• Home

REVIEW: Moto G5 Plus another one for the bargain-hunters

Dubai - Lenovo unit is dead serious in its push into the mid-market segment

Just like its small-bro G5, Lenovo's Motorola Mobility arm has another budget-friendly smartphone it wants you to reach out for.
The G5 Plus is another classic example that you can actually pack in very nice features for a very reasonable price. And since we've been harping about this since the start, let's get this out of the way first: it's only at Dh849.
Anyway, the G5 Plus doesn't really have a huge difference compared to the G5 - just like in the cases of Apple and Samsung's offerings - because it's only has a 5.2-inch screen compared to the latter's five-incher, but smaller than the G4 Plus' 5.5 inches, which will make it appeal to those who want something between small and big devices.
It does, though, share the same LCD IPS screen, though it has a slightly lower pixel resolution of 424ppi (the G5 has 441ppi), though that's still bigger than the iPhone 7's 326ppi. It has a nice bright screen, which will more than satisfy those who are addicted to photos, videos and games.
Speaking of photos, it has a 12MP main snapper - down from the G4 Plus' 16MP, but it holds its ground better in low-light, thanks to its aperture uptick, though it tends to be a bit grainy in certain conditions. It can also shoot 1080p HD videos at 30 frames per second, as well as in slow motion. It also has what it calls dual autofocus pixels, which 'locks onto the target in the blink of an eye'; while it does work, the focus tends to lag especially in not-so-bright moments.
Meanwhile, don't forget about that 'beautification' mode on its 5MP shooter. Looks like this is one of the few areas that they sacrificed to bring down the price tag - it also makes do with only Corning Gorilla Glass 3 - but it's good enough for your daily photo and selfie grind. And hey, its nano-coating tech ensures it's protected against accidental spills (read: it's NOT water-proof).
As far as battery life is concerned, it promises a whole day's worth of power - and it actually walks the talk: a one-hour video on full brightness cost me around 15 per cent of juice, and it didn't give me a problem on making it last the whole day with a bit of frequent gaming while on two 20-minute rides on the Dubai Metro.
The design is basically an enlarged G5 - sleek metallic finish and all, and you really won't recognise that it's the successor to the G4 - and that all-in-one navigation button continues to impress.
Another drawback is that it doesn't have NFC in all markets. Good news? The UAE version has it.
 
AND SO.
History repeats itself, and the Moto G5 Plus replicates the G5's value proposition. The combination of design, function and performance ensures that Motorola is dead-serious in its push into the mid-market segment. As I always say, it's always good to have more options.
 
THE LOWDOWN