Motorola Moto G5 vs Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Motorola Moto G5 and the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Head to head

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
Price£68£72
Our rating6/106/10
Battery2,800 mAh2,600 mAh
Wired charging10W—
RAM (max)3 GB5 GB
Storage (max)32 GB16 GB
Screen size5 in5 in
Main camera13 MP13 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)—142 g
ReleasedMar 2017Jul 2017
Summary: Motorola Moto G5 is ahead on battery, storage (max). Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) is ahead on ram (max).
★ Which should you buy? Motorola Moto G5 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.

Display

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
TypeIPS LCDPLS TFT LCD
Size5.0 inches5.0 inches, 68.9 cm2 (~68.5% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution1080 x 1920 pixels, Full HD720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~294 ppi density)
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass 3Undisclosed

Platform

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
OSAndroid 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.1 (Oreo)Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie)
ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 430 (MSM8937)Exynos 7570 Quad (14 nm)
CPUOcta-core (4x 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x 1.1 GHz Cortex-A53)Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPUAdreno 505Mali-T720 MP2

Memory

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
Card slotmicroSDXC (dedicated slot)microSDXC (dedicated slot)
Internal16GB 2GB RAM, 32GB 3GB RAM16GB 2GB RAM (International variant); some regional variants had 1.5GB RAM

Main Camera

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
Single13 MP, f/2.0, PDAF—
FeaturesLED flash, panorama, HDRLED flash, HDR
Video1080p@30fps1080p@30fps
Modules—13 MP, f/1.9, AF

Selfie Camera

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
Single5 MP, f/2.2—
FeaturesDisplay flashLED flash (variant dependent)
Video1080p@30fpsNo official specification
Modules—5 MP, f/2.2

Battery

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
TypeRemovable Li-IonLi-Ion (Non-removable)
Capacity2800 mAh2400 mAh (some regional variants had 2600 mAh)
Charging10W wired (Rapid charging)Standard 5W charging

Body

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
Dimensions144.3 x 73 x 9.5 mm143.2 x 70.3 x 8.2 mm (5.64 x 2.77 x 0.32 in)
Weight144.5 g142 g (5.01 oz)
BuildPlastic back, aluminum framePlastic frame, partial metal back (variant dependent)
SIMSingle SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)

Comms

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth4.2, A2DP, LE4.2, A2DP, LE
GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS—
NFCYes (region dependent)Yes (market/region dependent)
RadioFM radioFM radio
USBmicroUSB 2.0, USB On-The-GomicroUSB 2.0, USB On-The-Go
Positioning—GPS, GLONASS, BDS

Launch

Motorola Moto G5Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)
AnnouncedFebruary 20172017, June
StatusReleased March 2017Available. Released 2017, July

Frequently asked questions

Which has the better battery, Motorola Moto G5 or Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)?

Motorola Moto G5 — 2,800 mAh for the Motorola Moto G5 versus 2,600 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017).

Which has more RAM, Motorola Moto G5 or Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)?

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) — 3 GB for the Motorola Moto G5 versus 5 GB for the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017).

Which is newer, Motorola Moto G5 or Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017)?

Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) — Mar 2017 for the Motorola Moto G5 versus Jul 2017 for the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017).

Is the Motorola Moto G5 or the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) rated higher?

We rate the Motorola Moto G5 6/10 and the Samsung Galaxy J3 (2017) 6/10.

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