Moto E5 Plus Feature Round-up: Worth the Money?

Motorola, an old name in the cellphone industry, has been somewhat revived from the dead. The original company went under years ago, but Lenovo holds the rights to make handsets with the Moto name. That said, today we’re looking at the Moto E5 Plus, a “budget” phone with a huge screen. Is it worth the money, or should you stick to its siblings?

Pricing and Availability

The first stumble for the Moto E5 Plus is the availability. It’s only available on Sprint and Cricket, and neither of those are particularly strong networks. While they’re both serviceable, they’re less than ideal. That said, this is marketed as a budget phone, so being on budget networks shouldn’t be too big an issue. However, that’s the second stumble for this phone: the price. On Cricket, the Moto E5 Plus runs for $180, but on Sprint it’s $288. That’s absurd, to be honest, as you’re getting the exact same phone for $108 extra. Trust us, Sprint’s network and customer service don’t merit that much of an upcharge.

At least on Cricket the $180 price sounds more reasonable. But how does the phone perform?

Performance and Design

In a word, the phone performs poorly. Yeah, unfortunately it’s not even worth $180. The camera, the screen and the processor are all just cheap. The screen isn’t as bright and vibrant, and there’s some notable delay on inputs. The processor doesn’t help here, as the phone sluggishly tries to keep up with apps. The camera is grainy, images are fuzzy, and the low-light performance is abysmal. If you’re on Sprint, don’t even think of getting this phone. If you’re on Cricket, it’s hardly worth it unless you love the design.

On that front, the phone fares a bit better. The screen is quite large, which is nice if you have large hands. The resolution is really low, though, so images don’t look crisp. If you have small hands, you’ll hate this phone. The rounded design makes it easy to lose a grip on if your hands are smaller. That said, those with larger hands may like the design. Another positive, it has a long battery life, which is about the only good thing we can say about it.

Moto E5 Plus Bottom Line: Skip This Phone

If you’re looking for a good budget smartphone from Motorola, look for one like the Moto G6. That phone has a Gorilla Glass back, slick design and better overall performance. The crazy part it, the Moto G6 only costs $249, making it cheaper than Sprint’s price for this phone. All in all, this is a forgettable Android phone that’s overpriced for what it does. Skip this one!