Earlier in the week, Lenovo subsidiary Moto had unveiled the new Moto G5 series at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2017 in Barcelona. Now, the company is all set to release the Moto G4 successor in India next month.
The Indian arm of Moto (via Twitter) has confirmed that Moto G5 Plus, the top-end version of the fifth generation Moto G series, will be available from March 15.
Also read: Moto G5 hands-on at MWC 2017: Well balanced between premium and affordability
For those unaware, Moto G5 Plus sports a 5.2-inch screen with full HD resolution and comes with 14nm architecture-based 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core SoC (System-on-Chip) and feature a 12MP camera on the back, a 5MP front snapper and a 3,000mAh cell with Turbo charging technology.
The key aspect of the Moto G5 series is that they support Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Google Assistant seen in the flagship Pixel phone series. They would not be coming with digital butler out-of-the-box, but will be delivered via software update from Google.
How much will Moto G5 Plus cost in India?
As per the press release, Moto G5 Plus price starts at $229 (approx. €216/Rs 15,289) with 2GB RAM/32GB storage and $279 (approx. €263/Rs 18,627) with 3GB RAM/32GB storage in the US.
But, if we look in the Indian buyers' perspective, the aforementioned prices of Moto G5 Plus variants are tad expensive for a mid-tier phone. We believe the generous use of metal and crafting technique to develop new design for the phone might be the reason for such a spike in price. But, rival such as Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, which has pretty much the same hardware, is offered for less than Rs 13,000.
You either get a flaunt-worthy phone or a fast processor. #WhyCompromise when you can get both? Wait for the #MotoG5Plus.
— Moto India (@Moto_IND) February 27, 2017
Arriving on 15/03. pic.twitter.com/qVVQ0EREI7
Having said that, Moto G5 Plus-bound for Indian market might cost less, as Lenovo has its own phone manufacturing unit in India. With local assembling, the company will have custom tax exemption and will try to pass on the benefits to loyal consumers.
However, we are not sure whether Moto will partner with Flipkart or Amazon India to sell Moto G5 Plus in India. But, rest assured, there will definitely be inaugural offers with cash incentives or discounts and vouchers for limited time.
Watch this space for latest news on Lenovo and Moto products.
Key specifications of Lenovo Moto G5 and the G5 Plus:
| Models | Moto G5 | Moto G5 Plus |
| Display | 5.0-inch full HD (1920x1080p) screen with Gorilla Glass 3 shield
|
5.2-inch full HD (1920x1080p) screen with Gorilla Glass 3 shield
|
| OS | Android 7.0 Nougat | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Processor | 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core CPU | 2.0-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core CPU |
| GPU | Adreno 505 | Adreno 506 |
| RAM | 2GB/3GB/4GB | 2GB/3GB/4GB |
| Storage | 16GB/32GB, expandable up to 128GB | 32GB/64GB, expandable up to 128GB |
| Camera |
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|
| Battery | 2,800mAh with Rapid charging technology | 3,000mAh with Turbo charging technology |
| Network | 4G-TLE | 4G-LTE |
| Add-ons | Dual/Single (depending on the region of sale), Fingerprint sensor, water repellent nano coating, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n | Dual/Single (depending on the region of sale), Fingerprint sensor, water repellent nano coating, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n |
| Dimensions | 144.3 x 73 x 9.5mm | 150.2 x 74 x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 145g | 155g |
