Motorola has introduced the 5th generation of the Moto G series smartphone, the Moto G5 Plus in India. What Moto G5 Plus brings to the table are its 12 MP dual pixel camera and a stock Android 7 Nougat software. More to it is a new metallic design and a gesture-based button on the front. But Moto seems to be a late comer to the party, as the Chinese rivals have already made their way up. Here’s our first look at the Moto G5 Plus.
Moto G5 Plus Specifications
- Display: 5.2-inch Full HD IPS Display (1920 x 1080 pixels resolution | 424 ppi), Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, on Home button
- Software: Android 7.0 Nougat
- CPU: Up to 2.0 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (MSM8953), 14nm FinFET
- GPU: Adreno 506 (650 MHz)
- Memory: 3 GB OR 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM
- Storage: 16 GB OR 32 GB internal storage, MicroSD up to 128 GB (Dedicated Slot)
- Main Camera: 12 MP f/1.7, dual pixel, autofocus, dual-tone LED flash, 4K video @30fps, 1080p video @60fps, Slow Motion 720p video @120fps
- Front Camera: 5 MP f/2.2, 1080p video @30fps, Slow Motion 480p @120fps
- Connectivity: Micro USB, 3.5 mm stereo jack, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Proximity
- Cellular: 4G LTE, Dual nano SIM (GSM + GSM), VoLTE-enabled
- Battery: 3,000 mAh (non-removable)
- Power Supply: 15W TurboPower charger, 6 hours of power in 15 minutes of charging
- Dimensions: 150.2 mm x 74.0 mm x 7.7 mm (9.7 mm with camera)
- Weight: 155 grams
- Colors: Lunar Gray, Fine Gold
- Price: ₹14,999 (3 GB RAM, 16 GB Storage) | ₹16,999 (4 GB RAM, 32 GB Storage)
To give it a thought, phones having ‘Plus’ in its name usually indicate a larger display, but the scenario is a tad different here. Moto G5 Plus is now smaller (5.2-inch) but larger than 5.0-inch Moto G5 (not been released yet), hence, Plus in its name. The previous generations of Moto G were already 5.5-inch.
Moto G5 Plus flaunts a 5.2-inch full HD IPS Display (1920 x 1080 pixels resolution | 424 ppi) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top, however, not boasting the 2.5D curve on the edges. It appears to be compact and easier to hold in the hands due to its curved design. It’s quite thin 7.7 mm and 155 grams light in weight.
The design is changed, after all. It comes with a diamond-cut aluminum finish at the back while the curvy sides may look metallic but are simply plastic. The design is not really surprising, however, you might like it if you are upgrading it from Moto G4 Plus. The overall design has a nice finishing, feels sturdy and adds a flavor of the premium metallic back.
The specifications when compared to its previous generation Moto G4 Plus, there are fewer differences, the major things such as CPU and camera are changed considerably. The rest seems similar. The 3,000 mAh battery isn’t grown, however, the new 14nm CPU may put less stress and with that, the battery life could be convincing. It supports fast charging and gives 6 hours of power in just 15 minutes of charging.
Powered by a 2.0 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and 4 GB RAM, it stands in the mid-range category. It offers a 32 GB storage with MicroSD expansion up to 128 GB. The MicroSD slot is dedicated so, you can enjoy two 4G nano SIM cards along with a separate MicroSD expansion. There’s a 16 GB storage variant with 3 GB RAM, we got the upper variant of the device.
Moving to the cameras of the phone, there is a primary 12 MP f/1.7 dual pixel camera with dual-tone LED flash. The camera module is upgraded drastically from its predecessor. The camera offers a Pro mode and has an ability to record 4K videos and 720p slow motion videos. On the front side, there is a 5 MP f/2.2 camera with no flash. It too records 480p slow motion videos.
What’s something new that may surprise you is its gesture-based key used for navigation! It works like this, swipe left to go back, swipe right to visit recent apps, and tap once to go to homescreen. On top, it has a fingerprint reader embedded on it. Unlike other phones that offer three navigation keys for each action, this one key will let you do all things without much fuss.
You will find power and volume buttons on the right. A Micro USB, 3.5 mm headphone jack, and a microphone at the bottom. The second microphone is on the back alongside the camera. The top has a combo SIM and MicroSD Tray that holds two nano SIM cards and a MicroSD card.
Motorola continues to offer stock Android features even after Lenovo acquired it. It offers Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box while others are still playing around with the Marshmallow version of Android. On top of that, Motorola offers gesture-based controls like Chop Twice for Flashlight, Twist To Open Camera, Swipe to shrink screen and a few more. With Moto Display, you can see your notifications at a glance on the display without waking up the phone.
The price of Moto G5 Plus starts from ₹14,999 for 16 GB and ₹16,999 for 32 GB with 4 GB RAM both available exclusively on Flipkart.
We will be reviewing the device soon. Stay tuned.
