The Moto G5 Plus recently made its entry in the Indian market. The successor of the Moto G4 Plus has some big shoes to fill when it comes to the budget smartphone photography. The predecessor managed to win both, the critics and customers, with its camera performance. Recently, we have been spending some quality time with the Moto G5 Plus to test and judge various aspects of the phone. After all, this is one key factor on which the Moto G5 Plus success in India hinges. Here’s our camera review of the Moto G5 Plus:
Moto G5 Plus Specifications
| Model | Moto G5 Plus |
| Display | 5.2-Inch, IPS-NEO LCD |
| Processor | 2Ghz octa-core Snapdragon 625 Processor |
| RAM | 3GB/4GB |
| Internal Storage | 16GB/32GB,expandable up to 128GB |
| Software | Android Nougat 7.0 |
| Primary Camera | 12MP rear camera, f/1.7 aperture |
| Secondary Camera | 5MP selfie camera, f/2.2 aperture |
| Dimensions and Weight | 150.2x74x7.9 mm and 155 Grams |
| Battery | 3,000 mAh, turbo charging (50 percent in 20 minutes) |
| Others | 4G VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, microUSB, 3.5mm |
| Price | Rs. 14,999/ Rs. 16,999 |
Also Read: Reasons To Buy And To Not Buy The Moto G5 Plus
Camera Hardware And Software
While its predecessor came with 16-megapixel primary camera, the Moto G5 Plus rear camera has a 12-megapixel sensor featuring dual autofocus pixel technology and f/1.7 aperture optics similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (on paper, that is). It is worth heeding to the fact that the dual pixel technology, developed by Canon, enables a camera to focus a blink of an eye. The shutter speed is equally fast. However, it lacks the optical image stabilization.
Selfie lovers won’t feel left out as it comes with a 5-megapixel front facing snapper.
Although the Camera app will look familiar to those who have used a G-series phone in the past, but this time they will find lot more features including a professional mode, HDR mode for Selfies, and more. In auto mode, it captures images in 4:3 aspect ratio but if you prefer 16:9 aspect ratio, then you can select the option from the app, but the images will have a 9-megapixel resolution.
Lastly, Moto has also added its signature double-twist gesture to trigger camera app. If you do a double twist motion, the camera app will switch the camera from back to front and vice versa.
Colors, Focus, and Details
What really impressed me about the Moto G5 Plus camera is its fast focus. Its predecessor – the Moto G4 Plus was probably fastest focusing budget camera and the Moto G5 Plus (that, in comparison, lacks laser AF) retains almost the same speed. It focuses in a jiffy and that remains the case irrespective of the diminishing lighting condition.
Colors are true and quite accurate as is visible from the images above. The color temperature and hues in images is remarkably close to what our eyes saw. The edges of the Coconut coir are sharp, crisp, and clearly stands out. Perhaps the Moto G5 Plus camera wouldn’t have managed to capture the same amount of details if it weren’t a sunny day. Similarly, in the second image, the object (potted plant) is in focus and apears crisp while the background is slightly blurred (the wide aperture lens helps).
Also Read: Oppo F3 Plus Or Vivo V5 Plus: The Dual Selfie Dilemma
Close Ups
The Moto G5 Plus camera manages to produce fairly good shots in bright natural lighting but struggles to produce similar results in macro mode. The first image (flower) manages to gives a good estimate of the close-up capabilities of the moto G5 Plus. The flower petals are well outlined and sharp. We expected the background blur to be a tad more well pronounced, though.
Also Read: Best Smartphones In India Under Rs. 20,000 (April 2017)
Long Shot
We took this shot in ideal photography condition and the Moto G5 Plus camera didn’t disappoint us. It managed to capture greenery of the foliage, building in the background all in crisp clarity with precise colors. Even when pushed on a bigger screen, we didn’t notice any noise.
HDR
In above gallery, the image shot without HDR has slightly washed out sky and the details of the building facade of the second building are muddled under the deep shadow. On the other hand, with HDR turned on, buildings feel evenly exposed and images feel more lively.
Low Light
As is evident from the above pictures, the Moto G5 Plus struggles in low light photography until it gets some assistance from artificial flash lighting. In the dark room, it struggled to lock focus and clicked an image which is way too noisy and unusable. Whereas, with the support of artificial light, it manage to click subjects in sharp focus, properly exposed and with natural colors.
Also Read: Best Moto G5 Plus Cases And Back Covers To Buy In India
Selfie Camera
The Moto G5 Plus selfie camera obviously lacks the megapixel muscle when compared to the likes of Vivo V5 and Oppo F1s. The images clicked lack details, but the metering and colors are pretty decent and the resulting images are good enough for social media purposes, even when clicked in low lighting.
Also Read: Top 5 selfies phones Under Rs. 20,000 In India
Conclusion
The Moto G5 Plus camera is the USP of this phone, and truly justifies its position as the successor Moto G4 Plus. It excels consistently in most conditions and can certainly take on any phone in and around its price range. If you are looking for phones with best cameras priced under Rs. 20,000, then the Moto G5 Plus should definitely be on your list.
