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Lenovo Moto C Plus Smartphone Review

The better Moto C! The Chinese manufacturer Lenovo is trying to stir up the low-budget segment of the smartphone market with its new C series. Our review shows that the Moto C Plus has some paramount improvements compared to its 5-inch counterpart without the additional "Plus".

For the original German review, click here.

The new Moto C series from the Chinese manufacturer Lenovo is supposed to be particularly convincing in one area: its price. The recommended retail price of £140 (~$181, the device is not available in the US at the time of writing) puts the Moto C Plus, and also the Moto C, in the lower price range of entry-level smartphones. 

Visually, there are only minimal differences between the two Moto C devices, and they are both equipped with the same MediaTek SoC, although the Moto C Plus has a clock rate of 1.3 GHz while the Moto C has only 1.1 GHz. This is accompanied by 1 GB of working memory and 16 GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card.

One of the biggest differences between the two models is the choice of panel and resolution. Lenovo has chosen an IPS-based display for its Moto C Plus and a significantly higher resolution of 720p compared to the Moto C with FWVGA resolution (854x480). The exchangeable battery of the Moto C Plus can store almost double as much power with 4000 mAh as the Moto C with 2350 mAh.

The competitors of this entry-level smartphone are, among others, the Lenovo Moto G4 Play, the Gigaset GS170, the LG K8 2017 and the Nokia 3 as well as the cheaper Lenovo Moto C. There are also great entry-level devices imported from China, which often offer very good technical features. From these, we have chosen the UMI Max and the two Blackview devices P2 and R6 to be our comparison devices for this review. 

Lenovo Moto C Plus (Moto C Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6737 4 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
1024 MB 
, 1GB
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 294 PPI, capacitive, LCD, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 11 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio jack, Card Reader: microSD up to 32 GB, Sensors: accelerometer, Miracast
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) UMTS / HSPA+ (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) 4G LTE (1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 38, 40), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 10 x 144 x 72.3 ( = 0.39 x 5.67 x 2.85 in)
Battery
4000 mAh Lithium-Polymer, removeable, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 30 h
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera
Primary Camera: 8 MPix 8 MP ƒ / 2.2 aperture 1.12 µm 71° lens, fixed focus, LED flash, Burst Mode, Panorama, HDR video: 720p (30 fps)
Secondary Camera: 2 MPix 2 MP f / 2.8 aperture, 1.0 µm 63° lens, fixed focus, LED flash, Burst Mode, HDR
Additional features
Speakers: Mono, Keyboard: virtual, USB cable, modular power supply, Moto UI, 24 Months Warranty, SAR value: 0,736 w/kg (head), fanless
Weight
162 g ( = 5.71 oz / 0.36 pounds), Power Supply: 43 g ( = 1.52 oz / 0.09 pounds)
Price
140 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The front of the Moto C Plus is made of scratch-resistant glass which smoothly transitions to the plastic frame. The bezels around the IPS display are comparatively wide. The phone's dimensions are 122 x 73 mm (~4.8 x 2.8 in) while the display diagonal is 5 inches. This makes a display-to-surface ratio of only 64%. It is also 10 mm (~ 0.4 in) thick and feels a little chunky.

The volume rocker and on/off button are worked into the case nicely and are firmly in place. The surface of the removable plastic back cover is slightly roughened up. It does not feel cheap but is still a far cry from better materials such as glass or metal. 

The back of the Moto C Plus hardly gives way under pressure and the case has very good stability.

Size Comparison

154 mm / 6.06 inch 77 mm / 3.03 inch 10.4 mm / 0.4094 inch 230 g0.507 lbs152 mm / 5.98 inch 77.2 mm / 3.04 inch 10 mm / 0.3937 inch 198 g0.4365 lbs150.8 mm / 5.94 inch 75 mm / 2.95 inch 8.5 mm / 0.3346 inch 199 g0.4387 lbs145.5 mm / 5.73 inch 73.6 mm / 2.9 inch 9 mm / 0.3543 inch 154 g0.3395 lbs144.4 mm / 5.69 inch 72 mm / 2.83 inch 9.9 mm / 0.3898 inch 137 g0.302 lbs144 mm / 5.67 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 10 mm / 0.3937 inch 162 g0.3571 lbs144 mm / 5.67 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 9.5 mm / 0.374 inch 139 g0.3064 lbs144.8 mm / 5.7 inch 72.1 mm / 2.84 inch 8.1 mm / 0.3189 inch 142 g0.3131 lbs143 mm / 5.63 inch 71.4 mm / 2.81 inch 8.68 mm / 0.3417 inch 141 g0.3109 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The internal 16-GB eMMC storage offers sufficient space for personal data such as photos or music files. After subtracting the space needed for the operating system, the user is left with about 11 GB for free disposal. The storage of the dual-SIM smartphone can also be expanded via the microSD slot. In our test, the device even recognized our reference memory card with a capacity of 64 GB, although the manufacturer specifies a maximum of 32 GB. 

