Moto G5 Plus First Impressions: Is it the new budget king?

Moto G5 Plus comes at a starting price of Rs. 14,999 exclusively on Flipkart.com

By Rohit
|

Motorola has finally launched the company's latest budget smartphone- Moto G5 Plus in the Indian market. The new smartphone will be exclusively available on Flipkart at a starting price of Rs 14,999 for the 3GB+16GB variant, and at Rs. 16,999 for the 4GB+32GB variant. Motorola will also launch the Moto G5 handset in the Indian market; however the company hasn't specified any launch date for the smartphone.

 
Moto G5 Plus First Impressions: Is it the new budget king?

Moto G5 Plus improves on its predecessor (Moto G4 Plus) in terms of design, hardware, and camera and runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the box. The smartphone was recently showcased at the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017, along with Moto G5.

Moto G5 Plus will fight the likes of Honor 6X, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Coolpad Cool 1 Dual and other smartphones priced around Rs. 15,000 in the Indian market.

SEE ALSO: Moto G5 Plus BuyBack Guarantee announced by Flipkart prior to the launch

Here are our first impressions of the latest Moto sensation.

Design: Moto G line-up finally goes metallic

Design: Moto G line-up finally goes metallic

The Moto G line-up is finally getting a makeover that was long overdue. Moto G5 Plus is carved out of diamond cut aluminum that makes it quite sturdy and certainly the most premium Moto G handset ever came out from Moto's factory. Motorola also says that the dual-SIM handset is splash proof, just like the previous Moto G4 Plus.

The physical buttons are placed on the right side, the 3.5mm headphone jacks sits at top and the micro USB charging port is placed at the bottom. The fingerprint scanner is fitted on the home button at front that also supports gestures.

What truly differentiates the look and feel of the new Moto G handset from the multitude of Chinese smartphones selling in the market is the big circular camera module fitted at the rear panel. This reminds us of the recently launched Moto Z handsets, and gives the G5 Plus a unique personality.

For the ergonomics part, the Moto G5 Plus is really comfortable to hold and to use with one hand. The handset's smaller footprint combined with the metal outfit makes it compact, sturdy and refined when compared to the previous Moto G4 Plus.

Display: Vibrant Full HD (1080p) displays with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
 

Display: Vibrant Full HD (1080p) displays with Corning Gorilla Glass protection

I am delighted by the fact that Motorola has differentiated the screen sizes of the Moto G5 Plus and Moto G5, rather than offering the same 5.5-inches, which was standard for both the variants of Moto G4 handsets.

I believe this makes perfect sense if you are introducing two variants at of the same device. Consumers who prefer a large screen to watch movies and to play games can buy Moto G5 Plus and the ones who need a handy smartphone can go for the smaller Moto G5; however that doesn't mean Moto G5 Plus is a bulky device. It is one of the most ergonomic handset we have tested in a while.

Talking about the screen resolutions and other important aspects, Moto G5 Plus flaunts a Full HD panel giving 1920x1080p resolution. The display is quite vibrant and colors pop out really well.

The pixel count of 424ppi makes everything look crisp; however I found that it is not very bright in outdoor conditions. We will evaluate its performance in the full review of the handset. Motorola is also offering Corning Gorilla Glass protection to protect the screen from accidental damages.

 

Camera: 12MP rear camera that can record 4K Ultra HD

Camera: 12MP rear camera that can record 4K Ultra HD

Moto G5 Plus is backed by a 12MP rear camera with f/1.7 aperture. The camera sensor has dual autofocus pixel technology that as per Motorola makes it the most advanced camera in its class.

The camera sensors now support phase detection autofocus, which was missing in the previous generation Moto G handsets. In my brief time with the smartphones, the camera app performed really well and the pictures came out to be bright and vibrant. The 5MP front camera also captures decent selfies.

The camera offers a number of modes- professional mode, slow motion, etc. and can also record 4K Ultra HD videos at 30 frames per second. I will evaluate the camera's complete potential while reviewing the smartphones later this month.

 

Processor and RAM: Octa-core Snapdragon 625 Chipset paired with 3GB and 4GB RAM

Processor and RAM: Octa-core Snapdragon 625 Chipset paired with 3GB and 4GB RAM

The Moto G5 Plus uses a 2.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, which is quite capable of handling everyday tasks with an ease and can also deliver when pushed to limits.

In our brief usage, the smartphone worked without any performance lags, however we will stress test the handset to find its full potential in the coming week. Moto G5 Plus will be available in 3GB and 4GB RAM variants.

 

Software: The almost stock Android 7.0 experience

Software: The almost stock Android 7.0 experience

One of the best things about Motorola smartphones is their stock Android user experience. The trend continues with the new Moto G5 Plus as the handset skips any unwanted skins or bloatware that can hamper the user experience.

The smartphone runs on the latest Android Nougat out-of-the box and also comes loaded with Google Assistant, the voice-assistant we have seen previously in Google Pixel handsets. You can check a demo of its performance in the first impression video of Moto G5 Plus on our Gizbot YouTube channel.

Coming on the software performance, the stock launcher is very responsive and apps fire up quickly without any performance lags.

 

Storage, Battery and Connectivity

Storage, Battery and Connectivity

Motorola is offering Moto G5 Plus in 32GB and 64GB variants and you also get microSD card slot to expand the in-built memory by up o 128GB. Moto G5 is backed by a 3,000mAH battery unit that also supports Turbo charging. The dual-SIM handset supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC and GPS.

Verdict

Verdict

Continuing the Moto legacy of offering reliable, feature loaded and affordable Android handsets, the new G5 Plus is bound to please consumers in India.

The smartphone now offer the much desired metal body, the latest Android 7.0 Nougat experience with Google Assistant, decent hardware and seems to deliver better camera performance.

All it comes down to the fact that consumers in Indian market now have an amazing budget Android smartphones that presents the right combination of hardware and software at a pocket friendly price-point.

We will take a closer look on the handset later this month to give a final verdict. Till then, stay tuned on GIZBOT for more updates on technology.

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