Motorola has been pulling off surprises for the entire 2020 year. In the market held by Xiaomi, Realme and Samsung, it is the Motorola that has come up with exciting smartphones in affordable categories. After the One Fusion + and the beautiful Moto G9, Motorola is back on the other side with the Moto G 5G. Yes, we Indians are finally getting the Moto G models of premium this year. Not a bad 2020 for smartphone lovers, eh? Read more - Car G 5G in photos: Buy Android for the following performance.
The Moto G 5G is one surprise package that everyone cares about. For Rs 20,999, you get a complete Snapdragon 750G phone with Android stock interface, mega 5000mAh battery, and other decent cameras. That’s a combination I’ve never heard of in a while, especially above Rs 20,000. The OnePlus Nord is approaching but now you have to pay Rs 28,000 to get your hands on it. Also, Google Pixel 4a is about Rs 11,000 more. Also, Read - Best Phone Under 10000 Redmi 9 Prime ( 64 Gb Storage, 4 Gb Ram )
Putting the Car G 5G on top with the Pixel 4A and the OnePlus Nord is a big deal. Is this Motorola phone worth saving more money than the other two? Carry me as I dive deep into the Moto G 5G. Read more - Motorola Moto G Nio's first look: Dual punch-hole cameras, small bezel display and more
Design
Motorola claims that the Moto G 5G is the cheapest 5G smartphone you can buy. To get that attractive price of Rs 20,999, Motorola has cut a few corners. Where is the cutting done? Small design.
I'll start with the good stuff - the Moto G 5G is a good looking phone, depending on the colour you choose. I found a variation of Volcanic Gray actually dark brown with a carbon fibre-esque texture. This is a great colour to hide the minimal makeup we’ve seen in 2020 Motorola cheap phone. There’s a square camera hump that sits next to a capacitive fingerprint sensor, which is actually hidden by the Motorola logo.
The front has a standard design (by 2020 standards) with almost a sharp edge display, some thick bezels, and a modern punch-hole camera cut. You get a set of standard Motorola keys, which means power key, volume keys, and Google Assistant keys. Unlike previous Motorola phones, these are touchable buttons and click like standard buttons on some phones. These feel like they will last a long time even in careless hands. I'm glad to see Motorola paying attention to my response.
The “frame” itself has a matte finish that helps with grip. That said, I’m not happy with myself for what I love or the ending. I have no problem with phones with plastic bodies - they are more resistant to cracks and appear stronger than glass bodies. But, the glossy finish that blows the glass out of the Moto G 5G feels cheaper. Matte finishes with pleasing gradients can enhance the drama. Even a simple black matte finish would work to enhance the appeal, like the Pixel 4A.
Make no mistake, the Moto G 5G is well-built and well-maintained in my hands, i.e. no scratches, no scuffs. Even in other product photos, you see here, the Moto G 5G looks short with a slight gradient finish. But one of the cheapest views of the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max with its elegant glass panel and that Motorola has no reason. With such an important call, I was expecting the company to finally come up with a phone that looks like a premium. Last year’s Motorola One Vision at this same price range was very well built and raised my expectations high.
Would I not buy a plastic body? The innards of this phone are the most important to me and I can put skins or pastes on this black colour variation. Wait, I'd prefer to choose the silver one as it looks under plastic.
Display
On the Moto G 5G, it comes with a 6.67 display with an average resolution of 20: 9. Motorola uses HDR10 compatible IPS LCD with 1080p pixel resolution. This is a good show by any means, even if the nerds are recording “inky black” AMOLED displays. I found the colours bright, vibrant, and have a nice contrast. I enjoyed watching Formula 1 races on Hotstar as well as regular YouTube videos that looked great on sex. The viewing angles were wide enough for me and my brother. During the difficult winter months of Delhi NCR, I had no problem reading the display under the sun.
Performance
This is the main reason you are interested in the Moto G 5G. The Snapdragon 750G chip is starting to work in India on this phone and signals what to expect from Qualcomm’s midrange 5G chip. That said, Motorola itself handles the fast performance of this phone.
Go through the benches and you will find that the Snapdragon 750G is about the same size as the Snapdragon 765G in performance. I tried Genshin Impact on the Moto G 5G and it went well with high graphics, even though it was forced to 60 fps. Yet, like the Snapdragon 765G-powered Vivo V20 Pro, this one also threw occasional stutters and frame drops. Lowering the quality of the graphics helped to maintain a consistent performance.
I've played a few Indie games, and that was something that was not compatible with the Moto G 5G. Upload times are fast enough, and I found the phone quick to respond to most of the tasks I threw at it. 5G is still not a thing and that's why I have nothing to say about it. Yet, my time with the Moto G 5G has seen equal reliance on LTE mobile data and Wi-Fi, and I have never encountered connectivity issues. The quality of the phones over the ear and with the headphones was as good as any Motorola phone. Sound from the loudspeaker even though it is the only medium.
The stock-based Android experience on the Moto G 5G is refreshing, especially after the emergence of Vivo, Xiaomi and Realme devices. Motorola pre-loads the phone with Android 10 but without the Facebook app, nothing more. You get all the Google apps and other Motorola apps needed. The stock interface means no custom browsers throw out unwanted ads or notifications. I would like Motorola to launch this phone with Android 11, given that it is too late in 2020. Motorola says the Android 11 update has been confirmed but there is no Android 12 promise for this. Yes, this is not an Android One device.
