Moto G5 Plus preview: A big dose of premium, without the prohibitive price tag

Not content with launching the best budget phone money can buy in the Moto G5, Motorola has also unveiled a G5 Plus version: a marginally larger, more powerful, svelter (and pricier) phone that’s touching on mid-level ground at its £259 price point.

With the earlier Moto G4 Plus model we were left feeling a little confused about exactly who it was for. It came with a fingerprint scanner but no NFC (so no mobile payments), its 5.5-inch scale felt mammoth for a device that wasn’t, ultimately, that much better than the standard Moto G4.

The G5 Plus leaves us feeling entirely different. This 5.2-inch device is only slightly bigger than its G5 brother, it comes with a much more sophisticated pill-shaped front-based fingerprint scanner, while bringing a design language that looks a lot higher-end than the price point might suggest. And it adds NFC, making that fingerprint scanner much more useful.

Of the two fifth-generation Moto Gs, this is the one to go for if you’ve got a little extra cash. And with the likes of the OnePlus 3T now commanding a £399 asking price, the £140 saving to be found in this Moto will make a lot of sense for those seeking to buy a handset outright without breaking the bank.

Moto G5 Plus review: Design

• 5.2-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD display
• Front-faced fingerprint scanner
• Metal body, 3,000mAh battery (non-removable)
• 150.2 x 74 x 7.7mm; 155g

The G5 Plus looks and feels better than the standard G5. In pictures the two models side-by-side almost appear identical, but the extra heft and solidity of the G5 Plus give it an extra level of premium about it. You can only feel that in the hand though: it’s down to the slightly more slender body (7.7mm in the Plus rather than 9.5mm of the G5) and non-removable rear panel.

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The 5.2-inch scale of the Plus model isn’t as visually prominent as it may sound: the handset looks barely any larger than the G5 standard. The resolution is the same Full HD from its IPS LCD panel, too, so there’s no increase in resolution. Extra pixels would have been a nicety – but also probably cause for a yet higher price point. And, let’s not forget, this is, in essence, an affordable phone.

The battery of the G5 Plus is fixed into that rear shell, so there’s no removing it – unlike the standard G5 model. It’s slightly more capacious at 3,000mAh (the G5 is 2,800mAh) and comes with a 15W TurboCharge power charger. That means quick charging – some 6-hours of use from 15-minutes spent at the plug, Moto claims.

Of note is the circular camera enclosure to the rear, which protrudes from the body (it’s not flush like the standard G5). That doesn’t mean optical stabilisation though (there is none for either G5 device), it’s more to do with Motorola threading a design language through its range: look at the rear panel of the top-end Moto Z, for example, and you can see that familiarity in the G5 Plus.

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It looks good, but we’d rather than camera didn’t protrude beyond the rear, if it could be avoided. Still, the overall design is far more accomplished than the Moto G4 Plus ever was – and we’re glad to see the back of that ugly square-shaped fingerprint scanner.

Moto G5 review: One-touch Nav

• Home key can be used to swipe to control device
• Traditional android home/back/apps soft keys also available

Because the G5 Plus embodies that new pill-shaped fingerprint scanner – which looks oh so much better than a square one – it has a special One-touch Nav trick up its sleeve. This mode takes the usual trio of soft keys and instead uses gesture to make commands.

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Swipe to the left of the key to go back; swipe right to open current apps screen; press to return to home screen (or to lock the screen); press-and-hold to activate Google Now launcher (the only feature to provide haptic, vibrational feedback). You’ll be seeing a lot more of this kind of control on Android phones in the future we would think (it’s also on the G5).

At first it might feel a little alien to use, but the fact is you can always revert back to standard controls, so the phone doesn’t force this control mechanism upon you (it’s not default out of the box either). There are no capacitive buttons to the sides of this home key, however, so if you want Android soft keys on display then you’ll have to accept them eating up screen space. The choice is yours.

Moto G5 review: Storage and power

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor
• 3GB RAM, 32GB storage (microSD card slot available)
• Android 7.0 operating system; NFC built-in

Plus is in the name, and there’s some “plus” in the power department too. With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor under the hood, the Plus’s 2Ghz cores outshine the capability of its lesser G5 brother. It might not the ultimate powerhouse, but it’ll be more than enough to handle daily tasks, some gaming and so forth without issue.

