more visible detail.
With very little light and high contrasts, it succeeds in getting a very good reproduction of the candlelight, but on the other hand, many areas remain completely dark without any details.
The wide angle lens has a resolution of 8 Megapixels. Its images are at an average level with some details and only limited distortions. Hybrid zoom between the two lenses is possible, and there is also an 8x digital zoom for the main camera.
The main camera records videos at a maximum resolution of 1080p and 60 fps. You can also use the wide angle or macro lens to record videos, but you then need to decide for one of the lenses and cannot switch during the recording. The brightness adjustment is slightly too slow, becoming noticeable in the completed video recording. The autofocus works fairly quickly most of the time, but from time to time it will also move in and out, before finding the correct sharpness adjustment.
There is a 16-Megapixel camera in front. While it takes fairly sharp pictures, they could still offer more details in the dark areas.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Hauptkamera BlumeHauptkamera UmgebungHauptkamera Low LightWeitwinkelkamera
In our studio, the main camera produces images that are fairly rich in contrast, showing even dark text on a dark background still readable. However, the sharpness is reduced significantly toward the edges.
At only 1 Lux of illumination, the object is still faintly visible.
Accessories and Warranty – Lots of accessories included
The Moto G72 includes a charger, USB cable, SIM tool, and Silicon bumper case. Motorola has not been offering any special accessories for new smartphones on its website for a while.
The manufacturer offers a 24-month warranty for its smartphones.
Input Devices and Operation – Fast fingerprint reader
The 120-Hz display increases the responsiveness of the system, making the operation via touchscreen feel very immediate. The hardware keys on the right side can easily be felt and produce a clear feedback.
There is a fingerprint sensor below the display, fairly close to the bottom edge of the case. It recognizes stored fingerprints very reliably, unlocking the phone with only a short delay. You can also unlock it via face recognition, but this is a pure software solution that isn't considered very safe.
Display – Hardly any other smartphone display is as bright
The manufacturer scored in a real coup with the OLED screen in the Moto G72. The display with an expanded Full HD resolution is HDR capable and also reaches its top brightness with a full white background across the whole screen. Not even significantly more expensive smartphones are able to do this.
With 980 cd/m² on average, the top brightness of the Motorola Moto G72 is significantly brighter than all the comparison devices of its price class.
In addition, the brightness distribution is fairly even, and the black value is perfect due to the OLED technology, which theoretically allows for infinitely high contrasts and brings vibrant colors in practice.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 92 %
Center on Battery: 992 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.56 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.1 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
145.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.233
| Motorola Moto G72 P-OLED, 2400x1080, 6.60 | Xiaomi Poco M5 IPS, 2408x1080, 6.58 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G PLS, 2408x1080, 6.60 | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G IPS, 2412x1080, 6.59 | Motorola Moto G42 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.43 | Realme 9 5G IPS, 2412x1080, 6.60 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 13% | -50% | -43% | 28% | -29% | |
| Brightness middle | 992 | 400 -60% | 447 -55% | 590 -41% | 691 -30% | 589 -41% |
| Brightness | 980 | 396 -60% | 428 -56% | 561 -43% | 699 -29% | 561 -43% |
| Brightness Distribution | 92 | 96 4% | 86 -7% | 92 0% | 95 3% | 90 -2% |
| Black Level * | 0.27 | 0.31 | 0.38 | 0.5 | ||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.56 | 1.26 72% | 5.54 -21% | 5.15 -13% | 1.02 78% | 4.33 5% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 7.96 | 2.45 69% | 10.04 -26% | 10.35 -30% | 1.73 78% | 8.39 -5% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 3.1 | 1.5 52% | 7.3 -135% | 7.1 -129% | 1 68% | 5.9 -90% |
| Gamma | 2.233 99% | 2.298 96% | 2.03 108% | 2.143 103% | 2.205 100% | 2.063 107% |
| CCT | 7098 92% | 6658 98% | 8853 73% | 8540 76% | 6621 98% | 8021 81% |
| Contrast | 1481 | 1442 | 1553 | 1178 |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 180 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 180 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 180 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17900 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. | |||
Measurement series at a fixed zoom level and various brightness settings
At minimum brightness, the display shows PWM flickering at 180 Hz, even if you have activated "Flicker Prevention" in the settings. So those who are sensitive to flickering screens should try out the display before the purchase to be sure they are ok with it.
The color reproduction of the Moto G72 is good, with only a very slight blue tint in the bright tones of the grayscale.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21.5 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.5 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.7 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). | ||
Due to its good top brightness, you can also use the smartphone outdoors in the bright fall sun.
