Notebookcheck Logo

Motorola Moto E5 Plus Smartphone Review

Good price-to-performance ratio. The Motorola Moto E5 Plus combines its huge 5000-mAh battery with a low price. Moreover, it also features a large screen and a slick case. Read our review to learn whether the Moto E5 Plus is worth buying.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus

When compared to the predecessor, the Motorola Moto E5 Plus offers even longer battery life and even more screen real estate. Currently, there are three smartphones in Motorola’s second cheapest product line. The Moto E5 Plus is not available in every region. However, the smartphone can be imported from Central Europe via online retailers. 

Just like its predecessor, the Motorola Moto E4 Plus, the Motorola Moto E5 Plus comes with a 5000-mAh battery. However, the Moto E5 Plus features a larger screen and a taller aspect ratio, which is certain to result in black side-boxes when watching 16:9 content.

The Moto E5 Plus is a 200-Euro ($226) mid-range smartphone that competes with other similarly priced devices with a large battery. Competing devices include: The Asus ZenFone 4 Max, the Ulefone Armor X and the Umidigi S2 Lite.

Motorola Moto E5 Plus (Moto Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) 4 x 1.4 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
3 GB 
Display
6.00 inch 18:9, 1440 x 720 pixel 268 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
, 25.5 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5mm audio jack, Card Reader: microSD up to 128 GB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: motion sensor, proximity sensor, microUSB
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, 2G (850/​900/​1800/​1900), 3G (B1/​B2/​B5/​B8), 4G (B1/​B3/​B5/​B7/​B8/​B20/​B38/​B40), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.4 x 160.9 x 75.3 ( = 0.37 x 6.33 x 2.96 in)
Battery
19 Wh, 5000 mAh Lithium-Ion, fasting charging
Operating System
Android 8.0 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 12 MPix f/​2.0, phase detection autofocus, laser autofocus, LED flash, video @1080p/​30fps
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix f/2.0, LED flash
Additional features
Speakers: Front-facing monospekaer, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, charger, USB cable, 24 Months Warranty, FM radio, LTE Cat 4 (150Mbps/​50Mbps), SAR vaule: 0,898 W/kg (head), 1.473 W/kg (body), fanless
Weight
197 g ( = 6.95 oz / 0.43 pounds), Power Supply: 69 g ( = 2.43 oz / 0.15 pounds)
Price
200 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case - Stylish shimmering

The Moto E4 Plus had a removable back cover, which gave an illusion of a replaceable battery. This is not the case with the Moto E5 Plus. The Moto E5 Plus comes with a completely new design. Our current review device features metal sides and a glass back. Many other manufacturers have made similar design choices this year, most likely because glass surfaces do not interfere with the antennas in a significant way. The Moto E5 Plus sweetens the deal with stylish shimmering effects produced by multilayered glass. These effects are especially impressive in the Gray, Gold and Blue color schemes.

The Moto E5 Plus is exactly one gram (~0.03 oz) lighter than its predecessor. Nevertheless, it is not a light smartphone by any means with a weight of 197 grams (~6.9 oz). However, it is quite comfortable to hold. The build quality is okay, except for the slightly scruffy edges on the front of the device. Pressing heavily on the front or the back of the smartphone causes slight distortions to appear on the screen.

Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Motorola Moto E5 Plus

Size Comparison

163 mm / 6.42 inch 76.6 mm / 3.02 inch 14 mm / 0.551 inch 256 g0.564 lbs160.9 mm / 6.33 inch 75.3 mm / 2.96 inch 9.4 mm / 0.3701 inch 197 g0.4343 lbs158.1 mm / 6.22 inch 74.6 mm / 2.94 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 186 g0.4101 lbs155 mm / 6.1 inch 77.5 mm / 3.05 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 198 g0.4365 lbs154 mm / 6.06 inch 76.9 mm / 3.03 inch 8.9 mm / 0.3504 inch 181 g0.399 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity – Moto E5 Plus with a dedicated microSD card slot

The Moto E5 Plus still features a 3.5-mm audio jack and a microUSB port. This means that our review device cannot output audio over the USB port. 32 GB of internal storage is an improvement over the predecessor. However, the amount of RAM (3 GB) has not changed. When compared to other devices in this price range, the Moto E5 Plus offers a decent amount of both internal storage and RAM.