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The G5 Plus experienced is built upon Google’s Android 7.0 operating system and Motorola doesn’t interfere too much with that. There’s only the Moto Actions app to differentiate, avoiding unnecessary bloatware. Actions, which allows you to take control of gesture controls. Chop like a ninja with the phone in hand for the flash to activate; swipe upwards to shrink the screen to a miniature OS; pick up the phone to stop it ringing and flip it to activate Do Not Disturb. All these features can be individually controlled from within the app, or switched off.

Moto G5 review: Camera

• 23-megapixel rear camera, f/1.7 lens
• Dual AF pixels (for on-sensor phase-detection autofocus)
• No optical stabilisation present
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Selfie ‘Beautification’ mode; Professional mode

Cameras are always a big deal and, well, the G-series cameras have never been all that great. In the G5 Plus it really steps up its game. There’s a 12-megapixel rear camera, complete with Dual AF pixels for on-sensor phase-detection, paired with an f/1.7 aperture lens. However, there’s no optical image stabilisation, despite that protruding lens.

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If those specs sound somewhat Samsung Galaxy S6 then, well, it’s because they appear to be the same components. Therefore, expect a strong camera performance, further bolstered by new modes such as Professional mode (to select various settings manually) and Beautification mode for the front-facing selfie camera.

First Impressions

The Moto G5 Plus is a really interesting prospect. When once the mid-range market was awash with so-so phones, this near-£250 device sets out a strong stall of specs and style, in a category where many of the previous front runners are now up and away at the £400 price point. It clears the decks somewhat, leaving Motorola to take advantage.

As such the G5 Plus seems to flip around what the G4 Plus was all about. This new Moto feels like a phone with purpose, built for an audience that actually exists for such a device. From the camera performance to the overall design, if you’re not in the phone market seeking an over-powered processor in your device then this lil beauty ought to have everything sewn up.

The Moto G5 Plus will be available from late spring (end-of-April to early May anticipated) in fine gold and lunar grey finishes, priced £259. It’s currently only due to be stocked in Carphone Warehouse in the UK.

Moto G5 preview: The best budget phone, now dressed in a full metal jacket

The Moto G has long been the hero of affordable phones. In 2017, Motorola – now owned by Lenovo – is stepping things up a notch in the fifth-generation G model, the G5, without causing a greater dent in your wallet.

Yep, not only is the G5 priced at the same £169 (with 16GB storage) as its G4 predecessor from almost a year ago (an increasing rarity in pending-Brexit UK), the new model now comes dressed in a metal jacket. How chic.

The design language across the range is far more sophisticated than earlier G-series models. The G5 does away with fussy vent-like speaker grilles of the G3/G4 models and mimics much of the top-end Moto Z’s style, including its circular-enclosed camera on the rear. Thankfully, however, it does so without the litany of various sensor openings in that higher-end model.

With many makers such as OnePlus now pushing harder in the mid-priced market, is the stage set for Motorola to sweep the board in the budget phone department? Having handled the G5 (and its larger, pricier (and all-round better) G5 Plus derivative – more on that here) we think the answer is an definitive yes.

Moto G5 review: Design

• 5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD display
• Front-faced fingerprint scanner
• Removable metal rear shell
• Removable 2,800mAh battery
• 144.3 x 73 x 9.5; 144.5g

Motorola has long been figuring out the G-series’ sweet spot in terms of size: the later G3 model was 5-inches, the G4 expanded to 5.5-inches, with the G5 shrinking back down to a more manageable 5-inch scale again (the G5 Plus is an in-between 5.2-inches). The screen is Full HD, so no worries there in terms of quality or viewing angles.

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The rear shell is made of metal and can be removed to swap out the 2,800mAh battery. Although, we must say, it looks a lot like plastic trying to look like metal. It’s not, though, and how prone it can be to scratches will quickly point out that it’s a metal finish by the way these appear. Still, it’s better than naff budget blue plastics and the like.

Charging is handled via USB Type-C, with the 10W charger meaning fast top-up times. Not quite as quick as the G5 Plus’s 15W TurboCharger though. Oh, and you’ll be pleased to know that Moto hasn’t done away with the 3.5mm headphone jack just yet. It’s neatly slotted on the top of the G5’s subtly curved top.