The smartphone is recharged via a Micro-USB 2.0 port at the top of the device. Just like the Moto C, this device does not support USB OTG to connect external drives or devices. The wireless transfer of content to external screens worked well in our test with a Sony Android TV.

Software

The Moto C Plus is up-to-date technically as it is equipped with the current Android version 7.0 Nougat. Lenovo has added its own interface, although this is strongly reminiscent of stock Android in form and functionality. There are almost no changes to the system interface, but the device does offer some additional software features.

Communication & GPS

The Moto C Plus has Bluetooth 4.2 to take care of wireless communication with other mobile devices, but it is not equipped with an NFC chip for near field communication. Additionally, the smartphone supports the use of two nano-SIM cards - although Lenovo has stated that it supports Micro-SIM cards. Both slots are capable of LTE cat.4, which supports download rates of up to 150 MBit/s and upload rates of 50 MBit/s.

The integrated Wi-Fi module supports the IEEE 802.11 standards b/g/n and only transmits in the 2.4-GHz range. The Wi-Fi module's performance is good for everyday use and the signal is stable. The signal is limited to -31 dBm in close proximity to the router (Telekom Speedport, W921V). The data transfer rates to our reference router Linksys EA8500 are on the same level as the Moto C.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Samsung Galaxy S8
Mali-G71 MP20, Exynos 8895, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
651 MBit/s +1340%
UMI Max
Mali-T860 MP2, Helio P10 MT6755, 16 GB eMMC Flash
98.8 MBit/s +119%
Blackview P2
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 64 GB eMMC Flash
98.5 MBit/s +118%
Nokia 3
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
76.6 MBit/s +69%
Gigaset GS170
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.9 MBit/s +10%
Blackview R6
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737T, 32 GB eMMC Flash
49.6 MBit/s +10%
LG K8 2017
Adreno 308, 425, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.2 MBit/s +9%
Lenovo Moto C
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
47.2 MBit/s +4%
Lenovo Moto C Plus
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
45.2 MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Samsung Galaxy S8
Mali-G71 MP20, Exynos 8895, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
329 MBit/s +641%
UMI Max
Mali-T860 MP2, Helio P10 MT6755, 16 GB eMMC Flash
103 MBit/s +132%
Nokia 3
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
81.1 MBit/s +83%
Blackview P2
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 64 GB eMMC Flash
78.7 MBit/s +77%
LG K8 2017
Adreno 308, 425, 16 GB eMMC Flash
54.1 MBit/s +22%
Gigaset GS170
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.4 MBit/s +11%
Lenovo Moto C Plus
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
44.4 MBit/s
Lenovo Moto C
Mali-T720, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
43.7 MBit/s -2%
Blackview R6
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737T, 32 GB eMMC Flash
41.9 MBit/s -6%
GPS test outdoors
GPS test indoors

Mobile-positioning works via the GPS satellite navigation system. Outdoors, the device located us quickly within 8 meters. The signal was too weak to locate us indoors.

We measured the accuracy of the device's GPS by taking it on a 6-km (~3.72 miles) bike ride and compared its results to the professional navigation system Garmin Edge 500. At the end of our tour, there was only 40 meters (~43.7 yards) difference between the mid-range smartphone and the professional navigation system. This is a lot less than the difference the Moto C's GPS module measured and is a good result. The GPS module should be good enough for navigating in a car or on a bike.

GPS test Garmin Edge 500
GPS test Garmin Edge 500
GPS test Garmin Edge 500
GPS test Lenovo Moto C Plus
GPS test Lenovo Moto C Plus
GPS test Lenovo Moto C Plus

Telephone & Voice Quality

We did our test call in the German Vodafone mobile network and the voice quality of the Moto C Plus was satisfactory in both directions, similar to the Moto C. Still, both we and our contact felt that the other was occasionally difficult to understand and the maximum volume of the earpiece is too low if you are in a noisy area.