A microSD card and two SIM cards can be inserted in the Moto E5 Plus. The microSD card can only be used as external storage. This means that apps cannot be stored on the microSD card.

Software - Now with bloatware

The Moto E5 Plus runs Android 8.0 with the security patches from August 1st 2018. At the time of this review, the security patches are already a bit out of date. Here the manufacturer should exert some effort to bring the device up to date. Many other manufacturers of cheap smartphones also to fail to keep their devices up to date.

Typically, Motorola’s smartphones do not have any bloatware or additional apps. Here this is partially true, because several Microsoft apps such as Outlook and LinkedIn come preinstalled with the device. Motorola probably did this to save on licensing fees, which it would otherwise have to pay to Microsoft. Unfortunately, these apps cannot be uninstalled.

Software Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Software Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Software Motorola Moto E5 Plus

Communication and GPS – Slow Wi-Fi in the Moto E5 Plus

The Motorola Moto E4 Plus did not feature a speedy Wi-Fi. The Moto E5 Plus does not, either, as can be seen from our Wi-Fi benchmarks with the reference-grade router Linksys EA8500. Here, the glass back does not seem to provide any increase in performance for the Moto E5 Plus. Moreover, our review device also does not support the less-congested 5 GHz Wi-Fi. That being said, other competitors such as the Umidigi S2 Lite can operate in 5 GB networks.

The Moto E5 Plus cannot operate in a wide range of LTE bands: All the relevant bands for Central Europe are supported, but if you travel to other parts of the world, the smartphone will not be able to connect to LTE networks. In the course of our review, we did not encounter any problems with LTE reception either indoors or outside.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Ulefone Armor X
PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 16 GB eMMC Flash
103 MBit/s +191%
Umidigi S2 Lite
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 32 GB eMMC Flash
57.6 MBit/s +63%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
53.4 MBit/s +51%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
46.8 MBit/s +32%
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Adreno 308, 425, 32 GB eMMC Flash
35.4 (23min - 51max) MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +770%
Ulefone Armor X
PowerVR GE8100, MT6739, 16 GB eMMC Flash
98.3 MBit/s +128%
Umidigi S2 Lite
Mali-T860 MP2, MT6750, 32 GB eMMC Flash
56.5 MBit/s +31%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
Adreno 505, 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
52.7 MBit/s +22%
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
Adreno 308, 425, 32 GB eMMC Flash
43.2 (36min - 52max) MBit/s
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6737, 16 GB eMMC Flash
42.1 MBit/s -3%
05101520253035404550Tooltip
Motorola Moto E5 Plus; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø42.7 (36-52)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø35.5 (23-51)
GPS test indoors
GPS test indoors
GPS test outdoors
GPS test outdoors

Inside a building with concrete ceilings the smartphone is unable to connect to the satellites. Outdoors, the smartphone picks up the user’s location quickly and has a margin of error of 4 meters (~13 ft).

In order to determine how accurate our review device is when it comes to geo-location, we take it with us on a bike ride. During this ride, we are also accompanied by the professional navigator Garmin Edge 520. Curves and sharp turns are often omitted, but other than that the Moto E5 Plus is pretty accurate. If you do not need an absolutely accurate navigation device, then the Moto E5 Plus should be good enough for daily navigation.

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – copse
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – copse
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – overview
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – overview
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – copse
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – copse
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – bridge
GPS Motorola Moto E5 Plus – bridge

Telephony and Call Quality - Noisy and tinny

The Moto E5 Plus uses the standard Android phone app.

