There are nine phones in the Moto G8 line - that’s a huge step up over the four of the Moto G7 contingent or the three of the Moto G6, and as a result it can be easy to confuse the phones or struggle to work out which handset is the best for you.
Well, there are nine named Moto G8 phones, but we’d argue the number is actually slightly lower. That’s because while different assortments of the handsets have been released in different countries, some of them are just the same phone re-named. However, that’s not always the case... it’s all a bit confusing really.
We’ve called these phones the Moto G8 devices, but bear in mind in the US Motorola is releasing them under the name ‘Moto G’. This is part of the reason of the confusion, because if you’re not well versed in phone names it can be hard to know if this is the most recent line, but thankfully elsewhere the company has stuck to ‘G8’.
To help you get your head around them, we’ve come up with this explainer guide to help you understand the phone you’ve been considering, and how it slots into the Moto G8 phone line hierarchy.
To the right we’ve compiled a list of all the different names of Moto G8 phones - click it and it’ll take you to an explainer on the phone. Generally, this list is ranked from least powerful (and cheapest) and most powerful (and priciest) so you can see how the handsets compare.
To be clear, this isn’t a list telling you which is the best overall Motorola phone, as we’ve got our best Motorola phone guide for that, which includes other lines as well like the Edge, Z and One devices. This is just a way to help you understand what Motorola is currently doing with the G line of handsets in 2020.
Moto G8 Play
The lowest-end phone in the line is the Moto G8 Play, which you probably haven’t seen for sale in many places. This is because the Moto G8 Play was announced with little fanfare, and was only released in a few countries in Latin America. You can’t pick the phone up in the US, UK or Australia from carriers or Motorola’s website, although you can import it if you really want.
The Moto G8 Play has a 6.2-inch HD screen, MediaTek Helio P70M chipset paired with 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, a 4,000mAh battery, three rear cameras including a 13MP main snapper, and has an old-school microUSB port as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.
We found the Moto G8 Play listed on Amazon US for $200 (roughly £160, AU$290), although this is for an international version which was presumably imported from another region. We’d expect it to be more affordable in regions it was released in.
Moto G8 Power Lite
The Moto G8 Power Lite is a specced-down version of the Power, which is listed further on, though the phone it has most in common with is the aforementioned G8 Play. It has a microUSB port, and a notch instead of a ‘punch-hole’ cut-out like most the rest of the devices on this list, which shows its budget roots.
The Moto G8 Power Lite has a large 6.5-inch HD display, Mediatek Helio P35 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, a large 5,000mAh power pack (hence the name), and three rear cameras with a 16MP main snapper.
The Moto G8 Power Lite launched for £150 / AU$279 (roughly $190) though at time of writing it hasn’t been released in the US yet. In Australia it’s one of only three of the Moto G8 line available, alongside the ‘base’ device and the Plus model.
Moto G8 / G Fast
This is the ‘main’ Moto G8 phone, and it’s probably the first handset in the line most would consider buying, due to the lack of suffixes. It’s also the only device in the line available in the US, UK and Australia, though in the first it was released under a different name (more on that later).
The Moto G8 has a 6.4-inch HD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, a 4,000mAh battery and three rear cameras lead by a 16MP snapper, with an 8MP ultra-wide as well.
In the US, the Moto G8 is actually called the Moto G Fast, and it’s the same in every respect except it has 3GB RAM and 32GB storage - the flash module on the back is in a slightly different place too.
This phone costs $200 / £180 / $329, so it’s only a small step up from the Power Lite, and the real trade-off is that you’re getting a better processor and USB-C port in exchange for a smaller battery. If you want the best of both worlds, the next phone is best for you.
- Check out our Moto G8 review
6 Amazon customer reviews
