Just pulled the trigger on a Moto G5S. After a lot of pussyfooting over what to buy and what not to buy, from where to buy and how to pay etc. Finally settled on this model. As it turns out, the model has just been launched in August. I didn't know this before deciding to buy. I have never bought anything so fresh on the market. I prefer to wait and watch and let a new launch establish itself. But with phones and computers that strategy does not work. Technology is evolving so fast, before anything is established a new development kills the predecessor.
This is perhaps the first time I spent so much time on choosing a phone. Earlier the choice was simple. Now there is a mind boggling array and so many features to consider. My priorities were simple. It must have the latest OS (Nougat, I think), Gorilla Glass 3 at least, minimum 3000 mAh battery, panorama feature in the camera and a metal body. I have no clue about processors, hence had no priority there. In this phone I am told they use Qualcom Snapdragon, which is supposed to be a good choice.
If everything was equal I would go for a non-Chinese brand with a better camera. I ended up picking up the Motorola despite it now being Chinese owned. I am shamelessly racist about anything Chinese but increasingly we have to accept their domination in the manufacturing space.
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| From GSM Arena |
September 122, 2017
The phone arrived yesterday. Nicely packed in a jiffy bag. Though the package might look casual it was not damaged in any way. The box had the phone, a black charger and a white head phone. There is also a small pin for the SIM card tray. The phone is discretely heavy. Not too heavy to be an extra load in the pocket but not too light either, giving it a personality.
The back cannot be opened. It's sealed. Even the battery cannot be taken out or user replaced. Batteries in any case are not supplied by mobile companies and changing a battery does not solve any problem. In fact if I could get a new battery for my older Samsung I don't think I would have bought this new phone.
The transition from the old phone to the new one was relatively smooth. All the numbers got transferred. All the apps also got downloaded once again into the new phone. This is the beauty of google. They know everything about me. It is scary. But makes a few things like the phone transition smooth.
The phone's display is very nice. Way better than my previous phone's. Of course that being a way cheaper phone is perhaps not comparable.
Though Samsung makes a big song and dance about Super Amoled display, this display - IPS LCD - isn't too bad either. The camera is also fairly decent. I took a picture of Mampu and that looked pretty nice. Even the old photographs taken with my previous camera look nice on this phone.
The phone gets charged pretty fast. But if the data is on, the phone gets heated up quite a bit. More than just warm. It gets really hot. Switching off data during the charging process helped, it seemed. Charging speed is faster when the battery is relatively empty. Like, from 20 to 30 per cent it goes up really fast. But from 90 to 100 it takes a much longer time.
There are obviously lots of differences between the way you do things on a Samsung and on Motorola. I am having to work things out right now. Changing over to Samsung from my Nokia was an even more painful experience. That was an upgrade to touch screen and smart phone from an ordinary phone. I think they have given it a fancy name - feature phone.
One obvious disadvantage I think is absence of Samsung's equivalent of a "gallery". Gallery is where all your media files are stored, including the downloaded files from whatsapp or any other app like facebook or telegram etc. You can create albums there and keep your photographs neatly arranged. Here the gallery is google's "photos". I cannot seem to find out how to create albums there.
Another disadvantage over Samsung is the absence of a smart switch that toggles between wi-fi and data, depending on which is faster. It is particularly useful in places like my house where connectivity is poor. If I keep both wi fi and data pack on, it chooses the faster connection. Here it is not so. You are either on wi-fi or on data pack.
I have chosen not to use any screen protector or back cover with this phone. I did not buy any back cover for my Samsung also, which had a plastic body. It was just fine with no scratch mark. Of course it came with a screen protector on the front. I didn't take it off. But I refused to give it a jacket. My Nokia's back was totally ruined by all the scratch marks caused by the trapped dust inside the jacket.
Regarding the front cover, I paid a premium for this phone's Gorilla 3 glass, that is virtually unbreakable and unscratchable.
Long Term Usage Update
It is pointless writing about it now because I am sure the phone is discontinued but let me say that this Gorilla 3 glass being unbreakable is a myth. Phone's display cover glass cracked after a drop on the floor. Some pixels also got broken after another fall. I don't know the current series of Gorilla that is selling. Will have to see how durable it is. But the phone is working fine so far, touch wood.
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