LG has taken the wraps off its latest smartphone, the LG Q6 — aimed at offering an excellent experience at a reasonable price. Of course, the phone isn’t without competition in the midrange smartphone world — Lenovo has long offered one of the better midrange devices out there, the Moto G series. The latest in that series is the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus, which scored pretty well in our review.
Still, the new LG phone has a lot going for it. For starters, it offers those beautifully rounded display edges from the LG G6 — giving it a premium look. But can it take down what many consider to be the best midrange phone available in the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus? We put the two phones head to head to find out.
For the purpose of this comparison, we’re looking at the top-tier Moto G5 Plus — the one with 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. That’s because it’s the more popular version in the U.S., and because it’s likely to be closer in price to the LG Q6.
Specs and performance
| LG Q6
|
Lenovo Moto G5 Plus
|
|
| Size | 142.5 x 69.3 x 8.1mm (5.61 x 2.73 x 0.32-inches) | 150.2 x 74 x 7.7mm (5.91 x 2.91 x 0.30-inches) |
| Weight | 5.26oz | 5.47oz |
| Screen | 5.5-inch LCD | 5.2-inch LCD |
| Resolution | 1,080 x 2,160 (442ppi) | 1,080 x 1,920 (424ppi) |
| OS | Android 7.1.1 | Android 7.0 |
| Storage | 32GB | 64GB |
| MicroSD card slot | Yes, up to 256GB | Yes, up to 256GB |
| NFC support | Yes | No |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 |
| RAM | 3GB | 4GB |
| Connectivity | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| Camera | 13MP rear, 5MP front | 12MP rear, 5MP front |
| Video | 1,080p | 2,160p |
| Bluetooth | Yes, version 4.2 | Yes, version 4.2 |
| Fingerprint sensor | No | Yes |
| Other sensors | Accelerometer | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Water resistant | No | No |
| Battery | 3,000mAh | 3,000mAh |
| Ports | USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack | MicroUSB |
| Marketplace | Google Play | Google Play |
| Color offerings | Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Mystic White, Terra Gold | Lunar Grey, Fine Gold |
| Availability | TBD | Amazon |
| Price | TBD | $300 |
| DT review | TBD | 3.5 Stars |
When it comes to specs, there’s a clear winner, and that’s the Moto G5 Plus. Let’s start with the processor. The new LG Q6 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 — which is a decent chip in its own right. It doesn’t compete, however, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, which is found in the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus. In other words, if you’re looking for a daily driver that’s better at handling multitasking and some Android games, then the Moto G5 Plus is more powerful. Not only that, but it’s likely to last longer too, as it will be able to better handle more complex apps that are released in the future.
The Moto G5 Plus is also better in other areas of the specs. While the standard variant of the LG Q6 comes with 32GB of storage and 3GB of RAM, the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus offers a much more helpful 64GB of storage with 4GB of RAM.
On top of the performance-based specs, there are some other things that the Q6 is sorely lacking. Like, for example, a fingerprint sensor.
There’s not much debate here — the Moto G5 Plus is a more powerful phone.
Winner: Lenovo Moto G5 Plus
Design, display, and durability
While the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus is a more powerful device in the specs department, when it comes to design things are a little more competitive. In fact, we think that the LG Q6 is the winner here. For starters, it boasts a big and beautiful display with rounded corners — similar to the one you’ll find on LG’s flagship, the LG G6. The back of the phone is pretty simple, featuring only the Q6 logo, along with a camera in the top left-hand corner of the phone.
That’s not to say that the Moto G5 Plus is a bad-looking phone — it’s not. It’s just a little dated. On the front, you’ll find a fingerprint sensor, while on the back you’ll find a pretty prominent camera module.
The display on the two phones is pretty similar. While the Q6’s display sits in at 1,080 x 2,160, the G5 Plus’ basically matches it at 1,080 x 1,920. The Q6’s display is a little larger, sitting in at 5.5-inches, and also boasts a slightly higher pixel-density.
The durability on the two phones is more or less the same too. Considering neither of the phones feature waterproofing, and they both offer a metal unibody design, they should both be capable of withstanding the same abuse. You could make a case arguing that the Q6’s larger display makes it more prone to screen cracks, but the difference is negligible.
Because of the more modern design, the Q6 is the winner here.
Winner: LG Q6
Battery life and charging
The similarities don’t end at the display. Both phones feature the exact same battery size, which is rated at 3,000mAh, however, it does not appear as though the LG Q6 offers any kind of fast charging, while the Moto G5 Plus does.
That can be an important difference. If you’re on the go, you may not have more than a few minutes at a time to charge your phone, and the more it can charge in that time the better. Because the Moto G5 Plus offers fast charging, it’s the winner here.
Winner: Lenovo Moto G5 Plus
Camera
The camera is an increasingly important part of the smartphone, and these days you don’t need to worry about carrying around any other kind of camera for day-to-day use. But which camera is the winner here? Well, it’s a little hard to tell at this point.
The camera on the Q6 sits in at 13MP, but we don’t really know much else about it beyond that it offers autofocus of some kind. The Moto G5 Plus’ camera comes in at 12MP with an aperture of f/1.7, autofocus, and a dual-tone flash.
The video capabilities of the cameras, however, are a little disappointing. The Q6 is only able to shoot video of up to 1,080p, while the Moto G5 Plus is able to shoot 2,160p video.
For now, considering we still have details to learn about the LG Q6’s camera, this one’s a tie — however we’re a little concerned about the video-shooting abilities of the Q6.
Winner: Tie
Software
Both of these phones feature Android 7.0 Nougat, which is the latest and greatest version of Google’s Android, however LG and Lenovo have made their own changes on top. For LG many of those changes are to make better use of the 18:9 aspect ratio, and others are simply small, aesthetic tweaks. For example, in our review of the LG G6, we noted that there are tweaks to the notification shade and settings menu — though not drastic changes.
Lenovo, on the other hand, sticks to near stock Android. The Motorola brand has long offered a pretty basic Android experience, which harkens back to the days when Google owned Motorola. These days, the company does make some small tweaks to Android — but they’re very subtle and largely consist of things like Moto Actions, which allows for gesture-based shortcuts to apps.
The Android experience is very similar on these phones, and you won’t be disappointed with either.
Winner: Tie
Price and availability
The Lenovo Moto G5 Plus is already available for purchase — so you can get your hands on it right now if you so choose. The device comes at $300 straight from Amazon, but it’s also available from your favorite carrier. The LG Q6 has yet to be released — and we don’t even know specific pricing for the phone, though rumors point to a price around $350. If accurate, that will make the Moto G5 Plus a far better choice.
Because the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus is available right now, it’s the winner — though once the Q6 launches in the U.S. that may change, depending on how much it costs.
Winner: Lenovo Moto G5 Plus
Overall winner
The LG Q6 is a nice-looking phone, and it’s a better choice if you’re looking for a phone with a great design. Unfortunately for LG, however, the Moto G5 Plus beats it out in almost every other category. The G5 Plus is more powerful, has fast charging, and will seemingly be quite a bit cheaper too. It’s possible that the Q6 will offer a better camera, and it does have a slightly larger display, but those things just aren’t enough to justify buying the Q6 over the Lenovo Moto G5 Plus.
