Motorola Moto G17 Power vs Moto G Play (2026)
Here we compared two budget smartphones: the 6.72-inch Motorola Moto G17 Power (with MediaTek Helio G81 Extreme) that was released on January 29, 2026, against the Motorola Moto G Play (2026), which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6300 and came out 3 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
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Key differences
Reasons to consider the Motorola Moto G17 Power
- Has 2x more RAM: 8GB versus 4GB
- 50% higher pixel density (392 vs 262 PPI)
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.4)
- Comes with 800 mAh larger battery capacity: 6000 vs 5200 mAh
- Has 2 SIM card slots
- Supports higher wattage charging (30W versus 18W)
Reasons to consider the Motorola Moto G Play (2026)
- 58% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (551K versus 349K)
- More energy-efficient CPU – Dimensity 6300
- More recent OS version: Android 16 versus 15
- 2x faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 780 and 393 points
- Ready for eSIM technology
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
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Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | IPS LCD | IPS LCD |
| Size | 6.72 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 720 x 1604 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 392 ppi | 262 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | Yes (60-120 Hz) |
| Max rated brightness | 1050 nits | 1000 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 86.5% | 84.8% |
Design and build
| Height | 165.7 mm (6.52 inches) | 167.2 mm (6.58 inches) |
| Width | 76 mm (2.99 inches) | 76.4 mm (3.01 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.8 mm (0.35 inches) | 8.5 mm (0.33 inches) |
| Weight | 198 g (6.98 oz) | 202 g (7.13 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP64 | - |
| Rear material | Plastic | Eco-leather |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Blue | Blue |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio G81 Extreme | MediaTek Dimensity 6300 |
| Max clock | 2000 MHz | 2400 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (2 + 6) | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - 6 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A75 |
- 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.4 GHz: Cortex-A76 |
| L3 cache | - | 2 MB |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 12 nanometers | 6 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Yes | Yes |
| Graphics | Mali-G52 MP2 | Mali-G57 MP2 |
| GPU shading units | 48 | 64 |
| GPU clock | 820 MHz | 1072 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~78.7 GFLOPS | ~137.2 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
| Single-core score | 393 | 780 |
| Multi-core score | 1302 | 2067 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 132552 | 194234 |
| GPU | 34267 | 61861 |
| Memory | 75550 | 114801 |
| UX | 106871 | 180995 |
| Total score | 349240 | 551891 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | - | 16396 |
| Video editing | - | 6383 |
| Photo editing | - | 25556 |
| Data manipulation | - | 8572 |
| Writing score | - | 14879 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 4 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 1800 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 64 GB |
| Storage type | - | UFS 2.2 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | - | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 15 | Android 16 |
| ROM | - | Hello UI |
Battery
| Capacity | 6000 mAh | 5200 mAh |
| Max charge power | 30 W | 18 W |
| Battery type | Li-Po | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Bypass charging | No | - |
| Fast charging | Yes | Yes |
Main camera
| Matrix | 50 megapixels | 32 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8192 x 6144 | - |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | Dual LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 50 MP 2) Ultrawide: 5 MP |
1) Standard: 32 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode |
| Image resolution | 50 MP | 32 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 26 mm | - |
| Sensor size | 1/2.0" (≈ 0.5 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 0.8 micron | - |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Image resolution | 5 MP | - |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | - |
| Focal length | 19 mm | - |
| Sensor size | 1/5.0" (≈ 0.2 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | - |
| Stabilization | Digital | - |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 32 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 22 mm | - |
| Sensor size | 1/3.1" (≈ 0.32 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 0.7 micron | - |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) | Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac) |
| Wi-Fi features | - Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
- Dual Band - Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo |
| NFC* | Depends on the region | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | - |
| eSIM support* | No | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | - | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Other
| Category | Budget | Budget |
| Announced | January 2026 | November 2025 |
| Release date | January 2026 | November 2025 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | - | $149 |
| Sensors | - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display and camera are more important to you, then choose the Motorola Moto G17 Power. But if the performance, gaming, and software are more of a priority – go for the Motorola Moto G Play (2026).
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