News
Motorola Moto G87 Puts a 200MP Camera at the Center of Its Mid-Range Strategy
Motorola’s new moto g87 combines a 200MP main camera, 5G connectivity and Android 16, while market-specific availability and pricing remain unconfirmed.
Motorola is making the camera the headline feature of its new moto g87, a mid-range smartphone announced for markets across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. The company says the device brings its best-ever camera system to the moto g family, pairing a 200MP main sensor with optical image stabilisation, a 1.5K AMOLED display and 5G connectivity.
The announcement is significant because the moto g line has traditionally focused on bringing selected premium features to more accessible devices. With the moto g87, Motorola is placing very high-resolution photography, durability and display technology at the centre of that strategy. However, the phone’s final value will depend heavily on local pricing, configurations and availability, none of which Motorola has fully specified in its global announcement.
A 200MP camera with an important caveat
The moto g87 uses a 200MP main camera with optical image stabilisation. Motorola says its Ultra Pixel technology improves light sensitivity and that the camera supports 2x lossless zoom. The phone also includes an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 32MP selfie camera.
Those headline numbers need some context. Motorola’s own technical note says the 200MP sensor combines 16 pixels into one, producing an effective 12.5MP image in that mode. That approach can help balance detail, noise and file size, but the 200MP figure alone does not establish image quality. Lens quality, processing, lighting and the camera app’s tuning will all influence the final result.
The company is also promoting features such as Auto Smile Capture and Portrait Mode. Auto Smile Capture can recognise up to five faces in a frame, while Portrait Mode offers three focal-length perspectives described as 24mm, 35mm and 50mm. Motorola presents these tools as ways to make everyday photography easier, but it has not published independent comparative testing with competing phones.
For buyers, the practical question will be whether the moto g87 can consistently produce good photos in difficult light without requiring manual adjustments. Motorola’s claims about improved low-light performance are therefore best treated as specifications and intended capabilities, rather than a substitute for hands-on testing.
Bright AMOLED screen and reinforced body
The phone has a 6.78-inch or 6.8-inch Extreme AMOLED display, depending on the market specification, with a 1.5K-class resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Motorola says High Brightness Mode can raise the screen to 5000 nits and that the panel offers 17% more resolution than a standard Full HD display.
The 1.5K description also comes with a qualification: Motorola says the panel is upscaled from a native 1080p GPU output, so displayed resolution can vary according to the content and processing involved. That distinction matters for readers comparing the moto g87 with phones that use a genuinely native higher-resolution output.
Durability is another major part of the announcement. The moto g87 is listed with IP66, IP68 and IP69 protection, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i and selected MIL-STD-810H testing. Motorola’s own disclaimer says the water-resistance tests were carried out in controlled laboratory conditions, with protection against fresh water only. The phone is not designed to operate underwater, and users should not charge it while wet.
The MIL-STD-810H reference should also be read carefully. Motorola says it tested selected environmental stresses rather than claiming that the device is indestructible. Normal wear, drops outside controlled conditions and exposure to liquids other than fresh water can still cause damage.
5G performance, battery and software
Under the hood, the moto g87 uses MediaTek’s Dimensity 6400 platform and supports 5G where a compatible plan and network are available. Motorola lists up to 12GB of RAM, with RAM Boost able to use internal storage as virtual memory. The available memory configuration will vary by market, and extended RAM is not the same as additional physical RAM.
The phone includes a 5200mAh typical-capacity battery, with a rated capacity of 5100mAh, and supports up to 30W TurboPower charging. Motorola says battery-life results depend on network conditions, settings, temperature and usage, so the announcement does not establish a guaranteed runtime. Charger inclusion can also vary by market.
On the software side, the moto g87 runs Android 16 and includes access to Google features such as Circle to Search and the Gemini mobile app on compatible configurations. Motorola also lists Hello UX, Moto Secure and Smart Connect among its software tools. Availability of some Google and Motorola functions can vary by country, language, device model and software version.
Availability remains the missing piece
Motorola says the moto g87 will become available across EMEA and LATAM in the coming weeks, but the global announcement does not provide a price or a single release date. It also notes that memory, battery and charging configurations can differ between markets. Buyers should therefore wait for a local Motorola or carrier announcement before comparing the phone with similarly positioned devices.
The moto g87 is an interesting example of how mid-range smartphones are competing through a mix of camera resolution, display brightness, durability and software features rather than a single performance specification. Its 200MP sensor gives the phone a strong marketing hook, but the more meaningful test will be how its 12.5MP pixel-binned images, stabilisation and processing perform in everyday use. Until independent testing and regional pricing are available, the most reliable conclusion is narrower: Motorola has announced a feature-rich 5G phone, while the details that determine whether it is genuinely competitive remain market-dependent.
Read Motorola’s official moto g87 announcement for the complete specifications and disclaimers.