Moto G 5G MSRP $249.99 Score Details “Even with a low price of $250, the Moto G 5G isn't a phone we can recommend. It's slow, unreliable, and outdone by the competition.” Pros Cons When it comes to cheap smartphones, it’s always important to remember that they aren’t going to be outfitted with the most cutting-edge hardware or run like their flagship counterparts. However, even with all of those things in mind, the Moto G 5G is still a letdown.
On the rear of the device is the raised camera island, which houses the Moto G 5G’s flashlight, as well as its two camera lenses: a 48MP main camera and a 2MP macro lens. Like many of the other Motorola smartphones, the center of the Moto G 5G backside features the Motorola logo engraved in a silver color. The Moto G 5G is available in two colors: Harbor Gray and Ink Blue.
Moments like this happen pretty often, resulting in several-second exchanges where all I wanted to do was look at the time, but found myself in a wrestling match with the phone as it kept locking and unlocking itself. The fingerprint sensor can be turned off, and you can use Face Unlock in its place, but it’s far less secure and only good for bypassing the lock screen.
As mentioned above, the 120Hz refresh rate is certainly impressive, especially seeing how some major flagships from other smartphone manufacturers are still launching without hitting that benchmark. Unfortunately, the experience of using the Moto G 5G is clunky and slow, so the refresh rate isn’t in service of much. It’s a nice feature to have, but isn’t being utilized to its fullest because of the hardware that’s housed behind the screen, which is a shame.
While app crashes and performance issues are irritating, I was most let down by the Moto G 5G’s Bluetooth connection. I ended up so frustrated with how long it took me to get set up with Android Auto that I stopped using it altogether and simply played music using the phone’s speakers. While the speakers are decent enough , they certainly aren’t enough to stand in as car speakers.
This means that unless you’re inside an area that has high-intensity bulbs, there’s a small window of only a few hours during the day when taking pictures using the Moto G 5G will work. Even then, if the day is overcast or the room doesn’t have additional lighting, you might be out of luck when it comes to capturing quality images.
All in all, the Moto G 5G’s cameras are hardly a selling point for anyone who’s concerned about capturing quality images of their memories. It certainly can take photos, but I’d recommend letting someone else take the picture when taking a group shot.