Moto G Max review: good all-rounder, but not quite ‘Max’ enough

• By Ashish Kumar
Published On: 21 August 2026 | 10:59 IST

Following the successful launch of the Edge 70 Max (review) in its mid-range lineup, Motorola has introduced another Max model, this time under its affordable G series. Called the Moto G Max, it is the first ‘Max’ variant in the series and sits at the top of the G-series lineup in terms of pricing. Priced at Rs 27,999, the handset shares several traits with the Moto G57 Power (review), but ups the ante with a 32MP front-facing camera, identical to the one found on the Moto G77 Power (review). After spending some time with the Moto G Max, here’s a look at what works and what doesn’t.

Verdict

The Moto G Max gets a lot going for it. It addresses the limited software support we highlighted on the Moto G57 Power and G77 Power, while also offering a likeable design, a good display, immersive stereo speakers, serviceable cameras, and dependable battery life. However, the smartphone could have lived up to its “Max” moniker better with an AMOLED panel instead of an LCD and a slightly larger battery.

Design: likeable

The Moto G Max has been designed similarly to the other G-series smartphones launched since the start of the year. However, the phone’s Alaskan Blue has a more serene appearance than the Nautical Blue on the Moto G77 Power and G57 Power. The back of the Moto G Max also features a satin fabric finish for a good in-hand feel, as well as to keep fingerprints and smudges at bay.

The phone features flat edges with a matte finish for a comfortable grip. The edges don’t extend all the way to the display, which is understandable for a budget device. The handset measures 8.6mm in thickness and weighs 213 grams, which may not be the lightest in the segment but remains manageable. The camera module blends into the back panel and sits almost flush with the surface, although the two camera rings protrude slightly. Both rings are neatly highlighted with a shiny, dark blue finish around the edges.

Other highlights include a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port on the bottom edge, along with MIL-STD-810H military-grade durability against drops and falls. The phone also carries an IP64 rating for protection against dust and minor splashes.

Display and audio: good enough, but lacks the edge

The Moto G Max sports a 6.72-inch FHD+ LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,050 nits of peak brightness. While the brightness is on the lower side, LCD panels are becoming increasingly common in this segment amid rising component costs. The Moto smartphone also features relatively thick bezels and a considerably large bottom chin.

Nevertheless, the viewing experience remains sharp and crisp for the price segment at 1080p. Colours are also reasonably accurate and vibrant for an LCD panel. However, the viewing angles could have been better. A slight shift in colours is noticeable when viewed from an angle, which is where the Moto G Max’s competitors have an advantage, with AMOLED panels offering punchier colours, deeper blacks, and a more vibrant overall viewing experience.

That said, the Moto G Max gets a stereo speaker setup with support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio, delivering a more immersive listening experience than the mono bottom-firing speakers found on some of its rivals. Moving on, the 120Hz refresh rate delivers smooth animations across the UI and supported apps. This ensures a decent multimedia experience on the smartphone, particularly when used indoors.

Performance and software: smooth

The Moto G Max ships with Android 16-based Hello UI out of the box. The experience remains largely the same as other Moto G-series smartphones launched since the start of the year, including the Moto G37 Power. You can refer to our Moto G37 Power review for an in-depth analysis of the software experience.

In short, Hello UI no longer stays as close to stock Android as Motorola’s software was traditionally known for. The interface comes with a bunch of pre-installed apps, along with app recommendations appearing in the app drawer. Regardless, you still get Moto’s custom gestures to turn on the flashlight, launch the camera app, and more. The handset also supports live updates for Google Maps, a bevvy of lockscreen wallpapers and clock styles, and a pill-shaped setup for tracking timers, stopwatch, torch, and more from the status bar itself.

As for the software update policy, the Moto G Max is promised to receive two major OS upgrades and three years of security updates. While this is better than what Motorola offers with its more affordable G-series smartphones, it still falls short against competitors such as the Redmi Note 17, which is said to receive four major Android OS upgrades and six years of security updates.

AnTuTu score

Moto g max 5G

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4

807,683

Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G

MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate

792,798

Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 5G

Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 4

622,466

AnTuTu assesses a smartphone's CPU, GPU, memory, and overall user experience (higher is better)

At the core of the Moto G Max is the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 SoC, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage. While Motorola launched the G57 Power with the same combination earlier this year for under Rs 20,000, getting this setup in the sub-Rs 30,000 segment is justifiable given the current market scenario, where RAM and storage component prices have skyrocketed.

Geekbench multi-core score

Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G

MediaTek Dimensity 7400 Ultimate

3,200

Moto g max 5G

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4

2,600

Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 5G

Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 4

2,333

Geekbench assesses the efficiency of the CPU's single and multiple cores (higher is better)

As for performance, it didn’t feel very snappy, but I was pleased that the Moto G Max didn’t stutter during everyday tasks and a bit of multitasking. The smartphone also handles casual gaming, such as BGMI and COD: Mobile, pretty well, with no noticeable frame drops or lag. Even its thermal efficiency remained on par with other smartphones in the segment.

