Moto G5s Plus Review – One Month Detailed Review

Moto G5s Plus Review

Are you here to know the Moto G5s Plus review? Let’s find it out in detail in this post. But, before getting into the details, let’s first have a look at the major Pros and Cons of Moto G5s Plus smartphone.

Pros

  • Stunning Display
  • Good Battery Management
  • Appreciable RAM management
  • Multi-Tasking without lagging
  • Dual Camera Setup

Cons

  • Shutter lag while capturing photos.
  • Irregular Security Updates.
  • No compass Sensor

Moto G5s Plus Review

Introduction

Though the Motorola is owned by Lenovo, there are still fans for the Lenovo-owned company who literally worship the brand. May it be the prestigious G series, E Series or the Z series, every new smartphone by the Motorola is received with both welcoming hands by the fans across the world. To keep the fans happy and stand on par with other brands in the market, the Motorola launched Moto G5S Plus although it’s been only around 6 months since the Motorola had launched the Moto G5 Plus in the G series with the only difference being the dual camera setup and a bigger display in the latest smartphone. Apart from that, almost everything else is same as in the G5 Plus smartphone.

However, this information alone is not enough for you or anyone else to decide whether the G5s Plus smartphone is meeting the expectations of the current market especially when there is tough competition from Xiaomi Mi A1. But, do not worry. Because here in this post, we will have a look at the Moto G5s Plus in very detail. Let us begin our review with the specifications first.

Moto G5s Plus Specifications

  • Moto G5s Plus sports a 5.5-inch full HD display at a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels with 401 ppi pixel density and 16:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a combination of 4 GB RAM and 2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU besides running on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) out of the box. The mobile comes with 64 GB internal storage that can be expanded to 128 GB using the microSD card.
  • It features 13MP (RGB) + 13MP (monochrome) dual rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording and 8MP front-facing camera with flash, f/2.0 aperture. The smartphone supports 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC and Dual SIM connectivity features besides packing 3000 mAh battery. G5s Plus has fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensors.

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Design / Hardware – 8/10

  • Moto G5s Plus boasts a very good build quality, all thanks to the metal body. Despite being big, the mobile fits perfectly in your hands just like its predecessors’ due to the curvy design on the back. According to the company, the back of the G5s Plus has been shaped from one single block of metal.
  • The front side of the G5s Plus is equipped with 8 MP front camera, speaker grill and proximity sensor above the 5.5-inch display screen. There is also a fingerprint sensor below the display. Unlike other smartphones, there are no any physical buttons on the front side. You will find the buttons for navigation and other operations within the display at the bottom.
  • On the back of G5s Plus, you will find the antenna bands on the top as well as the bottom. The primary dual camera setup is also situated on the back side of the smartphone. For the first time after several years since the release of Moto G2 in the G series, you will find the Moto logo instead of the regular ‘M’ logo on the backside. You might have to buy a case to protect the camera lens from the scratches because the camera is protruded on the backside.
  • The right side of the smartphone contains the volume and power buttons while the top side is equipped with 3.5 mm audio jack. You will find the microUSB, loudspeaker grill and microphone at the bottom of the smartphone. It is surprising and disappointing at the same time to see the USB Type-C connectivity still not being integrated in yet another G series device.
  • Though the Moto G5s Plus does not have IP 67/68 waterproof certification, the Nano-coating of the smartphone protects itself from the water sprinkles.
  • Motorola owes an explanation to the users for not integrating the compass sensor at this price range.

Display – 8/10

Moto G5s Plus Review
The display of Moto G5s Plus is one of the best in the current market despite being very big.
  • Despite being big, the display is one of the factors that makes the Moto G5s Plus very special among other smartphones in the market. The mobile sports a 5.5-inch full HD display at a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels with 401 ppi pixel density and 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • Although the G5s Plus packs an IPS LCD display, the colors are very accurate and sharp in the default vibrant mode. In fact, one should not wonder if the display is compared to the high-end smartphones like Galaxy Note 8 or LG G6. Because the viewing angles are also great with 2.5D curved glass along the edges.
  • The calibration of the Auto Brightness in Moto G5s Plus is better than the previous Moto G smartphones. In our experience, we didn’t have to manually adjust the brightness levels and it was very convenient to view the contents on the screen even under the direct sunlight.

Also Read: Moto G5 Plus Review


User Interface – 8/10

  • Moto G5s Plus runs on Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) out of the box. But, the company has officially confirmed that the Android Oreo will be available on the G5s Plus very soon.
  • The user interface in G5s Plus resembles that of the Pixel devices. You will have to swipe from the bottom to open the App drawer.
  • It is very surprising to see the Outlook and LinkedIn apps pre-installed in the smartphone. Besides this, you will find the apps such as the Moto Actions, Moto Voice and Moto Display as the additional bloatware. You will also find the standard Google Apps in the Moto G5s Plus.
Moto G5s Plus Review
The user interface of Moto G5s Plus
  • The Moto Display works instead of the missing physical LED notification in G5s Plus smartphone. Using the Moto Actions, you can double chop to turn the flashlight on and double twist to turn the camera on.
  • You can also rely on the Google Assistant application which comes out of the box to control the smartphone and get the latest updates such as weather using the voice commands.
  • Though the compass sensor is missing, the GPS navigation works fine without any hindrances or confusions.
  • The camera app has also been upgraded with few additional options such as Depth Mode which we will describe in detail in the camera section of this post.