Visually it’s a far more accomplished product than previous Moto G-series. The way the camera to the rear sits into a circular emblem, the classic “M” (or “wings” as it’s called) logo sat beneath, the textured metal buttons to the side. It’s all good.

Moto G5 review: One-touch Nav

• Home key can be used to swipe to control device
• Traditional android home/back/apps soft keys also available

The way the front-faced fingerprint scanner looks – in its new pill-shaped form – is far more pleasing to look at than the square one of the G4 Plus and Moto Z too. Now, in the G5, is has a special trick up its sleeve: One-touch Nav.

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You’ll be seeing a lot more of this kind of control on Android phones in the future we suspect. One-touch Nav takes the usual trio of soft keys and instead uses gesture to make commands. Swipe to the left of the key to go back; swipe right to open current apps screen; press to return to home screen (or to lock the screen); press-and-hold to activate Google Now launcher (the only feature to provide haptic, vibrational feedback).

At first it might feel a little alien to use, but the fact is you can always revert back to standard controls doesn’t force this control mechanism upon you (it’s not default out of the box either). There are no capacitive buttons to the side of this home key, however, so if you want Android soft keys on display then you’ll have to eat up their visual impact on screen.

Moto G5 review: Storage and power

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor
• 2GB RAM, 16GB storage (plus microSD card slot)
• Android 7.0 operating system
• No NFC

Phone processors are getting oh so powerful these days that you don’t have to have the best-of-best at the heart of your handset. Especially one that costs under £170.

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The G5 opts for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, delivering up to 1.4Ghz from its main cores, while running other less intensive tasks on its other cores. We’ve not given the G5 any kind of intensive test – just a flick around a few apps thus far – but don’t expect this will have any significantly negative bearing on its performance. Indeed, with Android 7.0 in the background and no excessive bloatware to speak of it’ll be a step ahead of where the G4 was.

The only app is called Moto Actions, which allows you to take control of gesture controls. Chop like a ninja with the phone in hand for the flash to activate; swipe upwards to shrink the screen to a miniature OS; pick up the phone to stop it ringing and flip it to activate Do Not Disturb. All these features can be individually controlled from within the app, or switched off. That’s the only additional software to speak of, otherwise it’s Android clarity all the way.

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In the UK the G5 has 3GB RAM – it’s 2GB in some territories – with 16GB on-board storage. As the G5 has a microSD card slot, though, expanding storage is no problem at all. And, although not yet official, there’s every chance that Moto Maker – the design-your-own Moto system – will add additional built-in storage and memory options.

Moto G5 review: Camera

• 13-megapixel rear camera, f/2.0 lens
• Phase-detection autofocus
• No optical stabilisation present
• 5-megapixel front-facing camera
• Selfie ‘Beautification’ mode; Professional mode

Cameras are always a big deal and, well, the G-series cameras have never been all that great. In the G5 there’s a 13-megapixel rear camera, complete with phase-detection autofocus and paired with an f/2.0 aperture lens. However, there’s no optical image stabilisation (the G5 Plus doesn’t offer that either, despite its protruding rear lens).

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Interestingly is how the G5 Plus really steps things up: its 12-megapixel offering might be lower resolution, but paired with an f/1.7 aperture lens dual AF pixel technology (pixels on the sensor used for phase-detection autofocus for speed) it sounds a lot like the Samsung Galaxy S6’s camera… because, well, it’s the same components as that.

First Impressions

As affordable phones go, none can better than Moto G5 from what we’ve seen of it. That it’s an improved device compared to the earlier G4 – both in terms of spec and style – is quite an achievement given that the price point remains a very reasonable £169.

As we alluded to in our opening gambit: with other companies now fighting it out for the mid-level market, the way has been cleared for Moto to dominate with little competition of equivalent quality to worry about. But rather than doing so nonchalantly, Moto has really amped things up for the G-series with this fifth-generation model. You simply won’t find a better phone for this amount of money.

The Moto G5 will be available from March in fine gold and lunar grey finishes, priced £169. In the UK, Three will hold an exclusive “sapphire blue” finish. Ooh err.

