Can the Moto G 5G take on the OnePlus Nord?
When it comes to 5G in the mid-range segment, the OnePlus Nord comes to mind as it has the support for 5G and has good specifications at a lower price compared to many flagships. It has a 90Hz display, a Snapdragon 765G chipset, and comes with the best Android skin, OxygenOS.
Motorola, owned by Lenovo came up with some very exciting smartphones in the budget segment and the mid-range segment with its latest offering, the Moto G 5G. The Moto G 5G comes with the latest Snapdragon 750G, provides a Stock Android experience (no bloatware), and brings in support for 5G.
We compare both the OnePlus Nord and the Moto G 5G and see which is the better 5G smartphone of the two? Let’s find out in the full comparison.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Design:
In terms of design, both smartphones have a different build and look. The OnePlus Nord (Review) gets a glass sandwich design with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 both at the front as well as on the back. It has a glossy finish at the back which catches a lot of fingerprints.
The Moto G 5G (Review), on the other hand, has a polycarbonate back with a Motorola logo at the center which doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. There is a square module that houses triple cameras with a LED flash whereas the OnePlus Nord has a vertical alignment of quad cameras with a LED flash.
To the sides, both have a plastic frame that houses the power button and volume buttons. The OnePlus Nord gets an alert slider where you can set to ringing, mute, and vibrate. The Moto G 5G, on the other hand, has a Google assistant key and to the bottom, both have a USB Type-C port, primary microphone, and loudspeaker grill.
The Moto G 5G has a 3.5mm headphone jack so that you can listen to music using earphones which the OnePlus Nord lacks. On the front, the OnePlus Nord has a dual punch-hole display compared to a single punch-hole display on the Moto G 5G.
The bezels are minimum on both and the Moto G 5G has a slightly thicker bezel at the bottom. In terms of protection, the Moto G 5G has an IP52 rating which is somewhat better compared to the P2i coating on the OnePlus Nord.
The Moto G 5G is slightly heavier than the OnePlus Nord as it weighs 212 grams compared to 184 grams on the OnePlus Nord this due to the massive 5000mAh battery on the Moto G 5G. Overall, with a lighter weight and a premium glass back, the OnePlus Nord has the better design of the two.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Display:
On the front, the Moto G 5G has a larger display at 6.7inches compared to 6.44inches on the OnePlus Nord. Both have full HD+ resolution (1800×2400 pixels) but the display technology is different on both. The OnePlus Nord has a Fluid AMOLED display compared to the IPS LCD one on the Moto G 5G.
In terms of brightness, clearly, the AMOLED display on the OnePlus Nord has better color reproduction and viewing angles compared to the IPS LCD panel on the Moto G 5G. The display on the OnePlus Nord has a 90Hz refresh rate compared to the standard 60Hz refresh rate on the Moto G 5G.
Both the displays have support for Widevine L1 and HDR10 support so watching HD videos from Youtube is a treat. Since the display on the OnePlus Nord has a higher refresh rate, scrolling through webpages, playing games felt many responsive thanks to the 180Hz touch sampling rate also.
The OnePlus Nord has an in-display fingerprint scanner compared to the back-mounted one on the Moto G 5G. The face unlock is also quite faster on the OnePlus Nord compared to the Moto G 5G. The display is another area where the OnePlus Nord beats the Moto G 5G.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Performance:
The Moto G 5G is the first smartphone to have the newer Snapdragon 750G chipset under the hood. It is almost close to the Snapdragon 765G chipset on the OnePlus Nord in terms of performance and gaming and as well as brings in support for 5G.
The Snapdragon 750G has 2×2.2 GHz Kryo 570 Gold cores and another 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 570 Silver cores which is based on an 8nm process and has the newer Adreno 619 GPU. The Snapdragon 765G chipset has 1×2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime core, another 1×2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold core, and a lower-powered 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver cores and has the Adreno 620 GPU.
The Moto G 5G has only one variant that is the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage whereas OnePlus Nord provides more options that include – 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and another 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The speed on both of them is UFS 2.1.