The quality of the microphone was considered good during our telephone calls and there was no annoying background noise.

Cameras

Front camera
Main camera

The main 8-MP camera has an aperture of f/2.2 as well as auto-focus, although Lenovo states only fixed focus on its website. The CMOS image sensor takes photos with a resolution of 3264x2448 pixels in the 4:3 format and the pixel size is 1.14 micrometers. The maximum resolution the Lenovo smartphone can record videos in is HD (720p) with a frame rate of 30 images per second. If you use the 2-MP front camera for filming, the resolution reduces to VGA (480p), still at 30 fps. 

The picture quality of the 8-MP camera is good considering the device's price and a little better than that of the Moto C. Dynamics are high, which means that pictures are light and have high contrast with good image sharpness. Despite auto-focus, the Moto C Plus (like the Moto C) is not suitable for macro photography or taking pictures in dark surroundings. In low light, the pictures have significant image noise and are not sharp.

The front camera has a resolution of 2 MP and an aperture of f/2.8. The picture quality is satisfactory for selfies but not better than the Moto C camera.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

Accessories & Warranty

Apart from the modular 10-watt power supply (5V, 2A), the Moto C Plus also comes with a USB cable and the usual leaflets.

The warranty lasts for 24 months. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices & Handling

There are three unlit capacitive keys below the display that can be used to navigate. The capacitive touchscreen reacts precisely to inputs with up to five fingers. Inputs at the edges were registered just as precisely as in the middle. We preferred the responsiveness of the touchscreen to that of the Moto C's TFT display.

The virtual keyboard has nicely dimensioned keys; the layout is that of the stock Android design from Google.

Display

Subpixel array

The LC display of the Moto C Plus has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, which is equivalent to its competition. Content is displayed with a pixel density of 294 ppi and the 5-inch IPS panel is noticeably sharper than the FWVGA resolution (852x480) of the Moto C.

We measured luminosity in nine areas, which shows a slight decrease in brightness near the top and bottom edges of the display. Maximum brightness on an all-white screen is very good - 492 cd/m². Additionally, we tested brightness on a screen with evenly distributed light and black areas (APL 50). Here, we measured a brightness of 401 cd/m². The first generation of the Moto Cs does not offer an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust display brightness.

475
cd/m²
483
cd/m²
445
cd/m²
467
cd/m²
492
cd/m²
460
cd/m²
463
cd/m²
497
cd/m²
463
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LCD tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 497 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 471.7 cd/m² Minimum: 7.39 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 492 cd/m²
Contrast: 2139:1 (Black: 0.23 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 3.7 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
96.3% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.05
Lenovo Moto C Plus
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Lenovo Moto C
TFT, 854x480, 5.00
Gigaset GS170
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Nokia 3
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
LG K8 2017
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
IPS, 1280x720, 5.00
Blackview P2
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Blackview R6
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
UMI Max
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50
Samsung Galaxy S8
Super AMOLED, 2960x1440, 5.80
Screen
-64%
-65%
-27%
-45%
-29%
-50%
-52%
-21%
27%
Brightness middle
492
364
-26%
418
-15%
481
-2%
358
-27%
412
-16%
424
-14%
352
-28%
522
6%
566
15%
Brightness
472
355
-25%
418
-11%
469
-1%
351
-26%
414
-12%
420
-11%
320
-32%
498
6%
564
19%
Brightness Distribution
90
92
2%
92
2%
84
-7%
93
3%
94
4%
85
-6%
81
-10%
86
-4%
94
4%
Black Level *
0.23
0.31
-35%
0.45
-96%
0.22
4%
0.49
-113%
0.42
-83%
0.15
35%
0.3
-30%
0.23
-0%
Contrast
2139
1174
-45%
929
-57%
2186
2%
731
-66%
981
-54%
2827
32%
1173
-45%
2270
6%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.4
10.4
-93%
9.7
-80%
8.1
-50%
7.1
-31%
5.6
-4%
9.5
-76%
8.7
-61%
6.9
-28%
2.7
50%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
12
18
-50%
18.9
-58%
15.4
-28%
14.9
-24%
9.7
19%
19.7
-64%
15.1
-26%
12.3
-3%
5.4
55%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
3.7
12.7
-243%
11.3
-205%
8.5
-130%
6.5
-76%
6.9
-86%
14.5
-292%
10.5
-184%
9.2
-149%
3.1
16%
Gamma
2.05 107%
2.04 108%
2.27 97%
2.16 102%
2.12 104%
2.4 92%
2.28 96%
2.04 108%
2.38 92%
2.15 102%
CCT
7182 91%
12904 50%
10414 62%
9014 72%
8166 80%
8422 77%
10840 60%
8529 76%
8687 75%
6335 103%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
81.57
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)
99.87

