Motorola combines its expertise in affordable phones with its knowledge of 5G to create the Moto G 5G Plus.
Motorola
There’s one quality nearly all 5G phones have in common: They’re expensive. It will cost you at minimum $999 to buy a Motorola Edge Plus or one of the phones from the Samsung Galaxy S20 family. Depending on the carrier, the OnePlus 8 and LG V60 are slightly less expensive ranging from $700 up to $900 respectively. And who knows how much Apple will charge for its heavily rumored iPhone 12, which is expected to have 5G. So it’s a real surprise to see Motorola launch the Moto G 5G Plus, a truly affordable 5G phone.Motorola is no stranger to budget phones, having launched four new Moto phones in 2020 that cost between $150 and $300. Motorola is also no stranger to 5G. In 2018, its Moto Z3, along with a separately sold 5G Moto Mod, was the first official 5G phone. And last year, the company offered the Moto Z4 and the 5G mod for only $500 as a bundle.
For more like this
Subscribe to the Mobile newsletter, receive notifications and see related stories on CNET.
The new Moto G 5G Plus is built from the ground up to support 5G. It will be available in Europe starting July 8 for 349 euros (with 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage) or 399 euros (with 6GB RAM and 128GB). The starting price converts to £315 or AU$565. Motorola says it’s committed to releasing a sub-$500 5G in the US in the fall, but it’s unclear whether that affordable 5G device is the Moto G 5G Plus, another version of it or an entirely new device.The Moto G 5G Plus packs support for sub-6GHz 5G, so low- and midband 5G, not the fastest millimeter-wave 5G, but it puts it in direct competition with the more expensive Samsung Galaxy S20, OnePlus 8 and still unreleased Motorola Edge. The 5G Plus also has a 6.7-inch full HD display with a 90Hz refresh rate (no word if it’s an LCD or OLED). It has NFC and packs a 5,000-mAh battery, just like the excellent Moto G Power and Motorola Edge Plus. It has a Snapdragon 765 5G processor — the same one found in the upcoming Motorola Edge.On the front of the Moto G 5G Plus are dual-selfie cameras and on the back are three cameras plus a depth sensor.
Motorola
The Moto G 5G Plus has many cameras. There are two selfie cameras on the front, nestled like a vampire bite in the display. One has a wide-angle lens, the other has an ultrawide-angle lens. On the back are three cameras. The 48-megapixel main camera uses pixel binning to create 12-megapixel photos. There is also an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera, a 5-megapixel macro camera and a depth sensor.Take a closer look at the Moto G 5G Plus specs and how they compare to other 5G phones available today.
Motorola Moto G 5G Plus specs vs. Motorola Edge, OnePlus 8, LG V60, Samsung Galaxy S20
Motorola Moto G 5G Plus
Motorola Edge
OnePlus 8
LG V60 ThinQ 5G
Samsung Galaxy S20
Display size, resolution
6.7-inch FHD+
6.7-inch FHD+ OLED; 2,340×1,080 pixels
6.55-inch AMOLED; 2,400×1,080 pixels
6.8-inch OLED; 2,460×1,080 pixels
6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED; 3,200×1,440 pixels
Pixel density
NA
NA
402ppi
395ppi
563ppi
Dimensions (Inches)
6.61 x 2.91 x 0.35 in
6.36 x 2.8 x 0.37 in
6.3 x 2.8 x 0.31 in
6.67 x 3.06 x 0.35 in
2.72 x 5.97 x 0.311 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)
168 x 74 x 9mm
161.6 x 71.1 x 9.29 mm
160 x 72.9 x 8 mm
169.3 x 77.6 x 8.79 mm
69.1 x 151.7 x 7.9 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)
6.63 oz; 188g
6.63 oz; 188g
6.35 oz; 180g
7.72 oz; 218g
5.75 oz; 163g
Mobile software
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
Android 10
Camera
48-megapixel (standard), 8-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro)
64-megapixel (standard), 8-megapixel (telephotos), 16-megapixel (macro/ultrawide-angle)
48-megapixel (standard), 16-megapixel (ultra-wide), 2-megapixel (macro)
64-megapixel (standard), 13-megapixel (wide-angle), time-of-flight camera
12-megapixel (wide-angle), 64-megapixel (telephoto), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide)
Front-facing camera
16-megapixel, 8 megapixel
25-megapixel
16-megapixel
10-megapixel (standard)
10-megapixel
Video capture
4K
4K
4K
8K
8K
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765
Qualcomm Snapdragon 765
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
64-bit octa-core processor (Max 2.7GHz + 2.5 GHz + 2.0 GHz)
Storage
64GB, 128GB
128GB
128GB, 256GB
128GB
128GB
RAM
4GB, 6GB
10GB
8GB, 12GB
8GB
12GB
Expandable storage
Up to 1TB
Up to 1TB
No
2TB
Up to 1TB
Battery
5,000 mAh
4,500 mAh
4,300 mAh
5,000 mAh
4,000 mAh
Fingerprint sensor
Side
In-screen
In-screen
In-screen
In-screen
Connector
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
USB-C
Headphone jack
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Special features
5G enabled, 90Hz refresh rate, 20W Turbo Power charging
5G enabled. 90Hz refresh rate, 18W Turbo Charging
5G enabled; Warp Charge; 90Hz refresh rate
5G enabled; water resistant (IP68); wireless charging, Fast Charging 4.0
5G enabled; 120Hz refresh rate; water resistant (IP68)
Price off-contract (USD)
TBD
$699
$699 (8GB RAM/128GB), $799 (12GB RAM/256GB)
$800 (without Dual Screen case); $900-$950 (with)
$999
Now playing:
Watch this:
Moto G Fast vs. Moto E: Sub-$200 phone battle
8:38
RSS