Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: the major differences between Moto G5 and Moto G5 plus

When Moto G5 (Moto G 2017) was announced. There were 2 products announced: Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus.

This makes some potential Moto G buyers confused: Moto G5 or Moto G5 Plus?

In fact Lenovo-owned-Motorola does not need to announce two Moto G models. They already have a comprehensive Moto line: Moto E, Moto G, Moto M, Moto Z and Moto X. In some regions, there is a Moto C as well.

But the trend is Lenovo and many other Android vendors still throw spaghetti on the wall to figure out what people want.

This guide will compare two phones, Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus, to help you understand the differences between them.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: Moto G5 Plus is slightly larger and heavier

Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus share similar aluminum material. There are no difference in build quality, which is excellent among phones in this price range.

Although Moto G5 Plus is larger (5.2″ vs 5″) and heavier (155g vs 145g), the difference is only marginal.

The screens are also almost identical except the size.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: Moto G5 Plus performs better

When we talk about performance, Moto G5 Plus is a clear winner due to the faster and newer CPU used in Moto G5 Plus.

Moto G5 is equipped with the 28nm 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430; while Moto G5 plus comes with a 14nm 2G Hz Snapdragon 625.

The GPU in Moto G5 Plus is Adreno 506 (with Snapdragon 625), which is 2.6x faster than Adreno 505 (with Snapdragon 430) in Moto G5.

When you play some heavy games, you will feel the performance difference immediately.

But for daily tasks, you probably will not feel much difference.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: Moto G5 Plus has a better main camera

The 5MP front-facing camera in Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus is identical.

But the main camera (rear-facing) in these two phones is different.

In the paper, Moto G5 has a 13MP main camera. Moto G5 Plus has a 12MP camera.

You should not be fooled by the number of pixels. The main camera in Moto G5 Plus is far better actually.

The 12MP camera in Moto G5 Plus has a larger aperture of f/1.7 (vs f/2.0 in Moto G5). This means Moto G5 plus can take better pictures in low light conditions, or for moving objects.

For video recording, Moto G5 Plus camera supports 4K video recording; while Moto G5 camera only supports full HD 1080p.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus:  Moto G5 Plus has a slightly larger battery and longer battery life

Moto G5 is equipped with a  2800 mAh battery (removable). Moto G5 Plus comes with a 3000mAh battery (non-removable).

Although the battery capacity is comparable, the difference in battery life is noticeable.

Moto G5 Plus delivers a longer battery life due to its power-efficient CPU/GPU. The 14nm fabrication process of Snapdragon 625 can increase power efficiency about 30%.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: headphone jack is on the top for Moto G5 and on the bottom for Moto G5 Plus

It is very strange that the location of headphone jack is different in Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus.

In Moto G5, headphone jack is in the top; while in Moto G5 Plus, it is in the bottom.

Some may prefer a headphone jack in the top; others may prefer it in the bottom.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: Moto G5 has a removable back cover and removable battery

One of the most obvious differences between Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus is the removable back cover in Moto G5.

More over, the battery in Moto G5 is also user removable. In previous generations of Moto G, Motorola sometimes used removable back cover with non-removable battery.

Removable battery is a luxury for a smartphone nowadays.  It is good for owners because you can carry a spare battery or replace the battery easily when it is ageing.

Due to the removable back cover in Moto G5,  the SIM card slots and micro SD cad slot are also placed differently in Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus.

As explained in this guide, you need to use the ejection tool to eject the SIM card tray for Moto G5 Plus.

But for Moto G5, both SIM card slots (dual SIM version)  and micro SD card slot are placed inside the phone. You need to remove the battery to insert or change SIM cards and micro SD card as explained in this page.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: Moto G5 is cheaper

Of course, Moto G5 is cheaper than Moto G5 Plus.

But the price difference varies depending on region and configurations (RAM/storage).

For the base mode (2GB/16GB for Moto G5 and 2GB/32GB for Moto G5 Plus), the price difference is usually about $50.

The cheapest Moto G5 Plus is the Amazon exclusive version at about $185.

Moto G5 vs Moto G5 plus: which one is for you?

You should get the phone based on your needs and budget.

Moto G5 is for you if:

• you need to use a spare battery; or
• you seldom play heavy games, or
• you just need a spare phone; or
• you seldom take photos with your phone; or
• you have very limited budget (for example, less than $200).

Moto G5 Plus is for you if:

• you play games quite often; or
• you want to get high performance smartphone with a $200-300 budget; or
• you need 64GB internal storage; or
• you take photos with your phone very often; or
• you want to get longer battery life.

Again, there is no perfect phone. But there should be a phone good enough for you.

Do you know the difference between Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus? Can you decide which phone is for you: Moto G5 or Moto G5 Plus?

If you have questions on Moto G5 vs Moto G5 Plus, please let us know them in the comment box below.

The community will try to hep you.

For more Moto G online manual pages, please check this page.

For detailed step-by-step guides, please check Moto G How-to guides page.

You can also find and download Moto G5 user manual in you language in Official Moto G5 User Manual and Moto G5 Plus User Manual page.