Showing posts with label Cheap. Show all posts
Moto G5 Plus review
Moto has announced that the G5 Plus will receive the upgrade to Android Oreo in the following months. It won't revolutionize the way you use the phone, but notification dots, a retooling of the way apps work in the background, as well as picture-in-picture mode, make for some exciting additions.
While flagship makers battle for the top spot with small bezels and pixel-perfect cameras, Motorola has been winning a more quiet, but equally important fight: to offer desired features in a phone without costing too much.
Speaking of features, the new Moto G5 Plus has them in spades. A fingerprint sensor, generous heaps of internal storage with microSD support, Google Assistant, fast charging, GSM and CDMA compatibility. The list goes on.
In that regard, it isn’t a far cry of last year's value-packed Moto G4 Plus - not that you’d even know the two were related by looking at them.
Refreshed from top to bottom (and on the inside, too), the Moto G5 Plus has redefined itself and it didn't even have to.
If you’re strapped for cash, but still want the latest Android Nougat software (with Oreo on the way), this year’s model is on sale for $229 (£249, AU pricing not disclosed at time of review), which is actually a little bit cheaper than the G4 Plus. How often do you see phone prices going down instead of up?
Previous owners and newcomers alike will find a lot to enjoy here for the price. So much so that minor exclusions like NFC (this feature is available outside of the US), the non-removable back and the so-so camera performance don’t detract much from the experience or the value. Though, if those features are absolutely key, you’ll want to spend a little more on some of the other best cheap phones.
- Starts at $229 (£249, AU$399) – cheaper than the Moto G4 Plus
- Supports GSM and CDMA networks out of the box
- Available now globally
- Even cheaper with Amazon lockscreen ads in the US
Though most will have the luxury to decide between this and the Moto G5, the plus-sized phone is the only option available to those in the US. The lack of choice is a downer, but thankfully, this phone leaves almost nothing to be desired for the cost.
In the US, it has launched at $229 for the 2GB RAM model with 32GB of internal storage. At that price, it’s slightly cheaper than the Moto G4 Plus, which offered us less for the money in the way of internal storage and a weaker Snapdragon 617 system on chip (SoC).
For $299, you can pick up the US-exclusive model that comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of flash storage.
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you’ll snag a discount on each model: $184 and $239, respectively. The only caveats worth mentioning here is that you’ll be fed ads on the lockscreen and each phone will have some non-removable apps. However, this significant discount will certainly be worth it for some.
Depending on where you are in the world, the configurations available differ a bit.
In the Asia-Pacific region? You have two models to choose from: one with 16GB of storage/3GB RAM and one with 32GB/4GB RAM. In Latin America, there is but one model available with 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. To those in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East region, the only G5 Plus available has 32GB of storage with 3GB of RAM. Confusing, we know.
In the UK, you’ll be able to snag Moto G5 Plus for £249. Last, but not least, the model is available in Australia starting at AU$399.
Thankfully, any version that you pick up is compatible on both CDMA and GSM networks. On Verizon and planning a switch to AT&T, or vice versa? You’re all set with this single phone. Feel free to swap between networks on the fly, or if you’re like me, toss in a Project Fi SIM card that works with both CDMA and GSM and get the best of both worlds.
The fact that Moto can add this broad compatibility across networks in its budget phone lineup is impressive and frankly, all other manufacturers should be taking notes.
- Revamped design makes it no longer feel like a budget device
- Borrows from the Moto Z, but carves out a confident look on its own
- Concave, multi-purpose fingerprint sensor is Moto’s best yet
The Moto G5 Plus takes affordable smartphone design to the next level with a build quality that more closely mimics that of an expensive flagship phone.
Sure, the Moto G4 Plus could be considered good looking in its own right. It was on cue with what we’d expect out of a mid-range phone rolled into a budget handset. But not everyone liked the rubberized back when they equate aluminum or glass with top-tier quality.
This phone is completely made-over and almost unrecognizable next to its previous iteration, which in just about every way is a good thing.
At 150.2 x 74 x 7.7 - 9.7mm, this new phone from Moto trims but a few millimeters from the length and width and has a similar thickness to that of the G4 Plus. Factoring in the reduction from the 5.5-inch screen down to 5.2 inches and the end result is a device that’s easier to hold in the palm.
The slim earpiece cutout and fingerprint sensor on the front borrows from the Moto Z’s styling. If anything, we prefer the feel of the sensor on the G5 Plus more because of its concave design, which makes it easier to find when you’re not looking at the phone.
Set to release in lunar grey and fine gold color options (Moto provided us with the latter for review), the bezels give off a glossy look and are complemented nicely by the metallic effect on the trim that surrounds the phone. We usually see manufacturers opting for a chamfered edge here, so it’s cool to see Moto bucking convention.
From there, the G5 Plus transitions on its back into soft, brushed metal that provides a good amount of grip while avoiding common smartphone plagues, like carrier-specific branding and attracting fingerprints. As far as buttons and ports go, the G5 Plus plays host to the usual suspects.
On the right side, you’ll find a volume rocker placed above the notched power button. The nanoSIM and microSD card slot sits atop of the device, while the micro USB port and 3.5mm jack occupy its bottom.
Sitting front and center of the G5 Plus is its 5.2-inch Full HD (1080p) screen. A phone is usually only as good as its display and thankfully, this one doesn’t disappoint.
While we take every opportunity to bash manufacturers for not taking the leap to QHD (1440p) in more expensive devices -hrm, Sony -, FHD resolution suits Moto’s latest just fine. Games with a lot of detailed art look fantastic and VR experiences with the best Google Cardboard games will look just fine with its 424 pixel-per-inch (PPI) screen.
Though, due to Google Daydream’s tough guidelines that only let in phones that have OLED screen tech running at 2K, the G5 Plus will have to keep dreaming.