Motorola Moto G5 and G5 Plus arrive to retain the budget smartphone crown

After being subject to its fair share of leaks, Motorola has officially unveiled the G5 and G5 Plus at its press conference during Mobile World Congress. With its predecessors being the best budget smartphones currently available, the newcomers certainly have a lot to live up to.

• Moto G5 preview: The best budget phone, now dressed in a full metal jacket

On paper, that shouldn’t be a problem. The G5 and G5 Plus come sporting a new metal design, which should give off a more premium feel, and certainly one that will belie their price tags.

Under the new metal exterior of the G5 is a 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430 processor with 3GB of RAM to keep your apps and games running smoothly. They should be able to run all day too thanks to a 2,800mAh battery. But if you do find yourself running low on power, Motorola’s rapid charger will be able to top it up in minutes.

Front and centre is a 5-inch Full HD display that benefits from Motorola’s Moto Display function. It shows you notifications without turning the whole screen on to preserve battery power. 

The Moto G5 comes with 16GB of internal storage but you can expand it up to 128GB via microSD card.

As previously leaked, it also comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with phase detection autofocus that promises sharp and detailed images. On the front you’ll find a 5-megapixel wide-angle lens for those all important selfies.

The Motorola Moto G5 will be available from March in Lunar Grey, Fine Gold, or a Three exclusive Sapphire Blue for £169.

The G5 Plus meanwhile takes thing up a notch by offering a faster 2GHz octa-core processor, a higher capacity 3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charging, which Motorola says can give you six hours worth of battery life in 15 minutes, and a slightly larger 5.2-inch Full HD display. 

Lenovo / Motorola

The G5 Plus meanwhile takes thing up a notch by offering a faster 2GHz octa-core processor, a higher capacity 3,000mAh battery with TurboPower charging, which Motorola says can give you six hours worth of battery life in 15 minutes, and a slightly larger 5.2-inch Full HD display. 

• Motorola Moto G5 Plus: A big dose of premium, without the prohibitive price tag

The Plus gets the added benefit of Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. 

On the back, Motorola has fitted the “most advanced 12-megapixel camera in its class”. It features Dual Autofocus Pixels which should improve focusing time due to their being 10x more pixels on the sensor.

The G5 Plus’ rear camera also has a large f1.7 aperture to allow more light onto the sensor to improve low-light shots and can record video in 4K at 30fps. The standard G5 only gets Full HD video capture. 

On the front is the same 5-inch wide-angle lens camera as on the G5. 

• Real life Moto G5 photos confirm metal back and Android 7.0 Nougat
• Motorola Moto G5 listings leak ahead of MWC launch

Both phones come with front-mounted fingerprint scanners, which can be used to navigate through screens, and Google Assistant is on hand to send messages, make calls and carry out everyday tasks by responding to your voice.

The Motorola Moto G5 Plus will also be available from late-April for £259. It will only be available in Lunar Grey and Fine Gold colour finishes. 

Huawei’s P10 wraps familiar performance in colorful bodies

When it comes to hardware launches, subtlety isn’t exactly Huawei’s strong suit. It’s no secret the company would unveil its new P10 smartphone today, so now there’s only one question left to tackle: how is the thing? Well, even in our brief time with the phone, the answer was clear: it’s pretty damned good.

A big part of that is because of how Huawei built the device. The P10 is a surprisingly slim device (think 6.98mm thick) that fit really comfortably in my hands. For such a light device, it also feels impeccable well put together. This is nothing new for Huawei, but picking up devices like these is a handy reminder of why Huawei has picked so much steam in recent years. Anyway, we’re also looking at a crisp, bright 5.1-inch screen running at 1080p, and just a hint of curvature along the edges of the Gorilla Glass 5 panel covering the display.

Sitting just south of that display is a pill-shaped fingerprint sensor that worked very well in our brief testing. I’m not just talking about unlocking the phone — the sensor doubles as a navigation key, so swiping left and right goes back one level and opens the multitasking view, respectively. Toggling this option also means some extra screen real estate gets freed up, which is always helpful on these smaller screens. The similarities to other smartphones end as soon as you turn the P10 over.