We also like the stable viewing angles, which allow you to still recognize the display contents from very steep viewing angles.
Performance – Approximately at class level
MediaTek has only introduced the Helio G99 in August 2022, and already a few months later it can be found as SoC in the Moto G72. The chip, which is produced in a 6nm process, is unable to completely keep up with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 that is used in many other smartphones of this price class, despite having the same clock speed.
However, the differences are mostly not very large, and you shouldn't be able to notice much of a difference in everyday operation. The Moto G72 does its job mostly without stutters, handling even more demanding apps without any problems.
| UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI | |
| Average of class Smartphone (207 - 84787, n=150, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (6323 - 9695, n=7) | |
| AImark - Score v3.x | |
| Average of class Smartphone (298 - 245629, n=105, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (877 - 982, n=6) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
The graphics performance is also slightly below that of devices with the Snapdragon 695. Generally, it should hardly be sufficient for 60-fps gaming, but we'll take a closer look at that in our "Gaming" section.
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Score | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Physics | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (Vulkan) Unlimited | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Realme 9 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
When surfing, our test unit has an average speed. The pages are rendered fairly quickly, but you might have to wait from time to time for pictures to be loaded when scrolling.
| Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 351, n=173, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chrome 106) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (46.9 - 74.2, n=7) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chrome 107) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Average of class Smartphone (14.9 - 445, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (24.1 - 65.5, n=7) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chome 107) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chome 106) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chome 107) | |
| WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 202, n=160, last 2 years) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (39 - 81, n=7) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chrome 106) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chrome 107) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Average of class Smartphone (39 - 304, n=122, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (80 - 112, n=6) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chrome 107) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chrome 106) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=211, last 2 years) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chrome 106) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (17228 - 25005, n=13) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chrome 107) | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Motorola Moto G42 (Chrome 103.0.5060.71) | |
| Motorola Moto G72 (Chrome 107) | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 (Chrome 107) | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G99 (1922 - 2444, n=7) | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G (Chrome 106) | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (Chrome 103.0.5060.129) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=173, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
Motorola uses UFS 2.2 storage with a good controller that can also make full use of the modules. Even though the Xiaomi Poco M5 does an even better job in terms of the writing speed, all the load times and copy processes are fairly fast.
| Motorola Moto G72 | Xiaomi Poco M5 | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | Motorola Moto G42 | Realme 9 5G | Average 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 27% | -24% | -26% | -20% | -60% | -14% | 56% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 868.5 | 976.4 12% | 485.1 -44% | 509.21 -41% | 843.09 -3% | 511 -41% | 708 ? -18% | 1505 ? 73% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 497.5 | 870.7 75% | 487.4 -2% | 482.15 -3% | 436.32 -12% | 120.6 -76% | 517 ? 4% | 1112 ? 124% |
| Random Read 4KB | 231.4 | 247.6 7% | 188.2 -19% | 179.02 -23% | 122.08 -47% | 88.5 -62% | 188 ? -19% | 247 ? 7% |
| Random Write 4KB | 230.2 | 257.8 12% | 163.1 -29% | 147.46 -36% | 186.23 -19% | 95.4 -59% | 182.5 ? -21% | 271 ? 18% |
Gaming – 60 fps remain a dream
While you can also play games on the Moto G72, it is unfortunately not sufficient for the highest details in all games.
In Diablo Immortal, the maximum possible is 30 fps, and in PUBG Mobile it is at least almost 40 fps in low settings. If you reduce your demands a bit, almost all games should run. We determine the frame rates with the software from GameBench.
The control via touchscreen and position sensor also works flawlessly.
Emissions – Hardly any warming
Temperature
The heat development of the Moto G72 remains within limits, and even under longer load, we measure a maximum of 36.5 °C (97.7 °F).
Even under longer load, the SoC hardly throttles, giving the best conditions for constant operation.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.5 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.3 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.9 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Motorola Moto G72 | |
| OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G | |
| Samsung Galaxy A23 5G | |
| Xiaomi Poco M5 | |
| Motorola Moto G42 | |
Speakers
Even though the Moto G72 doesn't have real stereo speakers, the earpiece is used as substitute for a second speaker, allowing it to create some stereo effects. This works quite well, and the sound can also become fairly loud.
Although it isn't really powerful, lacking some bass for this, the sound is at least very decent for such an affordable mid-range smartphone.
For an even better sound, you can connect external audio devices via the audio port or Bluetooth. All the modern aptX codecs and also LHDC 4 are supported.