So in terms of gaming, all heavy games like Call of Duty, Asphalt 9 Extreme ran smoothly on both smartphones with ease at the highest graphics settings. There were some minor frame drops noticed and here with extended gaming, the OnePlus Nord felt a bit warm due to the glass back.
Since the OnePlus Nord has a high refresh rate display, the games felt smoother to play, and with a 180Hz touch sampling rate, the gameplay felt faster on the OnePlus Nord. Both have their respective gaming modes.
In terms of benchmarks, like Geekbench 5.1, the Moto G 5G scored 657 and 1982 in single and multi-core which is slightly higher than the 595 and 1934 on the OnePlus Nord. Similarly, in Antutu v8, the Moto G 5G scored 324970 compared to 327710.
Clearly, the Snapdragon 750G is better than the Snapdragon 765G which is due to the slightly powerful Kryo 570 cores that are used on the Snapdragon 865.
In terms of performance, both of them are equally good as the Moto G 5G has a slightly better chipset and the OnePlus Nord has a higher refresh rate display for gaming.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Software:
Both are great smartphones in terms of software as OnePlus has its custom skin called OxygenOS which provides almost a software experience close to Stock Android as it provides more customizations and has a lot of features.
The Moto G 5G on the other hand, has the Stock Android UI so there is no third-party application pre-installed and you are getting all Moto-specific applications like Moto gestures that include karate chop for the flashlight, twist the smartphone to launch the camera, and other gaming mode called Moto GameTime.
OxygenOS provides ZenMode which lets to switch to a different mode from a regular lifestyle, there is GameSpace for enhanced gameplay and like the Stock Android, provides consistent software and security updates for the upcoming three years.
Both have a system-wide dark mode, Android 10 based navigation gestures, and Digital Wellbeing. When it comes to software, both are one of the best software skins, and it’s a personal preference.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Cameras:
On the back, both sport almost a similar camera setup that houses a 48MP main camera on both. The Moto G 5G has a 48MP f/1.7 main camera, an 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 macro camera, and has a 16MP f/2.2 camera.
The OnePlus Nord has the 48MP f/1.7 Sony IMX586 sensor for the main camera which is a similar setup on the OnePlus 8 also. Accompanying it is an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP f/2.4 macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 32MP Sony IMX616 sensor for the main camera and an 8MP ultrawide camera.
Comparing both images from the main camera, the details are good on both. The colors look vibrant on both and when it comes to dynamic range, the OnePlus is better and the level of noise is also lower. When you zoom into the images, the details look slightly sharper on the OnePlus Nord.
Shot on OnePlus Nord
Shot on the Moto G 5G
At night, the OnePlus Nord images have more vibrant colors and sharper details compared to the Moto G 5G. The dynamic range is better and with OIS, the highlights in the shadows are better. The noise is also lower and the camera in the OnePlus Nord has a warmer tone compared to a cooler tone on the Moto G 5G.
Shot on OnePlus Nord
Shot on Moto G 5G
Turning on the Night Mode on both, the images are equally good on both of them. The details look sharper, the exposure looks good and since the ISO levels are slightly higher on the OnePlus Nord compared to the Moto G 5G, it is slightly better but it is very hard to differentiate between the two.
The ultrawide camera is good on both and has a 118-degree field of view. The details are good, the dynamic range is above average on both but at night, the OnePlus Nord with the OIS has better details and dynamic range. The long exposure shots and the noise is also lower on the OnePlus Nord.
Shot on OnePlus Nord
Shot on Moto G 5G
Similarly, at night, the details are better on the OnePlus Nord compared to the Moto G 5G, and the highlights in dark areas and shadowy regions are better on the OnePlus Nord. Though the Moto G 5G has more natural colors whereas the OnePlus Nord has a bit of overexposure.
The OnePlus Nord has a 5MP macro camera compared to a 2MP one on the Moto G 5G, so the details look sharper and clearer on the OnePlus Nord and it has a better dynamic range. The Moto G 5G macro images have slightly washed-out colors and there is a lot of noise present.