Indoor and out, the IPS display was clearly readable and multimedia is more vibrant than in Moto’s previous budget entries. This is in part thanks to the new settings menu that tweaks the colors of the screen, a welcome feature for those who like to have options.
- Comes with Android Nougat, complete with Google Assistant, stock apps and Pixel-like interface. Android Oreo is on its way soon.
- Moto’s built-in software features make this phone into something unique
- Swipe-activated fingerprint sensor is awesome
Some phone makers insist on heavily remixing stock Android software, but Moto is not one of them. Following closely in the steps of Nexus and Pixel smartphones, the Moto G5 Plus does very little to stray for Google’s vision for Android Nougat.
Soon, Moto will be rolling out an update to Android Oreo, but until then, Nougat will have to do.
While the Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus and Moto G4 Play came with the Google Now launcher, the new phone’s software more closely resembles that of the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL. Instead of an app drawer button, you simply slide a finger up from the bottom to reveal all of your apps.
Of course, you’re free to install the launcher of your choosing, but this refined user interface is at its peak and a lot of people are really going to enjoy it.
All of Google’s stock apps are here, like Phone, Messaging and Contacts. There are even a few surprises built-in, like Duo and Wallpapers and Google Assistant.
There is a little bit of Moto in the mix, too. There’s an app that is aptly titled “Moto” on the homescreen by default and it’s your shortcut to unlocking some interesting features baked into the device.
We’ve seen most of these before, like “twist to open camera” and “chop twice for flashlight”. But making its debut here is the inventive one button navigation.
Once activated, the capacitive navigation buttons that you’re used to disappear and shifts those duties to the fingerprint sensor.
To go home, quickly tap it once. To look at recent apps, tap and swipe right. Going back is a simple swipe left. Like the Moto Z, you can put the phone in sleep mode with the fingerprint sensor as a more accessible alternative to the power button. To do this, just touch it a little longer than a tap, but shorter than a long press. Sounds confusing, but it’s executed pretty well.
Once activated, the capacitive navigation buttons that you’re used to disappear and shifts those duties to the fingerprint sensor.
To go home, quickly tap it once. To look at recent apps, tap and swipe right. Going back is a simple swipe left. Like the Moto Z, you can put the phone in sleep mode with the fingerprint sensor as a more accessible alternative to the power button. To do this, just touch it a little longer than a tap, but shorter than a long press. Sounds confusing, but it’s executed pretty well.
In addition to making navigation easier with the fingerprint sensor, Moto has also implemented the Google Assistant to let you do more with your voice. You can either long press the fingerprint sensor or simply bring your phone to attention with “OK, Google”.
Lastly, Moto earns points for its smart display tech. When you move your hand over the phone, a screen lights up that shows notifications and lets you pause music. It’s a nice quality of life touch that makes interacting with the G5 Plus faster and easier.
Music, movies and gaming
- Delivers a solid multimedia experience on a budget
- 3.5mm jack and Bluetooth 4.2 support wired and wireless headphones
- Vibrant Full HD display makes movies look crisp at 1080p
- Faster Snapdragon 625 and extra RAM helps games run smoothly, too
If you want true multimedia bliss, the Moto Z is definitely the best option offered by Motorola. But that G5 Plus is certainly no slouch and in fact, it one-ups its flagship sibling right out of the gate.
Starting with music, the G5 Plus comes with a 3.5mm headset and Bluetooth 4.2 to ensure that both wired and wireless tech adopters are suited. As you may remember, the Moto Z and Moto Z Force omitted the wired option following the Apple’s controversial decision with the iPhone 7, only to bring it back in the Moto Z Play.
This device comes stocked with Google Play Music as its music player by default, but you’re free as always to load on whichever music streaming service that you’d prefer.
As it does for music, Moto’s budget device calls upon Google’s suite of video apps, Google Play Movies and YouTube to provide what you’re looking for. Like the G4 Plus, the G5 Plus a 1080p display, though it looks plenty vibrant and crisp for its size. Overall, the quality is as expected, but is nevertheless impressive considering the low price tag.
Lastly, your gaming experience on this phone will depend on the types of games you like to play. The classics work without a hitch and even newer titles, like Fire Emblem Heroes and Hearthstone, look stunning and are each a smooth, enjoyable experience on the G5 Plus.
Whatever it is you enjoy doing on a phone for entertainment, the built-in microSD slot that supports up to 128GB of extra adoptable storage will keep the party rolling for quite some time.
Specs and performance benchmark explained
- Enough power to multitask without a hitch and run the latest games
- Matches (and in some regions, exceeds) the specs of the Moto Z Play for cheaper, sans Mods
Moto’s G series has always worked against the idea that a low price phone can’t be thoughtfully constructed or packed full of competent specs, and that baton has been passed on to the G5 Plus.
You certainly won’t find a Snapdragon 835 inside, but the Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC is a small, albeit noticeable speed boost over the 617 inside of the Moto G4 Plus. Also improved inside of that package is the Adreno 506 graphics processing unit (GPU) that operates at a higher clock speed than what was found in last year’s model.
Our review unit has 4GB of RAM inside, so it’s the top of the line in Moto’s G5 lineup in the US (and anywhere else, for that matter).
In fact, that puts it higher than the 3GB of RAM-equipped Moto Z Play if you’re just comparing specs. During our time with it, we spent no time waiting on hanging menus, and multitasking with Nougat’s split-window feature didn’t slow this phone down at all.
When put through its paces on Geekbench 4, the Moto G5 Plus spit out an average of 3,824 for the multicore score. Oddly, that’s well above the 2,600 score put forward by the Moto Z Play, which aside from the 3GB of RAM, matches this new budget phone completely. We think it’s fair to attribute this to inconsistencies in the benchmarking app and/or vast performance improvements from Nougat over Android Marshmallow. One shouldn’t place too much confidence in those scores, anyway.