A slew of leaks before the show pointed to a surprisingly broad array of color options, and the full list is no joke. The P10 will be available in ceramic white, dazzling blue, dazzling gold, prestige gold, graphite black, mystic silver, rose gold and something called “greenery.” Whew. And it gets better (or crazier, depending on your outlook). There are also three different material finishes, ranging from the basic (sandblasted, like the back of the P9) to the eye-catching (a high gloss) to the mildly ostentatious (a “hyper diamond-cut” pattern that feels like of one of those lenticular cards). That last finish appeals most to yours truly, if only because of how neurotic I am — I spent the entire second half of our meeting idly fondling that textured finish.

The chances of you and a friend winding up with the identical P10s are pretty slim, and that’s exactly how Huawei wants it — the P10 is apparently all about self-expression. (The sentiment is dulled a bit by the fact that an enormous company is using it to take your money, but hey — whatever works for you.)

When it comes to the P10’s guts, we’re basically looking at a more pocketable version of last year’s Mate 9. In case you hadn’t read our review, that’s mostly a good thing: the P10’s familiar octa-core Kirin 960 chipset was as buttery-smooth as we’ve ever seen, though the company’s lighter touch with its EMUI interface certainly helped. And as with the Mate 9, there’s some additional machine learning going on inside meant to maximize performance. This time, we’re told EMUI is better at allocating memory at startup based on predicted needs and managing RAM based on your behavior for better multitasking. The downside is these changes will feel the most valuable in time, so there’s no way to get a feel for them now. Regardless, the P10 feels more than adequately fast right out of the box.

The similarities to last year’s flagship don’t end there. The 12-megapixel RGB/20-megapixel monochrome dual-camera setup around back has been transplanted from the Mate 9 as well, and it works just well as always. Test shots (including the selfies Cherlynn insists on taking all the time) came out with an impressive level of color and detail, though the early model we played with had a few issues locking down its focus. The ability to use the wide aperture Portrait mode with the front-facing camera more than made up for those pre-production issues.

As with last year’s model, there’s an upgraded version of the P10 called (what else?) the P10 Plus. We haven’t gotten to play with one yet, but it’s just the sort of variation on the theme you’d expect. You’ll find the same Kirin brain inside, along with an improved Leica dual-camera system — the two sensors shoot as the same resolution as the P10, but you can dial the aperture as wide as f/1.8 for even more bokeh. Hold tight: we’ll try to get our hands on this thing as soon as we can.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.

Watch BlackBerry’s KEYone event in under 5 minutes

Last night here in Barcelona, BlackBerry announced all of the details about its KEYone handset at an hour-long event. Since you likely don’t want to spend around 60 minutes rehashing the important info about the device, we’ve done the hard work for you. Get all the specs, pricing and other tidbits in under 5 minutes. Just be sure to use that time you saved on something constructive.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.

Withings’ wearables will adopt the Nokia name this summer

So long, Withings. The health and fitness brand will be retired this summer as the team adopts the name of its new owner: Nokia. The company’s smart(ish) watches, scales and home security cameras will still be around — they’ll simply have Nokia, rather than Withings written on their exterior. The rebrand is unsurprising, given Nokia’s ambitions to move into the health tracking and analytics game. Withings was a $191 million jump-start for its HealthKit-style “WellCare” strategy, which involves consumer-facing fitness tracking and high quality data for medical professionals.

Withings’ summer rebrand will include an update to its Health Mate app. The software acts as a focal point for its consumer hardware, tracking and visualising your weight, exercise and blood pressure. Nokia says the app will “undergo a redesign” and offer “an improved user experience,” making it easier to connect new devices and share progress with friends. The company is also teasing new “in-depth coaching programs,” which will span eight weeks and include personalised health and fitness plans.

At the same time, Nokia will roll out a Patient Care Platform aimed at healthcare professionals. It will allows medical staff to remotely monitor their patients’ health and intervene when any worrying signs appear.

The retirement of the Withings brand will, inevitably, disappoint some of its early fans. The Nokia name holds a certain cachet, however. It’s been a long time since the company was a cellphone powerhouse — something HMD Global is trying to rectify — but the brand still has a sense of quality and trust attached to it (important traits for a health company). Whether that can bolster Withings’ sales is unclear, however. The wearables market is in a tough spot right now; Fitbit sales are down, and Pebble was snapped up for just $23 million following its own financial troubles. Nokia has a bigger, broader business, but that doesn’t mean its success is guaranteed.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.

