Review of the smartphone Moto G5 Plus: harmony and balance

At the end of February at the MWC 2017, Lenovo introduced a new line of smartphones Moto G5. Recently, we have to review visited Junior Moto G5, and now the editor of the report and a more advanced version of Moto G5 Plus. Judging by previous generation, the designation of “Plus” in the name of Moto smartphones does not necessarily mean a larger display: G4, and G4 Plus 5.5 inch, has some characteristics that set and the presence of a thumbprint scanner. A new line of Moto G5 is significantly different from its predecessors: the screens are smaller, has a metallic back cover, updated hardware, and in appearance it was little in common. Moto G5 features a 5-inch screen and a removable back cover, senior Moto G5 Plus has got 5.2 inches, the cover is already fixed, the main camera and hardware are better.

What is interesting about the Moto G5 Plus?

Moto G5 Plus is the smartphone of an average price category with a 5.2-inch FullHD IPS-screen, 64 bit OCTA core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, 3 GB RAM, 32 GB of internal expandable memory, support for two SIM-cards, MicroSD card and a thumbprint scanner, which changed its shape, now is slightly recessed and can perform the functions of the navigation buttons. The main camera has a resolution of 12 megapixels, aperture of f/1.7, equipped with a laser, phase Dual Pixel autofocus and dual led flash. Powered smartphone from a relatively small battery at 3000 mAh, but this should be sufficient, given the relatively small diagonal and energy efficient processor. Supported quick charge TurboCharge. Traditionally smartphone Moto G5 Plus runs on almost pure Android OS 7.0 Nougat.

What’s in the kit?

The smartphone comes in a large cardboard box with a bright green color. Inside the smartphone, a charger TurboCharge, MicroUSB cable, tool eject tray and manual. The set is almost standard, but pleased with the presence of memory with a fast charger, which not all manufacturers supply with their smartphones. The power supply itself has the usual Moto form, it is the same as came with last year’s models:

Looks like Moto G4 Plus?

A new line of Moto G5 in appearance more reminiscent of the flagship model of the Z, even though the plugins are not supported. This gave the opportunity to make the shapes more rounded. The sharp corners of the smartphone are not available, the entire front panel is covered with a protective glass around the screen has quite a wide frame. Wider than the once flagship LG G2, which has long been my primary smartphone. Moto G5 Plus bigger, it is not positioned as the flagship model, so it’s forgivable. Unlike most modern smartphones, without the curved glass edges, but instead has a small rim, which (in theory) may protect the screen if dropped. Below the screen are placed oval fingerprint scanner, it is slightly recessed. He touch button that can be used instead of on-screen navigation buttons. A similar solution is used in smartphones Meizu. In the last line (as in Z) skarin was square and resembled a button, although it was not:

Above the screen is spoken and only the external speaker (it sounds, by the way, very mediocre, and is located not too successfully), sensors, front camera and the inscription Moto:

The frame is made of gray plastic and has a rounded shape. On the left side buttons control volume and power. The power button with a textured surface, so place it accurately:

The bottom features the microphone, 3.5 mm headphone Jack and MicroUSB. It looks like the company decided to switch to more modern and convenient USB Type-C yet only in flagship smartphones:

On the right there are no functional elements:

The tray placed on the top of the phone:

It is the same as in more expensive models Moto Z Play: c-one side — two slots for nanoSIM cards, on the other hand — MicroSD:

The main part of the rear panel is made of aluminum. Bottom the technical information:

In the middle of the rear panel is a large, embossed logo Moto, and above it — a large round camera module that protrudes slightly from the housing. It is very similar to that in the line Under Z. optics hosted a two-tone flash next to laser focus:

Perhaps the last Moto that caused me excited was the Moto X Style and X Force, after the experiments of the company was less successful, although to say that “everything is bad” is also impossible. Moto G5 Plus solidly made of practical materials and is pretty well original and looks very good in the hand. I guess the design decision model will not please everyone, but to me the appearance of the smartphone is quite nice. Of useful things in the Moto G5 Plus migrated water-repellent coating, like in older models.

How good is the screen?

The Moto G5 Plus is set 5.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080, the pixel density is around 423 ppi. Used very good quality IPS-matrix with a pleasant (to the eye) color and typical for IPS wide viewing angles. At the extreme points of the colors are not distorted, only down the brightness:

Supply of brightness is very decent, the screen is readable even under direct sunlight in the almost summer weather:

The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 with very good quality oleophobic coating.

For those who want to know more

The smartphone is pre-installed utility with two modes of display: normal (more realistic colors) and bright (more bright and intense color). As shown by the results of measurements by a colorimeter, the difference in numbers between them is minimal:

Measurements with a colorimeter showed in “Normal” mode is a very decent supply of brightness 416.439 CD/m², brightness of the black field 0.468 CD/m² and a contrast ratio of 890:1, impressive for a middle class model. Both err on the too much blue and a slight lack of red, a familiar situation for most modern smartphone IPS screens. The screen goes to a slightly cool colors, color temperature in the range 8500-9000K, a color gamut close to sRGB, the chart shows that there is a slight flaw in green and red:

Overall the screen is very good, considering the class of the smartphone. Comparison with other models:

How are things going with performance?

The Moto G5 Plus installed is not the most productive, but (as shown) is very successful from the point of view of efficiency, the processor of the middle class 625 Qualcomm Snapdragon with maximum clock frequency of 2 GHz, it is supplemented by 3 GB of RAM. Good typical configuration of a modern smartphone middle class. Needless to say, the “naked” Android flies, with applications also, everything is in order, and most modern games go without problems. Small brakes are observed only in the latest Injustice 2, though I would not rule out the probability curve optimization. The case does not get hot under load.

