Motorola Moto E5 Plus: At First Glance
The famous Motorola’s Moto E series is at it again with its 5th generation release. Lenovo unveiled the Moto E5 Plus together with the Moto G6 in 2018.
Coming as a successor to the already amazing Moto E4 Plus, we can’t wait to explore the added functionalities it packs. Right now in October 2021, the Moto E5 is so affordable.
Speaking of which, the Moto E5 Plus starts at $89.09 on Amazon. Now, let’s proceed to explore the specs and features of the Moto E5 Plus.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Design, Dimension & Weight
From a distance, the Moto E5 Plus looks like a premium mix of metal and glass until you feel it. The back panel is made out of a sleek-glossy plastic to imitate the actual glass build of the Moto G6.
Meanwhile, the edges are made of polymers imitating metal. For color schemes, the Moto E5 Plus is available in Black, Fine Gold, Flash gray, and Mineral blue.
The Moto E5 Plus is a large phone with a dimension of 161.9 x 75.3 x 9.35 mm. So, small-handed folks will find it unwieldy to hold in one hand.
In terms of weight, it weighs a bulky 200g. Comparatively, it is larger and heavier than the Moto G6 Play which measures 155.4 x 72.2 x 9.1 mm and weighs 180g.
On the other hand, dominating the front of the Moto E5 Plus is a 6.0-inch screen. The screen is coated with corning gorilla glass 3 to protect it against cracks.
Speaking of protection, you are going to be needing a lot of that. That is because the chunky build of the E5 Plus and its glossy feel makes it easy to slip off the hands.
Slim bezels frame the sides of the 6.0-inch screen but the top and bottom bezels are quite thick. The thick bezel design of the screen jolts me to the reality that the Moto E5 Plus is a 2018 release.
Even at that, there were so many bezel-less screen smartphones in 2018. Comparing the Moto E5 Plus with the modern bezel-less screens makes it look more ancient than it really is.
The top bezel houses a front camera, a proximity sensor, a front flash, and a combo earpiece and speaker.
Meanwhile, the thick bottom bezel is almost a waste, it houses nothing except a Motorola branding. Even the navigational controls that could have been housed by the bottom bezel are not.
Instead, the three navigational controls are located on the bottom of the screen right above the bottom bezel.
Flip the Moto E5 Plus to the back and you will see the slightly curved back panel. This makes it sit comfortably in the palms.
The glossy black panel truly looks like glass but, because it is plastic, it gets easily scratched. The scratches are not the only problem, it also collects smudges and dust quite easily.
However, that is not a deal-breaker, since you can easily prevent it by using a case.
Like I said earlier, the glossy back and edges together with its large size make it fall easily. Thankfully, the Moto E5 Plus is quite durable.
Its glossy plastic is less likely to crack, compared to the glass back panel of the Moto G6. Moreover, the screen is also resistant to cracks due to its corning gorilla glass coating.
The back panel of the Moto E5 Plus houses a prominent circular camera module with a silver lining. At first glance, it looks like a dual-camera layout but it is not.
Below the camera, there is a fingerprint scanner embedded within a Motorola logo. The Moto G6 Play employs this design as well.
The fingerprint scanner also has a silver lining around the camera module. Additionally, the placement and slight indentation of the fingerprint scanner is perfect as it makes it easy to locate.
Let us move on to the smooth metal-like edges, the edges are nicely rounded which makes it easy to hold the phone. The top houses a 3.5 mm headphone jack while the bottom houses a micro USB charging port and a microphone.
It is disappointing to see a micro USB at a time where USB Type-C was the ideal choice. This implies that charging and data transfer on the Moto E5 Plus will be slower.
Furthermore, while looking at the front view of the Moto E5 Plus, the left edge houses the SIM card tray. The tray has separate slots for the two nano-SIMs and a microSD card.
Meanwhile, the right edge houses a volume rocker and power button. They are closer to the top but quite easy to reach, they are also tactile and clicky.
The Moto E5 Plus has no IP rating for water resistance but, it is made of a water-repellent nano-coating. This implies that it can resist accidental spills and light rain but not submersion.
Finally, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus an eight in this design and dimension review section.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Display Features
The next stop in this Moto E5 Plus Review is the display features. I will discuss all the display features such as the display size, resolution, aspect ratio, etc.
The Moto E5 Plus is equipped with a 6.0-inch display. The screen is not borderless, the side borders are slim but the top and bottom bezels are very thick.
The 6.0-inch display is great for media content such as playing games and watching movies. However, it falls outside the ideal screen size preferred by most users.
Research shows that most users prefer a screen size between 5 to 5.5-inch. Nevertheless, lovers of large-screen phones will be satisfied with the screen size of Moto E5 Plus.
With an aspect ratio of 18:9, the Moto E5 Plus delivers a longer viewing area than the standard 16:9 aspect ratio. Hence you will be able to view more content on your screen without needing to scroll frequently.