DJI’s Matrice 200 UAV line is built for work

Until now, consumer drones have been primarily marketed towards hobbyists and filmmakers. At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Sunday, DJI revealed their latest drone line, the Matrice 200. These sensor-laden quadcopters are designed with commercial and industrial applications in mind.

The M200 series consists of three individual models. The baseline M200, which offers a single downward-facing gimbal mount. The M210 features a pair of downward-facing gimbal mounts as well as a top mount for filming objects overhead. The top-of-the-line M210 RTK offers the same mounts as the 210 but also incorporates two RTK (Real Time Kinematics) modules for “millimeter-precision navigation,” according to the company.

The new M200 series shares a number of features with DJI’s previous generation of UAVs. The new models use the company’s flight management systems, the DJI Pilot app for controlling the UAV through a mobile device, intelligent flight features like subject tracking, autonomous circling and ActiveTrack. The M200s also employ Flighthub capability, which allows the pilot to stream the drone’s video feed to a remote station in real-time. What’s more, they also incorporate DJI’s Flightsense algorithm, which enables the drones to autonomously avoid and reroute around obstacles in their flightpath.

The M200s are also rated IP43, which means they can operate in mildly inclement weather. Think more along the lines of light rain and snowfall, rather than thunderstorms and hail.

On the hardware side, the new line offers the same dual battery setup (which provides up to 35 minutes flight time)and 3D integrated imaging as the Inspire 2. Similarly, they can be operated with the dual controller method that allows one person to control the drone’s flight while the other operates the cameras. The M200s can carry a variety of imaging accessories including the Zenmuse X4S, X5S or the FLIR-capable XT. They can also handle the Z30, which offers 30x optical zoom plus an additional 6x digital zoom.

The new models also offer the same front and side obstacle avoidance system we saw on the Phantom 4 Pro. Best of all, the M200s incorporate ADS-B receivers. ABS-Bs enable manned aircraft to track one another (as well as drones) and safely share the airspace. If the M200s wind up in the flightpath of a larger aircraft, the ADS-B will alert the pilot, imploring them to take evasive action.

You won’t likely find the M200s hovering around your local park or on movie sets. These drones are built for nitty gritty industrial work like bridge and cell tower inspections, construction site mapping or for emergency response. DJI hasn’t released pricing yet, though the company does expect to have them available for sale by Q2 2017.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from MWC 2017.

The new Moto G5s trade fun colors for mature looks

When Lenovo/Motorola first revealed with 4th-generation Moto G and Moto G Plus last year, it did so at a surprisingly secretive launch event in India. That was probably just as well: they were perfectly decent mid-range phones that didn’t seem to excite the way earlier Gs did. The swanky interior of the W Hotel in Barcelona seems to fit the new G5 and G5 Plus a little better. Lenovo still wanted to build a set of reasonably priced mid-range phones, but it’s clear the company was angling to give the G series something of a premium makeover. This year is all about cleaner lines and metal bodies, but I wonder if the G5 and G5 Plus didn’t lose a bit of character in the redesign.

Let’s start with the G5 Plus, also known as the only device of the two coming to the United States. It features the same Snapdragon 625 chipset seen in the Moto Z Play and BlackBerry KEYone, and wouldn’t you know it — it’s just as fast here as in those other devices. OEMs are getting a lot of mileage out of the 625 since it blends reasonably low costs with performance that’s well above average — my brief time with the G5 Plus was notably free of bugs or lagginess. (In case you were wondering, US models will come with either 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.)

The G5 Plus’s perfectly solid performance also owes a lot to how clean the phone’s Android 7.0 Nougat build is. Lenovo’s dedication to near-stock Android hasn’t changed. That said, all the usual Moto experiences are back, from cranking the phone to launch the camera to karate chopping it for a flashlight mode. There’s one new addition, though, and I’ve waited almost a full year for Moto to make it happen.