Wondering where the Moto Mods are? Like you, we were hoping to see them appear on the G series one day. And thankfully, Motorola didn’t totally rule out Moto Mod coming to the budget line when we asked at MWC 2017. But seeing as this Moto G5 Plus is similarly specced to the Moto Z Play, the lack of modular support is a let-down.
- No batter increase over the G4 Plus, but that’s not a bad thing
- Impressive fast-charge technology for a budget phone
In some ways, the Moto G5 Plus couldn’t be more different from its predecessor. But when it comes to the battery inside this time around, it’s quite similar.
At 3,000mAh, the capacity offered up is on par for a phone this size. Moto promises all-day performance, so the baseline target for this budget phone is one day before it taps out. During our testing, it was common for the phone to last longer than its advertised lifespan. Obviously, your results will vary depending on your work (or play) load, but the G5 Plus easily meets the mark of a day of battery life.
It’s really no surprise, given that an 90-minute HD movie only drained 12% of the battery.
Although this phone can last quite a while without a charge, plugging it into the included charger once it’s dead reveals another neat trick: it can return to form very quickly. Equipped with Moto’s TurboPower technology, the G5 Plus went from 0-20% in 15 minutes. After another half hour, it reached 62%. And finally, it became fully charged in a total of 85 minutes.
- Captures bigger pixels, but the results don’t really show
- 4K video looks good on paper, but 1080p at 60FPS is the star here
Moto’s camera software is becoming a favorite and the app is fast to boot and capture
If you’re a numbers person, the changes in the camera department from last year’s G4 Plus might be setting off an alarm.
The rear sensor in the G5 Plus is now 12MP, moved down from 16MP. But in its stead are some worthwhile improvements that are worth the exchange.
For instance, the main camera is now capable of better low light shooting thanks to the aperture boost from f/2.2 to f/1.7. The sensor now captures larger 1.4-micron pixels in each photograph, which in theory boasts accurate lighting and cuts back on the amount of noise present.
You’ll also be able to shoot video in 4K at 30 frames per second (FPS) - 1080p at 30FPS was the threshold of the G4 Plus. What we discovered from the G5 Plus is that being able to shoot in 4K doesn’t magically turn your footage into Hollywood-caliber gold. While detailed, our results were shaky, slow to focus with colors muddled slightly throughout. There are few places where this phone shows its budget roots and this is one of them.
Lastly, though the specs of its front facing camera haven’t changed one bit, Moto has added its professional and beautification modes to this end. Now, you can modify your shots and tweak your results with both cameras of this budget device.
As someone who uses the Google Pixel XL as a daily driver and main camera, more or less, it quickly becomes apparent how far behind every other phone is. Obviously, the Moto G5 Plus is on the opposite side of the pricing spectrum and it’s unfair to compare the two directly. And while serviceable, I can fairly state that I was a little disappointed with the camera performance here.
It’s hard to expect brilliance at this low price tag, and yes, it is possible to take some nice shots if you have an eye and a steady hand for it. But you may not want to toss out your point-and-shoot just yet.
Moto has improved its less-than-stellar reputation for bad imaging in the past few years, but the G5 Plus isn’t a good indicator of that progress.
Photos were generally murky and lacked the sharp details and colors that we expected to be captured from each scene, especially considering the large pixels. Testing its low-light chops ended with mixed results. It captured photos with enough detail to satisfy, but mixed in the same haze and overblown lights that we saw during the day.
Check out the results in the slideshow below. As you’ll see, still photos are another area where the Moto G5 Plus lives up its its budget reputation, and doesn't in anyway exceed it.
 |
| The contrast doesn't pop as much as it should, but this is one of its better shots. |
Despite the so-so performance of the camera hardware, Moto’s camera software is really starting to become a favorite. It’s intuitive, feature-packed and it boots quickly, whether you launch it from the app, the twist-to-open Moto action, or by double tapping the power button.
Motorola is continuing its hot streak in the budget market with the Moto G5 Plus. Flagship features and design have slowly trickled down to the mid-range and it’s good to see Moto absorbing this trend on the low-end. Finally, it longer looks or feels like a budget phone.
While what’s at the core of the new phone is simply a welcome jump over last year’s, it will likely mark a change in perception of the G series. If not for the design, then for inclusions like Google Assistant and other inventive features like the one-button navigation on the fingerprint sensor.
The quality of the images taken with the G5 Plus are the low point here. Otherwise, our biggest gripes with it are centered around what it could be, not what we wished it wasn’t.
For those on a budget, but who don’t want to sacrifice decent performance to save some money.
Android Nougat with Google Assistant, Moto’s slick (and light) custom touches, premium design and stacked list of features all make this more than your ordinary phone. All for $229, you say? That’s an easy sell.
If you own the Moto G4, you more or less know what you’re in for. For everyone else, there is simply no better deal out there for a phone that essentially does it all.
Sure, you won’t find NFC here if you’re pining to use Android Pay in the US, and the camera performance didn’t impress us. However, those are small blips for a device that gets so much right for very little cash.
Moto G5 Review
The Moto G is currently our best cheap phone in the world, which shows you just how good this affordable handset is.
Motorola's G series is the firm's best selling phone range ever, and the latest instalment in the budget line is the Moto G5.
Manufacturer Lenovo (the new owners of the Moto brand) has decided to kick things up a notch with a more premium, metallic design and an impressive host of extras that you wouldn’t usually expect to find in a phone this cheap.
Just like last year’s Moto G4, the Moto G5 starts at sub-£200, but the plastic has given way to aluminium and there’s a snazzy fingerprint sensor now too (although the larger, and pricier G4 Plus was the first G series handset to the introduce this tech).
The Moto G5 also runs the latest version of Android, 7.0 Nougat, with some handy gestures and options via the Moto app.
But the chipset has oddly had a downgrade and the screen is smaller, so is the G5 really a worthy successor?
