Lenovo updates its bestselling model range with the Moto G5 and G5 Plus

The affordable smartphone segment is a hotly contested one but Lenovo believes that it has the right stuff to sway price-sensitive buyers. The Moto G5 and G5 Plus are the latest smartphones to come from Lenovo that promises a premium-feel and comparable specifications at an attractive price.

To deliver the premium feel, aluminium was chosen as a construction material because according to Lenovo’s Global Mobile Value Index Survey among 12,000 people over nine countries, 48% of users prefer smartphones made out of metal.

Both the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus run Android 7.0 Nougat. Both have aluminium cases and that is where the similarities end. In terms of specs, don’t expect cutting-edge hardware, these are products designed to meet a price point after all.

Moto G5

The Moto G5 has a 5-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 430 processor (clocked at 1.4Ghz), 16 to 32GB of storage that is expandable to 256GB with MicroSD and 2 to 3GB of RAM depending on markets. The 13MP f/2.0 rear camera shoots 1080p videos. It’s nothing much but the camera is not bad and the phase detection autofocus (PDAF) is quick too. The 2,800 mAh battery is removable and there’s a 5MP front camera if you like taking selfies. There’s a front-mounted fingerprint sensor and that’s pretty much it.

Moto G5 Plus

The Moto G5 Plus is slightly larger with slightly better hardware than the Moto G5. You get a larger 5.2-inch display but it is still Full HD resolution. The Snapdragon 625 2.0GHz processor is better than the Snapdragon 430 in the Moto G5. Depending on markets, onboard storage ranges from 32GB to 64GB with 2 to 4GB of RAM. Storage is expandable to 256GB with MicroSD. And of course, there’s a front-mounted fingerprint sensor as well.

Lenovo says the Moto G5 Plus has the “the most advanced camera in its class”. It has a 12MP f/1.7 rear camera with Dual Autofocus Pixels that delivers a claimed 60% faster autofocus than the Moto G4 Plus. Our quick playtime with the Moto G5 Plus revealed that the camera is very responsive and fast to focus. The image quality produced is not bad either. It’s not the best you can get but considering the budget positioning of the device, it’s not bad.

To wrap up the Moto G5 Plus has a 3,000 mAh battery with TurboPower fast-charging giving six hours of usage from just 15 minutes of charging.

The Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus will be available beginning in March in various countries across Latin America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and North America but there’s no official date for Malaysia yet. In Europe, the Moto G5 starts from €199 (around RM936) with 2GB RAM/16GB storage while the Moto G5 Plus starts from €279 (around RM1,313) for 3GB RAM/32GB storage. Expect devices to be cheaper when they enter the Malaysian market — if they do.

Photos shot on Sony a6300.