The lesson of Lenovo’s new Moto G5 Plus is simple: cheap smartphones have no business feeling cheap anymore. The “below this price, you get a lackluster device” line that once existed has officially evaporated when you can buy a phone for as little as $229 with a metal build, phenomenal display, great performance, and satisfactory battery life. And best of all, it’s a phone that you can take to any major carrier, and it’ll just work. Very few other bargain phones can offer the same convenience.

The Moto G series has always been a good value, combining great Android software with decent-enough hardware. But this is the first iteration of the series to feel truly premium. If other companies like OnePlus, ZTE, and Huawei weren’t battling…

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