In a landscape dominated by budget smartphones that often feel like compromises wrapped in plastic, the Moto G85 strides in as a welcome anomaly. With its curved AMOLED display and vegan leather back, this phone exudes a premium aura that’s rarely seen in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment. But beneath this stylish exterior, does the G85 have the brains to match its beauty? Buckle up as we delve into whether this device is worthy of your cart.

Sleek Aesthetics, Compact Powerhouse

The instant you open the Moto G85’s box, it’s clear that Motorola has lavished attention on its design. Weighing just 172 grams and with a mere 7.5mm thickness, it’s a featherweight contender in an era where phones are growing heftier by the day. The Olive Green vegan leather back panel isn’t just about appearances—it feels luxurious and provides a firm grip, making the phone feel secure and substantial in hand.

Curves in All the Right Places

Motorola’s decision to embrace a curved display is audacious, but it pays off handsomely. The near bezel-less design propels the G85’s aesthetic into the realm of premium smartphones, making it easy to forget its budget roots. The camera bump on the rear is subtle, integrating seamlessly with the overall design, a rarity in today’s market where camera modules often protrude like an afterthought.

Vegan Leather: Beauty with Quirks

However, this vegan leather finish, while elegant, isn’t without its quirks. It’s a magnet for dirt and smudges, requiring frequent attention to maintain its pristine look. Although the included transparent case offers protection, those who prefer to flaunt their phones sans case might find this aspect bothersome.

Durability Meets Design

The phone’s IP52 rating provides basic defense against dust and light splashes, offering peace of mind for accidental spills or light rain, though it doesn’t match the robustness of more expensive models with IP67 or IP68 ratings.

A Display That Shines

The 6.7-inch pOLED curved display is undoubtedly the Moto G85’s pièce de résistance. Boasting a 120Hz refresh rate and 1,600 nits of peak brightness, it’s a visual treat that outshines many of its peers. Colors burst forth with vibrancy, and the high refresh rate ensures that scrolling and animations are as smooth as silk. Outdoor visibility? Not a problem. Text remains crisp even under the harshest sunlight, and the curved edges create an immersive experience, particularly when watching videos or gaming.

Sound That Surrounds

Adding to the immersive experience is the stereo speaker setup, with one bottom-firing speaker and the earpiece doubling as the second channel. For a budget device, the audio quality is impressively clear, with Dolby Atmos support enhancing movie-watching or gaming sessions. The absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack might irk some, but it’s a trend that’s becoming increasingly common.

Performance That Gets the Job Done

Under the hood, the Moto G85 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset, a slightly enhanced version of the older Snapdragon 695. In everyday use—messaging, social media, web browsing—the phone performs admirably, with 8GB or 12GB of RAM ensuring smooth multitasking. The 128GB or 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage guarantees quick app launches and speedy file transfers.

However, when you push the G85 with more demanding tasks, the limitations of the chipset become apparent. Games like Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG are playable at medium settings, but expect occasional frame drops and stutters during intense moments. The phone tends to heat up during prolonged gaming sessions, though it cools down relatively quickly.

Battery Life That Impresses

With a 5,000mAh battery, the Moto G85 easily powers through a full day of heavy use and often stretches into a second day with lighter usage. Our testing, which included a mix of social media browsing, video streaming, and occasional gaming, saw the phone consistently last over 24 hours on a single charge. The 33W fast charging isn’t the quickest in its class, but it’s respectable, taking around 80 minutes to go from 0 to 100 percent. A quick 15-minute top-up can provide several hours of use, which is a handy feature.

A Clean, User-Friendly Interface

Motorola’s near-stock Android approach has long been lauded, and the Moto G85’s Android 14-based Hello UI continues this tradition. The interface is clean and intuitive, refreshingly light on bloatware—though a few apps do sneak in on first boot, they can be uninstalled. Hello UI offers welcome customization options without overwhelming the user, and Motorola’s signature gestures like the double-chop for flashlight and twist for camera are as useful as ever.

A standout feature is Smart Connect, which allows seamless interaction with larger screens like laptops or TVs—a feature usually reserved for pricier devices. Motorola promises two years of major Android updates and four years of security patches, though the company’s track record with timely updates leaves some room for skepticism.

Cameras That Capture the Everyday

The Moto G85’s camera setup is headlined by a 50-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS), a rare feature in this price range. An 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens that doubles as a macro shooter completes the rear setup, while a 32-megapixel front camera takes care of selfies.

In good lighting, the main camera produces vibrant, detailed shots with a slight saturation that makes photos pop on social media. OIS effectively reduces blur in low-light conditions, though a steady hand is still recommended for the best results. The ultra-wide lens is versatile, though it does introduce some distortion around the edges. The macro capabilities are fun for creative close-ups, though results can vary depending on the lighting.

Low-light photography reveals the limitations of the hardware. While the dedicated Night mode helps brighten scenes and reveal more detail, images can appear over-processed, with a loss of natural color. Still, for casual nighttime snaps destined for social media, the results are perfectly acceptable.

The front-facing camera captures pleasing selfies, with good detail and natural-looking skin tones. Portrait mode does a decent job of separating the subject from the background, though it can struggle with complex edges.

Video Capabilities That Deliver

Video recording on the Moto G85 is solid, with 4K footage at 30fps from the main camera. The OIS helps keep handheld shots stable, though for the smoothest results, you might want to stick to 1080p.

A Value Proposition

In a market flooded with plastic-clad, cookie-cutter smartphones, the Moto G85 stands out with its premium vegan leather back and striking curved AMOLED display. At Rs 17,999, it offers a touch of flagship flair at a budget price. While it may not lead the pack in raw performance or camera prowess, the G85 delivers a harmonious blend of features that create a compelling package. The clean, relatively bloatware-free software is a breath of fresh air, and when combined with a capable camera system, long-lasting battery, and a price that won’t empty your wallet, the Moto G85 ticks a lot of boxes for the average user.