Australia says ‘hello’ to Motorola’s new wallet-friendly Moto G5 and G5 Plus

Motorola has made its latest competitively-priced smartphones available in Australia today, with the local launch of the Moto G5 and the Moto G5 Plus. Both new models sport a metal housing, run the Android 7.0 OS (with Android O promised) and even include certain features that rival phones well beyond their budget price tags.

The G5 has a 1080p 5.0-inch screen, fingerprint scanner and simple conveniences like dual SIM slots, a removable battery and a water repellent coating. While it doesn’t look like the most impressive phone on paper, it’s super-affordable at just $299.

Motorola’s G5 Plus seems to do have done even better in terms of bang-for-buck. While you’ll be paying an extra $100 over the standard model, the upgrades you get will likely impact everyday use pretty significantly. The layout and 1080p screen (5.2-inch this time) are very similar to the base model, but most of the other improvements are more substantial.

The Plus has a far superior camera, with Dual Autofocus Pixels for a much faster autofocus, an aperture of f/1.7, and the ability to shoot video in 4K. On top of this, there’s a 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 processor and 3GB (or 4GB) RAM, and it’s backed by a decent 3,000mAh battery that supports TurboPower fast charging. It also boasts NFC, so it can do contactless payments via banking apps where supported. 

The Moto G5 is now available for $299 and the Moto G5 Plus is available in the 3GB RAM/16GB storage configuration for $399 both at Harvey Norman. If you were after the 4GB RAM/32GB configuration for the Moto G5 Plus, the only current option is picking it up at the Motorola store for $449 where you also have the option of both gold and grey finishes.

  • Check out the reviews of the Moto G5 here and the G5 Plus here, but note that the Asia/Pacific models have some stronger specs than the US and UK counterparts
Harry Domanski
Harry is an Australian Journalist for TechRadar with an ear to the ground for future tech, and the other in front of a vintage amplifier. He likes stories told in charming ways, and content consumed through massive screens. He also likes to get his hands dirty with the ethics of the tech.