The ear-speaker offers a modest sound quality: The caller’s voice sounds thin and it starts to sound quite tinny even at medium volume. At full volume, there is a lot of background noise. The microphone has no trouble picking up our voice. However, the caller will have to speak quite loudly for us to be able to understand him. In speaker mode, the Moto E5 Plus does not sound noisy or tinny, even though the sound still comes from the ear-speaker at the top of the device. In addition, the voices also sound warmer.

Cameras - Motorola’s smartphone takes good pictures

Shot with the front-facing camera
Shot with the front-facing camera

There are actually cutouts for two cameras on the back. However, just like its predecessor, the Motorola Moto E5 Plus features only one camera on the back. When compared to the Moto E4 Plus, the megapixel count has been reduced: Our current review device sports a 12 MP camera with an improved autofocus system: Here a laser helps to determine the right sharpness for objects in near vicinity. It is located in the second cutout.

The image quality of the rear camera is quite acceptable for a device in this price range. The images are well-detailed, but not perfectly sharp. In poor lighting conditions, the photos do not appear sharp and look rather blown-out. The smartphone can record video in 1080p at 30 FPS. The exposure adjusts very quickly and smoothly. The quality is okay, the details are well-reproduced and the sharpness is also quite good.

The front-facing camera also takes good, contrast-rich pictures, thanks in part to a front-facing LED flash.

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

The pictures we took of our test chart look somewhat blurry, and interestingly enough the blurriness is mostly concentrated at the top of the shot. In addition, the colors appear rather dim.

Shot of the test chart
Shot of the test chart
Test chart: detail
Test chart: detail
ColorChecker: The reference colors are located in the bottom half of each square.
ColorChecker: The reference colors are located in the bottom half of each square.

Accessories and Warranty – Fast charger is in the box

The smartphone comes with a 24-month manufacturer's warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

The box contains a charger, a USB cable, a SIM card removal tool and a protective case.

Input Devices and Handling – Good fingerprint sensor

Google’s GBoard serves as the default keyboard. Other keyboard apps can also be installed.

The screen puts up some resistance when you move your fingers over it. Other than that, it works perfectly fine, even in the corners and at the edges. Certain gestures can be activated through the Moto app. For example: You can swipe across the screen to engage one-handed mode or when you get a call, you can turn over the phone to mute it. After you get used to these gestures, they work pretty reliably. 

There is a fingerprint sensor on the back. It is both fast and reliable.

Portrait mode
Portrait mode
Landscape mode
Landscape mode

Display – Very poor black value

Pixel arrangement
Pixel arrangement

The IPS display has a native resolution of 1440x720, which is standard for devices in this price range. The screen measures 6 inches diagonally. This is a pretty good result. When compared to the predecessor, the screen is significantly brighter. It achieves a maximum brightness of 518 cd/m². The brightness distribution of 87% is quite good. However, differences in brightness are perceivable when viewing uniform colors. 

471
cd/m²
498
cd/m²
449
cd/m²
478
cd/m²
518
cd/m²
461
cd/m²
477
cd/m²
504
cd/m²
473
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 518 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 481 cd/m² Minimum: 6.55 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Contrast: 609:1 (Black: 0.85 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.47 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.4 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
99.5% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.318
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
IPS, 1440x720, 6.00
Ulefone Armor X
IPS, 1440x720, 5.50
Umidigi S2 Lite
IPS, 1440x720, 6.00
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
IPS, 1280x720, 5.50
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
IPS, 1280x720, 5.50
Screen
25%
27%
-1%
16%
Brightness middle
518
564
9%
701
35%
417
-19%
425
-18%
Brightness
481
541
12%
720
50%
394
-18%
425
-12%
Brightness Distribution
87
91
5%
87
0%
87
0%
93
7%
Black Level *
0.85
0.37
56%
0.5
41%
0.52
39%
0.37
56%
Contrast
609
1524
150%
1402
130%
802
32%
1149
89%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
4.47
5.1
-14%
4.97
-11%
5.8
-30%
4.7
-5%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
8.04
9.6
-19%
13.31
-66%
9.5
-18%
8.3
-3%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5.4
5.4
-0%
3.3
39%
5.2
4%
4.6
15%
Gamma
2.318 95%
2.1 105%
2.2 100%
2.76 80%
2.17 101%
CCT
7134 91%
7755 84%
8056 81%
7467 87%
7445 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 detected 2294 Hz ≤ 10 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 2294 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 10 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 2294 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18100 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