Below that 5.2-inch, full HD screen is a pill-shaped fingerprint sensor that can finally, mercifully be used as a home button. Let’s rewind a bit: last year’s Moto Gs had finger scanners that looked like home buttons but did nothing but read your fingerprints. I’m no fool, but I still tapped the damn thing in hopes of seeing my homescreens a few dozen times. Now, if you toggle a particular option, a tap on the sensor takes you back to the homescreen, while swipes to the left and right take you back one level and launch the multitasking view, respectively. Even better: since this replaces those on-screen navigation keys, you’ll get a little extra screen space to play with. It takes a little getting used to, but the trick seems to work more fluidly here than on Huawei’s P10.

Even more impressive is the camera, if only because it’s so familiar. Tell me if this rings a bell: it’s a flagship-level, 12-megapixel sensor with dual-autofocus pixels. Bingo: this is the same camera used in Samsung’s Galaxy S7. That’s really the story with mid-range phones, isn’t it? Yesterday’s flagship features become today’s mass-market fodder. Considering how good this particular camera is, though, I definitely don’t mind the migration.

We have to take a minute and talk about the new design, though. The G aesthetic is still rounded, though a little more curvaceous than older version of the phone. I happen to think the G5 Plus is a really comfortable device to hold, but I miss the fun, punchy colors and the sense of accessibility the old Moto Gs oozed. The metal Moto G5 Plus feels more sturdy and substantial, but the muted color choices — lunar gray and fine gold — come off as more staid and subdued. This definitely isn’t a concern everyone will have, though, and those who look past the aesthetics will find a perfectly solid upper-mid-range option.

Many of these features carry over into the less expensive Moto G, which seems destined for a life outside America. It packs a slightly smaller 5.0-inch full HD display and an octa-core Snapdragon 430, which seemed adequately slick for the few moments we played around with it. It’s great to see 10W turbo charging working here with the G5’s 2,800mAh battery. Different markets will get Moto G5s with either 2 or 3GB of RAM, and, well, there’s nothing to say to people getting the lesser spec’d model than “sorry.”

The 13-megapixel rear shooter might technically capture higher resolution shots, but it doesn’t matter — the Plus handily outperforms it in this, and almost every other way. At first, I thought it was a little odd Motorola wouldn’t continue its multi-G strategy in the US, but the reasons soon became clear enough. The G5 Plus package is a thoroughly respectable one, and it’ll probably do well selling for $229 unlocked. It doesn’t make a ton of sense to deliver a phone cheaper and less capable than that in our neck of the woods, though some will complain about the omission regardless.

Anyway, Motorola has done some very good — if somewhat unexciting — work here. As mid-range phones like these continue to get better, pressure builds on companies like Motorola to keep their high-end offerings more unique, capable and innovative. The Moto G5 and G5 Plus seem decent and pretty great, respectively, but now I’m lefyt wondering what’ll happen when the premium Z line gets an update

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Dolby Vision is now available as a software update to upgrade compatible kit

Dolby Vision is Dolby’s very own end to end HDR solution for movies and TV. We’ve been able to see it in action on numerous occasions and have always been blown away by the image quality it serves up.

• What is Dolby Vision?: Dolby’s very own HDR TV tech explained
• What is HDR, what TVs support HDR, and what HDR content can I watch?

The current drawback of the technology is that it requires specific hardware inside TVs, games consoles and other AV kit for it to work. But that could all be set to change as Dolby has announced it’s now available as a complete software update for current equipment.

While it doesn’t mean you can get an update for your four year old HD TV to support the technology, it does mean that if you have a TV, Ultra HD Blu ray player, set top box or any other AV device with enough processing power, you could theoretically update it.

Forbes writer John Archer quotes Dolby as saying “There are implementations that can run Dolby Vision in software, certainly in the console space but also in the TV SoC space.”

“Specifics vary on a case-by-case basis depending on the hardware capability of the silicon in question, but we have development kits for various types of implementations, depending on the application: full hardware, hybrid of software and hardware or [and this is the crucial bit] full software.”

Two such products that have been confirmed by Dolby to be upgradeable include the Sony ZD9 4K HDR TV and the Oppo UDP-203 Ultra HD Blu-ray player. The Sony TV will get the software update later this year while Oppo should release an update next month. Google 

The real benefit of Dolby Vision is that it doesn’t need the new HDMI 2.0 standard to work. ‘Regular’ HDR10 signals do need HDMI 2.0, a standard that only the latest kit has. Because Dolby Vision can operate with HDMI 1.4, its potential applications are much greater, which is very good news.

