Moto G7 vs. Moto G5 Plus: Should you upgrade?

Here at Android Central, we use dozens of budget phones over the course of a year. With manufacturers increasingly rolling out great options in this space every year, we help you decide when to upgrade your phone.

Moto G7

A solid upgrade

$300 at Motorola

Pros

• Premium design
• Robust hardware
• USB-C with 15W fast charging
• Great value

Cons

• No NFC

With the Moto G7, Motorola is once again showing why it's the go-to brand for budget phones. Combining decent hardware in the form of a Snapdragon 632 with a metal and glass design that includes a tiny waterdrop notch at the front, the Moto G7 punches well above its weight.

Moto G5 Plus

No longer relevant

$170 at Amazon

Pros

• Compact form factor
• 15W fast charging
• Same great Motorola software

Cons

• No more updates
• Dated design
• Aging hardware

The Moto G5 Plus was a great budget phone when it launched two years ago, but the specs just don't hold up in 2019. Furthermore, the phone is unlikely to receive any further updates, which means now is as good a time as any to look at other options, like the Moto G7.

Motorola has shown time and again that it knows how to make a solid budget phone, and that hasn't changed in 2019 with the Moto G7 series. If you're rocking a Moto G5 Plus or older and are interested in finding out what's new, read on.

Should you upgrade to the Moto G7 from the Moto G5 Plus?

Motorola knows a thing or two about making a great budget phone, and the Moto G series is often regarded as the benchmark for this segment as a whole. Motorola has done a great job staying attuned to the times, with the Moto G7 offering a significantly larger screen when seen next to the Moto G5 Plus. Thanks to a waterdrop notch for the front camera, the device itself isn't all that bigger in terms of size.

The Moto G7 is the obvious choice if you're still rocking a Moto G5 Plus.

The Moto G7 also offers vastly upgraded internals in the form of the Snapdragon 632, which offers much better performance in day-to-day tasks. You also get 4GB of RAM as standard, and there's a dedicated microSD slot that can accommodate cards up to 512GB in size.

Although the Moto G7 sports a lot of new features, there are a few areas where things are on an equal footing with the Moto G5 Plus. Both phones have 3000mAh batteries with 15W fast charging, and you get about the same battery life as well. Thankfully, the Moto G7 retains the 3.5mm jack, and there's a traditional fingerprint sensor at the back.

Category	Moto G7	Moto G5 Plus
Operating system	Android 9.0 Pie	Android 8.1 Oreo
Display	6.2-inch IPS LCD, 2270x1080 (19:9) Gorilla Glass 3	5.2-inch IPS LCD, 1920x1080 (16:9) Gorilla Glass 3
Chipset	Snapdragon 632 4 x 1.8GHZ Kryo 250 Gold 4 x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 Silver Adreno 506	Snapdragon 625 8 x 2.0GHz Cortex A53 Adreno 506
RAM	4GB	3GB/4GB
Storage	64GB	32GB/64GB
MicroSD slot	Yes (up to 512GB) Dedicated slot	Yes (up to 256GB) Hybrid slot
Rear camera 1	12MP f/1.8 PDAF	12MP f/1.7 PDAF
Rear camera 2	5MP	No
Front camera	8MP f/2.0	5MP f/2.2
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 LE GPS FM radio	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 LE GPS FM radio
Audio	3.5mm jack Single speaker	3.5mm jack Single speaker
Battery	3000mAh Non-removable	3000mAh Non-removable
Charging	USB-C 15W	Micro-USB 15W
Water resistance	No rating	No rating
Security	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	157 x 75.3 x 8mm 172g	150.2 x 74 x 7.7mm 155g
Colors	Ceramic Black, Clear White	Lunar Grey, Fine Gold

Motorola continues to offer one of the best third-party skins around, and its software aesthetic hasn't changed all that much in the last two years. That's a good thing, because there's not a whole lot wrong with Motorola's implementation of Android in the first place. Features like Moto Actions and Moto Display continue to be standout additions for Motorola on the software front, and if you're coming from the Moto G5 Plus, you'll feel right at home on the Moto G7.

Thankfully, Motorola's software hasn't changed too much in the last two years.

If there's one critique to be made of Motorola's software, it's that the manufacturer has been lackadaisical when it comes to updates. Motorola has affirmed that it will deliver bi-monthly security updates to the Moto G7 series, but it hasn't done a great job following through on its word in the last 18 months. On the subject of updates, the Moto G5 Plus is still running Oreo, and the device will not make the switch to Pie. So if you're looking to try out the latest version of Android, then you should consider upgrading to the Moto G7.

If you're still rocking a Moto G5 Plus, it's time to make the switch to the Moto G7. The phone offers much more robust hardware that should allow it to hold its own for the next two years, and the design isn't likely to be outdated anytime soon either.

Moto G7

A solid upgrade

$300 at Motorola

Great hardware at a low cost

With a premium design backed by solid internals, the Moto G7 is already turning out to be one of the best budget phones of the year. Motorola hasn't altered its formula too much in the last two years, but the changes to the camera, internal hardware, and overall design make the Moto G7 a no-brainer upgrade.

Moto G5 Plus

No longer relevant

$170 at Amazon

It's time to get a better phone

Two years is about as long as you can use a budget phone before it starts acting up, and for Moto G5 Plus owners there's a clear upgrade path. The Moto G7 is the obvious choice considering it offers a decent bump in hardware while still retaining that Motorola software experience that made the Moto G series great in the first place.