Moto G5 Plus (2017) review

VERDICT

Moto's good reputation in the budget phone market is likely to be furthered by the G5 Plus, It carries on the best traits from the G4 Plus, but improves upon it in some meaningful ways that could make it a no-brainer to purchase.

PROS:

• Refined design,Features Google Assistant,Appears to be a fantastic all-around value

CONS:

• Looks good, but doesn't feel as nice,Confusing configuration split

Moto's budget line just got an upgrade to the G5 generation. Unsurprisingly, Moto revealed the Moto G5 Plus, a slightly bigger version to the Moto G5 .

And just as you might expect, it has some familiar, but nevertheless worthwhile advantages over the smaller option. In this case, this phone's screen size, battery capacity, camera specs and chipset are a bump above the G5. 

For $229, getting a phone with near-stock Android Nougat with Google Assistant is a fantastic deal. Moto has arguably the best reputation in the low to midrange smartphone category and we look to the G5 Plus to be no exception.

Design

As the leaks teased at, Moto's latest lineup of budget smartphones have ditched the divisive, rubberized back for a more professional look. While many of the same design characteristics remain in tow here, like the metallic-trimmed earpiece, smooth plastic frame and micro USB port, it's all put together more cleanly than ever.

Even some features from the Moto Z make their way down to the 5.2-inch Moto G5 Plus, like the circular camera system on the back and most notably, the fingerprint sensor on the front. Last year's Moto G4 Plus also had a fingerprint sensor, but this one's improved both in speed and adding some navigation features a la the Huawei P10 . 

If you choose, you can ditch the onscreen nav keys and opt for putting all of the controls in the fingerprint sensor, pushing in for home, swiping left for back and swiping right for recent apps. It's a neat, but differentiating touch in the budget range.

Performance

Thankfully, Moto's larger phone is an upgrade on the inside as well as the outside. Like the previous iteration, the G5 Plus also features Android Nougat, but adds a most useful buddy: Google Assistant. This puts Moto's latest ahead of many that still haven't received the update.

Running the G5 Plus is the Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset, which is a slight improvement over last year's 617. Globally, Moto is releasing configurations with 2 or 3GB of RAM, but seems to be going with a slightly different offering in the US: one configuration with 2GB RAM and 32GB of storage for $229 (about ‎£189 and AU$298, though pricing unconfirmed) and another with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard memory for $299. 

Elsewhere, the high-end model stops at 3GB of RAM for €279, though official pricing has yet to be confirmed for this particular model in other regions. All said, each includes a microSD card so that storage will be less of an issue.

During our brief time with the Moto G5 Plus, we tested out the new camera system, which features a 12MP rear-facing camera with f/1.7 - a count that's among the best in the industry. This is a slight drop in megapixels from the G4 Plus, but the wider aperture should more than compensate. The rear camera can also record video in 4K UHD at 30 frames per second.

We'll have to see how it can handle different lighting scenarios in the real world, but first impressions are quite good for a phone this affordable.

Moto has gone with a 3,000mAh battery once again for the G5 Plus. So, if we're lucky, we'll see it lasting more towards two days of use on a single charge.

Early verdict

For now, the Moto G5 Plus is the only option for those in the US. Those around the world can instead opt for the smaller Moto G5 and not really lose out on a whole lot. 

However, if battery capacity, a larger screen, 4K video capture and a modest chipset are among your wished-for inclusions in a phone, you should keep an eye out for our full review coming up soon.

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