The Moto G5 Plus is here and it comes with a powerful processor, good RAM/ ROM, dedicated external storage option and decent battery life. But the unique thing about the G5 Plus is the 12MP camera on the back with a f/1.7 aperture – it is indeed an excellent camera but as I mentioned in title – condition apply.
The Moto G5 Plus box pack contains the handset, user manual, warranty card, data cable, standard quality earphone, SIM tray ejector pin and travel charger (12V / 1.5A). SAR Value as mentioned on box : 1.450 W/kg @ 1g (head) and 1.450W/kg @1g (Body).
Design
The Moto G5 Plus looks good and feels good (metal body), it gives you a different in-hand experience compared with other handset, thanks to the design and the flat back. Again the back panel looks unique with silver borders and two color shades. I bought the G5 Plus grey color version. Handset weighs around 155 grams.
This is a dual SIM handset you can use 2x nano SIM and a micro SD card simultaneously. 4G with VoLTE is supported.
There is no LED notification and it is not needed as the alerts are shown automatically on the screen, when you get one or when you pick up the handset, plus you can view the content by tapping without unlocking the handset (check video review).
As far as the sensors are concerned there is accelerometer, proximity, light, Gyro and there are additional proximity sensor on the rear next to the camera. These proximity sensors on the back work with the on screen notification when you pick the handset. Magnetic sensor is missing.
Display and OS
The Moto G5 Plus is running Nougat Android 7 out of the box, and it is pure stock version. This handset sports a 5.2 inch screen with 1080p resolution (IPS TFT), protected with gorilla glass 3. Viewing angles, color reproduction and touch response are very good.
Memory and Storage
The one I bought for review came with 3GB RAM and 16GB Storage. You will get 10GB free internal storage and 1.5GB free RAM. OTG is supported, you can connect and access contents from external pen drive.
Performance
The Moto G5 Plus houses the Snapdragon 625 octa core (64 bit) processor clocked at 2GHz with Adreno 506 GPU. Overall performance was smooth and lag free.
Benchmark
Quadrant : 19329
AnTuTu : 61766 / 12881
Nenamark 2 : 59.9fps
Disk Speed : 167 MB/s read / 43 MB/s write
Multi Touch : 10 point
Gaming
I tried 3 games Bullet Force (in ultra quality mode), Modern Combat 5 and Asphalt 8 (high) and all of these games worked really well, smooth, no issues, no lags and battery temperature was also under control around 40 degrees in 24 minutes during game play.
Camera
The Moto G5 Plus comes with 12MP camera on the rear and 5MP on the front. This rear camera comes with f/1.7 aperture, you will get really good shots in low light conditions. If you are using auto mode the camera quality will be above average and if you switch to manual mode you can get much better shots, much detailed shots – but condition applies i.e. you need to know photography or just play around – you can actual see the effects live on the screen, keep changing / playing around with settings manually and when shot looks great on the screen capture it.
Check the sample night shot one with auto mode and other in Manual mode, download images on PC and then check you will get a better idea.
You can record 4K videos. Video stabilization is supported but that works only up to 1080p video recording mode and it is really good. Slow motion video can also be recorded at 720p resolution (120fps) – check video review.
Camera rating 4.3 out of 5
Moto G5 Plus rear and front camera samples
Download Original Image files (right click and save) (do not use it for commercial purpose, without permission of gogi.in).
Others
There is finger print sensor on the front it is fast and accurate. You can shake the phone when it is in standby (off) mode to automatically switch on the LED light (torch). There are on screen navigation buttons if you want you can switch those off and use the finger print button for navigation.
Tap finger print / button to go to home screen, swipe right to left to go back and swipe left to right to view apps running in background.
Sound is loud and clear. In call sound was very good. No issues found with WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth. There is NFC, probably once tap and pay feature is launched in India it will come really handy.
This Moto G5 Plus comes with Water-repellent Coating it does not make it water proof. Even a splash can possibly damage the internals – so better take care, this is not a water proof or water resistant phone. The speaker vent is on the front.
Battery
The Moto G5 Plus comes with 3000 mAh non-removable battery that will give 5 to 9 hours of non-stop battery life on a single charge. With mixed usage you can expect up to a little over 1 day of usage and with heavy usage it will last for a day.
Moto G5 Plus Battery Performance (time / battery % drop / estimated battery temperature)
- Running Benchmark app – 19 minutes / 3% / 35 degree
- Asphalt 8 + Bullet Force + MC5 game play – 24 minutes / 7% / 40 degree
- 4K video playback with full brightness (WiFi /4G on) – 21 minutes / 5% / 36 degrees.
It took me 1 hour 26 minutes to charge the handset from 21% to 100% using wall charger. For full charge an estimated less than 1 hours 45 minutes (Turbo charging).
Max battery temperature I encountered was 44 degrees when I was outdoor under the sun using camera. Battery temp is under control no need to worry – as long as battery temp is under 48 or 50 degrees.
Verdict
The Moto G5 Plus is a powerful, stable and a very good handset that supports VoLTE (reliance Jio works) and the camera is also excellent depending on your usage, in auto mode you will get above average quality. Battery life is decent. Overall it is a very good buy for the price.
Moto G5 Plus Versus Honor 6X camera
When compared with Honor 6x it is hard choice to make as cameras on both these handsets does an excellent job. 6x however gives you dual camera DSLR style shots which Moto G5 Plus cannot, but G5 Plus can shoot more details in low light that 6x cannot. It is a bit complicated deciding which one has the best camera, cause some shots will turn out great on 6x and some shot from same angle will turn out great on G5 Plus. For those who understand photography it will be very difficult deciding which is best among these handsets as performance will be different case to case (shot to shot) basis, those who don’t understand photography it is rather easier for them to decide which is the best.
My thoughts – 6X camera features (dual cameras / simple to use camera app UI with advanced feature) and Moto G5 Plus camera (f/1.7 aperture) both combined would have been mind blowing.
Moto G5 Plus handset rating 4.3 out of 5
You can buy the Moto G5 Plus from Flipkart from Rs. 14,999 (3GB/16GB).