Moto G5 Plus review

Moto’s latest Plus ups the design and cuts the price

Great Value

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Motorola is continuing its hot streak in the budget market with the Moto G5 Plus. Flagship features and design have slowly trickled down to the mid-range and it’s good to see Moto absorbing this trend on the low-end. Finally, it longer looks or feels like a budget phone.

While what’s at the core of the new phone is simply a welcome jump over last year’s, it will likely mark a change in perception of the G series. If not for the design, then for inclusions like Google Assistant and other inventive features like the one-button navigation on the fingerprint sensor.

The quality of the images taken with the G5 Plus are the low point here. Otherwise, our biggest gripes with it are centered around what it could be, not what we wished it wasn’t.

Who's it for?

For those on a budget, but who don’t want to sacrifice decent performance to save some money.

Android Nougat with Google Assistant, Moto’s slick (and light) custom touches, premium design and stacked list of features all make this more than your ordinary phone. All for $229, you say? That’s an easy sell. 

Should you buy it?

If you own the Moto G4, you more or less know what you’re in for. For everyone else, there is simply no better deal out there for a phone that essentially does it all.

Sure, you won’t find NFC here if you’re pining to use Android Pay in the US, and the camera performance didn’t impress us. However, those are small blips for a device that gets so much right for very little cash. 

Cameron Faulkner

Cameron is a writer at The Verge, focused on reviews, deals coverage, and news. He wrote for magazines and websites such as The Verge, TechRadar, Practical Photoshop, Polygon, Eater and Al Bawaba.