We all dream of high-end smartphones once in a while. Let’s face it, the majority of us don’t need all the features of a flagship device. Nor can we afford them. Thankfully, there are plenty of choices in the budget phone section also. Two of the most appealing handsets from this range are the Moto G5 and the Lenovo P2. Both look good, have a nice spec sheet and they come for prices of about $250. Let’s see which one of them is a better choice when shopping for a budget phone.
Moto G5
The Moto G5 is undoubtedly one of the best smartphones from the Moto G-series, if not the best. From the first glance, Moto fans can tell this is a Motorola device. Even so, the design of the smartphone is not outdated, and the new part-metal design grants a more premium look. Of course, it’s not a bezel-less smartphone, but it still looks fine. The rounded edges, the all-glass front and the fingerprint sensor on the front make it look and feel more expensive than it is. The body of the Moto G5 is quite thin and easy to handle in one hand. The metallic nicely embraces the 5-inch FullHD display. The images are clear, sharp, ensuring a great video experience.
When it comes to power, things are not that awesome anymore. The Moto G5 actually comes with a weaker chipset than its predecessor had. It is also smaller, but that doesn’t really justify the downgrade. The Snapdragon 430 processor may not be the worst on the market, but it definitely isn’t the best either. Even so, together with the Adreno 505 GPU, it manages to work just fine for the needs of an average user. Don’t expect it to be extra speedy because it isn’t. But it is suitable for browsing the web, texting, and using most of your apps. Opening and closing these apps may take a while, but that is understandable, considering the price. The smartphone comes in two variants, including 2GB or 3GB of RAM. The 3GB version is a little more expensive, but the extra memory is worth the initial investment.
The 2,800mAh battery of the Moto G5 is also a downgrade from its predecessor’s 3,000mAh battery. Then again, it is smaller, so it will have mostly the same battery life as the Moto G4 did. In mixed use, it will safely get you through the day. However, don’t forget to charge it at night because it won’t get you through the second day too. The fast charging comes in handy with this smartphone, it can pump enough juice for a night out in your smartphone in only half an hour or even less.
The 13MP sensor of the Moto G5’s camera sounds pretty impressive. Unfortunately, due to the fact that the handset doesn’t feature the dual-LED flash you can find on the Moto G5 Plus, the images taken in low-light conditions won’t be impressive at all. If you want to use the camera during the day, it will capture decent images, though. However, don’t expect it to deliver photography masterpieces unless you are an extremely talented photographer. The 5MP front-facing camera’s wide angle is a nice feature and so is its option to tap anywhere on the screen in order to take a picture.
The Moto G5 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. This means users can benefit from all the great features this operating system has to offer. Lenovo didn’t change much in the interface, so users will get a nearly stock Android on their handsets. This also means they get Google’s suite of apps, which is great. Naturally, users will also get the Lenovo’s Moto app. Why else would you like to have a Moto G5 if not for the Moto experience? The price of the Moto G5 starts at around £159 in the UK. That’s in the $200 zone.
Lenovo P2
Our second smartphone is also a Lenovo handset, but this time around it is not a Moto. Firstly, it is bigger than the Moto G5. For some smartphone users, this is a plus, for others, it is a minus. The 5.5-inch FullHD display is great for watching videos and even for reading PDF books. The design of this handset is, in my opinion, more appealing than the one of the Moto G5. The metallic unibody and the rounded corners make it feel comfortable and easy to use. Especially if your hands are big enough. Maybe it isn’t the best choice for a petite woman, but it is a great choice for those who like to have bigger smartphones for one reason or another. It definitely doesn’t look like an average mid-range smartphone. The fingerprint sensor is built into the physical home button on the front of the smartphone, just like in the case of the Moto G5.
In terms of power, the Lenovo P2 definitely seems to be better than the Moto G5. It has a Snapdragon 625 chipset clocked at 2GHz. The smartphone comes in three different versions. The less impressive one includes 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There are also two versions with 4GB of RAM and 32GB and 64GB of storage, respectively. These turn the Lenovo P2 into a rather speedy handset. It works just fine with internet browsing, games, and different apps also. The apps are easier and quicker to open than with the Moto G5.
One of the best features of the Lenovo P2 is its huge, 5,100mAh battery. We don’t even need to directly compare it with the 2,800mAh battery of the Moto G5 because the conclusion is pretty obvious. The battery of the Lenovo P2 is not only able to take users through the day, it lasts for more than two days on a single charge. This is a great result even if we compare it to flagship devices. there aren’t many smartphones out there that can offer this kind of a battery life, that’s for sure. The smartphone also features Ultimate Power Saver mode, although I don’t really see the need for it. Maybe if you forget to charge it every second night it can come in handy.
Just like the Moto G5, the Lenovo P2 has a 13MP back snapper and a 5MP front-facing camera. They are able to capture images of reasonable quality. However, they don’t perform really well in low-light conditions. Even so, users can take nice photos and they can shoot decent videos. Given the price range of the smartphone expecting more would be rather unreasonable. The cameras of the Lenovo P2 do their job, but they aren’t exactly suitable for professional photography.
Even though Lenovo is behind both handsets, the interface of the Lenovo P2 is not the same as the one on the Moto G5. They don’t even run on the same version of Android. The P2 features Android Marshmallow instead of the more recent Android Nougat running on the Moto G5. In the case of the Lenovo P2, we don’t find the nearly stock Android interface. This is not necessarily a bad thing because the Lenovo P2’s software looks really nice and it is almost as intuitive as stock Android is. The Lenovo P2 is also a bit more expensive than the Moto G5. Its price starts at £199, which is roughly translated into $250.
The verdict
The Moto G smartphones might be some of the most popular mid-rangers out there, but we have to admit that the Lenovo P2 is better in many ways. It has a more premium look, a more powerful chipset, larger memory and an undoubtedly longer battery life. Of course, these features are reflected in the price of the handset, but the extra $50 could be worth it. The only two things that could make the Moto G5 more appealing to some users is its smaller size and the more recent software.
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