Motorola Moto G8 release date: Everything we know about Motorola’s next budget handset

Last year, Motorola released the Moto G8 Plus. That’s a weird name for a handset without any siblings, so it always felt like it was only a matter of time before new models emerged.

Well, it looks like that wait is over as recent leaks have shown two new members of the Moto G8 family. Here’s everything you need to know about the Moto G8 ahead of its launch.

Motorola Moto G8: Everything we know so far

Motorola Moto G8 features and specs: The latest rumours

91Mobiles has spilled the beans on the Moto G8’s specs, having received the lead image of this article “from industry sources”.

Like the Moto G8 Plus, the Moto G8 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor, and will have either 2- or 4GB of RAM, depending on the region. There will be 32- or 64GB of storage, and the screen will be a 720p number, which is a downgrade from the G7’s 1080p display.

That’s a touch disappointing, but it makes up for it elsewhere. Not only does it benefit from a fancy new punch-hole camera on the front to reduce the bezel, but it’ll apparently pack three cameras on the back. You’ll get a 16-megapixel f/1.7 main camera, supported by an 8-megapixel f/2.2 wide-angle lens and an f/2.2 macro lens for close-up photography.

It’ll be available in either white or blue, and come with a “textured finish.”

Motorola Moto G8 price: How much will it cost?

At this point, we’re very much reading between the lines. But here’s a little precedent to help you place your bet.

Last year’s lineup was the Moto G7 (£239), G7 Plus (£269), G7 Power (£179) and G7 Play (£149). So “same again,” you might think – or “that plus 10%” if you’re a glass-half-empty person. But no, probably not. The Moto G8 Plus has already undercut the G7 Plus by selling for £220, which will have a knock-on effect to the rest of the range.

To complicate matters a little, the G8 Power is reportedly better than the vanilla G8 this time around (more on this below), which means I’d expect the G8 to be somewhere between £140 and £180 when it arrives.

That’s pure speculation on my part, but you can see the working above at least…

Motorola Moto G8 release date: When will it launch?

This part is pure speculation, but the clever money is pointing to “soon”. Mobile World Congress (MWC) is due to kick off in Barcelona at the end of February, and it would be pretty surprising if Motorola didn’t officially unveil the Moto G8 there, alongside various other handsets.

In fact, the handset may be shown off a little before MWC as the G7s were last year – presumably so as not to get lost in the general noise. The full Moto G7 range – G7, G7 Plus, G7 Power and G7 Play – all went on sale on 1 March.

Obviously, given the G8 Plus is already out and about, an identical plan isn’t possible this time around, but it could well be similar.

What about the Moto G8 Power?

Regular readers of Expert Reviews will know that for most of last year we were holding up the Moto G7 Power as our favourite budget phone. It was a handset that made cuts in the right places and added a whopping great 5,000mAh battery to make it a steal at £179.

The good news is that there is a Moto G8 Power, but it appears that it’ll no longer be cheaper than the Moto G8, because it’s getting a number of key advantages, according to XDA-Developers.

Firstly, it’s getting a 1080p screen – an upgrade on the 720p panel of the G7 Power. Secondly, it’ll come with 4GB of RAM, compared to the 2- or 4GB options on the Moto G7.

But the bigger changes are with the cameras. As well as the three on the standard Moto G8, the G8 Power will gain an extra 2-megapixel f/2.2 lens which we imagine will be used for depth sensing and arty bokeh shots. Finally, the front-facing camera (also a punch-hole design) will be a 25-megapixel affair, compared to the standard G8’s 8-megapixel snapper.