Moto G5 price and release date
- Starts at £170 (AU$299)
- Not available in the US
- It’s £10 more for 3GB of RAM
The basic version of the Moto G5 with 2GB of RAM is available in the UK for £170 from John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse and a handful of other retailers, while you're looking at AU$299 in Australia.
It usually comes in gold or grey, but O2 stocks an exclusive blue version. You can pay an extra £10 to get 3GB of RAM and dual SIM support if you buy online via Motorola or Amazon and we recommend that you do.
That £170 would be around $200 in the US, but the bad news is that the Moto G5 is not going to be released Stateside. Bargain hunters in the US will have to make do with the Moto G5 Plus.
Some markets will only get the version with 2GB of RAM, but our review unit has 3GB under its grey exterior, along with space for a second SIM card.
Premium for all?
- More expensive look and feel
- Great camera on paper
Lenovo’s tagline is “Premium for all” and that idea is immediately apparent in the design of the Moto G5.
While the Moto G series has always been lauded for packing great specs into affordable handsets, it has never been known for style. That changes with the Moto G5.
This is a good-looking phone with a satisfying heft, thanks to the aluminium rear panel. It has a seriously slick, indented fingerprint sensor below the screen on the all-glass front, with a subtle sliver of metal around the speaker at the top.
A silver circle surrounds the large camera module on the back with a classy M logo etched into the metal panel. This is easily the most attractive Moto G we’ve ever seen.
It also boasts a 13MP main camera with phase detection autofocus and a 5MP selfie camera with a wide-angle lens for group shots. That’s an impressive set of specs on paper.
Throw in rapid charging and the usual suspects in terms of connectivity and it’s clear the Moto G5 brings a lot to the table. At first glance, the only obvious omission here is NFC.
Premium for all indeed.
Design and display
- Classy gleaming metallic frame and brushed metal finish
- Decent 5.0-inch 1080p display
While the design of the Moto G5 is impressive, it’s not going to catch your eye in the way that something like the Samsung Galaxy S8 will. We can say it looks good, but we always have to add the qualifier “for the price”.
If we compare it to last year’s Moto G4, which was all plastic and lacked a fingerprint scanner, the forward strides are obvious.
The metallic back looks and feels nice, and the metal panel gives way to a plastic bumper section at the top and bottom, which will be more durable in the event of a fall.
It's not, however, as premium as the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, which boast full metal bodies crafted from a single piece of aluminium.
On the bottom edge, you’ll find the micro USB port and a small indent to help you prise the back off to reveal the removable battery, SIM slots, and the microSD card slot (up to 128GB).
There’s a standard 3.5mm headphone port up top and the right spine has a smooth volume rocker with a textured power button below it.
On the glass front, there’s the front-facing camera and speaker at the top, with a Moto logo, and at the bottom there’s the concave fingerprint sensor and microphone.
The display is a 5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It’s sharp, in fact, at 441 pixels per inch, it’s a touch sharper than the display on the Moto G5 Plus. It’s also bright and vibrant and will serve you well for reading, watching videos, or gaming.
The big bezels around the screen are one of the few clues that this is a budget phone, but you can’t have everything.
Interface and reliability
- Near stock Android but with a handy Moto app
- Slick fingerprint sensor can replace nav buttons with swipes
- Runs Android Nougat complete with Google Assistant
It’s nice to see the latest, near stock Android 7.0 Nougat on the Moto G5, and we’re glad Lenovo has gone with Google’s suite of apps. Chrome is a solid browser, Photos allows you to automatically back up your precious pictures and videos, and there’s simply no need for the inferior duplicate apps that a lot of manufacturers include.
Android is slick, attractive, and accessible nowadays, with plenty of useful features baked in, so there isn’t any need for a lot of extras on top. It’s quick and easy to navigate around on the Moto G5 and we had no problems with the interface.
If you’ve used Android before, everything will be familiar. The settings and notification shade are the same as stock, the only major interface tweak in this version is the fact that you swipe up from the bottom dock to open your app drawer.
What Lenovo has added is mostly good. The Moto app gives you the ability to use some handy gesture shortcuts and have the display show basics like the time without you having to bring the full screen to life. We’ll go into detail on the camera app later.
The star of the show here, without a doubt, is the fingerprint sensor with something Lenovo calls “One-button nav”.
It allows you to reclaim some screen real estate by removing the on-screen navigation buttons and using the fingerprint sensor instead. Simply tap it to return to the home screen, swipe left to right to go back, or right to left to open recent apps.
Movies, music and gaming
- 5-inch display is crisp and colourful
- Speaker sounds terrible, but there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack
- Snapdragon 430 is not the smoothest for gaming
While it isn’t going to blow you away, the Moto G5’s 5-inch screen is perfectly adequate. We didn’t have any issues reading or watching videos on it.
Crank the brightness up outdoors and it remains legible. It doesn’t hit Super AMOLED highs, but the colours look convincing enough and it works just fine for YouTube or Netflix.
The single speaker is an obvious weakness. It sounds tinny and rumbly and it vibrates the Moto G5 if you turn the volume up beyond halfway.
That’s not much of a surprise in a budget phone, but you will definitely want to use the 3.5mm headphone port for listening to music or enjoying movies.
For casual gaming, the Moto G5 will suffice. We had no issues with Super Mario Run, for example, but Asphalt 8 didn’t fare quite as well. We were able to play on the highest graphical settings, but it did drop frames from time to time. The loading speeds for games were also quite slow.
One issue that you might bump into, especially if you like to load movies or music onto your phone or install big games, is the lack of storage space.
The Moto G5 has a 16GB capacity, but only 10GB is available out of the box. Thankfully, there is a microSD card slot that supports cards of up to 128GB.
