The latest Motorola G5 Plus and G5 handsets have arrived in Australia, with Motorola following Samsung’s lead in appropriating the word "plus" for a larger model.
Smartphones are available as plus-size models these days, with Motorola and Samsung copying Apple’s approach to labelling the larger version with the "plus" designation.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, according to Oscar Wilde, so we can only presume Apple will let Motorola and Samsung go wild with this designation, rather than going wild with lawsuits, although the tech industry has been known to launch its legal "angry bird" eagles at the drop of a patent and branding hat.
That said, it’s not just Samsung with new models, but Motorola too, boasting that you don’t need to "compromise on style, performance and premium experiences" with the company’s "fifth-generation Moto G5 Plus, the first smartphone with a head-turning, metal design that looks as great as it performs".
Well, that’s what the marketing spiel says, in any case.
{loadposition alex08}So, what features is Motorola touting for its brand new ‘Moto G5 Plus?’
We are told that the Moto G5 Plus "flaunts a combination of advance features and premium design. Fast processors, great battery life, rapid charging, fingerprint reader, and advanced camera features all wrapped up in one device at an affordable price. An unexpected combination, because different is better".
Indeed, Apple says think different, Moto says "different is better", but is a fast processor, great battery life, rapid charging, a finger print reader and an advanced camera all that different from what you’ll find from players such as Oppo, Huawei or even Samsung’s mid-tier?
As always, marketing is marketing, and the Android market is, after all, quite vast. So, what else does Moto tout?
Well, next up is Motorola talking up its ‘premium look with metal design.’
The company states you can "replace the plastic device now with the first ever Moto G series phone that flaunts a premium looking durable metal casing in a high grade aluminium finish".
The explanation is that the new 2017 Moto G5 Plus design language is "inspired from the premium Moto Z family and comes with a high-grade aluminium finish that’s been diamond cut and bead-blasted to perfection".
On top of all this diamond cut, aluminium-finished bead blasting is a 5.2-inch full HD screen slathered in what is now the slightly old, but still perfectly serviceable Gorilla Glass 3.
Then comes the camera, which Moto says is the "most advanced camera in its class", designed to "bring out the photographer in you".
We’re told the G5 Plus features "a flagship level camera sensor with Dual Autofocus Pixels", which "allows you to lock onto your target in the blink of an eye, so you never miss a shot".
It’s a 12 MP camera with a "circular Saturn ring design’ that takes "beautiful photos even on dark, cloudy days".
In addition, "the large aperture f/1.7 and bigger pixels combine to let in up to 25% more light than the previous generation".
It’s not just an improved camera you’ll find, but "refined camera software with beautification mode", too.
The blurb states that the "Moto G5 Plus comes with the beautification mode which allows the user to enhance selfies by smoothing the skin to reduce blemishes or wrinkles".
But wait! There’s more!
No, it’s not the first smartphone to come with steak knives. Someone is yet to dream up that marketing wizardry of our future nightmares.
Instead of knives, you’ll be able to avoid having knives coming out of your eyes at the people who ruin your photos with their eyes closed.
This is because "the camera software in Moto G5 Plus includes Moto’s 'signature Best Shot' feature which captures multiple shots before and after the screen is touched, analysing the issues like blurred subjects or blinking eyes, before recommending the best picture to keep".
Further, we’re told, "the camera also features the professional mode allows adjustment of various aspects like focus, white balance, shutter, ISO & exposure compensation making it a treat for photography lovers".
Next up is the processor. As it’s not a super high-end mega flagship, you won’t find the latest 8xx-series processor, but you’ll still find the speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 625-processor with "a 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU and a 650 MHz Adreno 506 GPU ensuring the content runs smoothly".
Still want more features? Moto motors along with the promise of a "long lasting battery" it dubs as being "all-day" at 3000mAh, alongside a "TurboPower charging" capability, giving you "up to six hours of battery life in just 15 minutes", so you can "rest assured that Moto G5 Plus can keep up with your busiest days".
No modern mid-range flagship is complete without a fingerprint reader, which the Moto G5 Plus naturally comes equipped with. It’s not just for locking and unlocking the phone, but also has "motions and gestures to activate features giving its consumer immense ease of use".
Or so the marketing says. What’s the explanation?
Well, these "Moto Actions" come with "a new experience" dubbed One Button Nav.
The feature "lets you quickly navigate through screens using the fingerprint reader".
On top of all of that, the Moto G5 Plus is NFC enabled, so you’ll be able to use it to "make mobile payments where it is supported".
Stores with NFC-enabled payment terminals let you "place your phone near an NFC terminal and use your fingerprint. It’s fast and easy – and there’s no need to carry cash or credit cards". I guess you could call it Motorola Pay, similar to Android Pay, Samsung Pay and Apple Pay, but that’s just my cheeky name for it – pay no heed to my wordy shenanigans.
So, that’s the Moto G5 Plus in a marketing-inpsired nutshell.
NOTE: Be sure to check the pricing below, buying the G5 Plus at retail is a dumb move when you pay just $50 more from Motorola's online store to get an extra gigabyte of RAM and double the storage! Read on...
What of its smaller brother, the Moto G5?
Glad you asked.
Motorola tells us its Moto G5 is an "attractive and stylish premium design with high grade aluminium" flaunting a 5-inch, full HD screen with 441ppi resolution to "provide you an improved entertainment experience".
The G5 also packs what it calls a "best in class camera sensor", this time with a "phase detection autofocus (PDAF) 13MP rear camera, a large f/2.0 aperture, LED flash to make clicking pictures in low light easier and 5MP wide-angle lens designed for group selfies".