The black value of 0.85 cd/m² is very high. This is why blacks always look grayish. The contrast ratio of 609:1 is also quite low. 

We use a spectrophotometer running SpectraCal's CalMAN software to examine color accuracy more closely. Here, we observed significant color deviations. The display is not suitable for professional users who need accurate colors. However, the screen is accurate enough for day-to-day use. Moreover, the grayscale suffers from a purple shift.

CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN color accuracy
CalMAN grayscale
CalMAN grayscale
CalMAN color space coverage
CalMAN color space coverage
CalMAN saturation
CalMAN saturation

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
22 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 7 ms rise
↘ 15 ms fall
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 42 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
52 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 27 ms rise
↘ 27 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. » 87 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

Outdoors, in very bright environments, the screen proves bright enough to be barely readable, mostly because of the very strong reflections. At acute viewing angles, the colors start to shift and the high black value increases even further.

Outdoor use – maximum brightness
Outdoor use – maximum brightness
Viewing angles
Viewing angles

Performance – More powerful than the Moto E4 Plus

By replacing the MediaTek SoC with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425, Motorola was able to make the Moto E5 Plus about 20% faster than its predecessor. At least, according to our benchmarks. This applies both to the CPU and the GPU (Qualcomm Adreno 308).

The Umidigi S2 Lite and the Asus ZenFone 4 Max offer even more performance. However, the Moto E5 Plus is still powerful enough to be able to smoothly navigate through the menus and most apps run well enough. The Moto E5 Plus has to contend with considerable loading times, but this type of thing is not uncommon among other devices in this price range.