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM not detected

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The combination of luminosity and a black value of 0.23 cd/m² results in a very good contrast ratio of 1:2319. The realistic APL 50 test shows a high contrast (1:1823) and a minimally better black value (0.22 cd/m²). 

We analyzed the display with a photospectrometer and the CalMAN software and received good results: the deviations from colorspace (5.4) and grayscales (3.7) were very low for this price range. The measured color temperature of 7182 K is very close to the ideal value of 6500 K and in practice we did not notice any color cast.

Overall, the IPS display in the Moto C Plus is a level above the Moto C's TFT panel.

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 15 ms rise
↘ 19 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 89 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
36 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17 ms rise
↘ 19 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 44 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

The Lenovo smartphone remains decently readable even in bright surroundings thanks to its bright and high-contrast display. Even direct sunlight cannot entirely prevent us from reading the screen.

Thanks to IPS technology, the liquid crystal display has stable viewing angles. Colors do not distort even at a very wide viewing angle. The typical IPS glow effect - that dark surfaces appear brighter at very wide viewing angles - is there, but it is not particularly noticeable.

Performance

The MediaTek MT6737 is an entry-level ARM SoC (System-on-a-Chip). The 28-nm processor has four CPU cores based on the 64-bit Cortex A53 architecture with a maximum clock rate of 1.3 GHz in the Moto C Plus. The graphics unit is an ARM Mali-T720 MP2, which is integrated with the MediaTek SoC and can also be considered entry-level.

In combination with 1 GB of RAM, the Lenovo smartphone offers a slightly better system performance than the Moto C. However, the Plus version also has some stuttering and breaks, especially while multitasking. A slightly larger working memory would have been beneficial for multitasking capability and general performance.

The synthetic benchmarks showed that the Moto C Plus has 20% higher performance than the Moto C with an MT6737M. But compared to the performance of our comparison devices in the same price range, there would still have been room to improve, even for the Moto C Plus.

AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
29911 Points
Lenovo Moto C
25338 Points -15%
Gigaset GS170
30144 Points +1%
Nokia 3
27703 Points -7%
LG K8 2017
30924 Points +3%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
28399 Points -5%
Blackview P2
41852 Points +40%
Blackview R6
38038 Points +27%
UMI Max
49057 Points +64%
Samsung Galaxy S8
171884 Points +475%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
3308 Points
Lenovo Moto C
2877 Points -13%
Gigaset GS170
3344 Points +1%
Nokia 3
3439 Points +4%
LG K8 2017
4673 Points +41%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
4283 Points +29%
Blackview P2
3667 Points +11%
Blackview R6
2759 Points -17%
UMI Max
4485 Points +36%
Samsung Galaxy S8
6035 Points +82%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
2754 Points
Lenovo Moto C
2313 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
2600 Points -6%
Nokia 3
2568 Points -7%
LG K8 2017
2986 Points +8%
Blackview P2
2782 Points +1%
Samsung Galaxy S8
5370 Points +95%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
513 Points
Lenovo Moto C
432 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
538 Points +5%
Nokia 3
551 Points +7%
LG K8 2017
371 Points -28%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
603 Points +18%
Blackview P2
298 Points -42%
Blackview R6
177 Points -65%
UMI Max
341 Points -34%
Samsung Galaxy S8
3277 Points +539%
System (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
1048 Points
Lenovo Moto C
883 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
1170 Points +12%
Nokia 3
1081 Points +3%
LG K8 2017
1191 Points +14%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
1035 Points -1%
Blackview P2
1623 Points +55%
Blackview R6
562 Points -46%
UMI Max
2123 Points +103%
Samsung Galaxy S8
5386 Points +414%
Memory (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
501 Points
Lenovo Moto C
419 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
610 Points +22%
Nokia 3
703 Points +40%
LG K8 2017
634 Points +27%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
741 Points +48%
Blackview P2
831 Points +66%
Blackview R6
472 Points -6%
UMI Max
998 Points +99%
Samsung Galaxy S8
3039 Points +507%
Graphics (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
209 Points
Lenovo Moto C
177 Points -15%
Gigaset GS170
210 Points 0%
Nokia 3
211 Points +1%
LG K8 2017
436 Points +109%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
313 Points +50%
Blackview P2
620 Points +197%
Blackview R6
383 Points +83%
UMI Max
666 Points +219%
Samsung Galaxy S8
6096 Points +2817%
Web (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
632 Points
Lenovo Moto C
534 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
558 Points -12%
Nokia 3
575 Points -9%
LG K8 2017
616 Points -3%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
551 Points -13%
Blackview P2
9 Points -99%
Blackview R6
10 Points -98%
UMI Max
10 Points -98%
Samsung Galaxy S8
1156 Points +83%
Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
532 Points
Lenovo Moto C
450 Points -15%
Gigaset GS170
581 Points +9%
Nokia 3
556 Points +5%
LG K8 2017
642 Points +21%
Blackview P2
620 Points +17%
Samsung Galaxy S8
1997 Points +275%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
1526 Points
Lenovo Moto C
1254 Points -18%
Gigaset GS170
1595 Points +5%
Nokia 3
1520 Points 0%
LG K8 2017
1737 Points +14%
Blackview P2
2463 Points +61%
Samsung Galaxy S8
6711 Points +340%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Nokia 3
1045 Points
LG K8 2017
1203 Points
Blackview P2
1633 Points
Samsung Galaxy S8
8490 Points
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
3711 Points
Lenovo Moto C
3142 Points -15%
Gigaset GS170
3666 Points -1%
Nokia 3
3665 Points -1%
LG K8 2017
2951 Points -20%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
4432 Points +19%
Blackview P2
9496 Points +156%
Blackview R6
5731 Points +54%
UMI Max
10942 Points +195%
Samsung Galaxy S8
31532 Points +750%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
3226 Points
Lenovo Moto C
2706 Points -16%
Gigaset GS170
3167 Points -2%
Nokia 3
3177 Points -2%
LG K8 2017
2546 Points -21%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
3858 Points +20%
Blackview P2
9604 Points +198%
Blackview R6
5380 Points +67%
UMI Max
10612 Points +229%
Samsung Galaxy S8
36347 Points +1027%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
7825 Points
Lenovo Moto C
7209 Points -8%
Gigaset GS170
8178 Points +5%
Nokia 3
7925 Points +1%
LG K8 2017
6656 Points -15%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
9256 Points +18%
Blackview P2
9612 Points +23%
Blackview R6
7424 Points -5%
UMI Max
12239 Points +56%
Samsung Galaxy S8
21543 Points +175%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
6 fps
Lenovo Moto C
13 fps +117%
Gigaset GS170
11 fps +83%
Nokia 3
10 fps +67%
LG K8 2017
6.4 fps +7%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
9.6 fps +60%
Blackview P2
16 fps +167%
Blackview R6
9.7 fps +62%
UMI Max
17 fps +183%
Samsung Galaxy S8
60 fps +900%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
10 fps
Lenovo Moto C
5.1 fps -49%
Gigaset GS170
6 fps -40%
Nokia 3
6 fps -40%
LG K8 2017
3.4 fps -66%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
5.2 fps -48%
Blackview P2
16 fps +60%
Blackview R6
9.8 fps -2%
UMI Max
17 fps +70%
Samsung Galaxy S8
121 fps +1110%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
2.2 fps
Lenovo Moto C
7.8 fps +255%
Gigaset GS170
4.8 fps +118%
Nokia 3
4.5 fps +105%
LG K8 2017
3.7 fps +68%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
4.1 fps +86%
Blackview P2
6.7 fps +205%
Blackview R6
4 fps +82%
UMI Max
7.1 fps +223%
Samsung Galaxy S8
41 fps +1764%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
4.5 fps
Lenovo Moto C
1.6 fps -64%
Gigaset GS170
2.2 fps -51%
Nokia 3
2.2 fps -51%
LG K8 2017
1.3 fps -71%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
1.8 fps -60%
Blackview P2
6.7 fps +49%
Blackview R6
4 fps -11%
UMI Max
7.1 fps +58%
Samsung Galaxy S8
62 fps +1278%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
3.2 fps
Lenovo Moto C
1.2 fps -62%
Gigaset GS170
3.4 fps +6%
Nokia 3
3.2 fps 0%
LG K8 2017
fps -100%
Blackview P2
4.4 fps +38%
Blackview R6
2.6 fps -19%
UMI Max
4.7 fps +47%
Samsung Galaxy S8
23 fps +619%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Lenovo Moto C Plus
1.4 fps
Lenovo Moto C
5.5 fps +293%
Gigaset GS170
1.4 fps 0%
Nokia 3
1.4 fps 0%
LG K8 2017
fps -100%
Blackview P2
4.4 fps +214%
Blackview R6
2.5 fps +79%
UMI Max
4.7 fps +236%
Samsung Galaxy S8
24 fps +1614%

