India is known to be a highly price-sensitive market. And when it comes to smartphones, we all are extremely value-sensitive too. We want the best bang for the buck. As such, we have stiff competition (from the business perspective) and several choices (from the buyer’s standpoint). Take the case of the newly announced Moto G 5G, “the most affordable 5G smartphone” in the country. Motorola has filled a lot of features into this phone.
So, all we want to know is how these features translate functionally. And if it’s the most value for our money. We shall find those answers here. This is the Smartprix review of the Moto G 5G.
Here’s what’s presented on the paper:
Moto G 5G Specs
| Model | Moto G 5G |
| Display | 6.7” FHD+ Max Vision LCD display, HDR10, 60Hz |
| Software | Android 10 with My UX skin |
| Processor | Snapdragon 750G |
| Memory | 6GB RAM + 128GB built-in | Up to 1TB microSD card expandable |
| Battery | 5000mAh battery with 20W TurboPower |
| Water Protection | IP52 |
| Rear Camera | 48MP (f/1.7, 0.8um), output 12MP (f/1.7, 1.6um) Quad Pixel | PDAF 8MP (f/2.2, 1.12um) | 118°ultra-wide angle 2MP (f/2.4, 1.75um) | Macro Vision camera | AF |
| Front Camera | 16MP (f/2.2, 1um) | 4MP (f/2.2, 2um) Quad Pixel |
| Misc. | 5G, Dual-Band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, 3.5mm jack, USB-C, Hybrid Dual SIM, Google Assistant trigger, rear fingerprint reader, 2 mics, |
Let’s now look at the inbox contents:
Moto G 5G Unboxing
- The phone
- Charger w/ USB-C cable
- TPU Case
- Starter guide and other papers
- Sim ejector pin
And, it’s time to power on the device and get to the task at hand.
Quick Page Jumps:
Moto G 5G Design and Display
Moto G 5G is a big phone. Stand it vertically, and it looks like a monolith. A big-ass battery and 5G antennae make it a bit bulky at around 212 grams. Although the curved edges and plastic build offers a good feel on hand, the thing is not for one-handed use.
It hits the shelves in two dyes viz. Volcanic Gray and Frosted Silver. As you can see, ours is the former. It’s gorgeous. But gets easily smeared by dust and smudges.
Here, by the back, you have the quad-cam squircle and a round fingerprint reader. You can set multiple prints and it unlocks fairly fast. Flip to the front, and there you have the face unlock system. It bears the same issue I had with previous Moto phones such as G9 (review) and e7 Plus (review). Apparently, because of my beard, it fails to read my face and shows “only partial face detected”. I haven’t had this problem with any other phone. O, Moto, no love for a beardo?
ALSO READ: MSI GS66 Stealth Review
Beneath, you have an expansive 6.7-inch LCD 60Hz display. I wish, it were AMOLED (for deeper blacks and contrasts) and had a higher refresh screen (for a smoother experience). Because otherwise, the colors and viewing angles are plenty good here. The screen to body ratio is about 85.7%. Moto could have arranged some more screen space by trimming the bottom bezel.
Speaking of the bottom, there is a 3.5mm jack flanked by a USB-C port, a mic, and the solo speaker (more on that soon). At the top, there is the secondary mic aperture. By the right-hand side, there is a volume rocker and the power button. And on the left, there is the Google Assistant invoker and a hybrid SIM slot.
Sloting in the SIM, and let’s take a look at —
Moto G 5G Audio, Battery, and Connectivity
Motorola extols this as the most affordable 5G phone in the market. It is compatible with 11 global 5G network bands, including the Sub-6GHz frequency. In contrast, the Indian version of the OnePlus Nord covers only the N78 5G band. So, if and when 5G will be a reality, this phone will be better equipped in terms of 5G coverage.
But for now, we care about 4G (2x SIMs). Since the phone supports 4×4 MIMO & carrier aggregation, you shall stay rest assured about the network performance. Calls also sound fine (for both parties), backed by the dual-mic system.
The wireless connectivity options include Bluetooth 5.1, dual-band WiFi, and NFC as well. As for wired, you get both a USB Type-C socket and a 3.5mm jack. The audio part is well sorted by jack n’ grille (ahem, I mean the speaker output is sufficiently loud and good).
The box comes with a 20W adapter which fills the tank in about 2 hours, 15 min mark. And whence the battery is topped up, it’s a multi-dayer. In our PCMark (Work 2.0) benchmark testing, this thing left me dumbfounded with the result (score: 26 hours). Battery life is definitely one of its strong suits.
Well, let’s see how it fares in other areas.
Moto G 5G Software and Performance
Moto software christened My UX has less of what you wouldn’t want (bloat) and enough of what you would (useful gestures and neat customization options). Some of the highlights include:
- Moto actions for turning on flashlight and camera.
- Three-finger screenshot (no scrolling option, though :|)
- Peek Display with quick access to notifications.
- Gametime, which lets you block calls, notifications, Moto Actions, disable adaptive brightness, and access two messaging apps of your choice whilst gaming.
If you talk about preinstalled apps, there are the G-suite apps and the F for Facebook and FM Radio. Rest, it’s the good ol’ Android 10. Although the company has promised the Android 11 OTA, it would’ve been sweet to get it out of the box.
