Moto G5 Plus vs Redmi Note 4 Comparison: Which is Better?

The Android market has just seen two new devices — the Moto G5 Plus and the Redmi Note 4. Launched in the early part of 2017, these two devices have grabbed quite a few eyeballs with their impressive features and new looks. So it seems only fair that we pit these two devices against each other and see which one has a better worth for your money.

Please note that in this post, we have compared the 4GB variant.

Design

The Redmi Note 4 sports a new look with the slimmer and tapered edges and a dash of shiny separation lines. Up front, we have the 2.5 D curved glass and on the rear, the fingerprint sensor and camera make up for a balanced look. Although Mi has polished the look for the Redmi Note 4, at a first glance you wouldn’t find much difference between this and the other phones in this segment.

On the other hand, the Moto G5 Plus bundles in a refreshing look with a full metal body and shiny edges. Beyond the usual things like volume rockers and power buttons on the sides, Moto G5 Plus packs in the sim tray at the top of the device. Sounds grand? Well, here’s the difference.

1. Glass Protection

The Moto G5 Plus packs in Corning Gorilla glass 3, which means that you’ll have something to fall back on in the case of an accidental fall. The situation is completely different in the case of the Redmi Note 4. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with a built-in glass protector, plus the build quality is fragile making it prone to dents in the body.

2. Sim Tray

Is there a term for best of three worlds? If there was, it would have been apt for the sim tray of G5 Plus. It lets you slap two sims and a memory card together.

The sim tray of the Note 4 is conventional at its best — you have to have a pick from 2 sim cards or a sim card and a memory card. It has left the choice up to you.

Hardware

Both the Redmi Note 4 and G5 Plus is powered by Octa-core Snapdragon 625 which clocks at 2 GHz. The AnTuTu benchmarking tool clocked a score around 62896 and 63342 in the G5 Plus and Note 4 respectively.

The display resolution of both the devices is same at 1080x 1920. The differences stand out when it comes to the battery. While the Note 4 is powered by a 4100 mAh battery unit, the G5 Plus has slightly less power of 3000 mAh.

1. Charging Type

The G5 comes with a turbocharger which lets you charge the device quickly, while the Note 4’s charger is equipped with a fast charger.

As you must already know, if you’re looking for charging on the fly, the G5 is the clear winner.

Find out how OnePlus 3’s dash charging is different from Qualcomm’s Quick Charge.

2. LED Lights

The Moto G5 Plus’s LED notification light is a tad strange, for it’ll only work if and when the device is rooted. The same is completely opposite for the Redmi Note 4.

Here the light will glow in all it’s glory regardless of the root status.

So, in this particular segment, I would say it’s a tie, as it’s up to you to decide which holds the most priority — charging type or the notification lights.

Software and UI Optimization

The Note 4 comes bundled with Android Marshmallow 6.0 and running on MIUI 8. In contrast, the G5 Plus will let you experience the stock Android look on Nougat 7.0.

Features or Stock?

Again,  the option is in yours. Surely you must know that what the stock Android experience is like — no RAM hogging features means you get to experience the smoothest transitions.

But that also means that you tend to lose out on many features and have to ultimately fall back on third-party apps.

Aforementioned, the Redmi Note 4 comes with a heavy-on-the-ROM MIUI 8 and it’s teaming with add-ons. From cloning apps, scrolling screenshots to second space — you have pretty much all the useful things built-in.

Camera

First things first, let’s talk about the camera specs. The G5 plus comes with a 12 MP with F1.7 aperture and autofocus with dual tone LED flash, and the Note 4 has a 13MP with an F2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus coupled with dual tone LED flash.

The Deciding Factor? Aperture it is!

The deciding factor in the camera segment isn’t the numbers in the megapixel but rather the aperture. The combination of F1.7 and dual autofocus in the G5 Plus makes the pictures stand out starkly, for you get clearer and crisper pictures, compared to the Redmi Note 4 (even in low light).

The above pictures will help you better decide which camera wins. The popular site, Engadget went out to describe the G5 plus’ camera as great as the one on Galaxy S7.

Battery

Aforesaid, the battery unit of both the devices differ significantly — 4100 mAH vs 3000 mAh. This is where the Redmi Note 4 has an upper hand over the Moto G5 Plus.

On a typical day of usage comprising of app tests, online browsing, gaming sessions the Redmi Note 4 gave an impressive performance. It lasted a full day during heavy usage and it went on to last a day and a half on a normal day. Impressive, ain’t it?

The Moto G5 Plus gave a less than impressive performance. On a similar run like the above, it was not even able to last an entire day.

Coming to the charging time since the Redmi Note 4 isn’t equipped with quick-charge you can expect the charging time to be between 4-5 hours. In the case of the Moto G5 Plus, it will take you far less time to charge it completely.

So, which lesser devil are you going to choose? If you ask me, a longer battery life sounds more fruitful.

Price

Price — the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to choosing which device will make its way to your hands. The Moto G5 Plus with 4GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage is priced at INR 16,999 in India, while the Redmi Note 4 with 4GB RAM and 64 GB internal memory, is priced at INR 12,999.

A slight catch here, the Note 4 plays the part of the hidden dragon — it is only available through flash sales. No such catches for the Moto G5 Plus.

So..Which is Worth Your Money

These were some of the major pros and cons for both the devices. The choice is ultimately yours — whether you’ll prefer a juice guzzling device with a great camera, jazzy design and the stock Android feel or a phone with an impressive battery life, decent camera performance coupled with a delicate body.