Motorola Moto G72 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.2% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.2% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 33% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 58% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 54% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 39% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Realme 9 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.1 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.8% away from median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 46% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 45% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 65% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 28% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery Life – Efficient and long-lasting
Power Consumption
While the Motorola Moto G72 is very efficient with the power consumption under low load, it can also drain a lot more power from the battery under high load at times. However, there are only few smartphones in this price range that are more efficient.
The Motorola smartphone can be recharged with a maximum of 30 watts - the corresponding charger is included. Using that, it takes at most slightly less than 2 hours to fully recharge the smartphone.
| Off / Standby |   0.1 / 0.2 Watt |
| Idle |  0.7 / 1.1 / 1.5 Watt |
| Load |
4.5 / 6.5 Watt |
    
| |
| Motorola Moto G72 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco M5 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G 5000 mAh | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G 5000 mAh | Motorola Moto G42 5000 mAh | Average Mediatek Helio G99 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -16% | -15% | 16% | -8% | -33% | -24% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.7 | 0.9 -29% | 1 -43% | 0.8 -14% | 1 -43% | 0.89 ? -27% | 0.897 ? -28% |
| Idle Average * | 1.1 | 1.3 -18% | 1.5 -36% | 1 9% | 1.5 -36% | 1.864 ? -69% | 1.452 ? -32% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.5 | 1.9 -27% | 2 -33% | 1.4 7% | 2 -33% | 2.12 ? -41% | 1.629 ? -9% |
| Load Average * | 4.5 | 4.6 -2% | 3.6 20% | 2.4 47% | 2.6 42% | 5.18 ? -15% | 5.55 ? -23% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.5 | 6.8 -5% | 5.3 18% | 4.6 29% | 4.5 31% | 7.19 ? -11% | 8.31 ? -28% |
* ... smaller is better
Power Consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power Consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery Life
Although the Motorola Moto G72 is unable to place first of its class in the battery life, it delivers a solid endurance capability: 15:29 hours in our WLAN test and almost 40 hours during idle operation are good values.
Under load, the runtime of 5:33 hours starting with a full battery is also decent, allowing for longer gaming sessions away from the outlet.
| Motorola Moto G72 5000 mAh | Xiaomi Poco M5 5000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A23 5G 5000 mAh | OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G 5000 mAh | Motorola Moto G42 5000 mAh | Realme 9 5G 5000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 3% | 9% | -1% | 6% | 11% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2396 | 2503 4% | 2586 8% | 1985 -17% | 2223 -7% | |
| H.264 | 1104 | 1087 -2% | 1289 17% | 1255 14% | 1185 7% | |
| WiFi v1.3 | 929 | 916 -1% | 1099 18% | 1064 15% | 949 2% | 1029 11% |
| Load | 333 | 368 11% | 305 -8% | 277 -17% | 406 22% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict – A mid-range smartphone with an exceptional screen
The Motorola Moto G72 stands out in its price class with several characteristics: First, there is the highly resolving camera that takes slightly sharper pictures than other similarly priced smartphones; then there is its slim and light case while not forgoing a high-capacity battery; and finally there is of course the extremely bright and fairly color-accurate OLED screen, although that also brings the disadvantage of PWM flickering.
Particularly the really HDR-capable brightness of the display is extraordinary in this price range: even some high-end smartphones won't reach an almost 1,000 cd/m² brightness with activated brightness sensor.
In terms of performance, the smartphone with its MediaTek SoC is also able to keep up well, and you will hardly notice any difference to devices with the Snapdragon 695 in everyday operation. While the smartphone isn't suited for hardcore gamers, those who can limit their demands should be able to get most games to run.
On the other hand, those who want a futureproof smartphone might be deterred by the lack of 5G in the Motorola Moto G72. But other than that, the Moto G72 hardly shows any real weaknesses aside from some smaller inaccuracies in the locating.
The Motorola Moto G72 is a well-rounded overall package: buyers will get a very bright screen, a decent camera, and good performance values. Unfortunately, 5G is lacking.
Those who want to save a few Euros more will also get an OLED screen with the Motorola Moto G42 but will then have to live with a massive loss of performance. The Redmi Note 11S from Xiaomi is also an affordable smartphone with an AMOLED screen and good performance values.
Price and Availability
While the Motorola Moto G72 cannot easily be found in the US, it is available in Europe for 280 Euro directly from the manufacturer, and it is also available in India and some other countries.
Motorola Moto G72
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12/01/2022 v7
Florian Schmitt
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