The Galaxy A5 is the newest mid-range smartphone from Samsung, designed based on the Galaxy Alpha. The Galaxy A5 selling point is its design, since Samsung decided to put a metal frame around the new gadget, just like it did with the Galaxy Alpha and Galaxy Note 4. Samsung adopted the metal design with their new smartphone line because people were pretty disconcerted about the Galaxy S5 and its faux chrome alongside the polycarbonate design. The Galaxy A5 is a mid-range smartphone, similar to the Motorola Moto G with one major and extremely obvious difference: price.
In our comparison between the Galaxy A5 and the Motorola Moto G, we would like to find out which phone has better bang for buck and which would be better worth a Holiday purchase. Even though the price difference between these two phones is pretty huge, we should give thought to the pros and cons of each of these handsets so one can make an educated choice if they want to surprise themselves with a smartphone upgrade.
As we’ve said before, the Galaxy A5 is the first attempt from Samsung at a mid-range phone modeled after the Galaxy Alpha. The Moto G on the other hand is the successor of the Moto G from last year, with various upgrades and improvements, Android 5.0 Lollipop update included. Just to make things clear, since we’re talking about current/recent releases, we are going to compare the Galaxy A5 to the 2015 Moto G, so there won’t be any discrepancy caused by the timeline of the release.
Consequently, this comparison is for those who don’t feel the necessity of a high-end flagship but would rather be content with a cheaper mid-range phone that does most things flagships are capable of, without the flair. Even though the Moto G is but a mid-ranger, it has gained a lot of popularity and is being called the best mid-range Android smartphone on the market thanks to its affordable price and great specs. The Galaxy A5 was released in India this month and should hit Europe by the time we transition into 2015. The Galaxy A5 release date in the U.S. hasn’t been set yet, but we should see it in stores by the end of the year or early in 2015, the latest.
The Galaxy A5 doesn’t just have the metal frame of the Galaxy Alpha, but has a full metal unibody that many were asking for and Samsung thought it would hit a chord with young people wanting premium phones that don’t cost as much as the iPhone 6 or 6 Plus. Consequently, the metal unibody of the Galaxy A5 is its main selling point, the company advertising and targeting the phone at the younger crowds. The Moto G, on the other hand, is a less premium mid-ranger with a plastic body.
Even though design-wise, the Galaxy A5 looks and feels better than the thick, plastic Moto G, we can’t say that it is superior in more than just build materials. The Moto G is a durable smartphone and with its sub $200 price, it’s definitely worth the money. I personally prefer plastic to the cold feel of metal, but that’s not the case with many other Android fans out there. For those, the Galaxy A5 would be a great full metal unibody alternative to the iPhone 6 line or the more expensive HTC One M7 or HTC One M8 flagship.
If you’re a fan of Samsung and were among those asking for a design overhaul and something new, being disappointed in the Galaxy S5 flagship, the Galaxy A5 design should meet your needs and cater to your premium preferences. The phone actually feels good in the hand and with a lightweight and slim metal unibody, the Galaxy A5 might become one of the best smartphones Samsung has released so far. Save for the mid-range specs, the Galaxy A5 release was a success in India and a few other Asia countries, even though its price is quite elevated.
The Galaxy A5 price in India is currently set at $420 give or take a couple of bucks, which is a pretty hefty price for a mid-range smartphone. The Galaxy Alpha price on Amazon is currently $550, which is even more. We will be comparing the Galaxy Alpha to the new Galaxy A5 smartphone in the future so that we can determine which price is more accurate with regard to specs and value. The Moto G 2014 price on Amazon, on the other hand, is currently set at $180, which is less than half of the price of the Galaxy A5. At this point, if you’re in the game with a low budget, the Moto G 2014 will definitely be worth your while, since it is the best mid-range smartphone in its price range. It might be the best Android mid-range smartphone ever, even.
Moving on to more tangible things, the Galaxy A5 display is a 5 inch 720*1280 resolution Super AMOLED panel with a 294 ppi pixel count. That display, while pretty bright and sharp, still isn’t anything to write home about, but considering the fact that the Galaxy A5 is targeted at younger people and is in fact a mid-ranger, it’s a pretty decent configuration. The Moto G display is the same 5 inch panel with a 720*1280 resolution, but instead of being a Super AMOLED panel, it’s an IPS LCD one with the same 294 ppi pixel density. These being said, you can imagine if you’re on a budget (or not) the Moto G display is identical almost to the Galaxy A5 display at half the price.
Moving on, the Galaxy A5 specs inlcude NFC on the LTE model and a microSD card slot which supports card up to 64 GB. Since it has only 16 GB available internal storage, the microSD slot is a welcome addition to the device. The Moto G specs also include a microSD card slot with up to 32 GB cards, but the device only has 8 GB internal memory, which is a bit deinty. Nonetheless, with the microSD slot you can definitely manage your media well on the Moto G 2014, too. The Moto G speakers are also worthy of mention since they are stereo speakers on the front. While they’re not as good as the BoomSound speakers on the HTC One M8, they still beat the speakers on the Galaxy A5. The Moto G specs don’t include NFC or LTE, which is why some of you might not want this device as your companion.
The Galaxy A5 specs also include a Snapdragon 410 CPU with Adreno 306 GPU and 2 GB RAM, which is not a bad configuration, but you can get better for that $420 price tag, if we’re honest. Put a few more bucks and you can get the amazing Huawei Ascend Mate 7 phablet… Anyway, the Moto G 2014 specs include a slightly inferior Snapdragon 400 CPU with Adreno 305 GPU and 1 GB RAM, which is less processing power. Nonetheless, the Galaxy A5 performance can be compared to the Moto G performance, both being able to handle most of the things you throw at them. The Moto G can handle Asphalt 8, albeit not great.
The Galaxy A5 camera is the only truly superior feature on the phone, incorporating a 13 MP sensor on the rear with an LED flash and a 5 MP sensor on the front. The Moto G camera only measures 8 MP on the rear and 2 MP on the back, with an LED flash added to the rear camera. While the Galaxy A5 camera is clearly superior and will handle itself better in any lighting condition, the Moto G camera isn’t bad either. The Moto G camera should be enough for those who just use their smartphone camera for on-the-spot, random, spontaneous photo shoots. On the other hand, if you tend to abuse your smartphone camera, the Galaxy A5 camera would be better suited for you and worth the price tag, in my mind.
Last, but not least, the Galaxy A5 batter is larger than the Moto G 2070 mAH battery, measuring 2300 mAH which should give the phone at least a day and a half of battery life with the average moderate use. The Moto G battery, even though smaller, does manage to get the same battery life. When it comes to this department, no matter which you choose, you’re going to end up with average battery life.
When it comes to a good mid-range Android smartphone, my personal choice would be the Moto G, because it offers an equal performance as the Galaxy A5. On the other hand, I do fancy the Galaxy A5 design a lot, because it’s a lot slimmer and thinner than the Moto G 2014. No matter which of these smartphones you choose, you’ll probably be content with your purchase and be able to use your new device for most anything. When it comes to budget and price, the Moto G offers a better bang for buck value than the Galaxy A5, so if you’re on a budget but still want a good smartphone, the Moto G would be best for you.