Benchmarks and performance
- Plenty of power for basic tasks
- A little slow to load and quit apps and games
The Moto G5 pairs a Snapdragon 430 chipset with an Adreno 505 GPU. It feels like enough power for the majority of basic tasks. Browsing the web, typing messages, and swiping around is hitch-free, the only time we felt any lag was coming in and out of apps and games. It’s a little slow to load and a little slow to quit.
Our Moto G5 review handset is the 3GB version, and we’d definitely advise spending the extra £10 to get it. We suspect the app switching delays will be worse on the 2GB model.
With an average score of 2,377 in our Geekbench 4 test, the Moto G5 disappointed us a little. Last year’s Moto G4 managed to score 3,104, and the Moto G5 Plus hit 3,824 in the same test. The Honor 6X scored 3,275.
But the Moto G5’s score isn’t that bad. The slightly more expensive Wileyfox Swift 2 X has the same chipset and 3GB of RAM and it only managed an average of 2,016.
Battery life
- The rapid charging is very fast
- Daily charging is required
The battery life of the Moto G5 is typical. On a normal day of mixed use, you’re going to want to charge it up at night. We never dropped below 10% before bedtime, even on a busy day of shooting photos and gaming, but it also never lasted beyond a day and a half.
At the end of our 90-minute HD video test the Moto G5 had lost 22% of its battery power, which is a perfectly respectable result, though not quite as good as its predecessor, which only lost 17%.
That might be explained by the fact that Lenovo has shrunk the capacity slightly from 3,000mAh to 2,800mAh, though it has also shrunk the display by half an inch.
Gaming tends to drain batteries quite quickly and that’s true for the Moto G5. It lost 8% in 20 minutes playing Asphalt 8, and 7% in 20 minutes of Super Mario Run.
The 10W rapid charger is impressive though. If the battery is low it climbs extremely fast, but it slows down as the percentage ticks up. Just 20 minutes plugged in was enough to go from 20% up to 50%.
Overall, Lenovo’s claim that you can get hours of power in minutes of charging holds up.
Camera
- Low light performance is poor
- Camera app includes a professional mode
- 5MP wide-angle front camera is good for group selfies
On paper, the 13MP main camera in the Moto G5 sounds impressive. However, it doesn’t have the dual-LED flash of its bigger brother, the G5 Plus, or the large f/1.7 aperture which improves low light performance.
The G5 Plus camera may only be rated at 12MP, but it’s a superior Sony IMX260 sensor.
The camera in the Moto G5 is decent, but unremarkable. In good lighting conditions, when you take your time, it’s possible to capture some stunning shots. The off-the-cuff performance, which is how most of us really use our cameras, is not as good.
If there’s any movement, then shots come out blurry, and noise creeps in when there’s anything less than bright daylight.
The Moto G5 does have the same camera app as its more expensive Plus variant though. It’s straightforward to use and supports automatic HDR. You can tap and hold to lock in a subject to focus on and there’s a brightness wheel around the reticle.
There’s also a professional mode, which lets you adjust ISO, white balance, and a few other bits and pieces. Slow motion and panorama are present, too, but neither is very good. Video recording is basic at up to 1080p and 30 frames per second.
The 5MP front-facing camera has a wide-angle lens for group selfies and we like the option to tap anywhere to capture, so you don’t have to do contortions to reach the shutter button.
Camera samples
 | |
| The camera captures a fair bit of detail close up, but you can see the noise creeping in because it’s indoors. |
 | |
| Ideal lighting conditions allow for detailed, vibrant, colourful shots like this. |
Verdict
If you’re not willing to take a chance on an unfamiliar brand, then the Moto G line remains the best value Android smartphone in town.
There are significant improvements over the Moto G4 in terms of the design, with the shift from plastic to metal. The inclusion of an excellent fingerprint scanner is also very pleasing, as is the rapid charging capability.
However, the Moto G5 has taken a small step back in terms of performance, as battery life and processing power are merely average.
Who's this for?
Anyone on a budget who still wants a decent level of performance and a handset that they won’t be embarrassed to pull out of their pocket.
The latest version of Android, along with a solid build, camera and fingerprint sensor make this great value for your £170 (around $200, AU$275), though we think it’s worth stretching to £180 (roughly $220, AU$290) for the extra 1GB of RAM.
Should you buy it?
There isn’t a better Android smartphone in the sub-£200 price range, so if that’s your budget, then yes, you should buy the Moto G5.
If you want to play demanding games, or you’d like NFC for mobile payments, then you’re likely going to have to spend a fair bit more.
The Moto G5 is one of the very best phones you can get at this budget, but the following three are great options if you're up for spending a little more or less.
Moto G5 Plus
There wasn’t a great deal of difference between the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, but this year’s siblings have more to separate them. The G5 Plus costs £250.
The metal design and the excellent fingerprint sensor are almost the same, but the extra £80 buys you the superior Snapdragon 625 chipset with the Adreno 506 GPU, a slightly bigger 5.2-inch display, and 32GB of storage.
Perhaps most importantly, the G5 Plus has the 12MP Sony IMX260, f/1.7 camera, which is much better than the G5’s camera in low light conditions. It’s actually the same camera module that’s in the Samsung Galaxy S7, though it doesn’t hit the same highs.
The G5 Plus also has a bigger, 3,000mAh battery, which seems to outlast the G5 based on our testing.
Read our full Moto G5 Plus review
Moto G4
Last year’s Moto G will be available even more cheaply now and it might prove to be more tempting for bargain hunters than the G5. The G4 has a bigger 5.5-inch screen, better battery life, and a faster Snapdragon 617 chipset.
Lenovo has put some effort into giving the Moto G5 a premium feel, but the fingerprint sensor is by far the best addition. It’s something that was completely absent from the Moto G4. However, the Snapdragon 430 feels like a compromise and we would have preferred to see the same Snapdragon 625 that’s in the Moto G5 Plus.
If money is tight and you prize performance over style, then there’s a case for buying the Moto G4 instead of the G5.