Legend

 
Lenovo Moto C Plus Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Moto C Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Gigaset GS170 Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Nokia 3 Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG K8 2017 Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917), Qualcomm Adreno 308, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Moto G4 Play Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 APQ8016, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Blackview P2 Mediatek MT6750, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Blackview R6 Mediatek MT6737T, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
UMI Max Mediatek Helio P10 MT6755, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Samsung Galaxy S8 Samsung Exynos 8895 Octa, ARM Mali-G71 MP20, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash

Surfing the web also works a little better on the preinstalled Chrome browser than with the Moto C. But you can still expect some delays when loading pages.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Samsung Galaxy S8 (Samsung Browser 5.2)
65.8 Points +351%
UMI Max (Chrome Version 54)
25.5 Points +75%
Blackview R6 (Chrome 55)
21.9 Points +50%
Blackview P2 (Chrome Version 58)
20.48 Points +40%
LG K8 2017 (Chrome 57)
17.12 Points +17%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play (Chrome 50.0.2661.89)
17.09 Points +17%
Lenovo Moto C Plus (Chrome Version 60)
14.6 Points
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
14.34 Points -2%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
13.97 Points -4%
Lenovo Moto C (Chrome Version 60)
11.68 Points -20%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Samsung Galaxy S8 (Samsung Browser 5.2)
12941 Points +476%
UMI Max (Chrome Version 54)
4231 Points +88%
Blackview R6 (Chrome 55)
3195 Points +42%
LG K8 2017 (Chrome 57)
3052 Points +36%
Blackview P2 (Chrome Version 58)
2838 Points +26%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play (Chrome 50.0.2661.89)
2773 Points +23%
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
2284 Points +2%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
2269 Points +1%
Lenovo Moto C Plus (Chrome Version 60)
2247 Points
Lenovo Moto C (Chrome Version 60)
1730 Points -23%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo Moto C (Chrome Version 60)
19879 ms * -22%
Nokia 3 (Chrome 59)
16759 ms * -3%
Gigaset GS170 (Chrome Version 59)
16723 ms * -3%
Lenovo Moto C Plus (Chrome Version 60)
16238 ms *
Blackview P2 (Chrome Version 58)
13174 ms * +19%
Lenovo Moto G4 Play (Chrome 50.0.2661.89)
12953 ms * +20%
Blackview R6 (Chrome 55)
11227 ms * +31%
LG K8 2017 (Chrome 57)
10742 ms * +34%
UMI Max (Chrome Version 54)
9796 ms * +40%
Samsung Galaxy S8 (Samsung Browser 5.2)
1887 ms * +88%

* ... smaller is better

The measured read and write speeds of the internal eMMC storage and particularly for accessing the SD card are not very high for this price range. A comparison: Our reference card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 supports a maximum access rate of 170 MB/s for reading and 150 MB/s for writing.

Lenovo Moto C PlusLenovo Moto CGigaset GS170Nokia 3LG K8 2017Lenovo Moto G4 PlayBlackview P2Blackview R6UMI MaxSamsung Galaxy S8
AndroBench 3-5
-5%
42%
129%
186%
137%
77%
23%
59%
339%
Sequential Read 256KB
186.7
179.3
-4%
197.9
6%
181
-3%
270.8
45%
144.1
-23%
264.8
42%
228
22%
257.9
38%
793
325%
Sequential Write 256KB
44.45
44.55
0%
44.79
1%
34
-24%
84.6
90%
43.95
-1%
133.8
201%
76.1
71%
69.5
56%
193.2
335%
Random Read 4KB
18.1
18.37
1%
18.34
1%
17.7
-2%
41.6
130%
17.9
-1%
22.07
22%
18.73
3%
26.66
47%
127.2
603%
Random Write 4KB
15.4
10.9
-29%
10.45
-32%
5.5
-64%
12.5
-19%
28.31
84%
9.54
-38%
13.5
-12%
10.91
-29%
15.25
-1%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
13.5
13.5
0%
37.41 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
177%
64.3
376%
78.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
482%
65.5
385%
34.26 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
154%
22.74 ?(Hama 32GB Class10)
68%
36.64 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
171%
63.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
373%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
10.7
10.7
0%
21.34 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
99%
62.9
488%
52.2 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
388%
51.1
378%
19.61 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
83%
9.34 ?(Hama 32GB Class10)
-13%
18.07 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
69%
53.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M401)
400%

