Moto G5 Plus: Lenovo’s weapon against Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Honor 6x

Motorola’s latest Moto G5 Plus smartphone will be available on Flipkart.com from Wednesday night. The entry-level model, which offers 3GB RAM and 16GB storage, will cost Rs14,999, while the higher spec variant with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage is priced at Rs16,999.

Flipkart is offering a bevy of offers for users who buy the phone on the first day. It includes up to Rs1,500 on exchange with old smartphones, 10% discount if you pay using an SBI debit and credit card and no-cost EMI (equated monthly instalment) payment option starting at Rs1,889 per month.

The Moto G5 Plus will be competing against the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Rs9,999 onwards) and the Honor 6x (Rs12,999).

Small screen versus big screen

The Moto G5 Plus has a 5.2-inch display with screen resolution of 1,920x1,080p and pixel density of 424ppi. The screen size is smaller in comparison to the Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6x, which offer 5.5-inch screens with a resolution of 1,920x1,080p and pixel density of 403ppi. Technically, the Moto G5 Plus’s display should look sharper as its pixel density is higher, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has a superior screen. How it handles colours and reflections will affect the display quality too. Unlike the Xiaomi and Honor smartphones, the Moto G5 Plus display comes with an extra layer of scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3.

Also read | Moto G5 and G5 Plus: All you need to know

Dash of metal and nano coating

The all-metal exterior puts the Moto G5 Plus at par with the Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6x in terms of build quality and looks. What tilts the balance in the favour of Moto G5 Plus is its smaller footprint and water-repellent finish. It weighs 155g, which is less than Redmi Note 4’s 175g and Honor 6x’s 162g. The nano-coating on the Moto G5 Plus provides protection against water to some extent.

Latest Android

The Moto smartphone runs Android 7.0 (Nougat) out of the box with a near stock version of Android UI. The Redmi Note 4 and the Honor 6x run Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with their respective UIs on top. Though Xioami has assured the Nougat update on the device, it will not look the same due to Xiaomi’s heavy customisations on the software.

Rewriting the specs sheet

The Moto G5 Plus is driven by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor which powers the Redmi Note 4. The Honor 6x runs on the company’s own HiSilicon Kirin 655 octa-core chip. It is powerful but not as good with heavy games as the Qualcomm chip. The Moto G Plus has a 3,000mAh battery, but due to smaller screen and clutter-free interface, we won’t be surprised to see it last as much as the Redmi Note 4’s 4,100mAh battery.