Read our full Moto G4 review
Honor 6X
The Honor 6X, from Huawei, is definitely worth considering in this price bracket. It costs around £230 and it also has a metal body with a good fingerprint scanner, though it’s on the back with the Honor 6X.
To tempt you further, there’s a 5.5-inch full HD display, an octa-core Kirin 655 chipset, and 3GB of RAM. As if that wasn’t enough, Huawei also throws in 32GB of storage, a big 3,340mAh battery, and a dual 12MP and 2MP main camera, with an 8MP selfie camera.
If you can find the extra £50 or so, then the Honor 6X is a compelling alternative.
Read our full Honor 6X review
Lenovo P2 review
The Lenovo P2 is now no longer ranged by Three in the UK. It means none of the major UK networks are selling the device and it's quite hard to come across the handset SIM-free. This review was written when the price of the phone was £199, but now prices for the P2 have been seen as high as £370.
Short battery life is still one of the biggest complaints people have about their phones in 2017, but Lenovo may have just solved that problem with its latest cheap handset.
The company claims the Lenovo P2 will last you three days and not skimp on other areas to be able to do it.
Many companies claim to have phenomenal battery life on their phones, but don't always make good on that claim. Yet the Lenovo P2 really does last a long time, and it's a great phone in a lot of other ways too. So should this be your next budget buy, or does it have hidden faults?
Lenovo P2 price and release date
- The Lenovo P2 price is started at £199 (about $250, AU$330)
- Only out in the UK but no longer ranged by any of the major networks.
- No release planned for either the US or Australia
The Lenovo P2 may have mid-range specs on paper, but it launched with a fairly low-end price. In the UK it originally cost £199 (about $250, AU$330) putting it in the same price bracket as the Moto G4 Plus and a little bit more than the Moto G5.
It was initially a Three exclusive device in the UK, but now the network has dropped the Lenovo P2 in favor of ranging the Moto E4 Plus. That now means none of the major networks are ranging the Lenovo P2.
The only way we can now find to buy a new Lenovo P2 in the UK is through Amazon where it costs almost double its original price. It's a real shame, but the Lenovo P2 isn't worth £350 when it originally launched for less than £200.
Lenovo hasn't revealed any plans for a release in Australia or US and considering the P2 has been out in the UK for sometime we don't expect it to launch in those other markets at all. If Lenovo does decide to launch the P2 in either the US or Australia, we will update this review with the full details.
Design and display
- Premium feel full metal unibody design
- Annoying placement of battery saver mode switch
- 5.5-inch Full HD display that's great for watching video or playing games
Most phones with a similar price to the Lenovo P2 don’t have a full metal unibody, and especially not one that feels as premium as this phone.
Other people who see you using the P2 won’t be able to tell it’s a budget device, but it's got more than just good looks, as it feels quality too, and there are rounded corners that mean it doesn’t feel sharp on the palm of your hand. The design is very reminiscent of the Huawei Mate 9, but it's a little bit smaller.
It’s still large though – those with smaller hands may struggle to reach some parts of the phone. If you’re used to a larger phone you’ll find this easy to grip, but those who generally use smaller devices may struggle.
Considering the size of the battery in the Lenovo P2, the company has managed to keep the device surprisingly slim.
The iPhone 7 is considered thin at 7.1mm and we’ve seen even thinner devices than that, but at 8.3mm thick the Lenovo P2 is far from fat, and it’s worth sacrificing a slightly slimmer design for the added battery life on offer here.
It's worth noting how heavy the P2 is though - it feels weighty in the hand and at 177g, it's on the heavier end of the spectrum. For example, the Moto G4 Plus doesn't have a metal design or a large battery so only weighs 155g.
There’s a home button below the screen, with a built-in fingerprint scanner. It works quickly and is in a good place to tap when waking the phone. A fingerprint scanner this good is another feature you won't always get at this price point.
The volume rocker and power button are on the right edge, and are easy to reach when you have the phone in your hand.
On the left edge there's a flick switch, similar to the silent toggle on an iPhone, which activates a power saver mode. It’s a useful feature if you often want to save on battery life.
It’s in an awkward place though, as we regularly found ourselves clicking it by mistake when taking the P2 out of our pocket. This can get irritating, especially as it turns off some connectivity options such as Bluetooth and disconnects any other devices you have connected to the P2.
This is a minor gripe with the Lenovo P2’s design though and everything else is generally in a good place and feels more premium than the phone’s price suggests.
The front of the Lenovo P2 features a bright 5.5-inch Full HD AMOLED display. It comes in at 401 pixels-per-inch, which again, is good for the price.
You can still buy 720p phones with large screens for £199 (about $250, AU$330) so this is a strong setup.
The P2's display is also bright, has a good color range and you won’t be disappointed when watching video on it. Viewing angles on the P2 are good as well.
The large size of the display may be a problem for some, but we liked it as it offered a large picture when watching movies or playing games.
Lenovo P2 SPECS
- Weight: 177g
- Dimensions: 153 x 76 x 8.3mm
- OS: Android 6 (upgradable to Android 7)
- Screen size: 5.5-inch
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080
- CPU: Snapdragon 625
- RAM: 3GB or 4GB of RAM
- Storage: 32/64GB
- Battery: 5,100mAh
- Rear camera: 13MP
- Front camera: 5MP
Interface and reliability
- Running Android 6 but can be upgraded to Android 7
- Comes with Lenovo's software, looks attractive and is simple to use
- Search within the app drawer is a very useful feature
The Lenovo P2's software doesn't look like stock Android, but it doesn’t have a bad looking design and it's almost as intuitive and simple as stock Android.
In fact, Lenovo’s software adds a few extra features to the mix that you may find useful.
Unlike some other software overlays, (we're looking at you, Huawei) this comes with an app drawer so you can organize your main screens a touch better.
