When it comes to the Lenovo-owned Moto brand, one thing is clear: It has a fan following in India that is only growing purely because of the design, power and pocket-friendly prices.
Since the inception of the G-series smartphones, Motorola has surprised its users with some top-of-the-game specifications in the mid-segment price range.
The company has now unveiled the Moto G5 for Rs 11,999 which is the fifth-generation device in the G-series.
Let's find out what works for the device.
Design-wise, the hardened plastic-built Moto G5 looks similar to its elder Moto G5 Plus sibling which was launched prior to it.
The device is aesthetically balanced with the Micro-USB port at the bottom and a 3.5mm audio port on top.
The fingerprint sensor is placed just under the 5-inch IPS LCD display. On the rear, there is a large primary camera ring and below is the Motorola logo.
The best feature is the stock Android 7.0 Nougat. Users prefer devices with stock Android software as it is a no-nonsense operating system with no frills.
Moto G5 is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor clocked at 1.4GHz with Adreno 505 graphics. The 3GB RAM and 16GB ROM, with a support for microSD cards up to 128GB, complement the hardware.
With normal daily usage like calling, texting and six to eight hours of internet surfing -- Moto G5 didn't give us a hard time.
G-series devices generally have good cameras and the same goes for the Moto G5. The device sports a 13MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and an LED flash.
A fast shooter, it clicked impressive photos in ample light conditions. We were also happy with the quality of photos clicked in low-light conditions.
The 5MP front shooter did not disappoint either while taking selfies.
What doesn't work?
Users have at times complained about G-series batteries and we still stand by our point. The removable 2,800mAh battery delivered approximately 12 hours of run-time with heavy usage that included always-on internet, heavy surfing and calling.
The device calls for a 3,000mAh battery for better run-time. A heavy mobile user can go for a Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (Rs 12,999) for a better battery life. (In our earlier review, Note 4 delivered 32 hours of run-time!)
Conclusion: If you can ignore the smaller battery and plastic body, go for Moto G5. It will not disappoint you as it firmly stands against its competitors when it comes to overall performance.
(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourab.k@ians.in)