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
541 Points
Ulefone Armor X
662 Points +22%
Umidigi S2 Lite
624 Points +15%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
651 Points +20%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
556 Points +3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (541 - 692, n=18)
654 Points +21%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +836%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
883 Points
Ulefone Armor X
1847 Points +109%
Umidigi S2 Lite
2671 Points +202%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
2466 Points +179%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
1562 Points +77%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (883 - 1939, n=18)
1761 Points +99%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +1434%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
1380 Points
Ulefone Armor X
1416 Points +3%
Umidigi S2 Lite
1762 Points +28%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
2089 Points +51%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
952 Points -31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (1113 - 1460, n=16)
1345 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +667%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
3681 Points
Ulefone Armor X
4298 Points +17%
Umidigi S2 Lite
4371 Points +19%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
5290 Points +44%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3624 Points -2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (3681 - 5253, n=17)
4389 Points +19%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +310%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
2829 Points
Ulefone Armor X
3184 Points +13%
Umidigi S2 Lite
3348 Points +18%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
3827 Points +35%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
2768 Points -2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (2829 - 3831, n=18)
3299 Points +17%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +284%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
5049 Points
Ulefone Armor X
4188 Points -17%
Umidigi S2 Lite
9774 Points +94%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
9782 Points +94%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3692 Points -27%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3692 Points -27%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (2951 - 6526, n=18)
5908 Points +17%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
5480 Points
Ulefone Armor X
3585 Points -35%
Umidigi S2 Lite
9716 Points +77%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
9627 Points +76%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3183 Points -42%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3183 Points -42%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (2546 - 5778, n=18)
5330 Points -3%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
3958 Points
Ulefone Armor X
10195 Points +158%
Umidigi S2 Lite
9984 Points +152%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
10364 Points +162%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
8390 Points +112%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
8390 Points +112%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (3958 - 11927, n=18)
9933 Points +151%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
69 Points
Ulefone Armor X
156 Points +126%
Umidigi S2 Lite
547 Points +693%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
577 Points +736%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
163 Points +136%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (39 - 350, n=18)
86 Points +25%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3548 Points +5042%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
55 Points
Ulefone Armor X
129 Points +135%
Umidigi S2 Lite
477 Points +767%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
502 Points +813%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
133 Points +142%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (31 - 297, n=18)
69.7 Points +27%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3905 Points +7000%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
851 Points
Ulefone Armor X
581 Points -32%
Umidigi S2 Lite
1127 Points +32%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
1212 Points +42%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
753 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (622 - 944, n=18)
869 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
3005 Points +253%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
268 Points
Ulefone Armor X
200 Points -25%
Umidigi S2 Lite
554 Points +107%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
571 Points +113%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
159 Points -41%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (145 - 354, n=17)
288 Points +7%
Average of class Smartphone (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9038 Points +3272%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
248 Points
Ulefone Armor X
167 Points -33%
Umidigi S2 Lite
478 Points +93%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
496 Points +100%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
129 Points -48%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (118 - 301, n=17)
244 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15757 Points +6254%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
375 Points
Ulefone Armor X
658 Points +75%
Umidigi S2 Lite
1239 Points +230%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
1219 Points +225%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
733 Points +95%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (375 - 916, n=17)
843 Points +125%
Average of class Smartphone (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4335 Points +1056%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
13 fps
Ulefone Armor X
9.2 fps -29%
Umidigi S2 Lite
25 fps +92%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
25 fps +92%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
11 fps -15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (6.4 - 20, n=18)
13.4 fps +3%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=177, last 2 years)
83.6 fps +543%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
7.7 fps
Ulefone Armor X
5.9 fps -23%
Umidigi S2 Lite
17 fps +121%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
16 fps +108%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
6 fps -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (3.4 - 7.8, n=18)
7.42 fps -4%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=177, last 2 years)
243 fps +3056%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
5.6 fps
Ulefone Armor X
5.1 fps -9%
Umidigi S2 Lite
13 fps +132%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
14 fps +150%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
4.8 fps -14%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (3.7 - 11, n=18)
5.97 fps +7%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +1173%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
2.8 fps
Ulefone Armor X
2.7 fps -4%
Umidigi S2 Lite
6.9 fps +146%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
7.1 fps +154%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
2.2 fps -21%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (1.3 - 3, n=17)
2.71 fps -3%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=178, last 2 years)
137.9 fps +4825%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Ulefone Armor X
3.3 fps
Umidigi S2 Lite
9.9 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
10 fps
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
3.4 fps
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=178, last 2 years)
60.2 fps
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Ulefone Armor X
1.6 fps
Umidigi S2 Lite
4.6 fps
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
4.6 fps
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
1.4 fps
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=178, last 2 years)
97 fps
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
46450 Points
Ulefone Armor X
46435 Points 0%
Umidigi S2 Lite
56639 Points +22%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
54578 Points +17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (32557 - 46710, n=10)
42979 Points -7%
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
39106 Points
Ulefone Armor X
37586 Points -4%
Umidigi S2 Lite
43125 Points +10%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
42798 Points +9%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
30619 Points -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (29054 - 39106, n=17)
36278 Points -7%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
730 Points
Ulefone Armor X
206 Points -72%
Umidigi S2 Lite
886 Points +21%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
935 Points +28%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
536 Points -27%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (207 - 891, n=17)
642 Points -12%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +681%
System (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
1245 Points
Ulefone Armor X
1491 Points +20%
Umidigi S2 Lite
1870 Points +50%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
1761 Points +41%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
1086 Points -13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (1043 - 1477, n=17)
1274 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +673%
Memory (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
794 Points
Ulefone Armor X
900 Points +13%
Umidigi S2 Lite
840 Points +6%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
742 Points -7%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
591 Points -26%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (363 - 1372, n=17)
678 Points -15%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +685%
Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
433 Points
Ulefone Armor X
188 Points -57%
Umidigi S2 Lite
645 Points +49%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
715 Points +65%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
208 Points -52%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (418 - 447, n=17)
437 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +3110%
Web (sort by value)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
664 Points
Ulefone Armor X
7 Points -99%
Umidigi S2 Lite
607 Points -9%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
816 Points +23%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
620 Points -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (10 - 802, n=17)
611 Points -8%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +124%