Also to the visible interface of the stock, Motorola allows you to change certain UI items with its MyUX program. You can change highlighting colours, icon shapes and fonts, but not MIUI-level-12 degrees. For my 2 weeks on the phone, I enjoyed the fast and clean user experience on the Moto G 5G. I also liked the updated Moto camera app now which offers a more structured design for all camera features.
I'm talking about cameras…
Cameras
A few months ago, I spent time with the Moto G9 and apart from its 2020 48-megapixel camera sensor, I was amazed at the good performance of the photos. Motorola tunes its cameras well and without looking at the sensor, most of its phones work well. That doesn’t change with the Moto G 5G.
The G G 5G uses a 48-megapixel sensor with an f / 1.7 lens for a large camera. This is compatible with another 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and another 2-megapixel macro camera. Unpleasant numbers, right? Yes, go through the photo sample gallery and you will be amazed.
During the day, the Moto G 5G captures colours and does not overuse it, as do other Redmi and Realme devices. It tries to keep the closest approach to the nature of colour science but improves it a bit when it feels there is not enough light. The flexibility range is not good but for most casual photographers, the Moto G 5G delivers well. Pixel-binning means that images have a fair amount of detail. But, zoom in on the shady areas and you'll see some admiring grain clicks.
As soon as the light levels drop, the details take a toll while the algorithms amplify the colours a bit to maintain a "different" tone. In challenging light conditions, I was impressed with the way the Moto G 5G regulates exposure and colour. My red nightshade kept red in the darkroom while keeping all the artwork. I took the same picture in Night Vision mode and it disturbed the colours and the atmosphere. But, with dark images, the night mode on the Moto G 5G is amazing.
I like the operation of the camera at night without the night mode. I also love it with a wide range of camera for its colour profile during the day. It doesn't have the details of a great camera but gives you a broad overview of distorting your subject. It’s a bad night and I wish Motorola had found a way to the bright Night Vision in this camera model. The macro camera is not very sharp as its 2-megapixel sensor can detect the sensitivity of its siblings' sensors. That said, give it good light and you can find decent images that can be used on social media.
Portrait mode images drive notch fillings but I liked the title separation in the background. There are no rough edges, no natural cuts even in busy areas. Motorola offers some of its fun camera modes to play with when you feel art. I was in the middle of changing my house which is why I relied on standard conditions to get my daily photo volume.
The selfies from the front 16-megapixel camera look great with bright colours and good contrast. I liked how the camera controls the rearview and white balance. Portrait mode for selfies worked as expected, with proper cuts and decent levels of background blur.
Battery
5G is not something in India yet but when it does, it will absorb the battery of your 5G phone, unlike anything else. that Motorola has chosen a larger 5000mAh battery to withstand that battery drain once you have installed the 5G SIM card. In the current world of 4G networks, the Moto G 5G saved me a day and had enough juice to arrive at noon the next day. I used the phone on all my office calls, texting, browsing, watching YouTube videos, and broadcasting songs for an average of two hours while in office.
While the battery life is good, the charging speed is on the slow side. The motor includes a 20W fast charger in the box and it takes about 1.5 hours for the battery to reach more than 90 per cent from 10-per cent lower levels. Not that it is a break-breaker but Realme offers its 65W charger for 20 minutes to Realme 7 Pro while Xiaomi and others move at least 30W for faster charging. it's time for Motorola to jump on the fast charging bandwagon now.
Verdict
Car G 5G is an amazing phone in many ways. For smartphone lovers like us, this is what we have been waiting for in stages for less than Rs 25,000. A clean Android experience with a fast-paced chip that shows the future, easy use, long battery life, and great cameras is the combination that many are looking for at this price. Similar to Google Pixel 4A removes the functionality of the flagship camera and the high price tag. If I was limited to Rs 25,000 as a budget for my smartphone, the Moto G 5G is what I would have downloaded. The simplest recommendation for most people.
That said, it misses a few things its Chinese rivals are doing so well. There is nothing wrong with its design or construction but I have seen phones that look better and better built at the same price. The Redmi K20 and Realme 7 Pro at this price range will impress with my style better than the Moto G 5G. The LCD is good in every way but most consumers like the AMOLED brightness that is displayed by most phones in this category as usual. Plus, there are cheaper phones than the Moto G 5G with a higher level of refreshment. Realme and Redmi offer faster-charging programs. These are the areas where Motorola now needs to work because it has now found the right foundations.
How does it compare to the competition? The OnePlus Nord is expensive and feels that way when you look at the package as a whole. It is superior to the Moto G 5G in its display, Oxygen OS feel, faster charging, and better build quality. Compared to the Pixel 4A, the Moto G 5G is faster and will last longer but still can't match the feel of the Pixel camera. As for the Redmi K20, Realme 7 Pro, Poco X3, Moto G 5G it has so much performance that one does not stand chance longevity and speed. The Realme X3 and it's Snapdragon 855+ are still the fastest phones in this category.
Who should buy a Car G 5G? If you want a pure Android experience with solid performance, the Moto G 5G is for you. If you want 1+ day battery life, camera performance, and a proven future phone, you can consider the Moto G 5G. If you want to be honest, it's still the best Moto G 5G.
