Motorola Moto G04 (2024)

This may not be the worst phone ever made, but it is certainly the worst phone I have ever used. Startup Experience The most critical flaw is that the G04 is not a phone until you force it through a three-step ritual. If the battery runs flat and you plug it in, it does not turn itself on — it just charges, and you are not contactable. If you press the power button, it appears to switch on — but you are still not contactable. Only when you unlock the screen and it finally declares “Phone is starting” does it actually begin receiving calls or messages. Full stop. Forget this even once, and you may go through the entire day unreachable. Don’t be surprised if you buy this phone — or probably any Motorola — and find out the hard way.

Screen & Brightness The display makes matters worse. Several times every single day, when you unlock the phone, the screen has dimmed itself to pitch black. To fix it, you must swipe down once, past critical controls like Airplane Mode, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth, where brightness is still hidden. You then have to swipe down a second time in near-total darkness, hoping not to touch those sensitive controls by accident. Even when you reach the brightness slider, it is so faint you can barely see it. The chance of avoiding mistakes is slim, and the result is often that you disable your own connectivity simply while trying to make the screen usable.

Connectivity This explains why Wi-Fi, mobile data, and Bluetooth are so often found switched off. Sometimes this happens inexplicably, as if the phone has done it by itself. Other times there is no doubt: it happens because you are forced to adjust brightness blindly in near-blackness, sliding past sensitive controls and inevitably pressing the wrong thing. Either way, the outcome is the same: calls missed, messages lost, and a phone that fails at its most basic function.

Overall Yes, the G04 offers adequate speed and tolerable sound for the price. But those things don’t matter when the device demands constant caution just to remain contactable. If you actually want to be reachable, do not buy the Motorola G04 — and do not be surprised if this same design philosophy extends to their other phones as well.