Performance – 8/10

  • Moto G5s Plus which is powered by the combination of 4 GB RAM and 2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU, is an extraordinary performer in this price range.
  • In addition to that, the fingerprint sensor is also very responsive and it can be used to lock and unlock the G5s Plus smartphone.
  • You must not face any issues in your regular day-to-day usage of the smartphone. The RAM management is also done very well and that’s why the multi-tasking is very smooth in the G5s Plus device.
  • The gamers will find solace in the Moto G5s Plus. In our tests, we played high-end games such as Dead Trigger 2, Modern Combat 5 and Asphalt 8: Airborne very smoothly. The gaming for a long time was also not resulting in any heating issues.

Shared below is the benchmark scores of Moto G5s Plus with the current competition in the market:

 

 

Audio & Video Quality – 8/10

  • Moto G5s Plus is the perfect gadget for the media lovers. The clarity and quality of the video playback is very good. The mobile is bundled with earphones within the package and it is good only for the calling purposes. If you are a music lover, we would suggest you purchase a third-party earphones.
  • The G5s Plus is also packed with FM Radio app to satisfy the traditional music lovers who listen to the FM stations.
  • Both the internet and voice calls work fine up to the standards in Moto G5s Plus. The sound levels in the loudspeaker is only loud enough and not very great. The company should have packed the G5s Plus with dual speakers instead of the mono speaker located at its bottom.

Camera – 7/10

  • The front camera in G5s Plus is 8MP front-facing camera with flash, f/2.0 aperture while the back camera consists of 13MP (RGB) + 13MP (monochrome) dual rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 4K video recording.
  • The Moto G5s Plus is the first smartphone in the G series to have a dual camera setup. One of the sensors is the regular RGB sensor while the other one is a monochrome sensor. The additional monochrome sensor comes in handy to capture photographs with great quality in the low light conditions. We would suggest you not to use the zoom function. However, you can take great photos with stunning Bokeh effects though.
Moto G5s Plus Review
Moto G5s Plus Camera Interface
  • In our tests, we found that the camera works fine in both daylight and artificial light conditions. Unlike the earlier G series devices, you will find Depth Mode in G5s Plus smartphone using which you will be able to capture photographs in portrait mode.
  • But the depth mode works very slowly in the Moto G5s Plus. In fact, there is also a slight shutter delay while capturing photographs in the normal mode. The device also gets heated when the dual camera is used for a long time. You will find it little warm near the camera hump in such situations.
  • Auto HDR works like a charm during daylight conditions. There is also Pro mode for you to manually set the ISO and other camera settings.
  • The Moto G5s Plus can be used to capture videos in 4K resolution at 30 FPS. At 1080p resolution, you can capture videos at 60 FPS.
  • There is also a dedicated 3D sensor to capture the subject with more depth to let the users to adjust the depth of the photo.

Battery – 8/10

  • The Moto G5s Plus packs 3000 mAh battery. The battery management is done very well as the smartphone lasts more than one day on average use. The device supports Qualcomm Fast Charging technology. You can charge the Moto G5s Plus in around 90 minutes. The device gets little warm during charging though.
Moto G5s Plus Review
Moto G5s Plus Battery should last more than one day
  • In our tests, the battery lasted for up to 6 hours on heavy usage. As mentioned above, on a normal usage with little Facebook and WhatsApp besides the Camera app and Music listening for some time, the battery must be able to last for more than one day.

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Moto G5s Plus Review – Final Verdict – 8/10

The Motorola has given their best in the Moto G5s Plus smartphone. And one cannot find any difference in the approach of the company towards the market as it follows the same formula of “Stock Android + Moto Apps + Upgrades” to attract the customers. On the other hand, the Moto G5s Plus is getting tough competition from the Mi A1 which is powered by the Google’s Android One program. It means that the Mi A1 will get the regular monthly updates of the Android directly from the Google without any delay.

Although there is official confirmation that the Android Oreo update will be rolled out to the Moto G5s Plus, one cannot trust the Motorola at the moment on whether the regular monthly updates will be delivered in time or not. Because that’s missing these days in the Motorola devices. Nokia smartphones around this price range are also getting the regular updates. That’s why the Lenovo owned company should seriously consider delivering the updates at least once in three months to be above or on par with the competition.

Moreover, there isn’t much difference between the Moto G5 Plus and Moto G5s Plus except the bigger display and dual camera setup. If you are an existing Moto G5 Plus user, you should consider upgrading to G5s Plus only if you need these additional features.

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About the Author: Derin J Tom

A homosapien in the pursuit of lending this cosmic world a small contribution of my supersonic dumb thoughts through words.

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