Internal memory of 32 GB, which is not bad, plus a full separate slot for MicroSD, so zoom not working. Moreover, Android allows you to combine vnutrenniy memory and map into a single array (a function of Adoptable storage). The smartphone has dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz, Bluetooth version 4.2 LE and NFC. The set of wireless interfaces, which has become almost standard for smartphones in the medium price segment. I think that the number of users for a complete happiness is not enough only infrared port to control home electronics. 3.5 mm earphone Jack the company is not removed and it is on the lower end, it is convenient to use the smartphone as a player. The sound quality of the headphones is so-so, although for the average user and may be enough. There’s FM radio:

GPS module running quickly, on-street location is determined for 10 seconds max:

The smartphone has a removable battery 3000 mAh. Not a record, but with this hardware, the screen is enough. When under significant load: 20-30 minutes of calls, always-on Wi-Fi, 3G, constant synchronization, heap accounts, about 2 hours web surfing, social. networks and games, the smartphone easily lasts a day and a half. To get two full days of slightly reducing the load — no problem. A nice bonus — fast charging TurboCharger in the kit, thanks to which you can charge your smartphone in less than 2 hours.

For those who want to know more

Processor, and indeed this configuration, we repeatedly came across, so any revelations in the benchmarks should not be expected. Recall, Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 is a 64 — bit processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 with eight ARM Cortex A53 cores that run at a clock frequency up to 2 GHz, Adreno 506 c clock frequency of 650 MHz. It is made for 14-nm process, which is very positive impact on energy efficiency, especially in comparison with the predecessor 617-m and 650-mi models. It is interesting to wait for something on the new 630 and 660 on dragons, they should be even more interesting. RAM in the smartphone 3 GB, benchmark results are:

That software and additional features?

In smartphones Moto is traditionally used almost pure Android OS, the company also focuses. The Moto G5 Plus uses Android 7.0 Nougat in almost pure form so that details in it to consider nothing. All standard desktops with widgets and folders, plus a separate menu of apps:

It is called swipe from the bottom up from the corresponding icon on the screen instead of separate buttons, as it was before. There is the search applications and the most used at the top of the list:

Standard curtain with notifications and switches, the order of which you can change at your discretion:

Application Manager with the ability to switch to two-window mode:

Setting the unlocking fingerprints are organized in a standard way, the scanner works very quickly and precisely, almost never misses:

Now for a small bonus Moto. For the most part functions are the same as in the previous models (launching the flashlight and camera gestures), they added a couple more possibilities:

You can now start navigation using the fingerprint scanner: touch returns home, swipe to the left and right are responsible for the functions of the virtual buttons back and the application Manager. The virtual navigation bar disappears from the screen. Plus there is the gesture for operating mode with a reduced screen for comfortable operation with one hand:

And it is like an Always on Display from Moto: the screen displays the clock and current notifications when the phone is pick up (or move on the table). Simple and convenient:

As usual with the Moto, everything runs smoothly, but in Android only added some really useful additional features that absolutely do not strain and do not ship the smartphone.

How are things going with the camera?

The camera app is proprietary, it moved from last year’s lineup virtually unchanged. Everything is simple: on the main screen is the shutter button, change the camera, flash and HDR, timer descent and switch. Settings are activated by a swipe from left to right. There is a separate fully manual mode and slow motion:

The company has focused on the fact that the Moto G5 Plus is equipped with high-quality main camera 12 megapixel with an aperture of F/1.7, laser phase and Dual Pixel autofocus. Front camera: 5 MP, f/2.2 aperture. The main camera records video in 4K at 30 frames per second, FullHD 60 fps and 720p 120 fps (slow motion). Somewhere in the comments flashed the phrase, “the camera as in Samsung Galaxy S7”. Actually it is not, the number of megapixels and the same aperture don’t make cameras the same. But given the price tag, Moto G5 Plus takes really very sensible. Daytime photos are great, night need a little work, but to get a decent image is also quite real. According to subjective impressions, it is really a bit better than the nearest competitor Huawei Nova:

Examples video:

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The bottom line

If the price tag of conventional Moto G5 looks slightly overstated, given the availability of cheaper, but more interesting to equip the Chinese with the Moto G5 Plus the situation is slightly different and the amount of 8000 UAH does not look so unreasonable: the closest competitors are rather more expensive Huawei Nova similar cost Huawei GR5 2017 and a little cheaper Meizu MX6 in which the company finally managed to make a decent camera. The smartphone is equipped with high-quality and bright display, well built with quality materials. Let the design on the fan, but in hand the smartphone is very good. Iron inside the typical smartphone middle segment, uses a good energy-efficient Snapdragon 625, partly thanks to him the battery of 3000 mAh allows the smartphone to live for half a day or two. Absent as such shell and runs on stock Android with a few useful additions, so the smartphone is not slow and buggy. To the advantages is a tray with separate spaces for two SIM-cards and MicroSD and a very good quality main camera. Did not like the smartphone is really large by today’s standards, borders on the perimeter of the square could be used more efficiently and to reduce slightly the size. The sound external dynamics, its location (and the sound in the headphones) can’t please. Well, from a very personal quibbles — I would like to have USB Type-C: it is very I got used to it over the past year and a half.

5 reasons to buy Moto G5 Plus:

• Excellent screen with a good stock of brightness;
• quality materials, Assembly and convenient form;
• good camera (in its class);
• fast and accurate fingerprint scanner with additional functionality;
• almost pure Android latest version.

2 reasons not to buy Moto G5 Plus:

• unreasonably wide frame around the display (and size, respectively);
• mediocre sound external speaker and headphones.

For those that want to know more: