Motorola is finally making a noticeable comeback in Nepal, and after quite some time, I got the chance to review one of their phones. A few months ago, Chaudhary Group (CG) officially began launching Motorola smartphones in Nepal. At first, we only saw older models arriving, but now the situation is changing — several new models are on the horizon. Motorola has already confirmed that the Moto Edge 60 series — which includes the Moto Edge 60 Fusion and Edge 60 Pro — will soon be launched in Nepal. Additionally, the recently launched Moto G96, which comes with promising specifications, is also expected to land here soon.
But today, let’s focus on the Motorola G35 — their latest budget 5G offering. This is currently one of the most affordable 5G phones available in Nepal, priced at just NPR 19,000 for the 4+128GB variant. At this price, it’s not only accessible, but also incredibly popular — on Flipkart, it’s one of the platform’s best-selling phones with over 50,000 ratings. So, let’s dive into this Moto G35 review and everything else this phone has to offer.
Moto G35 5G Specifications:
- Design: Monotone design with plastic or vegan leather back, water-repellent
- Dimensions: 166.29 mm x 75.98 mm x 7.79 mm
- Weight: 188 grams or 191 grams
- Display: 6.72” LCD Panel, 120Hz refresh rate, Up to 240Hz touch sampling rate, 391PPI pixel density, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- Resolution: FHD+ (1,080 x 2,400)
- Chipset: Octa-core Unisoc T760 (6nm)
- RAM: 4GB or 8GB + RAM Boost up to 4GB or 8GB
- ROM: 128GB or 256GB + 1TB expandable with MicroSD card
- OS & UI: Android 14 with My UX on top
- Rear Camera: Dual Camera (50MP Primary + 8MP Ultrawide)
- Front Camera: 16MP Camera (Centre-aligned hole-punch cutout)
- Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock
- Sensors: Proximity, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Gyroscope, SAR, E-Compass
- Navigation: GPS, AGPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS
- Battery: 5,000 mAh cell with 18W charging
- Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, Dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth v5.0, USB 2.0 Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
- Color Options: Guava Red, Leaf Green, Midnight Black
Moto G35 Review
Inside the box, you get the phone along with an 18-watt fast charger — a welcome inclusion given how many budget phones skip this nowadays. The device is available in two colors in Nepal: red and green. Ours came in the green vegan leather finish, and right off the bat, the design deserves praise. For just 20,000 rupees, the phone looks and feels quite premium. It comes in both plastic and vegan leather back options, and the build quality feels solid with good weight distribution. Compared to other phones in this price segment, like the Samsung Galaxy A06 or Redmi 13, the G35 feels significantly more premium.
Design
In terms of hardware, the phone includes a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even an IR blaster — features that are increasingly rare in this price range. Even though it’s a budget phone, it doesn’t make you feel like you’re using one.
Display
When it comes to the display, Motorola again exceeds expectations. Instead of the usual HD+ panels seen in this segment, the G35 comes with a Full HD LCD display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Brightness levels are impressive too, reaching up to 1000 nits in high brightness mode. This ensures good visibility both indoors and outdoors. While the panel isn’t OLED, the color reproduction is still quite good — not exceptional, but definitely not bad. Thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate, the scrolling experience is smooth. Of course, it doesn’t match flagship-level performance, but given the budget, there’s nothing worth complaining about.
Battery
The phone packs a 5000mAh battery, which combined with Motorola’s optimization and a power-efficient chipset, easily delivers one to one-and-a-half days of battery life with normal use. Plus, the included 18W charger can fully charge the phone in about an hour, which is pretty convenient.
Performance
In terms of performance, the G35 runs on the UNISOC T760 chipset, which is a commonly used processor in budget phones. Performance is decent — the phone handles everyday tasks smoothly and runs social media apps without any issues. For gaming, we tested several titles. Lightweight games like Subway Surfer ran without any problem, and even Mobile Legends played well. However, more demanding titles like Free Fire and PUBG — while offering up to 60fps options — didn’t perform as expected. Even at 30fps, there were noticeable stutters. This is likely due to the 4GB RAM limit, which is sufficient for light multitasking and casual use, but not ideal for gaming or heavy workloads.
Software
On the software side, the G35 ships with Android 14 out of the box, and Motorola has promised an upgrade to Android 15. While Motorola has a reputation for being a bit slow with updates, we did receive a minor security update during testing. As expected from Motorola, the UI is clean, plain, and easy to use. There is some bloatware initially, but most of it can be uninstalled easily, resulting in a cleaner and smoother experience. Surprisingly, even with 4GB of RAM, the phone feels fluid during normal use thanks to the minimal UI.
Camera
Cameras on budget phones are usually a weak spot, and while the G35 doesn’t defy that trend entirely, it does offer better camera specs than most of its competition. It has a 50MP primary sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. The primary camera captures decent detail in good lighting, though the exposure handling isn’t great. Color output is decent when lighting conditions are favorable.
The ultra-wide lens, however, suffers from heavy detail loss — especially in low light, where images can end up looking more like paintings. That said, there isn’t a significant color shift between the main and ultra-wide images, which is good to see.
Portrait shots of human subjects also come out okay when lighting is good. On the video front, the G35 supports up to 4K 30fps video from the rear camera — a rare feature in this price range. While the footage isn’t the most stable or smooth, it’s perfectly usable for still shots or casual clips.
Rest
The phone supports dual SIMs, and both slots support 5G. There’s also support for microSD cards, although you’ll have to sacrifice one SIM slot due to the hybrid tray design. The good news? It supports 12 5G bands, giving it excellent network compatibility for the future.
Moto G35 Pros and Cons
Pros
- Cheapest 5G phone in Nepal
- Premium design with vegan leather
- Full HD+ 120Hz display
- Good battery life (5000mAh)
- Stereo speakers + Dolby Atmos
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Clean Android 14 UI
Cons
- Weak gaming performance
- Only 4GB RAM
- Average ultra-wide camera
- Hybrid SIM slot
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No OLED display
Moto G35 Review: Conclusion
In conclusion, for NPR 19,000, the Motorola G35 is more than just a decent deal — it’s actually a very solid package. The phone performs well in almost every area: the display is sharp and smooth, the design feels premium, battery life is great, and you get fast charging with the adapter included. If your focus is gaming or heavier tasks, this phone won’t deliver — and in that case, spending a bit more for something like the Infinix Note 50X or Note 50s makes sense. But for those looking for a simple, capable, and well-rounded budget phone — for parents or even for personal use — the G35 is a great option.
And here’s hoping that CG launches other Motorola models like the G96, Edge 60 Fusion, and Edge 60 Pro at equally competitive prices. We’re definitely looking forward to it.