MOTO G5 Review

8 / 8

SCORE:

PROS

• So much tech for your cash

• Good performance
• Jazzed-up design

CONS

• A Moto G4 downgrade in some ways

KEY FEATURES

• 5-inch 1080p display
• 1.4 GHz octa-core processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB storage
• 2800 mAh battery
• 13MP camera
• Android 7
• Manufacturer: Motorola
• Review Price: 200$/2500MAD.

The Moto G5 is well equipped in almost every area. The 12-megapixel camera is reliable and gets the job done, while the Snapdragon CPU and 2 or 3GB RAM is a smooth mid-range combination that ensures there’s very little slowdown. The removable 28000 mAh battery will also get you through the day. 16GB of storage comes as standard, but there’s a microSD card slot, too. 

Unlike older models the G5 isn’t water-resistant. This is a shame, but something we can live with. There’s also no NFC, which is a shame especially with Android Pay becoming more and more common. Still, there’s got to be some corners cut to achieve this low-price.

MOTO G5 – DESIGN

The Moto G5 is a much smaller phone than the Moto G4, because it has a 5-inch screen rather than a 5.5-inch one. It’s much closer to the size of the old Moto G3. I had a chance to compare the two directly, and the Moto G5 is actually a bit wider, but slightly slimmer.

Fast charging doesn’t rely on USB-C (this phone has fast-ish charging) and USB-C doesn’t even guarantee super-fast file transfers. 

The Moto G5 has 16GB of internal storage, which is as much as you could expect at the price, and has a microSD slot. You can also remove the battery, a rarity these days.

MOTO G5 – SCREEN

The Moto G5 has a 5-inch screen. Its specs are perfect for the money, with 1080p resolution where the older Moto G generations with this size of screen used 720p panels. It’s sharper than an iPhone 7.

MOTO G5 – PERFORMANCE

One of the obvious disappointments of the Moto G5 is that it uses a lower-end processor than the Moto G4. It has the Snapdragon 430, the G4 a Snapdragon 617.

They’re both octa-core CPUs with Cortex-A53 cores, the most common kind for affordable phones at present, but where the 617’s CPU side is clocked higher, the 430 actually has a newer-generation graphics processor.

The one caveat to these positive impressions is that I’ve been using the 3GB RAM version of the Moto G5, which also adds a second SIM slot. There’s also a ‘standard’ version with 2GB RAM. 

MOTO G5 – CAMERA

The Moto G5 has a 13-megapixel camera on the back, with a single LED flash.

This phone also has a powerful HDR mode that lets you shoot in very tricky variable lighting conditions without ending up with an image that’s 50 per cent near-black.

This is largely true of the front camera too. The Moto G5 has a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

MOTO G5 – BATTERY LIFE

The Moto G5 has a 2800mAh battery that, unusually, can be removed. This means if it stops holding a good charge 18 months after buying, you can simply buy another.

The phone has semi-fast battery charging, with a 5.2W 2A (10.4 watt) charger. It’ll get you most of the way charged in an hour, but the more powerful Motorola TurboCharger used with higher-end Moto phones ramps up to 15 watts.

OVERALL SCORE

SCORES IN DETAIL

• Battery Life7
• Calls & Sound8
• Camera8
• Design8
• Performance8
• Screen Quality8
• Software9
• Value9