Anyways, on the hardware front, we have the new silicon from the Qualcomm fab. Fam, the phone is wielding an 8nm Snapdragon 750G chip. This is made of two Cortex-A77 (@2.2GHz) performance cores & 6 Cortex-A55 efficiency cores (@1.8GHz), coupled with Adreno 619 GPU. On paper, this should have a slight advantage over the Snapdragon 765G in single-core performance (as reflected in the Geekbench results). Speaking of which, here is a table of prominent synthetic stats:
| Benchmarks | Scores |
| Geekbench 5 Single | Multi | 661 | 2001 |
| PCMark Work 2.0 | 8107 |
| 3DMark Slingshot Extreme OpenGL (Vulkan didn’t run) | 2781 |
| 3DMark Wild Life | 1097 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | Manhattan 3.0 | T-Rex (fps) | 17 | 41 | 60 |
| Androbench Sequential R/W (MB/s) | 960.54 | 473.65 |
| Androbench Random R/W | 180.76 | 172.15 |
In the real world performance too, the phone sped through most tasks. The system animations felt smooth. You are getting 6gigs of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. There is no other configuration available. But, the good thing is the micro SD expandability option up to 1TB.
Coming to games, I tried COD Mobile and Asphalt 9. The former ran at high graphics quality and high frame rate (no maximum option). The gameplay was fine. However, I wish there was the option to choose better graphics or frame rates as possible in the likes of Poco X3 (review), Realme 7 Pro (review), etc. As for the racing game, I did notice some frame drops. There was no heating issue in both games. Overall, a decent rig to play on.
Moto G 5G Cameras
Moto G 5G is outfitted with a 16MP selfie shooter and a triplet by the back. The primary rear camera is a 48MP sensor releasing pixel-binned 12MP shots. The remaining two sensors are an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro lens. Videography is limited to 1080p @ 30 frames per sec from the front and up to 4K @ 30 fps from the rear.
Let’s roll our eyeballs over the actual photos now.
Daylight shots
Moto sticks to its close to natural processing, which I very much appreciate. However, they can seem ever so slightly dull. You always have the option to dial up the saturation and contrasts for the socials with 3rd party apps. The phone also does a fair job at detail retention. The dynamic range isn’t up to the mark.
You’ll be appeased by the edge detection, especially on selfies. You have the option to tune the background blur. I find the skin tones to be paler than I would’ve liked them to be.
The colors on the wider shots stay close to what we get from the primary camera. Finally, while close to a subject, the camera app suggests Macro capture. The result is pleasing for the possibility it offers.
Moto cam software also packs some goodies like Auto smile capture, Smart composition, Burst shot, Manual mode, Spot color, RAW photo output, Google Lens integration, and AR sticker (via Play Store upgrade).
ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy M51 Review
Low Light shots
In nighttime and poorly lit situations, the Moto G 5G throws a lot of light into the frame which when works, can be useful. But, when it doesn’t you end up with a noisy, overexposed mess. However, the phone redeems with better lit selfies thanks to night vision mode.
Moto G 5G Review Verdict: Should you buy?
When the Moto G 5G price was announced as ₹20,999 in India, it took me by surprise. It was a more aggressive move by the company than I had anticipated. For the sticker on the box, you are getting a competitive mid-ranger that reasonably balances the features and value. The power assurance from the chip (SD 750G) and cell (5000mAh) make it a getup and go kinda device. In the day to day use, you will come to like the ad-free and almost bloat-free stock software which has some handy tricks in the bag. It could even punch above its weight against something like the OnePlus Nord in certain areas like storage, battery, selfies, and the jack.
Then there are things that evoke mixed feelings such as its big and beautiful design, which is a bit hard to handle, its big and beautiful screen which lacks both AMOLED and high refresh rate fluidity. Even things like gaming experience, charging speeds, and camera results are good, but leaves you wanting for more.
You see as I mentioned in the intro, the competition is stiff and you have options in almost every ₹500 price break. Moto G 5G, for all the reasons above, is hence a jack of all trades in the present but packs the elusive 5G for your future. If that excites you, you may go for this one.
Pros
- Powerful performance
- Future-proof connectivity
- Stock Android experience
- Prolonged battery life
Cons
- Absent high-refresh-rate and AMOLED display
- Tough for one-handed operation
Moto G 5G FAQ
Q. Does Moto G 5G feature Gorilla Glass protection?
A. No, although Moto G 5G sports some sort of unspecified shield, it’s not Corning’s Gorilla Glass.
Q. Does Moto G 5G support HD streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime?
A. Yes, Moto G 5G features DRM Info L1 and should run HD content on Netflix and Amazon Prime just fine.
Q. Is there NAVIC support on Moto G 5G?
A. No, Moto G 5G doesn’t support NAVIC but comes with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO navigation systems.
Q. What is the SAR value of Moto G 5G?
A. Head SAR – 0.92W/Kg; Body SAR – 01.38WW/Kg
Q. Does Moto G 5G support Wi-Fi calling and dual-band Wi-Fi?
A. Moto G 5G supports dual-band WiFi but WiFi calling isn’t present in the settings.
Q. Does Moto G 5G support carrier aggregation?
A. Yes, Moto G 5G supports both 4×4 MIMO & carrier aggregation.
Q. Does Moto G 5G have FM Radio?
A. Yes, Moto G 5G does have FM Radio.
Q. Does Moto G 5G support Dual 4G VoLTE?
A. Yes, Moto G 5G does support Dual 4G VoLTE.
Q. Does Moto G 5G have a telephoto zoom camera?
A. No, Moto G 5G doesn’t include a telephoto zoom camera.
Q. Does Moto G 5G support auto-call recording?
A. No. Moto G 5G doesn’t come with a call recording feature.
Q. What are the 11 5G bands supported by Moto G 5G?
A. These are the 5G bands supported by Moto G 5G: 1, 3, 7, 8, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78 SA/NSA (including Sub-6 GHz)
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