Legend

 
Motorola Moto E5 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917), Qualcomm Adreno 308, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Ulefone Armor X Mediatek MT6739, PowerVR GE8100, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Umidigi S2 Lite Mediatek MT6750, ARM Mali-T860 MP2, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937), Qualcomm Adreno 505, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus Mediatek MT6737, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash

When it comes to web-browsing, the Motorola Moto E5 Plus is significantly faster than its predecessor: It is even able to overtake competing devices in several benchmarks. In practice, you will still have to wait for the websites to load, which is what we expected to see from a device with such a price tag.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 104.3, n=2, last 2 years)
85.2 Points +380%
Umidigi S2 Lite (Chrome 67)
19.18 Points +8%
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66)
18.15 Points +2%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL (Chrome 64)
17.9 Points +1%
Motorola Moto E5 Plus (Chrome 70)
17.76 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (15.5 - 18.7, n=16)
17.5 Points -1%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus (Chrome 60)
14.55 Points -18%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33355 Points +926%
Umidigi S2 Lite (Chrome 67)
3506 Points +8%
Motorola Moto E5 Plus (Chrome 70)
3250 Points
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66)
3151 Points -3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (2411 - 3374, n=17)
2952 Points -9%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL (Chrome 64)
2939 Points -10%
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus (Chrome 60)
2273 Points -30%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus (Chrome 60)
17405 ms * -37%
Ulefone Armor X (Chrome 66)
15876 ms * -25%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917) (10742 - 16192, n=17)
13125 ms * -3%
Umidigi S2 Lite (Chrome 67)
13114 ms * -3%
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL (Chrome 64)
12881 ms * -1%
Motorola Moto E5 Plus (Chrome 70)
12723 ms *
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1658 ms * +87%

* ... smaller is better

Transfer speeds with our reference-grade microSD card Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 are on a normal level for this kind of device. However, when it comes to internal storage, the smartphone is significantly faster than other similarly priced devices and offers a considerable advantage over its predecessor. This is quite nice, and it leads to lower launch times and faster data transfers.

Motorola Moto E5 PlusUlefone Armor XUmidigi S2 LiteAsus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KLLenovo Moto E4 PlusAverage 32 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
-33%
-29%
-26%
-42%
-25%
458%
Sequential Read 256KB
248.5
255.3
3%
271
9%
273
10%
194.4
-22%
242 ?(25.8 - 452, n=247)
-3%
1468 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
491%
Sequential Write 256KB
137.9
82.8
-40%
75
-46%
70.8
-49%
42
-70%
100.5 ?(14.8 - 196, n=247)
-27%
1078 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
682%
Random Read 4KB
62.7
14.7
-77%
36.4
-42%
39.3
-37%
19.15
-69%
43.2 ?(3.59 - 117.2, n=247)
-31%
242 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
286%
Random Write 4KB
56.1
10.17
-82%
11.6
-79%
12.3
-78%
29.4
-48%
22.4 ?(0.75 - 91, n=247)
-60%
266 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
374%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
83.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
81.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-3%
77.5
-8%
84.4 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
66.3
-21%
71.8 ?(8.2 - 96.5, n=178)
-14%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
60.7 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
62.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
3%
56.5
-7%
57.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-5%
46.6
-23%
52.9 ?(3.4 - 87.1, n=178)
-13%

Games – Current games are not playable

The latest games such as “Asphalt 9” are not playable, because the Moto E5 Plus does not support all the current APIs, and therefore such games are not available in the Google Play Store. Simpler games such as “Angry Birds 2” run well and the motion sensor and the touchscreen work fine in titles such as “Temple Run 2”.

