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Motorola’s budget phones will now take a deeper bite out of your wallet

What was once a safe, affordable pick is now a harder sell. Motorola's Moto G 2026 price hikes leave budget shoppers with fewer good options.

By Shikhar Mehrotra Published April 9, 2026

Moto G 2026 in Slipstream and Cattleya Orchid colors — Motorola

If you were planning to buy one of Motorola’s affordable smartphones in 2026, you’re in for a disappointment. Motorola has quietly increased the prices of its Moto G (2026) lineup in the United States.

The revised prices reflect on the company’s official online stores, catching potential buyers completely off guard.

What is the extent of the Moto G (2026) price hike?

The Moto G Play (2026), an affordable yet capable Android smartphone with a 6.7-inch LCD 120Hz screen, the Dimensity 6300 chipset, a 32MP rear camera, and a 5,200 mAh battery, now costs $249.99, up from its previous retail price of $179.99.

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This, mind you, is the variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which, put simply, is among the most barebones memory and storage setups you can get on an Android smartphone in 2026. The company probably already knows that, which is why it is offering four Moto Tags along with the device.

Then comes the Moto G 5G (2026), which now costs $299.99, $100 more than its original $199.99 price. That’s a 50% increase in the price of one of the brand’s most popular smartphones in the region. This one also features a 6.7-inch IPS 120Hz panel and runs on the Dimensity 6300 chipset, albeit with a sharper 50MP back camera.

The Moto G and Moto G Power have been hit the hardest

Unlike the Moto G Play (2026), the Moto G 5G (2026) features 128GB of storage, which, I believe, is the bare minimum in 2026.

The Moto G Power (2026) is now listed at $399.99, a $100 or 33% discount. This one comes with a slightly larger 6.8-inch LCD screen at 120Hz, the same Dimensity 6300 chipset, and 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

To soften the blow, you’ll get four Moto Tags and one pair of Moto Buds+ with both the Moto G 5G and the Moto G Power.

Clearly, the models with higher storage or RAM have received a hefty price revision. Even the $70 hike for the baseline Moto G Play feels too much. The reason, however, is quite clear: rising memory costs amid increasing demand from AI data centers. What used to be a theory a couple of months ago is now coming at us front, right, and center.

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Shikhar Mehrotra

News Writer

For more than five years, Shikhar has consistently simplified developments in the field of consumer tech and presented them…

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