In terms of portraits, the Moto G 5G does not have a dedicated depth sensor but it uses the main camera and uses the background blur through software whereas the OnePlus Nord with the depth sensor has better dynamic range and edge detection. The Moto G 5G provides different modes for portrait images where you can adjust the background blur and apply different effects.
On the front, the OnePlus Nord gets dual punch-hole cameras as it has a 32MP camera compared to a 16MP camera on the Moto G 5G. The selfies from the OnePlus Nord have better details and dynamic range plus it has a wider field of view compared to the 16MP one on the Moto G 5G.
The selfies from the Moto G 5G have good details but lack sharpness and the colors have a cooler tone compared to the warmer tone on the OnePlus Nord. The dynamic range and contrast is better on the OnePlus Nord. The selfies from the Moto G 5G lack detail and there is more softness when you zoom into the images.
The portraits from the front camera also come out better on the OnePlus Nord compared to the Moto G 5G. The background blur is good and the dynamic range also. The OnePlus Nord has an extra ultrawide front camera for those group selfies.
In terms of video, both the OnePlus Nord and the Moto G 5G support 4K video recording at 30fps. The video quality is better on the OnePlus Nord as it has a better dynamic range and the colors look more vibrant on it. The videos have lesser noise on the OnePlus Nord and have better stabilization due to OIS.
From the ultrawide camera, both smartphones use their respective stabilization mode with EIS resulting in some good videos. The 1080p at 30 or 60fps come out better on the OnePlus Nord compared to the Moto G 5G with better color reproduction and lesser noise.
On the front, the OnePlus Nord supports 4K video at 60fps with good dynamic range and stabilization when compared to Moto G 5G which is only restricted to 1080p at 30fps.
In terms of cameras, with the presence of OIS, better macro camera, and front cameras, the OnePlus Nord clearly beats the Moto G 5G.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Battery Life:
The Moto G 5G has a larger 5000mAh battery compared to the 4115mAh battery on the OnePlus Nord.
With normal usage, the Moto G 5G can easily last for two single days without charging compared to OnePlus Nord which lasts for one single day with heavy usage, and the display is set to 90Hz.
The OnePlus Nord can last for one and a half days with a display set at 60Hz. The standard screen on time on the Moto G 5G was around 6-6.5 hours which is much better than the 4-5 hours screen on time on the OnePlus Nord.
With the Moto G 5G, you are getting a 20W fast charger compared to 30W Warp Charging on the OnePlus Nord. The 20W charger charges the Moto G 5G from 0 to 100 percent in 90 minutes which is more than the 58 minutes on the OnePlus Nord. With the 30W Warp charger, the OnePlus Nord can go from 0 to 58 percent in the first 30 minutes.
In terms of battery life, the Moto G 5G is the better one but when it comes to charging speeds, it is the OnePlus Nord.
Moto G 5G vs OnePlus Nord Audio:
Both the smartphones have single bottom-firing speakers and here the Moto G 5G has the better sound of the two. The Moto G 5G has a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can use all the earphones for better sound quality. In terms of audio quality, the Moto G 5G has the edge.
Verdict:
Clearly, both the OnePlus Nord and the Moto G 5G are the best 5G smartphones in the mid-range. The OnePlus Nord has been one of the best mid-range smartphones till now as it has very good specifications and was the first smartphone to have 5G in the mid-range segment.
Now the Moto G 5G has some and with a larger display, battery, and a powerful chipset is set to take on its rivals like the OnePlus Nord and brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, etc. It also provides a clean software experience like the OxygenOS on the OnePlus Nord.
It is slightly cheaper than the OnePlus Nord also. If you want a smartphone with a larger display, better battery life, good cameras, and a clean software experience, the Moto G 5G is the perfect one to choose. The OnePlus Nord has a better design, display, cameras and also does not compromise on software experience compared to the Moto G 5G.
Overall, if you want to spend some extra money for an AMOLED display, higher refresh rate, and better cameras, the OnePlus Nord provides it all and this makes it the better 5G smartphone of the two and continues to lift the glory of the OnePlus in the market.