Entering the app drawer gives a clear view of everything you have downloaded in alphabetical order. There’s also a search bar in the top left corner, which we found ourselves using time and time again to find apps in a hurry.
Next to that it also includes your most recently used apps. If you’ve just closed down Spotify, it’ll appear here for you to open it up again in only two taps from the home screen.
The Lenovo software also warns you when particular apps are running in the background and using a lot of power. It will say, for example "Spotify is using a lot of power" and give you the option to close it down.
The reliability of the phone was also great – in our week using the P2 we didn't find the software crashed and it didn’t give us any other issues. That's good as sometimes at this price point you can find a lot of app crashes in day-to-day use.
The Lenovo P2 launched with Android 6 Marshmallow but the company has now pushed an update to Android 7 meaning you'll get all the most recent and up to date features from Google's OS.
During our testing with the phone running Android 7 we found it to work the same as when running Marshmallow, but you may prefer the upgrade so you can get the up to date Android features.
Music, movies and gaming
- Basic media apps but lots of space to download alternatives
- Good media spec as well as 32GB or 64GB storage options
- MicroSD support for cards up to 256GB too
Listening to music on the Lenovo P2 is an enjoyable but not exceptional experience. There’s a speaker grille at the bottom of the phone that plays OK audio but won’t perform as well as the setup on the ZTE Axon 7 Mini or an HTC phone boasting BoomSound.
There’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top of the phone for when you want to use wired headsets, and you’ll be able to connect Bluetooth headsets for wireless audio as well.
When using Bluetooth we didn’t find any connection issues that you'd not find on any other phone you’d buy in 2017 - audio was a little patchy on occasion though.
The app to play music isn’t stunning on the Lenovo P2 and only allows you to play audio you’ve uploaded to the phone, so we’d recommend downloading a streaming service as well.
The Lenovo P2 works well for movies, as it boasts the audio options listed above as well as a Full HD 5.5-inch screen to watch your videos on.
The video app works well, but again isn’t anything special. It’s easy to use for video clips you’ve uploaded to the phone, and you’ll have lots of space to do so.
We used the 32GB version of the Lenovo P2 and found the operating system itself took up just over 8GB of the phone’s space. That leaves 24GB of storage to play with for apps, files and games, which should be plenty for most users.
If you need extra space, the P2 supports microSD cards of up to 256GB. That's a lot of extra space if you decide to go out and buy a card.
For gaming, we found the Lenovo P2 to be similarly competent, and considering the price, this is probably one of the best budget phones out there for gaming on the go.
Playing Lara Croft Go was an enjoyable experience, as the P2 has a large screen and under the hood it performed well. There wasn't any stuttering and we found the game loaded quickly.
Benchmarks and performance
- Packing a Snapdragon 625 chipset that did okay in benchmarking tests
- One storage version comes with a choice of either 3GB or 4GB of RAM
The Lenovo P2 sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625, a system-on-a-chip we haven’t been all that impressed by when it was used in past phones such as the Huawei Nova or Moto Z Play.
But we found the 2GHz octa-core setup to be impressive throughout our testing of the P2, despite it being a substantially cheaper phone. It's well optimized on this device and did well in our benchmarking.
There are three versions of the Lenovo P2, two with 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of storage and another with only 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage.
In our testing we had the chance to use a 4GB of RAM version and found the phone to be very powerful considering the price point. It didn't crash at any time and it managed to run some high-end games.
The Lenovo P2 averaged a score of 2971 in our Geekbench 4 benchmarking test, which is a good score for a phone of this price. It’s not the best result we’ve ever seen at this sort of level though, as the similarly priced Moto G4 Plus managed to average 3047.
That said, this is still a good option and you won’t be disappointed by the power behind the Lenovo P2.
Battery life
- Incredible battery that will last a solid two days with above average use
- A huge 5,100mAh cell inside and great battery saver mode
- Did well in our video test, but does particularly well during general use
The standout feature the Lenovo P2 is its battery life – we were bowled over by how long this phone can last on a single charge.
That's largely down to its 5,100mAh battery, which is far higher capacity than most phones at any price.
But to be clear, we didn’t find the Lenovo P2 stood up to the company’s claim of three day life. Instead it lasted around two and a bit days with medium to heavy usage.
But that's still a big jump up from most other devices out there. Most smartphones in 2017 will only last you one day, and some won't even be capable of doing that with heavy usage.
For example, the Moto G4 Plus only usually lasted us a day between charges in our review, and sometimes struggled to even make it through the whole day if we’d been pushing it hard.
Average use of the Lenovo P2 meant we could take it off charge at 9am on one day and it would be only down to 58% by the time we went to bed that evening. We didn’t put it on charge then, and by the end of the next day of normal usage we found the P2 had 24% left over.
That means it wouldn't last another full day, but it would be able to last at least another half day of average use.
When we ran the video battery test - where we play a 90 minute clip at full brightness with connectivity on - the Lenovo P2 also did well and only dropped 8% of its charge.
The Moto G4 Plus dropped 17% while the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge - a phone with great battery life - fell down 14% during the test.
If you're frustrated with the battery life on your current phone you won't have that problem with the Lenovo P2.
There is also a fast charging mode on the Lenovo P2, which allows you to pump more battery into the phone quickly, but you’ll need to make sure you’re using the charger included in the box.
It won’t work as fast as other fast charging options, such as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S7, as there's such a large battery packed into the phone, so even with fast charging we found it still took about two hours to charge the phone up to full.
Another downside to the Lenovo P2 is it's recharged with a micro USB cable rather than a USB-C connection.
That's a bit of a shame as you won’t get a reversible cable, but it does mean the phone will still work with all your other cables if you’ve previously owned a micro USB-toting device.
If you're concerned about your phone dying, the Lenovo P2 also comes with an Ultimate Power Saver mode. There's a switch on the side of the phone that you can flick up to activate the mode and it will extend your battery life by turning off some of the phone's features.