Angry Birds 2
Angry Birds 2
Temple Run 2
Temple Run 2

Emissions – No overheating

Temperature

TThe Motorola Moto E5 Plus does not become hot. Under load, we measured the peak temperature of 33.4 °C (92.12°F) on the back of the device. The peak temperature is only 4 °C (~7.2 °F) lower when idle.

Max. Load
 32.7 °C
91 F
30.7 °C
87 F
32 °C
90 F
 
 32.4 °C
90 F
30.7 °C
87 F
31.6 °C
89 F
 
 31.7 °C
89 F
31 °C
88 F
31.6 °C
89 F
 
Maximum: 32.7 °C = 91 F
Average: 31.6 °C = 89 F
33.4 °C
92 F
32.7 °C
91 F
32.1 °C
90 F
32.7 °C
91 F
32.1 °C
90 F
31.4 °C
89 F
31.8 °C
89 F
32.1 °C
90 F
30.8 °C
87 F
Maximum: 33.4 °C = 92 F
Average: 32.1 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  43.5 °C = 110 F | Room Temperature 21.5 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 31.6 °C / 89 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 32.7 °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 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29 °C / 84 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat distribution on the front
Heat distribution on the front
Heat distribution on the back
Heat distribution on the back

Speakers

Pink noise
Pink noise

The main speaker and the ear-speaker are combined, but the main speaker still manages to sound acceptable. The maximum volume is quite average. However, the sound does not become distorted even when you are listening to music at high volume. The lows and the mids are almost completely missing, which is why the sound is quite thin, but there is no distortion and overall the audio reproduction is quite pleasing.

Audiophile types will certainly prefer to use headphones via the 3.5-mm jack or Bluetooth, both of which work fine.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2030.333.52538.128.83128.528.84031.436.15036.6386324.629.28024.128.710020.524.31251922.316016.924.420019.131.325016.633.431513.936.94001544.750014.648.963012.356.180011.860100011.865.8125011.966.4160011.464.6200011.264.4250011.565.5315011.362.3400010.959.9500010.557.4630010.762.7800010.669.31000010.565.81250010.660.91600010.648.7SPL57.22476N10.40.534.3median 11.8median 57.4median 55.1Delta3.815.620.831.529.231.529.328.629.328.328.728.332.434.632.427.527.727.525.824.825.826.331.526.328.333.828.334.328.334.333.522.933.540.121.140.144.42044.448.42048.453.42253.459.922.959.965.519.365.566.918.366.971.818.371.872.517.972.57116.47172.516.572.573.216.773.271.216.271.273.216.173.27916.27979.816.179.871.116.171.165.616.165.66516654816.14885.829.985.862.11.462.1median 65.6median 17.9median 65.611.52.911.5hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMotorola Moto E5 PlusLenovo Moto E4 Plus
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Motorola Moto E5 Plus audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (76 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 7.1% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (8.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(-) | overall sound is not linear (32.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 80% of all tested devices in this class were better, 2% similar, 18% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 90% of all tested devices were better, 2% similar, 8% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Lenovo Moto E4 Plus audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.8 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 27.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.7% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (25.6% 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
» 75% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 20% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life – The Moto E5 Plus lasts forever