Games

The ARM Mali-T720 MP2 is a graphics unit that has been available since 2014 and supports both OpenGL ES 3.1 and DirectX 11. Unlike the Mali-T720 in the Moto C, the GPU of the Plus version has two clusters that clock at a frequency of up to 650 MHz.

Current games from the PlayStore can be played with the Lenovo smartphone. The first-person shooter Dead Trigger 2 and the racing game Asphalt 8: Airborne are displayed smoothly with 30 to 31 fps in minimum settings by devices with similar performance (SoC).

There are no difficulties controlling the Moto C Plus thanks to the well-functioning sensors and satisfyingly precise display.

Dead Trigger 2
Asphalt Xtreme
Asphalt Xtreme

Emissions

Temperature

The surface temperatures of the Moto C Plus gave a good impression during our test. While idling and under low load, the Lenovo smartphone only heated up minimally and even under maximum load the warmest spot was only 29.2 °C (~84.5 °F) on the back.

Max. Load
 31.6 °C
89 F
30.6 °C
87 F
30.6 °C
87 F
 
 32.6 °C
91 F
30.9 °C
88 F
30.6 °C
87 F
 
 32.3 °C
90 F
30.5 °C
87 F
30.6 °C
87 F
 
Maximum: 32.6 °C = 91 F
Average: 31.1 °C = 88 F
28.6 °C
83 F
28.7 °C
84 F
28.3 °C
83 F
29.2 °C
85 F
29 °C
84 F
28.9 °C
84 F
29 °C
84 F
29 °C
84 F
28.9 °C
84 F
Maximum: 29.2 °C = 85 F
Average: 28.8 °C = 84 F
Power Supply (max.)  33 °C = 91 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-350
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.1 °C / 88 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 32.6 °C / 91 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 29.2 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.7 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Speaker test: Pink Noise

The Moto C Plus has a mono speaker positioned on the back of the device. Considering its size, the sound body produces a satisfactory sound quality. The sound is a little tinny and distorted at maximum volume (85 dB(A)). Low bass frequencies are not audible, but mids and highs are rather linear from 1 kHz.

The Moto C Plus has an audio jack, so it can easily be connected with conventional headphones, should you require better sound quality.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2030.530.830.52528.330.428.33128.929.828.94038.932.738.95027.430.927.46326.128.726.18025.132.125.11002734.12712533.528.833.516023.823.723.820029.121.129.125035.52035.531544.819.644.840052.52252.550059.723.659.763066.318.466.380071.717.871.7100075.218.775.2125074.417.674.4160074.316.374.3200072.516.572.5250071.916.471.9315072.116.272.1400071.416.171.4500072.71672.7630073.416.273.4800076.516.176.51000072.41672.41250066.515.866.51600051.515.951.5SPL84.829.984.8N60.21.460.2median 71.4median 17.6median 71.4Delta11.72.911.731.633.225.433.925.331.632.925.633.629.531.622.828.427.22727.420.824.1222321.322.720.827.421.235.219.446.119.554.417.759.917.966.917.874.717.376.617.475.916.772.717.27218.270.117.973.117.673.117.772.717.873.517.973.318.166.118.263.83084.41.357.3median 17.9median 66.91.414.131.644.425.43425.335.932.931.733.630.931.637.828.424.92726.320.827.42225.421.325.620.826.521.229.619.437.119.545.217.754.417.965.517.876.617.378.917.477.716.774.417.273.418.272.417.97017.668.517.768.517.871.917.969.518.163.818.255.93085.61.355median 17.9median 65.51.416.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseLenovo Moto C PlusGigaset GS170LG K8 2017
Lenovo Moto C Plus audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 39.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.9% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 1.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 57% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 35% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 74% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 21% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Gigaset GS170 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 40.3% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (5.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 9.1% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (11.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (31.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 77% of all tested devices in this class were better, 3% similar, 19% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 88% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 9% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

LG K8 2017 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 38.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 13.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (14.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.1% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (34.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 82% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 17% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 92% of all tested devices were better, 1% similar, 7% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Frequency diagram in comparison (checkboxes can be turned on/off!)

