Moto G5s Plus First Impression – What Moto G5 Plus Should Have Been In The First Place

Motorola today added a couple more affordable G-series phones to its portfolio – the G5s and G5s Plus. The new G5s Plus, that we will be elaborating on in this article, further refines Moto G5 Plus (Review), adds trending features like dual rear cameras, utilities like 64GB storage, flaunts a full metal body and yet costs lesser than what G5 Plus did at its launch (yes, a bummer for those who recently bought the G5 Plus).

Lenovo playing correction shall help keep the G5 relevant in the face of the burgeoning competition. We went hands on with the new Moto and have a few insights to share.

Let’s begin.

Moto G5s Plus Specifications 

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Moto G5s Plus Design and Build

What works

• The Moto G5S Plus adorns a full metal jacket (vaguely reminiscent of Moto M from last year), which kind of makes it feel more premium. And if it matters, the iconic Moto dimple is there too (instead of mere 2D branding).
• The phone has 2.5D glass on the front, something that was missing on the G5 Plus
• The power button is textured.
• The home button on the front has a fingerprint sensor (we prefer them on the front).
• The phone feels very solid and durable. It also has a water resistant nano coating.

What doesn’t work

• The USB port still isn’t type-C
• The camera module juts out
• The SIM tray is hybrid, that is you’ll have to choose between dual SIM and microSD card slot (to be confirmed)

Moto G5s Plus Display

What works

• Motorola is using a full HD display panel on the Moto G5s.
• The display panel is sharp and vibrant.
• It felt bright enough for comfortable outdoor viewing (the sunlight was pouring in through a glass window while we tested it).
• The display is also protected by Gorilla Glass 3.

What doesn’t work

• Touch glass is a tad reflective.

Moto G5s Plus Camera

What works

• Motorola is using two 13MP cameras on the rear. One of these is an sRGB sensor, while the other is a monochrome sensor.
• We will reserve our verdict till we are done with a full review, but things look good for Motorola here. Besides, competition hasn’t set the bar very high in the first place.
• The camera app includes a Pro mode and bokeh mode that adds a few more options like changing the background color to monochrome.

What doesn’t work

• The portrait mode, that uses the second sensor for depth sensing to add background blur, is a work in progress. It’s slow and can’t differentiate between foreground and background very accurately.

Note: We will reserve our final camera verdict till we have tested the handset in different lighting conditions in our own space.

Moto G5s Plus Software

What Works

• Lenovo is using stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat software, with a few tweaks like Moto Actions.
• Moto Actions add gestures, one hand mode, and Moto Display
• Motorola has been doing the stock Android drill longer than any other OEM, and they are pretty good at it.

What doesn’t work

• Lenovo has added some bloatware this time. Linked in and Outlook are preloaded on the phone and you can’t uninstall them.

Moto G5S Plus Performance expectations and Battery

• The Moto G5s Plus has the same chipset as the G5 Plus. The phone is powered by 2.0 GHz Snapdragon 625 chipset, which is one of the most trusted mid-range mobile platforms around as of today.
• Thankfully, Moto G5s has a 64GB storage option. There’s adequate RAM on board as well (4GB).
• The fingerprint sensor was fast and accurate in our limited testing.
• The phone comes with a rather modest 3000mAh battery. Fast charging is supported.

Moto G5s Price online, Availability, and Promotional Offers

The Moto G5s Plus will be available for 15,999 INR exclusively on Amazon.in. Motorola is offering following promotional offers with the handset.

• Extra 1000 INR off if you exchange your old Motorola phone
• No cost EMI on all credit cards
• Moto Sports headphones at 499 INR instead of 1599 INR
• 80% off on Amazon Kindle e-books (up to Rs. 300)
• Up to 50GB additional 4G Jio data

Moto G5s Plus first impression

The Moto G5s Plus is what Moto G5 Plus should have been in the first place, in which case, Lenovo could have been trend setters instead of playing catch up. Having said that, it feels like a great option to have for anyone who’s looking for a decent mid-range phone priced around 15,000 INR. The first impression is largely positive.

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