The Moto G 5G Plus is one of the cheapest 5G smartphones you can buy at the time of writing. The device also has interesting hardware. In this Motorola Moto G 5G Plus review you can read the pros and cons of the smartphone.
Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
price € 349, – / € 399, –
Color Blue
OS Android 10
Screen 6.7 inch LCD (2520 x 1080, 90 Hz)
Processor 2.3 Ghz octacore (Snapdragon 765)
RAM 4 or 6 GB
Storage 64 or 128 GB
Battery 5,000 mAh
Camera 48, 8, 5, 2 megapixels (rear), 16 and 8 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 16.8 x 7.4 x 0.9 cm
Weight 207 grams
Other Splash proof
Website www.motorola.com 8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Complete and solid hardware
- Good screen
- Affordable 5G smartphone
- Negatives
- Placement buttons
- Unclear, so far moderate update policy
- Unstable camera app
Motorola offers the Moto G 5G Plus in two configurations, with 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM (349 euros) and 64 GB or 128 GB storage space (399 euros). I tested that second version.
Design and screen
The Moto G 5G Plus is made of plastic and you can feel it. The device is less premium than a glass smartphone, but is comfortable in the hand and is solid. The large battery – more about that in a moment – makes the phone heavy (207 grams). Motorola promises that the smartphone can withstand a splash of water.
The smartphone has a large 6.7-inch LCD screen with an elongated 21: 9 ratio, something we know from Sony phones like the Xperia 10 II. The screen is ideal for movies and internet and looks sharp due to the full HD resolution. Thanks to the higher refresh rate than usual (90 Hz versus 60 Hz), the screen refreshes more often per second and the image looks smoother. A nice extra. The image quality is good enough, but cannot match an OLED screen in terms of colors and contrast.
I am less enthusiastic about the placement of the buttons. The on and off button on the right side is quite high and that takes some getting used to. The volume buttons are even higher and can hardly be reached with one hand. On the left side is a special button for the Google Assistant and I think that as a right-handed user it is already placed too high. The fingerprint scanner is also located in the on and off button and works quickly and accurately.
Complete hardware
The Moto G 5G Plus runs on a fast Snapdragon 765 processor with – in my case – 6 GB of RAM, enough to quickly switch between apps and games. The storage memory is also nice and spacious with 128 GB. The smartphone is suitable for 5G and at the time of writing one of the cheapest 5G phones you can buy. A bonus, but the benefits of 5G are still limited. For the time being, the successor to 4G is only slightly faster and will only become really fast in 2022 or 2023.
The device has four cameras on the back for normal photos, wide-angle images and macro images. A depth sensor blurs the background for a portrait effect. The photo quality during the day and in the dark is comparable to the competition, and more than sufficient for social media and holiday pictures. Sometimes photos look a bit duller than reality. The dual selfie camera in the screen is useful for normal photos and group images. The difference is clear and the image quality is fine, although bright lighting can be an issue. You can see it in the selfies below.
The large 5000 mAh battery lasts about a day and a half with intensive use, which is long enough. Those who take it easier can go ahead two or three days. Samsung’s Galaxy M21 is cheaper and offers a longer battery life. The Moto G 5G Plus charges at an average speed (20 Watt) via the USB-C port.
Software and update policy
Motorola delivers the Moto G 5G Plus with Android 10 and puts its renewed, light shell on top. It does not get in the way and adds some simple tricks to personalize the software more and quickly start the flashlight and camera. The manufacturer’s update policy remains a thorn in my side. Motorola only wants to guarantee Android 11 and security updates (one per quarter) for two years. Competitive smartphones such as the OnePlus Nord receive version and system updates more often and for longer, making them safer and more future-proof.
Conclusion: buy Motorola Moto G 5G Plus?
The Motorola Moto G 5G Plus is a beautiful smartphone with a good screen, complete and solid specifications, 5G support and user-friendly software. Motorola’s mediocre update policy is the biggest blemish on the fine phone, which itself only has some reasonably subjective flaws. For 349 euros a great buy, with the OnePlus Nord as the biggest competitor. It costs 399 euros and offers better specifications and long-term software support, which is why I think it is a better deal.
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