The Moto E5 Plus employs an IPS LCD technology for its screen just like the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play. IPS LCDs offer less quality than OLEDs but, not it is not uncommon in phones in the price category of Moto E5 Plus.
Also, the Moto E5 Plus has an HD+ screen resolution with 1440 x 720 pixels. On the contrary, the Moto G6 has a better quality FHD screen resolution with 2160 x 1080 pixels.
However, an HD+ resolution is not uncommon for phones in this price category. The screen has a pixel density of 268 PPI which Is lower than the 300 PPI standard.
This implies that contents will be less sharp than they ought to be. Moreover, texts tend to be pixelated when reading them and even more obvious when you zoom In.
The screen has a low contrast ratio of 609:1 which corresponds to a high black value. In simpler terms, black colors will have a rather grayish tone and less saturation.
Moving on, the Moto E5 Plus’ screen is sufficiently bright with a maximum brightness of 518 nits. Hence, it is sunlight legible which implies that it is bright enough to be viewed under sunlight.
However, the reflection of the screen poses a challenge to the sunlight legibility.
Furthermore, in terms of color accuracy, the screen colors are accurate and vibrant enough for the price.
For the viewing angles, i.e when you view the screen from acute angles, there is a slight color deviation. Moreover, the already grayish blacks become grayer.
On a brighter note, the Moto E5 Plus has an always-on display feature. This makes it easy to reply to messages even from the lock screen.
Additionally, the Moto E5 Plus also features a blue filter which is useful for preventing eye strain. Also, the blue filter reduces the intensity of blue lights displayed on the screen at night which helps you sleep better.
Lastly, the Moto E5 Plus’ display is coated with a corning gorilla glass 3. This means that it is less likely to get a broken screen when the phone drops.
Therefore, you don’t necessarily need to use a glass screen protector unless you choose to be extra cautious.
In conclusion, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus an eight in this display features review section.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Camera Features
Although the Moto E5 Plus looks like it’s got dual rear cameras but it has only a single rear camera. The rear camera layout also holds a laser detection autofocus sensor.
There is a 5 MP front camera with an aperture size of f/2.0. There is also a front LED flash that helps with night pictures.
The front camera takes decent pictures in good lights. However, the results produced in low lighting conditions are unsurprisingly not impressive.
Meanwhile, the 12 MP rear camera has an aperture size of f/2.0 and a pixel size of 1.25-micron pixel. There has been a reduction in pixel count from the 13 MP on the predecessor – Moto E4 Plus.
However, the Moto E5 Plus delivers better shots thanks to its improved autofocus technology. The rear camera produces fairly good images for a camera in this price category.
Pictures look decently detailed and acceptably sharp, especially in good lighting conditions. However, in poor lighting conditions, pictures are soft and noisy.
The pictures taken by the Moto E5 Plus might not be as detailed as that of the Moto G6. However, Moto E5 Plus delivers a more respectable performance than its predecessor.
The exposure is smooth and quick to adjust. However, the dynamic range is not so good, it tends to overexpose shots.
There is an option to manually set things like the ISO. However, this could be the wrong thing to do because it gives pictures an unnatural brightness.
For video recording, the rear camera is capable of recording 1080p resolution videos at 30 fps. Sadly, the Moto E5 Plus lacks an optical image stabilization feature that helps prevent motion blur.
Hence, videos might end up being shaky except you keep a steady hand while recording.
Finally, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus a seven in this camera features review.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Battery Life and Talk Time
Under the hood, the Moto E5 Plus has a 5,000 mAh non-removable battery.
Sadly, a non-removable battery limits your ability to replace batteries when they are dead or faulty.
However, most smartphone manufacturers now employ a non-removable battery design. Therefore, it may seem as though the removable battery era is gone forever.
This 5,000 mAh battery is a sufficiently large battery and a huge contributor to the heavyweight of the phone.
The battery capacity is impressive and the biggest selling point of the Moto E5 Plus. According to a web surfing test carried out by notebookcheck.com, the battery lasted 18 hours.
The test involves surfing multiple websites over WiFi with screen brightness set to 150 nits and power-saving mode on.
Comparatively, the Moto E5 Plus outlasted every other phone from the same test. For instance, the predecessor – Moto E4 Plus with the same battery capacity of 5000 mAh lasted 13 hours 8 minutes.
With normal daily usage, you will be able to get two days of usage from a single charge. Meanwhile, on standby mode, the Moto E5 Plus’ battery can go on for over a week.
We cannot overemphasize the importance of a large capacity battery however, a large battery has its downside too. The battery takes forever to charge even with the 15W TurboPower fast charger.
Specifically, it takes the battery about 3 hours to fully charge from a completely dead state.
Finally, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus a nine in this display features review section.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Storage Options & Performance
On the storage front, the Moto E5 Plus is available in two options. There is a 16 GB internal storage model and there is another model with 32 GB.
