ANOTHER day, another bargain smartphone announcement. This time round, it’s Lenovo, Motorola’s current owner, that will host a press event to formally introduce the Moto G5 series to the Philippine market. The reveal is pegged to be on October 9, per the invite we received.

Those who follow smartphone announcements with regularity might remember the metal-bodied Moto G5 and G5 Plus from Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona, where the pair made its debut.

The aluminum back cover is a first for Lenovo’s lower-end G series and marks a departure in terms of how the company designs and makes its phones, from top to bottom.

The aluminum back cover is a first for Lenovo’s lower-end G series and marks a departure in terms of how the company designs and makes its phones, from top to bottom. Last year’s Moto M was the first to don a metal construction, and now it seems there’s no going back for the entire Moto family.

SEE ALSO: Moto M review: Mid-tier midranger

The Moto G5 and G5 Plus promise uncompromised performance in form factors that are just the right size — and with a new look. The former is a wee bit smaller, rocking a 5-inch screen, compared to the 5.2-incher G5 Plus. Both displays run at 1080p, sharper than most others in the category.

Moto G5: The phone with captivating design

Moto G5 Plus: Features you need the most

Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets power both devices — a Snapdragon 430 with up to 3GB of RAM sits inside the G5, while the G5 Plus, as the name would have you believe, steps up to a more powerful Snapdragon 625 chip with 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The Plus variant also gets a better rear camera and a larger battery.

READ ALSO: Moto C is an Android Nougat phone for under P4,000 ($80)

Mostly stock Android 7.0 Nougat comes standard on both phones, with a planned upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo later. Neither have a USB-C connector, which would have been nice to have, but the omission is understandable.

SEE ALSO: Moto Z2 Play modular smartphone now official in PH

In terms of pricing, the Moto G5 starts at 199 euros (roughly P11,935 or $233) for the version with 2GB RAM and 16GB of storage, whereas the G5 Plus with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage is priced at 279 euros (P16,734 or $327). Moto Philippines is expected to announce the local prices at the launch event, so check back on Monday for the full details and more.

Image via CNET

---