[Moto G5S Plus Real Life Review] Loccy:
Can't speak for Pixel but can speak for Nexus 6P.

I loved my Nexus. Had been a Nexus user since the Nexus 4. The 6P, when it worked, was the capstone of the Nexus range. Gorgeous big screen, well built, excellent performance. I would still be using it now if the well known battery issues (check the forums) hadn't come and bit me. Replaced the battery twice and maybe eked another 6 months out of the phone but I realised recently I needed to get rid of the 6P now if it was to have any resale value.

Looking around there was nothing that real worked as a successor. Wasn't taken with either of the first gen Pixels, and the prices of comparable current phones to the 6P is just insane. Even if I could afford £800-odd I wouldn't pay it for a phone.

For a replacement my criteria was:

5.5 inch or better screen

Half decent ram and processor (so min 3Gb and a Snapdragon 625)

Decent battery life

Ideally no more than £300 - or £400 for a demonstrably premium device.

I had been looking at importing one of the Xiaomi devices, and had briefly looked at a few of the Motorola devices. The G5 series screens were too small, and while I considered the Z Play range they didn't really hit the killer piece/performance mark for me.

When I read the reviews of the G5S Plus I thought "hmmm" - £250 and fulfils my performance, screen size and price criteria. Battery seemed acceptable if not stellar. What sold me was a video where I saw the use of the fingerprint scanner for swipe navigation and the gestures for one handed mode. I'd used a custom rom on the 6P with a one handed mode (which is essential for a big screen) and knowing the G5S Plus had this as stock was the deal clincher.

Have been running it for a little under a week and I have to say I'm impressed.

The screen is very nice. The colours don't "pop" like on the 6P but otherwise it is excellent. Clear and bright, very visible in the day even under direct sunlight. The difference in resolution (1080p v 1400ish p) is not very visible (to my eyes).

Build quality is excellent and it feels just as premium as the 6P did.

The phone runs fluidly and in daily use for email, browsing and general comms needs the experience is pretty much indistinguishable from the 6P. I am also enjoying the swipe to navigate, which is very intuitive and gives me back some of the screen real estate I lost from the 6P.

I am not someone who is particularly bothered about cameras. The couple of pictures I have taken look like the objects I was taking a picture of. The rest I'll leave to someone who cares to give a judgement on!

Overall though, I am very pleased. You get a lot of phone for your money. It is perhaps not quite as good value as the some of the Xiaomi devices, but if you are in the UK I think you'll struggle to find something that's better value and works as well without importing (with all the complications that go with it).

How much would I give the Nexus 6P when the battery is fully charged and it isn't randomly powering off? 9 out of 10 - marvellous phone, the best I've ever had. I will miss it.

How much would I give the Moto G5s? A very close honourable second with 8 out of 10. Does virtually everything the Nexus does (for me) at a much more economical price.