By today’s standards, both options are below expectation. More disappointingly, the Moto E5 Plus comes preloaded with some bloatware that you cannot uninstall.
Additionally, the operating system data also occupies a significant portion of the internal storage. Such that, with the 32 GB model you’re left with 23.73 GB of storage space available for your personal use.
Whereas, on a 16 GB model, you will get far less than that to share between apps and media files. Thankfully, the Moto E5 Plus supports storage expansion via a microSD card.
To achieve this, you can add up to 128 GB which is fairly sufficient for your needs. Thankfully, unlike some other phones that prevent you from installing applications to SD cards, the Moto E5 Plus allows this.
If you will like to install an application to your SD card, make sure you choose a fast-speed card like UHS-1. When you insert the card, select the option that says ‘internal storage’.
Selecting this option will format the card and encrypt it so that only the Moto E5 Plus can read it. Therefore, choosing this option makes it impossible to use the card on other devices.
Meanwhile, the other option – ‘portable storage’- allows you to store only media files like pictures, music, videos documents but not applications. With this option, any type of card will suffice.
Moreover, the SD card will not be formatted nor encrypted. Hence, you can remove the SD card and use it on other devices.
In conclusion, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus a nine in this storage options review section.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus: Security Features & Sensors
Sensors are essential components inbuilt into modern smartphones. These sensors enable smartphones to perform intelligent functions which were how the prefix ‘smart’ came to be.
Like every other smartphone, Motorola loaded the Moto E5 Plus with some essential sensors. Speaking of the sensors, it features an accelerometer, an ambient light, a fingerprint, proximity, and a gyroscope.
The accelerometer is used for motion detection, it is accurate at detecting changes in orientation, tilt, and displacement around three axes. It achieves this by measuring the forces of acceleration.
Meanwhile, the gyroscope measures the speed of rotation of the smartphone along the three axes.
Hence, both the accelerometer and gyroscope work together. They are the brain behind the change in orientation when you tilt your phone’s screen.
The next sensor is the ambient light. As the name implies, it is useful for measuring the intensity of light around a phone.
As a response to ambient light changes, the ambient light sensor regulates the screen accordingly. Dimming the screen backlight when the intensity of the surrounding light is low or in darkness.
Likewise, increasing the screen backlight when the intensity of the surrounding light is high.
Furthermore, the fingerprint sensor is useful for securing the phone from unauthorized access. The fingerprint scanner is located below the rear camera where it is easy to reach.
It is fast, accurate, and easy to set up. In addition to the fingerprint security option, there are other means of securing your phone like PIN, pattern, and password security options.
Moving on, the proximity sensor is an important sensor that helps with power management. When you pick your phone up and move it close to your ear during a call, the proximity sensor detects this.
Consequently, it turns off the display to prevent accidental screen presses by your face. Additionally, switching off the display also helps to conserve battery power.
Finally, I will rate the Moto E5 Plus a nine in this security options and sensors review section.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are two internal storage options for the Moto E5 Plus – 16 GB and 32 GB. However, both options are not sufficient by modern standards.
Thankfully, you can expand storage with up to a 128 GB microSD card. When using the microSD card you can either use it as portable storage or as internal storage.
Portable storage means that you can only store media files but not applications. This option will still allow you the freedom of using the memory card on other devices.
Meanwhile, the internal storage option enables you to install applications on the card. However, this card will be formatted and encrypted and you will not be able to use it on other devices.
Yes, the Moto E5 is an affordable phone that packs a lot of perks like a large screen for enjoying your videos and games. Also, the overall performance of the Moto E5 is respectable.
Additionally, the battery will last you for days which makes it very suitable for road trips.
No, the Moto E5 Plus is not waterproof. However, it is made of water-repellent nano-coating. This implies that it can resist accidental spills and light rain but not submersion.
The Moto E5 Plus has a 5,000 mAh battery which lasted 18 hours in a web surfing test carried out by notebookcheck.com. With normal daily usage, you will be able to get two days of usage from a single charge.
Meanwhile, on standby mode, the Moto E5 Plus’ battery can go on for over a week.
Yes, the Moto E5 Plus’ screen is coated with corning gorilla glass 3 which helps to protect it against cracks. Hence, you don’t necessarily need to use a glass screen protector except you want to add an extra protective layer.
Conclusion
When I published this review in October 2021, the Moto E5 Plus cost just $89.09. That is a very attractive deal for users who are willing to save while owning a functional smartphone.
As long as you keep your expectation to the minimum, you will not be disappointed since you won’t be getting a high-end value from the Moto E5 Plus. However, you will still get to enjoy a large enough screen for your videos and games.
Also, the overall performance of the Moto E5 is respectable for this price category. Additionally, the battery will last you for days which makes it very suitable for road trips.
However, the large battery comes with a toll on the phone’s weight and a longer charge time. In conclusion, the Moto E5 is not a bad budget phone and you will surely get value for your money.
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