Energy Consumption

When it comes to energy consumption, the Moto E5 Plus is on a similar level as its predecessor, despite the upgraded SoC. Other smartphones in this price range consume significantly more power under load, but they offer a little more performance in return.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.9 / 1.5 / 2 Watt
Load midlight 3.2 / 4.9 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.
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
5000 mAh
Ulefone Armor X
5500 mAh
Umidigi S2 Lite
5100 mAh
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
5000 mAh
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
5000 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (MSM8917)
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
-29%
-30%
-1%
0%
-29%
-24%
Idle Minimum *
0.9
1.22
-36%
0.8
11%
0.67
26%
0.89
1%
1.113 ?(0.54 - 4.02, n=17)
-24%
0.894 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
1%
Idle Average *
1.5
2.07
-38%
1.6
-7%
1.63
-9%
1.87
-25%
2.19 ?(1.2 - 6, n=17)
-46%
1.452 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
3%
Idle Maximum *
2
2.14
-7%
3.5
-75%
1.77
11%
1.98
1%
2.55 ?(1.62 - 6.64, n=17)
-28%
1.632 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
18%
Load Average *
3.2
4.92
-54%
4.6
-44%
3.68
-15%
3.04
5%
4.32 ?(2.9 - 9.6, n=17)
-35%
5.55 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-73%
Load Maximum *
4.9
5.4
-10%
6.5
-33%
5.84
-19%
4.01
18%
5.5 ?(4.3 - 7.34, n=17)
-12%
8.23 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-68%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

In our standardized Wi-Fi test, the Moto E5 Plus lasts 18 hours, which beats its predecessor. Other smartphones in this price range cannot compete the Moto E5 Plus. In terms of battery life, the Asus ZenFone 4 Max comes closest to the Motorola smartphone, but it is still 2 hours short. Our review device can last for up to 2 days on a single charge with continuous, moderate use.

The smartphone’s 5000-mAh battery takes 2 hours to fully charge with the included 10-watt fast charger.

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
17h 58min
Motorola Moto E5 Plus
5000 mAh
Ulefone Armor X
5500 mAh
Umidigi S2 Lite
5100 mAh
Asus ZenFone 4 Max ZC554KL
5000 mAh
Lenovo Moto E4 Plus
5000 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
1078
845
-22%
645
-40%
952
-12%
788
-27%

Pros

+ good cameras
+ good battery life
+ acceptable performance
+ no overheating
+ fast storage

Cons

- slow Wi-Fi
- high black value
- dedicated microSD card slot

Verdict – Good battery, bad screen

In review: Motorola Moto E5 Plus.
In review: Motorola Moto E5 Plus.

The Motorola Moto E5 Plus is a large smartphone with a very long-lasting battery, a big screen, enough performance and a slick design. It inherits the slow Wi-Fi from its predecessor, plus now it also comes with bloatware apps. The brightness of the screen is unevenly distributed and the black value is atrociously high. This is where the negativity train stops: The internal storage is fast, the smartphone never overheats and the energy consumption is within the norm. When compared to the predecessor Moto E4 Plus, our review device offers better battery life and more performance. The Moto E5 Plus also features good cameras, when compared to other smartphones in this price range.

Those who need a smartphone with a long battery runtime will not be disappointed with the Moto E5 Plus. However, the manufacturer should make some improvements to the screen in the next generation. 

It is difficult to find a smartphone that lasts as long as the Motorola Moto E5 Plus. However, the long battery life has a cost associated with it: The smartphone weighs quite a bit. All in all, the Moto E5 Plus offers not only a good price-to-battery-life ratio, but also a good price-to-performance ratio. 

Motorola Moto E5 Plus - 11/07/2018 v6(old)
Florian Schmitt

Chassis
84%
Keyboard
65 / 75 → 87%
Pointing Device
84%
Connectivity
38 / 60 → 63%
Weight
88%
Battery
100%
Display
74%
Games Performance
6 / 63 → 10%
Application Performance
38 / 70 → 55%
Temperature
93%
Noise
100%
Audio
55 / 91 → 60%
Camera
68%
Average
69%
79%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Pricecompare

static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
Florian Schmitt, 2018-11- 9 (Update: 2019-02-26)