Lenovo took the wraps off the new Moto G5 Plus phone at the MWC 2017 – a phone that is coming to succeed the 2016 Moto G4 Plus, which was regarded as one of the best in the midrange family.
So, what has Motorola or Lenovo done to ensure that the Moto G5 Plus carries on with the reputation set by the Moto G4 Plus during its short period of existence? To find out, here’s a head-to-head look at the two phones in order to determine what has really changed.
Design and display
One of the first things that will appeal a smartphone buyer is the design. On this end, the Moto G5 Plus has certainly nailed it. You will come across an aluminum unibody that takes the place of the textured back and smooth metal finish of the Moto G4 Plus. However, the fingerprint scanner remains unchanged – embedded in the home button. Despite retaining its position, the shape of the scanner has changed from the square-like look of the G4 Plus into something that feels more natural to the finger.
If you saw what Lenovo did with the back camera of the Moto Z series, you won’t be surprised with what has happened to the main camera of the Moto G5 Plus. In fact, this seems to the new direction that Lenovo has taken as far as the design ethos of Moto phones are concerned.
But, perhaps, in a bid to make the device more ergonomic, Motorola went for a slightly smaller 5.2-inch display screen as opposed to the G4 Plus’ 5.5-inch panel, however, the Full HD resolution remains intact. The tech giant has also included a water repellent nano-coating to ensure that the Moto G5 Plus survives small water splashes. To protect the screen from scratches is Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3, same as what was used on the G4 Plus.
Hardware and software specs
The Moto G5 Plus has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor under the hood. This octa-core is an improvement from last year’s octa-core Snapdragon 617 used on the Moto G4 Plus. It promises faster performance, power efficiency and improved graphics. The internal storage has also been upped from 16GB to 32GB for the base model, with an option to go for a 64GB variant.
In terms of RAM, the base model gets 2GB while the high-end variant has 4GB, which is paired with a 64GB storage option, same as last year. There’s room to expand this storage by up to 128GB using a microSD card. If anything, the only major change under the hood is the new processor and a bigger base storage capacity, as for the rest the configurations, they remain unchanged.
In terms of software, both phones have the same Android 7.0 Nougat, but the Moto G4 Plus got it through an OTA update.
Camera specs
The camera of the new Moto G5 Plus is way better than the 2016 Moto G4 Plus. Where the latter has a 16MP sensor on the back with f/2.0 aperture, laser and phase detection AF, the latest Moto G5 Plus makes a shift to a 12MP sensor that boasts a much bigger aperture of f/1.7 and also gets support for 4K video recording, something that G4 Plus lacked. This sensor also boasts dual autofocus pixels that promise fast and sharp focusing capabilities that ensure you won’t miss any caption even when in motion. According to Lenovo, the Moto G5 Plus camera promises a 60% bump in focusing speeds when compared to the G4 Plus.
Battery capacity and pricing
Both Moto G5 Plus and G4 Plus have the same 3000mAh battery unit, which should deliver the same battery life depending on usage. As for the charging port, the same microUSB port is used, but this time, the phone supports fast charging technology known as TurboPower. With this technology, Lenovo says that the Moto G5 Plus will last you up to six hours after just 15 minutes of charging.
Last year, the Moto G4 Plus debuted with a price tag of $250 for the base model, but this year’s Moto G5 Plus is slightly cheaper at $229 for the base model. The unlocked variant will work with all major U.S. carriers.