Motorola Moto G51 5G review

Design and ergonomics

The Moto G51 5G's design is slightly different from its predecessor's and is in line with the Moto G71 5G. Once again, we have a plastic unibody chassis. The Indigo Blue color we got has that matte finish that attracts fingerprints to some extent, but they are barely visible in most conditions. The surface is also surprisingly grippy or at least far from slippery, to say the least.

Interestingly enough, the camera module on the back is barely protruding. In fact, it's pretty flat compared to others, it doesn't cause the device to wobble on a table, and the separate camera sensors are sticking out by less than a millimeter. Vertically stacked like the G71, too.

Just like other Moto smartphones, this one has a water-repellent design and this time around, it gets a rating - IP52. It will most likely survive an accidental drop in the pond or some time under the rain.

The whole back piece is nicely curved, and the display has a small curvature adding to the overall nice feeling. There are no protruding or sharp edges; the whole chassis feels seamless in a way. Surely, there are better examples of this, but we must consider the price point of the Moto G51 first.

Despite its grippy nature and good ergonomics, we have an issue with the button placement. The power button/fingerprint reader combo sits a bit too high. People with smaller than average hands may struggle to reach it. The biggest problem is the volume rocker and the Google Assistant button. They are both placed above the power key, which is excessively high, especially for a device with a 6.8-inch display and it requires quite a bit of finger gymnastics.

Speaking of the display, the phone's rather large panel is surrounded by thin side bezels and somewhat thick top and bottom ones. There's also a fairly big centered-punch hole camera, but that's exactly what you'd expect from a phone in this price range. Nothing out of the ordinary on the front.

The left side holds just the hybrid SIM card tray. You can only go with a microSD + SIM card combo or two SIM cards. The bottom side holds the loudspeaker grille, USB-C connector and a 3.5mm audio jack.

For an all-plastic build, however, we are surprised to see this phone weighing in at 208 grams. Sure, the big display and battery capacity add to the overall weight, but going north of 200 grams becomes quite noticeable in daily handling. Additionally, the handset feels top-heavy, which is sub-optimal for one-handed use.