You can still make calls, access your contacts and send SMS messages while it's in this mode, as well as being able to access the calendar, calculator, radio and clock apps, but in order to save on battery you won't be able to access your other apps while this is on.
With this mode enabled the Lenovo P2 should last over 100 hours just from a single charge, which could come in useful if you're going away and will be without power.
Camera
- Holds its own against competition at this price point
- Includes a 13MP rear sensor and 5MP front-facing selfie cam
The Lenovo P2 isn’t the best camera phone on the market, but it holds its own against similarly priced competitors. You won’t get a good enough picture to go toe-to-toe with the Google Pixel XL or iPhone 7 Plus, but you’ll get a picture similar to the Moto G4 Plus or a phone from Wileyfox.
The P2 features a 13MP rear sensor, which is a bit lower than some of the competition but it still does well. Especially with well lit landscape shots, the Lenovo P2 can capture a really good image.
When pixel peeping, we found the P2 struggled a little on close up shots and night time shooting. That said, it doesn’t do too badly and the auto mode is quite reactive and will usually provide you with the best image possible.
The lens has an f/2.0 aperture, which is quite small and means less light hits the lens than on many cameras, which will be a big part of why low-light shooting isn't handled brilliantly by the P2.
 |
| One example of what the Lenovo P2 rear camera can do |
As for video recording, we found the camera's footage was solid but not fantastic. It can record in either 1080p or 2160p at 30 frames per second.
The selfie camera on the Lenovo P2 will take a good shot for social media but won’t provide you with the best photography you’ve ever seen from a front-facing shooter.
It has a 5MP lens, which is standard for this level of phone, and it can shoot video in 1080p. There are no real extra features such as a beauty mode here though, it’s basically just a choice between photography or video on the front.
 |
Despite being a dull day, this photo turned out well, with everything clear |
 |
| Here's some evidence of how the Lenovo P2 struggles with light, but it isn't bad for a budget phone |
If you’re looking for a high-spec budget phone, you’d be hard pressed to do better than the Lenovo P2.
It features everything you’d expect to see in a mid-range phone but we’re continually surprised by how cheap it is.
Lenovo is beginning to cement itself as a go-to budget phone maker alongside the Motorola brand, which Lenovo also owns.
A lot of what made the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus great phones is here in the Lenovo P2 and in some respects the P2 goes even further.
Why should I buy the Lenovo P2?
The battery life on the P2 is almost unheard of on any other smartphone. The huge juice pack means this isn't the slimmest phone around and it makes the phone heavy, but when that means you get over two days of life we'd say that's a fair trade.
If you’re currently frustrated with how long your phone will last on a single charge, you should definitely consider the Lenovo P2 as your next replacement.
The design of the Lenovo P2 is also luxurious compared to a lot of the other devices we’re used to testing out at this end of the market.
If you want something that looks like it’s worth a lot of money, but actually isn’t, this could be a good choice for you.
The display on the Lenovo P2 is also another reason to grab this phone while you can.
If you take a look at some of the other phones at this price point you’ll notice a lot of devices that only feature 720p displays, so this is noticeably better at 1080p, while the large size makes it perfect if you want to consume a lot of media on the move.
Why shouldn’t I buy the Lenovo P2?
If you’re used to using a smaller device, the Lenovo P2 won’t be a good option for you. It's large and it's heavy. We found it easy to use, but if you’re upgrading from an iPhone 5S - or any other smaller phone - you’ll find this a real struggle to use.
At 177g the weight is especially something to note, as while there's a good reason for it this may cause an issue for you if you want a lighter device.
Another negative of the Lenovo P2 is the positioning of the Ultimate Power Saver flick switch. It means extended life is never more than a flick away, but it's in an awkward position and would have been better placed on the top or bottom of the device.
VERDICT
The Lenovo P2 offers incredible battery life and still manages to tick off all the other aspects you'd want from a fantastic budget phone. If you're looking for a phone that lasts over two days, the Lenovo P2 is for you.
VERDICT
The Lenovo P2 offers incredible battery life and still manages to tick off all the other aspects you'd want from a fantastic budget phone. If you're looking for a phone that lasts over two days, the Lenovo P2 is for you.
Competition
Not a fan of the Lenovo P2? We’ve chosen some other devices that may suit you a little better.
Moto G5
The Moto G5 is worth a check if you’re looking at a phone like the Lenovo P2.
It’s cheaper than the Moto G5 Plus and the Lenovo P2, but doesn’t feature as high-end a spec as the P2. It does still have a 5.5-inch Full HD display and a decent chipset, but you’ll miss out on the premium design and phenomenal battery life of the Lenovo P2.
Read the full review: Moto G5
Moto G4 Plus
The Moto G4 Plus is perhaps the best budget phone in the world right now. It has sat at the top of our favorites list since it was released in early 2016 and still packs an impressive punch with a Full HD 5.5-inch display, 3,000mAh battery and 16MP rear camera.
That said, the spec list isn’t all as impressive as the P2, especially when it comes to battery life, and you won’t get the full metal unibody either.
Read the full review: Moto G4 Plus
Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus
The Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus is a similar price to the Lenovo P2 and offers a slightly lower spec but an interesting, premium-feel design. It features a 5-inch 720p display, a Snapdragon 430 chipset and 3GB of RAM to power it all.
It doesn’t offer such impressive battery life as the Lenovo P2 though as it only features a 2,700mAh cell inside.
Read the full review: Wileyfox Swift 2 Plus
Blu Vivo 6
The Vivo 6 is another great metal clad phone that costs relatively little considering the spec. It's not all about the design though - there's a great fingerprint sensor, a 5.5-inch Full HD display and even 64GB of storage.
It won't have such good battery life as the Lenovo P2 though, so you may prefer the phone that offers two-days from a single charge.
Read the full review: Blu Vivo 6