Motorola Moto G5 Plus

MOTOROLA’S LATEST AFFORDABLE PHABLET GETS BETTER DESIGN AND SPECS, BUT KEEPS THE NICE LOW PRICE.

EQUIPPED WITH MOTO’S TURBO POWER TECHNOLOGY, THE G5 PLUS WENT FROM 0–20% CHARGE IN 15 MINUTES AND WAS FULLY CHARGED IN A TOTAL OF 85 MINUTES.

REFRESHED FROM TOP to bottom (and on the inside, too), Motorola’s G5 Plus is its latest ‘budget flagship’ and it’s one that’s been redefined since last year’s G4 Plus — even though it perhaps didn’t have to be. The big picture remains the same, however: if you’re strapped for cash but still want the latest Android 7.0 (aka Nougat) OS and an impressive list of premium features, the G5 Plus is the go.

Available in Australia in ‘lunar grey’ or ‘fine gold’, the bezels give off a glossy look and are complemented nicely by the metallic effect on the trim, transitioning into soft, brushed metal on the back which provides a good amount of grip and avoids attracting fingerprints.

Sitting front and centre of the G5 Plus is its capable 5.2-inch 1080p LCD. Indoors and out, the IPS display was clearly readable and multimedia is a bit more vibrant than in Moto’s previous budget entries. In part, that’s thanks to the new settings menu that tweaks the colours of the screen, a welcome feature for those who like to have options.

While the previous iterations came with the Google Now launcher, the new phone’s software more closely resembles that of the Google Pixel, and also sports the Google Assistant. There’s also an app that is aptly titled ‘Moto’, unlocking some interesting features like ‘twist to open camera’ and ‘chop twice for flashlight’. But more impressive is the debut of the inventive one-button navigation. To reach the Home screen, you quickly tap the fingerprint scanner once. To look at recent apps, tap and swipe right. Going back is a simple swipe left.

More broadly, the new Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC and Adreno 506 GPU used by the G5 Plus offer a small, albeit noticeable, speed boost over the G4 Plus. The Australian models come with either a 3GB RAM/16GB ROM configuration available from most retailers, or 4GB RAM/32GB ROM exclusively from the Motorola store.

Moto promises all-day performance from its 3,000mAh battery, but during our testing, it was actually common for the phone to last longer than its advertised runtime. Equipped with Moto’s TurboPower technology, the G5 Plus went from 0–20% charge in 15 minutes and was fully charged in a total of 85 minutes.

The rear camera sensor in the G5 Plus is now 12MP — actually a step down from last year’s 16MP — but it’s now capable of better low-light shooting thanks to the aperture boost from f/2.2 to f/1.7, and captures larger 1.4-micron pixels in each photograph. In theory, this should boast accurate lighting and cut back on the amount of noise present, but the overall camera performance was so-so.

You’ll also be able to shoot video in 4K at 30 frames per second, but this doesn’t magically turn your footage into Hollywood-calibre gold. While detailed, our results were shaky, slow to focus with colours muddled slightly throughout. There are few places where this phone shows its budget roots and this is one of them.

While what’s at the core of the new phone is simply a welcome step up over last year’s, it will likely mark a change in perception of the G series — if not for the design, then for inclusions like Google Assistant and other inventive features like the one-button navigation on the fingerprint sensor.