Moto G5 (stylized as moto g⁵) is a series of Android

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...

s developed by

Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility LLC, marketed as Motorola, is an American consumer electronics manufacturer primarily producing smartphones and other mobile devices running Android. It is a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational technology company Lenovo.;; ...

, a subsidiary of

Lenovo Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo ( , ), is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related se ...

. It is the fifth generation of the Moto G family. Announced as successors to the

Moto G4 Moto G4 is a line of Android smartphones manufactured by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. They are the successor to the third-generation Moto G, and were first released in Brazil and India on May 17, 2016, with the other markets follo ...

, they were first released in March 2017 in several markets including India and Europe. The original variants are the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus, the latter also being available as an Amazon Prime version in the United States. The mid-cycle updates, the Moto G5s and Moto G5s Plus, were released in August 2017.

Specifications

The Moto G5's design was changed, featuring an aluminum casing and flush-mounted camera. The device is available in "lunar gray" and "fine gold" colors, and unlike previous generations is not customizable via MotoMaker. The G5 includes a 1080p display, an octa-core

Qualcomm Snapdragon Snapdragon is a suite of system on a chip (SoC) semiconductor products for mobile devices designed and marketed by Qualcomm Technologies Inc. The Snapdragon's central processing unit (CPU) uses the ARM architecture. A single SoC may include ...

system-on-chip, 2, 3 or 4 GB of RAM, and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage. A dedicated

MicroSDXC Secure Digital, officially abbreviated as SD, is a proprietary non-volatile flash memory card format developed by the SD Association (SDA) for use in portable devices. The standard was introduced in August 1999 by joint efforts between SanD ...

memory slot is available, supporting up to 128 GB memory expansion. Like previous generations, the device supports gesture and motion controls through Moto Actions. It has a 12- or 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The device ships with Android 7.0 "Nougat". It features the same TurboPower charging as the G4, providing up to 6 hours of battery life with 15 minutes of charge time. A fingerprint reader is integrated in the home button on the front of the device.

Variants

The ''Moto G5'' is the standard variant; and the ''Moto G5 Plus'' is a premium variant with improved specifications but a non-replaceable battery. The Moto G5 Plus will not be released in Canada, according to Mobile Syrup. The regular G5 is not available to purchase in the United States The Moto G5 Plus was released in the United States and internationally; all Plus models apart from American ones have NFC-contactless payment as a feature, but not compasses; US models have the opposite configuration. Moto G5 Plus sensor lens

As with the previous generation of

devices, online retailer Amazon.com offers a 'Prime Exclusive' version of the Moto G5 Plus for

Amazon Prime Amazon Prime is a paid subscription service from Amazon which is available in various countries and gives users access to additional services otherwise unavailable or available at a premium to other Amazon customers. Services include same, one- ...

members, which is cheaper than the standard version and features Amazon advertisements on the lock screen. Unlike the previous generation, the 2800 mAh battery of the basic Moto G5 variant is user-replaceable. The 'Prime Exclusive' devices hardware is identical; however, unlike most other recent Motorola Android devices, ''their

bootloader A bootloader, also spelled as boot loader or called boot manager and bootstrap loader, is a computer program that is responsible for booting a computer. When a computer is turned off, its softwareincluding operating systems, application code, an ...

s cannot be unlocked'', thereby precluding users from installing

custom firmware Custom firmware, also known as aftermarket firmware, is an unofficial new or modified version of firmware created by third parties on devices such as video game consoles and various embedded device types to provide new features or to unlock hidden ...

Model Comparison

Moto G5S and G5S Plus

On 1 August 2017, Motorola unveiled the 'special edition' Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus. These also have an aluminum unibody design. The specifications of the Moto G5S include a non-replaceable 3,000 mAh battery, a

1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen ve ...

5.2-inch display, 16 MP rear camera, the same 5 MP front camera with flash and a 1.4 GHz octa-core processor. On the other hand, the G5S Plus features 5.5-inch display, Snapdragon 2.0 GHz processor, and a new 13 MP dual-lens camera setup. Both versions support a fingerprint sensor. Both devices are upgradable to Android Oreo 8.1.0.

Reception

The Moto G5 lineup received positive reviews, although many considered that the regular G5 (low-end model) was not a true successor to the Moto G4 in terms of its features and CPU performance (the G5 used the 1.4 GHz Snapdragon 430, whilst the G4 used the 1.5 GHz Snapdragon 617). The Moto G5 was regarded as a disappointment by '' Alphr'', saying previous Moto G phones had been considered the best budget phones at the time of their respective release. On the other hand, the G5 Plus and G5S Plus (and to a lesser extent, the G5S) were praised for their large improvements in performance, battery life, camera quality, and storage capacity. ''Android Central'' thought that the G5S Plus was not a significant upgrade over the G5 Plus, finding that while the G5S Plus adds an upgraded front-facing camera with LED flash and a metal unibody, its rear camera module they considered a regression from that of the G5 Plus due to a narrower aperture (F2.0 versus F1.7).

References

Further information

Android Authority Review
(G5 Plus)

External links

Product Website
{{Motorola phones Android (operating system) devices Motorola mobile phones Mobile phones introduced in 2017 Mobile phones with multiple rear cameras Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery Smartphones