Moto E5 Plus and E5 hands-on review

Motorola Moto E5

You’d imagine that the Moto E5 comes off as a cheaper device than the Moto E5 Plus because of its less flamboyant body but it doesn’t. It looks tamer, more reserved, but every bit as impressive for its price.

If anything, the coarser matte finish of the Moto E5 handles fingerprints better than the glossy surface of the E5 Plus. During our lengthy session of touching both Motos, the Moto E5 remained almost pristine while the Moto E5 Plus turned into a smudge-fest.

The screen on the Moto E5 is 0.2-inches smaller than the 6-incher on the Moto E5 Plus but the difference isn’t substantial by any means. If anything the pixel density gains a few points. It has the same adequate if unremarkable quality as the panel on the bigger phone.

Moto E5

And if the Moto E5 Plus felt surprisingly light for a nearly-200g phone, with the Moto E5 and its 4,000mAh battery the sentiment deepens. It’s not a heavy phone by any means.

It is thick, however - something that’s true of the Plus model as well, but is felt more on the shorter Moto E5. We can imagine that many people would take a thicker phone in return for impressive battery life, especially at this price point.

Moto E5

The Moto E5 will become available in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific in about 1 month’s time. The price will be €150.