However, Archer points out there are three main obstacles in the way, first and foremost being cost. Manufacturers still need to pay Dolby a license fee to use the software, and some manufacturers may not actually want to add Dolby Vision to their product lineups.

Samsung and Panasonic for example are quite happy using the much wider-used HDR10 standard and applying their own picture processing know how over the top.

And as we mentioned earlier, if you want to update your current kit, it will need to have enough processing power. Fortunately, the majority of kit being produced now will have enough, meaning Dolby Vision could be coming to a living room near you very soon.

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: What’s the difference?

A new phone’s in town: the Huawei P10. It comes in green, if you want. It also comes in a Plus-sized and more powerful model: the Huawei P10 Plus.

So what, exactly, is the difference between these two models and which one will best suit your needs?

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: Screen size

• P10: 5.1-inch 1,920 x 1,080 resolution IPS LCD
• P10 Plus: 5.5-inch 2,560 x 1,440 resolution IPS LCD

The first and most apparent thing about the phones is that they’re physically different sizes.

The P10 has a 5.1-inch screen with Full HD resolution, while the P10 Plus opts for a larger 5.5-inch display and higher resolution WQHD panel.

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: Core power

• Both: Kirin 960 chipset, octa-core (4x 2.4GHz, 4×1.8GHz)
• Both: Mali G71 MP8 GPU, Vulkan API
• P10: 4GB RAM, 64GB storage
• P10 Plus: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage

The P10 has matching specs to the Mate 9: it’s a powerful setup, with the latest Kirin chipset paired with 4GB RAM and Mali graphics, which ought to make for a fluid experience.

The P10 Plus pushes things up a notch, with 6GB RAM paired ot the same chipset.

Both models offer microSD card expansion (if you’re not using the slot for a second SIM). The P10 comes with 64GB flash on-board storage, while the P10 Plus comes with 128GB.

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: Dual cameras

• P10: ‘Leica Dual Camera 2.0’ (f/2.2 aperture Summarit lenses)
• P10 Plus: ‘Leica Dual Camera 2.0 Pro’ (f/1.8 aperture Summilux lenses)
• Both: 20MP B&W and 16MP colour sensors
• Both: New ‘Portrait mode’, ‘Highlights’ reel (in Gallery)

A staple of the latest Huawei phones is the dual camera setup. The P10 has the dual iteration with the latest Leica software. Its f/2.2 aperture lenses are the same as you’ll find in the Mate 9 and Honor 8 phones.

The P10 Plus is the most advanced Huawei camera setup to date. It ups the ante with brighter, faster lenses: both are f/1.8 Summilux optics.

Both phones also host a Leica front-facing camera for the first time. And both phones add in a new Portrait mode for face-tracking exposure perfection, and Highlights reel for auto-tagging and video generation in the Gallery (which only implements when the phone is charging, to ignore any CPU intensity).

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: Plus only

• P10 Plus only: Infrared (IR) controller
• P10 Plus only: 4×4 MIMO (up to 600Mbit download speeds)
• Both: 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi

The P10 Plus can also squeeze in 4×4 MIMO for faster download speeds (up to 600Mbit/s) due to its larger shell and double antenna capacity compared to the standard P10. Both phones offer speedy 2×2 MIMO Wi-Fi, however.

The P10 Plus also comes with an IR blaster control, which the standard model lacks. Again, it’s down to available space and design.

Huawei P10 vs Huawei P10 Plus: What’s new?

• EMUI 5.1 software
• Front-placed fingerprint scanner
• 8 colour options (not all territories)
• Hyper diamond cut finish

Compared to the earlier P9 and P9 Plus models, the P10 and P10 Plus introduce some new features. The software is EMUI 5.1, which is the next notch up the company’s reskin over Android 7.1.

Colour options are another obvious point, with eight colours total available: dazzling blue, greenery (based on Pantone colour of the year 2017), dazzling gold, graphite black, rose gold, white ceramic (not actual ceramic, it’s polished metal), mystic silver and prestige gold.

The fingerprint scanner is also now on the front, rather than the back, acting as a haptic-feedback control key. By default there are no Android softkeys (home/back/apps) on the screen – but these can be actioned from within the settings.