Burnout Score

Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G

73.7%

Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 5G

61.0%

Moto g max 5G

57.6%

Burnout assesses CPU throttling and sustained performance under heavy load (higher is better)

Cameras: saved by selfies

In optics, the Moto G Max packs dual rear cameras, including a standard 50MP main sensor. The secondary camera is a macro + ultrawide setup, which many manufacturers have started ditching in this segment due to cost-cutting. The smartphone’s front camera is also an impressive 32MP sensor in the punch-hole setup.

Although the camera setup looks impressive on paper, its real-world performance falls short of expectations. Both rear cameras struggle to produce well-exposed images with accurate colours, sufficient detail, and a good dynamic range. The colour output leans towards punchy and slightly oversaturated tones, which may appeal to some users, but shadow areas often lack exposure, while detail retention remains underwhelming across the frame.

However, if selfies are your primary concern, the Moto G Max delivers capable results. In fact, its selfie camera performs better than that of its immediate rival, the Redmi Note 17. Read on to see how the Moto G Max’s cameras compare with the Redmi smartphone across different shooting scenarios.

Daylight

The Moto G Max produces oversaturated, highly contrasty images that completely deviate from reality. The overall output may look appealing, but it isn’t as close to reality as the Redmi Note 17, which also preserves details both in bright and dark areas.

Portrait

With portraits, again, it is the Redmi Note 17 which offers near-accurate skin tones and colours. The handset also outperforms the Redmi smartphone with cleaner edge detection and a natural-looking bokeh effect.

Selfie

When it comes to selfies, you will find the Moto G Max outperforming the Redmi Note 17 through and through. Its superior 32MP snapper produces well-exposed images with sufficient details and well-preserved highlights compared to the Redmi Note 17’s 8MP camera.

Low light (night mode)

The Redmi Note 17 manages the realism better in low light, but when it comes to managing the noise and light flare, the Moto G Max is ahead. However, both smartphones do an average job in low light.

Battery and charging: reliable

The Moto G Max ships with a 7,000mAh battery, which feels rather standard given that the Redmi Note 17 and Realme P4 Power pack 8,000mAh and 10,001mAh batteries, respectively. While the Moto G Max falls well short of the Realme P4 Power, which continues to lead the segment, it still outperforms the Redmi Note 17 in the PCMark battery test. This suggests that the Moto G Max is better optimised for the test, delivering a runtime of over 18 hours compared to the Redmi’s 16 hours.

PCMark Battery score (in hours)

Moto g max 5G

7000 mAh

18.3

Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 5G

8000 mAh

16.2

Tecno Pova 8 Pro 5G

6500 mAh

10.7

PCMark battery test measures phone battery life from 100% to 20% (higher is better)

However, the difference wasn’t evident across all usage scenarios. In our YouTube streaming and gaming tests, both smartphones delivered almost identical results (dropping their batteries by almost 13 percent), suggesting that the Moto G Max’s optimisation advantage is more apparent in synthetic workloads than in real-world media consumption and gaming.

The Moto G Max’s 7,000mAh battery should last more than a full day of use, though heavy users might need to top it up by the end of the day. The handset supports 33W wired charging, which takes almost 80 minutes to go from 20 to 100 percent.

Final verdict

As part of the G-series, the latest Moto G Max is a well-rounded smartphone. It offers the best of both the Moto G57 Power and G77 Power. This includes a likeable design, a sharp 120Hz display, immersive stereo speakers, dependable everyday performance, capable selfies, and a 7,000mAh battery that can comfortably last a full day. The G Max also offers better software support than some of its more affordable G-series offerings.

However, compared to rivals, the Moto G Max doesn’t feel as “Max” as it should. The LCD panel lacks the vibrancy and viewing angles of the AMOLED displays found on rivals such as Redmi Note 17 (review), while the rear cameras struggle with exposure, colours, and detail. The 33W charging is also relatively slow. Its two major OS upgrades and three years of security updates trail some competitors that offer considerably longer support.

Nevertheless, at Rs 27,999, the Moto G Max is one of the few phones to offer dual-speaker output. This is complemented by its impressive battery life, durability, selfies, and dependable performance, making it a capable all-rounder.

Editor’s rating: 8/10

Reasons to buy

• Sharp 120Hz FHD+ display with decent colours and smooth visuals.
• The 7,000mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day.
• Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio support deliver an immersive audio experience.
• The handset offers dependable everyday performance, with smooth multitasking and casual gaming.

Reasons not to buy

• The rear cameras struggle with exposure, colour accuracy, dynamic range, and detail.
• Display lacks the punchier colours, deeper blacks, brightness, and wider viewing angles of AMOLED displays.