Software smarts promise "a refined camera experience with the signature Best Shot software, beautification mode, and professional mode".
The G5 also promises an "all-day battery", which Moto assumes you’ll use to "entertain yourself from morning to night without plugging in".
We’re told that you can "enjoy Kindle books, movies, TV shows and game stutter-free on the Moto G5, which comes with a speedy 1.4 GHz octa-core processor and powerful graphics capabilities for your non-stop entertainment".
Not to be left out from a touchingly identifiable experience, the Moto G5 is also equipped with a fingerprint sensor that lets you "unlock your phone, wake it up and even authorise purchases online, with just a touch of your finger", while also featuring "Moto Experiences with Moto Display and Moto Actions".
So, what’s the pricing and availability?
The Moto G5 Plus with 3GB Ram and 16GB storage is available now from JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys Stores, Officeworks and Motorola’s online store, priced at $399.
The Moto G5 Plus with 4GB Ram and 32GB storage is only available at Motorola’s online store at $449.
Clearly, paying $50 more to get an extra gigabyte of RAM and double the storage is a no brainer. Why JB, Harveys, Good Guys and Officeworks were too stupid to offer the better 4G, 32GB model is beyond me, although hitting a price point is the obvious guess. Clearly they don't care about the customer, so be smart, and buy online from Motorola, bypassing these customer-hostile retail dinosaurs completely!
The Moto G5 is available now at Harvey Norman, The Good Guys Stores, Officeworks and Motorola’s online store, priced at $299.
Here are the tech specs for the G5 Plus, followed by the specs for the G5.
Technical specifications for Moto G5 Plus
Operating system
Android 7.0, Nougat
System architecture/Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU and
650 MHz Adreno 506 GPU
Memory (RAM)
3GB Ram/16GB Rom or 4GB Ram/322GB Rom
Storage (ROM)
16 GB, 32 GB internal, up to 128GB microSD Card support
Dimensions
Height: 150.2 mm
Width: 74.0 mm
Depth: 7.7 mm to 9.7 mm
Weight
155g
Display
5.2”
Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080)
424 ppi
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Battery
All-day battery (3000 mAh)
TurboPower for up to 6 hours of power in 15 minutes of charging
Water protection
Water repellent nano-coating
Networks
4G LTE (Cat 6)
UMTS / HSPA+
GSM / EDGE
Bands (by model)
Moto G Plus – XT1685
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
UMTS/HSPA+ (850,850Japan, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz)
4G LTE (B1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 19, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41)
Band coverage varies by model, country, and carrier.
Rear camera
• 12 MP with Dual Autofocus Pixels
• ƒ/1.7 aperture
• Color balancing dual LED flash
• 8X digital zoom for photos, 4X for video
• Drag to focus & exposure
• Quick Capture
• Tap (anywhere) to capture
• Best Shot
• Professional Mode
• Burst mode
• Auto HDR
• Panorama
• Video stabilisation
• 4K Ultra HD video capture (30 fps)
• Slow Motion video
Front camera
• 5 MP
• Wide-angle lens
• f/2.2 aperture
• Display flash
• Professional mode
• Beautification mode
Video capture
4K Ultra HD (30 fps)
Speakers/Microphones
Front-ported loud speaker
2-Mics
SIM card
Dual nano-SIM
Connectivity
Micro USB, 3.5mm headset jack
Bluetooth technology
Bluetooth version 4.2
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz)
Location services
GPS
A-GPS
GLONASS
NFC
Sensors
Fingerprint reader
Acceleromter
Gyroscope
Ambient Light
Proximity
Colours
Lunar Gray or Fine Gold
Technical specs for Moto G5
Operating system
Android 7.0, Nougat
System architecture/Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937) processor with octa-core CPU supporting up to 1.4 GHz, Adreno 505 with GPU supporting up to 450 MHz
Memory (RAM)
2GB
Storage (ROM)
16 GB, up to 128 GB microSD Card support
Dimensions
Height: 144.3 mm
Width: 73 mm
Depth: 9.5 mm
Weight
144.5g
Display
5.0”
1080p Full HD (1920x1080)
441 ppi
Battery
All-day battery (2800 mAh)
10W rapid charger
Water protection
Water repellent nano-coating
Networks
4G LTE (Cat 4)
UMTS / HSPA+
GSM / EDGE
Bands (by model)
GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), UMTS/HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz), 4G LTE (B1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 19, 20, 28, 38, 40)
Band coverage varies by model, country, and carrier.
Rear camera
• 13 MP
• Phase detect auto-focus (PDAF)
• ƒ/2.0 aperture
• LED flash
• 8X digital zoom for photos, 4X digital zoom for video
• Drag to focus & exposure
• Quick Capture
• Tap (anywhere) to capture
• Best Shot
• Professional Mode
• Burst mode
• Auto HDR
• Panorama
• Video stabilisation
• Slow motion video
• 1080p HD video (30 fps)
Front camera
• 5 MP
• Wide-angle lens
• ƒ/2.2 aperture
• Display flash
• Professional mode
• Beautification Mode
SIM card
Dual Nano SIM
Connectivity
Micro USB, 3.5mm headset jack
Bluetooth technology
Bluetooth version 4.2 BR/EDR+BLE
Wi-Fi
802.11 a/b/g/n
Speakers/Microphones
Front-ported loud speaker
2-Mics
Video capture
1080p (30fps)
Location services
GPS
A-GPS
GLONASS
Sensors
Fingerprint reader
Accelerometer
Gyroscope
Ambient Light
Proximity
Colours
Lunar gray or Fine gold
