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Welcome to the 2017 Motorola G5 review. The G5 is the newest entry level phone form Motorola and was released along side the G5 Plus. In the past we usually combine the review for both phone bearing very similar names for the sake of easy comparison however there is a significant difference in terms of performance that there will be a separate review for the G5 Plus next week! The Motorola G5 is priced at $299 outright in Australia, which is a very good starting price for spec and performance. It is as good as or better than more expensive models from less known brands and manufacturers. Eg. Oppo and ZTE for example.
In terms of construction the Motorola G5 is good. The body is mostly plastic and glass but with a metal back plate but despite having a removable back it is very well put together and you wouldn't even know. That said the plastic bits are not noticeable at all but the chrome edge indicates it is not a top range phone of 2017. Overall there isn't anything to complain about considering the price.
In terms of hardware the G5 clearly has lower end parts (unlike the the G5 Plus) but it includes a multi-function fingerprint reader, a 1080P HD display that looks really good, a fast charging function, microSD memory expansion and a separate graphics CPU. You also get a rare bonus of dual SIM capability. Sure it only has an Octa-core 1.4 GHz CPU but is doesn't really feel it until performing intensive tasks like loading complex web pages, but games seem to work quite well. Once again considering the low price this it perfectly acceptable.
In terms of use the Motorola G5 has a stock Android interface that means it works smoothly and fast considering the hardware. There are a few interface tweaks like the multi-function fingerprint scanner for the Android buttons. Only intensive web browsing reveal it's average 2GB RAM as games demo'ed seem to work well. Being stock Android everything simply works and you still have the option of customising it with what ever interface apps you want. The G5 feels better and smoother than virtually all the budget and cheap Android phones we've tried to date.
In conclusion it is rare that we post a review of a mobile phone so early in it's release phase and that's because Motorola G5 impressed us. It's smooth fast and looks good for an inexpensive phone. The G5 is also cheaper and better than most of the newer phone brands from China we've tried recently and that's a huge complement. The Motorola G5 is a rare phone it's relatively cheap priced at less than $299 and great specifications for the price for the Australian market. Well worth a look if you're for a budget phone. That said do check out the next review on the Motorola G5 Plus which is even better!
Specifications
- Motorola G5
- Network
Quad-band GSM
All 3G frequencies(dependent on country)
All 4G frequencies (dependent on country)
- Design
Touch screen
- L144.3 x W73.4 x D9.5 mm
- Weight 145 grams
- Display
5 inch 1,920 x 1080 AMOLED
- Camera
13MP auto-focus
LED Flash
5MP 2nd forward facing still/video call camera
- Video Camera
1080 HD 30FPS main video camera
- Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Bluetooth V4
- CPU
Octa-core 1.4 Ghz Snap Dragon 430
Separate Andreno 505 Graphics CPU
- Memory
2 Gig RAM
Up to 16 Gig for user
Up to 128Gig micro-SD expansion
- Features
GPS, GLANOSS, accelerometer, ambient light,
gyroscope, fingerprint scanner, proximity
Li-Po 2800 mAh battery
Up to 25 hours for average use.
- Price history
Approx $299 AUD May 2017 (Outright)