Battery Runtime

Power Consumption

Power consumption while idling and at the lowest brightness level with flight mode activated is rather high. However, at full brightness and under load (stability test CPU + GPU) with activated communication modules, consumption is only minimally higher at 2.2 watts. The Moto C Plus consumes a lot less power than its competition under load.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.07 / 0.08 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.8 / 1.87 / 1.89 Watt
Load midlight 2.18 / 3.61 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Lenovo Moto C Plus
4000 mAh
Lenovo Moto C
2350 mAh
Gigaset GS170
2500 mAh
Nokia 3
2630 mAh
LG K8 2017
2500 mAh
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
2800 mAh
Blackview P2
6000 mAh
Blackview R6
3000 mAh
UMI Max
4000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S8
3000 mAh
Power Consumption
-1%
3%
-2%
-3%
-36%
-66%
-2%
-10%
Idle Minimum *
0.8
0.54
32%
0.67
16%
0.65
19%
0.68
15%
0.99
-24%
0.78
2%
1.02
-28%
0.78
2%
Idle Average *
1.87
1.56
17%
1.35
28%
1.6
14%
1.58
16%
2.04
-9%
1.63
13%
1.53
18%
1.1
41%
Idle Maximum *
1.89
1.6
15%
1.39
26%
1.62
14%
1.61
15%
2.12
-12%
1.84
3%
1.62
14%
1.16
39%
Load Average *
2.18
3.18
-46%
3.1
-42%
2.97
-36%
3.36
-54%
3.77
-73%
7.47
-243%
2.91
-33%
4.15
-90%
Load Maximum *
3.61
4.42
-22%
4.02
-11%
4.34
-20%
3.91
-8%
5.78
-60%
7.47
-107%
2.93
19%
5.12
-42%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The lithium-ion polymer battery is removable and has 4000 mAh. In our practical Wi-Fi test, the entry-level device is clearly ahead of its competition with a runtime of 14 hours and 18 minutes. Only the Blackview P2 could beat this runtime, but then it is equipped with a 6000 mAh battery.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
14h 18min
Lenovo Moto C Plus
4000 mAh
Lenovo Moto C
2350 mAh
Gigaset GS170
2500 mAh
Nokia 3
2630 mAh
LG K8 2017
2500 mAh
Lenovo Moto G4 Play
2800 mAh
Blackview P2
6000 mAh
Blackview R6
3000 mAh
UMI Max
4000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S8
3000 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
858
517
-40%
442
-48%
552
-36%
594
-31%
630
-27%
1083
26%
604
-30%
588
-31%
719
-16%

Pros

+ bright IPS panel
+ dual-SIM
+ SD-card expansion
+ display calibration
+ battery runtime
+ temperature

Cons

- 1 GB RAM
- weak SoC
- slow eMMC memory

Verdict

Reviewed: Lenovo Moto C Plus. Test unit provided by Lenovo Germany.

Compared to the Moto C, Lenovo has made the right adjustments to the Moto C Plus. It is a level above its 5-inch counterpart without the additional "Plus". System and browser performance have also improved a little thanks to the higher-clocking MediaTek SoC.

But considering its price, the Moto C Plus still does not offer a great performance package of CPU, GPU and storage access rates. However, the entry-level smartphone can score some points with its very long battery runtimes, decent camera and up-to-date Android 7.0. The 720-p IPS panel has high luminosity, a good contrast ratio and good color display.

Lenovo has made it quite easy for potential buyers to choose between the two Moto models. Due to the minimal difference in price, the Plus version is definitely the right choice.

Lenovo Moto C Plus - 08/29/2017 v6(old)
Marcus Herbrich

Chassis
81%
Keyboard
64 / 75 → 85%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
34 / 60 → 56%
Weight
91%
Battery
97%
Display
85%
Games Performance
9 / 63 → 14%
Application Performance
29 / 70 → 41%
Temperature
93%
Noise
100%
Audio
55 / 91 → 60%
Camera
61%
Average
68%
80%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

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Marcus Herbrich, 2017-08-30 (Update: 2019-04- 5)