Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus now on sale, start at $299

Motorola's latest affordable smartphones - the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus - are on now sale locally, starting at just $299.

The standard $299 G5 ships with 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, while the G5 Plus is available in two different configurations: a 16GB model with 3GB of RAM for $399, and a 32GB model with 4GB of RAM for $449. All three models are available in a choice of black or gold. There's a blue model available overseas, but it doesn't sound like it will make it to Australia anytime soon. 

Motorola is selling the G5 and G5 Plus on its own online store, and through Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, and the Good Guys. If you want gold, you'll need to get it directly through Motorola; every major retailer is only carrying black. 

Other than improved hardware, both the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus now tout glass and metal construction, stepping up from the predominantly plastic design of their predecessors. The smaller 5-inch Moto G5 still has a removable battery, and as such, still has some plastic on the back plate. The larger 6.2-inch Moto G5 Plus won't let you rip out its juice box, but it's almost all glass and metal (antenna bands aside).

This time around, both the Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus offer a front-facing fingerprint reader and fast-charging (which is said to offer six hours of battery life in 15 minutes). The Moto G5 Plus is slightly smaller than last year's Moto G4 Plus, down from 5.5-inches to 5.2-inches.

Key specifications for the Moto G5 include a 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 430 processor, 16GB of expandable storage, 2GB of RAM, a 2800mAh battery, and a 13MP rear-facing camera.

Key specifications for the Moto G5 Plus include a 5.2-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 625 processor, 16GB or 32GB of expandable storage, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, a 3000mAh battery, and a 12MP dual-pixel rear-facing camera.

Both phones are NFC-enabled and have dual SIM capabilities. It's worth noting that the G5's second SIM slot is 2G only at the moment, but Motorola says 3G functionality will be enabled with an upcoming software update. The G5 Plus' second SIM is 3G out of the box.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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