Honor 8 vs Motorola Moto G5 Plus (Value-Packed Smartphone Showdown)

Are you searching for a decently specced smartphone that won’t put a toll on your savings? Both Honor and Motorola offer models that are worthy to be taken into consideration by those searching for budget-friendly handsets. In this article we compare two such models and highlight the differences, in a bid to help you decide which one might be best suited for for particular set of needs.

Design and Display

5.2-inch display with 1080p resolution vs 5.2-inch display with 1080p resolution

423 ppi vs 424 ppi

In 2017 budget phones are starting to look more like premium devices. Case in point, the Honor 8 is basically build like Samsung’s most recent flagships – it has a glass front and back and a metal frame, which makes it look quite attractive. The downside is that any drop onto a hard surface will most likely result in a shattered panel.

As for the Moto G5 Plus – it’s another affordable device that looks extremely sleek. But despite being marketed as a metal phone, the Moto G5 Plus only features a backplate made up of aluminum, while its core frame s is actually made of plastic. Nevertheless, it looks pretty gorgeous to look at.

In the display department, the Honor 8 features a 5.2-inch display with 1080 x 1920 resolution and 423 ppi, while the Moto G5 Plus takes advantage of the same. Both benefit from Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

Power & Performance

Kirin 950 vs Snapdragon 625

Mali-T880 MP4 vs Adreno 506

4GB of RAM vs 2GB/4GB of RAM

32GB/64GB of internal storage vs 32GB/64GB of internal storage

Like the majority of Huawei’s phones, the Honor 8 features a homegrown Kirin 950 processor under the hood which is an octa-core affair (4 x 2.3GHz Cortex-A72 cores plus 4 x 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 cores). The phone is aided by 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage (a microSD card slot is available for memory expansion up to 256GB).

By contrast, the Moto G5 Plus is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 625 (8 x 2.0GHz Cortex-A53 cores) processor in combination with either 2GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of built-in storage (microSD also available for memory increase up to 256GB).

Cameras

Dual main 12MP+12MP cameras vs 12MP main camera

8MP selfie snapper vs 5MP selfie snapper

If you are buying a phone mainly for photography reasons, you need to ask yourself – do you want a dual camera phone? Is the answer is yes, then you will probably want to go for the Honor 8.

The device takes advantage of a dual 12MP camera setup with f/2.2, laser autofocus and dual-LED flash plus an 8MP selfie shooter with f/2.4. The Moto G5 Plus is a little bit less impressive when it comes to photography, as it boasts a singular 12MP main camera with f/1.7 autofocus and dual-LED flash, as well as a 5MP secondary camera with f/2.2.

Software

Android 6.0 Marshmallow vs Android 7.0 Nougat

While the Honor 8 shipped with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, it is upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat. The Moto G5 being a newer phone comes with Nougat pre-installed.

The Honor 8 comes with Huawei’s own EMUI 5.0 interface plastered on top which you can read more in our full review of the phone, while the Moto G5 Plus boasts a more stock Android feel.

Battery

3,000 mAh battery vs 3,000 mAh battery

Both models rely on non-removable 3,000 mAh power-houses. As we’ve found in our preliminary review of the Moto G5 Plus you can expect this phone to have a long lasting battery life:

“Six hours of on screen time comes easy. Two days of regular use comes easy. I’ve had this phone for seven days and I’ve charged it three times.”

Battery life is also one of the biggest selling points of the Honor 8.

“The smallish 5.2″ 1080p display combined with a power-efficient processor meant I was able to get through the day, even on heavy usage days, with battery left over.”

Value

$399 vs $229

The Honor 8 is a bit more expensive than the Moto G5 Plus, but the standard Honor 8 (a bit cheaper at Amazon) version does offer more RAM. The Moto G5 Plus with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage will cost you $299 – which is still cheaper. The Honor 8 also has a dual-camera setup and a more advanced selfie snapper.

Verdict

Those of you who crave a dual-camera phone will probably be more inclined to grab the Honor 8. But for $100 less, you will be able to grab the metal Moto G5 Plus with exceptionally long battery life and an overall spec-sheet on par with the Honor 8.