Motorola re-emerged from relative obscurity four years ago with the Moto G, a game-changing device that redefined what a low-cost smartphone could do, which went on to become the firm’s best-selling handset of all time.
Lenovo – owner of the Motorola brand since 2014 – continues to push the envelope with the new Moto G5, unveiled at Mobile World Congress in February and available in the UAE for just Dh699. So how does it stack up against the competition?
The Moto G range’s selling point has been specs that punch far above the phone’s price point, and the G5 is no exception. The 5-inch Full HD display isn’t flagship quality, but performs as well as smartphones double the price or more, with a surprisingly high pixel resolution.
Crucially, the G5 doesn’t feel like a Dh699 phone when you use it; Nougat, the latest version of Android, is present and correct. And while its processor is technically a little slower than last year’s G4, it’s hard to notice a difference, especially given the generous 3GB of RAM. The front-mounted fingerprint scanner feels nice and nippy.
The 13MP rear-mounted camera does a generally pretty good job in standard lighting conditions, inevitably struggling a little with darker images. The 5MP selfie camera, however, is a little underpowered compared to Huawei’s Honor 8 Lite and the Samsung Galaxy A3.
The G5’s Achilles heel for me was its design, which undermines the phone’s punchy specs with a plain-looking body that feels somewhat cheap in the hand. That’s perhaps a little harsh on a phone that costs less than a third of an iPhone 7, and many will find it feels just fine. But the G5 ultimately feels a little blocky compared with the competition, especially the beautifully crafted Huawei Honor 8 Lite.
If you’re able to live with the design, however, the Moto G5 is a great buy for the budget-conscious smartphone shopper. It’ll never come close to matching the likes of the iPhone 7 or Galaxy S8, but like its predecessors offers great performance at a very affordable price point.
q&a
John Everington expands on what the new Lenovo Moto G5 has to offer:
Lenovo has plenty of affordable smartphones of its own. Why is it still using the Motorola brand?
The Chinese giant was reportedly ready to drop the Motorola brand completely in January, while still retaining the Moto naming convention. However Lenovo u-turned earlier this year, with Motorola Chairman and President Aymar de Lencquesaing saying the company had "clarity on how we present ourselves."
Okay then. Could there be any other reason?
Well, there’s the fact that the Motorola brand, like that of Nokia and BlackBerry, still has a lot of value in the mobile space, arguably more so than Lenovo. And don’t forget how successful the Moto G range in particular has been.
A 5-inch screen is a little small for me. Is there a larger option?
Yes and no. The Moto G5 Plus expands the display to a slightly puzzling 5.2 inches, but also offers a faster processor and the option of larger RAM and storage. At the time of writing however it’s not available in the UAE, although you could always try your luck online.
What a pity. What else should I know about the regular G5?
It has a 2800 mAh battery that will last pretty comfortably throughout the day. The battery is removable, which is unusual in this day and age, and there’s a slot for a microSD card or second SIM.
And how about the colours?
It’s available in "Lunar" Gray and "Fine" Gold, with no "Rose" gold version in sight, sadly.
jeverington@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Company%20Profile
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates have direct flights from Dubai to Glasgow from Dh3,115. Alternatively, if you want to see a bit of Edinburgh first, then you can fly there direct with Etihad from Abu Dhabi.
The hotel
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Located in the heart of Mackintosh's Glasgow, the Dakota Deluxe is perhaps the most refined hotel anywhere in the city. Doubles from Dh850
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Events and tours
There are various Mackintosh specific events throughout 2018 – for more details and to see a map of his surviving designs see glasgowmackintosh.com
For walking tours focussing on the Glasgow Style, see the website of the Glasgow School of Art.
More information
For ideas on planning a trip to Scotland, visit www.visitscotland.com
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh135,000
Engine 1.6L turbo
Gearbox Six speed automatic with manual and sports mode
Power 165hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 240Nm @ 1,400rpm 0-100kph: 9.2 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
Company%20profile
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The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Imperial%20Island%3A%20A%20History%20of%20Empire%20in%20Modern%20Britain
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
