Moto E4 vs. E4 Plus vs. G5 vs. G5 Plus: Which should you buy?

Motorola's budget lineup is getting increasingly crowded.

Lenovo is known for rolling out several phones at the same price point, with minor differences between them to justify their existence. With the Chinese company now hedging its bets on Motorola, it was inevitable that we would see a bevy of new phones under the Moto banner.

Motorola launched the Moto G5 and G5 Plus back at Mobile World Congress, and over the course of the last month, we've seen the Moto C series followed by the Moto E series.

With the Moto C series now forming the entry-level tier, the Moto E series is positioned just under the Moto G5 and G5 Plus. With so many phones launching in such a short duration, Motorola's lineup in this segment is getting increasingly crowded. It doesn't help matters that the naming convention of the Moto E series is one generation behind that of the Moto G phones, making the E4 look older in comparison to the G5.

To further confound matters, Motorola decided to launch nine million variants of each device. The Moto G5 series has over ten SKUs, and the Moto E4 is powered either by a Snapdragon 425 (427 on Sprint) or a MediaTek MT6737. Motorola has been struggling to roll out quick updates, and it isn't making things any easier for itself by introducing models powered by two different chipsets — if history is any indication, the MediaTek version won't receive updates as fast as the Snapdragon model.

Before we take a look at what differentiates the Moto E4 from the G5 and the E4 Plus from the G5 Plus, here's a look at the detailed specs on offer:

Category	Moto E4	Moto E4 Plus	Moto G5	Moto G5 Plus
Operating System	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Display	5.0-inch 720p (1280x720) IPS LCD display 294ppi pixel density	5.5-inch 720p (1280x720) IPS LCD display 294ppi pixel density	5.0-inch 1080p (1920x1080) IPS LCD display 441ppi pixel density	5.2-inch 1080p (1920x1080) IPS LCD display 424ppi pixel density
SoC	Quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737 (global) Quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 425 (U.S.) Quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 427 (Sprint)	Quad-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 427 (North America) Quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737 (global)	Octa-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon 430	Octa-core 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625
GPU	Mali-T720 (global) Adreno 308 (North America)	Mali-T720 (global) Adreno 308 (North America)	Adreno 505	Adreno 506
RAM	2GB	2GB (North America) 3GB (global)	2GB/3G	2GB/3GB/4GB
Storage	16GB	16GB/32GB	16GB/32GB	32GB/64GB
Rear camera	8MP f/2.2 lens 1080p@30fps (North America) 720p@30fps (Global)	13MP f/2.0 lens 1080p@30fps (North America) 720p@30fps (Global)	13MP f/2.0 lens PDAF 1080p@30fps	12MP f/1.7 lens PDAF, Auto HDR 4K@30fps
Front shooter	5MP with f/2.2 lens	5MP with f/2.2 lens	5MP with f/2.2 lens	5MP with f/2.2 lens
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth 4.1 (North America) Bluetooth 4.2 (global)	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n Bluetooth 4.1 (North America) Bluetooth 4.2 (global)	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n Bluetooth 4.2 NFC (global)
Battery	2800mAh Removable	5000mAh Non-removable	2800mAh Removable	3000mAh Non-removable
Charging	Micro-USB 2.0	Micro-USB 2.0	Micro-USB 2.0	Micro-USB 2.0
Security	Front fingerprint sensor	Front fingerprint sensor	Front fingerprint sensor	Front fingerprint sensor
Dimensions	144.7 x 72.3 x 9.3mm	155 x 77.5 x 9.6mm	144.3 x 73 x 9.5mm	150.2 x 74 x 7.7mm
Weight	151g	198g	145g	155g
Colors	Licorice Black, Fine Gold (North America) Iron Grey, Blush Gold, Full Blush Gold, Oxford Blue (global)	Iron Grey, Fine Gold, Oxford Blue	Lunar Grey, Fine Gold, Sapphire Blue	Lunar Grey, Fine Gold

Now that we have a clearer understanding of what's going on, it's easy to see that the Moto E series is the more affordable alternative to the Moto G5 lineup — the E4 and E4 Plus have 720p displays, whereas the G5 and G5 Plus offer Full HD panels. The same goes for the chipsets, with the E4 and E4 Plus boasting quad-core chipsets while the G5 series is running octa-core CPUs. What's great is that Motorola is rolling out a unified design aesthetic, making the entry-level Moto E4 virtually indistinguishable to the $300 G5 Plus.

That said, there are a few distinguishing features on the hardware front that make individual phones stand out. For instance, if you're looking for a phone with incredible battery life, the E4 Plus looks like it'll last at least two days, thanks to its combination of a massive 5000mAh battery, efficient chipset, and 720p display. When it comes to the Moto G5 Plus, the camera takes center stage — as we've seen in our review, the camera is the best available in this segment.

The Moto E4 is great value, but it may not get updates on time (or at all).

Finally, there's the pricing: the Moto E4 starts at just $129, with the E4 Plus set to retail for $179. The Moto G5 is $20 more than the E4 Plus at $199, and the G5 Plus is the costliest of the lot, with the base variant starting off at $229. The Moto E4 is unbeatable when you consider the value proposition, but the uncertainty regarding updates makes it a risky bet.

The E4 Plus would've been a much better device were it not for the 720p display, but that's not supported in the anemic GPUs found in the Snapdragon 425/427 and MT6737 SoCs. Talking about the G5, the device is the all-rounder in this list, offering a decent balance between specs and affordability. Of course, if you want one of the best budget phones available today, opt for the G5 Plus.

With so many devices on the horizon, the only question that remains is if Motorola can continue to roll out regular updates to its ever-growing portfolio. Fast updates and an unencumbered user interface were two of the biggest selling points of Motorola phones following its re-entry into the smartphone segment, but with nine phones set to debut in 2017, its engineering resources will be stretched thin.

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