Most of the Low-cost Android smartphones have almost always gotten a bad rap because of the compromises made with their processors, the quality of their screens, and many more edits in order to achieve a low price. That’s changed recently and Motorola has played a huge role in that change with its Moto series of smartphones, specifically the Moto G and Moto E.The once hugely popular manufacturer has had its consumer devices wing spun-off into the streamlined, subversive Motorola Mobility, now owned by Lenovo and focused primarily on doing things the ‘Google Way’.What you will see in this Moto E(2nd Gen)though is a low price tag, followed by a list of specifications that will make you look at the price and titles again, just to make sure someone hasn’t got them confused.
This is the new Motorola that has been carved from the remains of the old guard: simple, affordable and reliable. And it’s a winning combination that is being continued with a second generation of smartphones.
Design:
The second generation Moto E surely isn’t the only affordable device in this price segment. But does it make too many compromises in order to reach that low price? Let’s find out.
In terms of design, the 2nd gen Moto E don’t look terribly different, though the latest model does only have one silver bar on its face for the loudspeaker. The Moto E (2nd Gen.) has a plastic body that feels solid and a curved back that rests nicely in your hand. Motorola has also used the well-known dimple found on older Moto devices, giving you a place to rest your finger during phone calls.
Hardware and Build Quality:
The Moto E (2nd Gen.) features several notable upgrades over its predecessor. The front of the Moto E(2nd Gen) includes a 4.5-inch display that’s slightly larger than the original E’s 4.3-inch screen and it has got a 960*540 -630*379 resolution. In the front of Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s display is a VGA front-facing camera.The second generation model’s has a 5Mp rear camera with an auto focus shooter and the original’s is fixed focus. Finally, the new Moto E’s got double the storage of its predecessor (8GB vs 4GB), a 2390mAh battery that’s considerably beefier than the first Moto E’s 1980mAh battery, a new Snapdragon 410 processor, and 4G LTE connectivity.
Extras
One other hardware detail that’s worth mentioning is about customization, there are Motorola Bands that you can buy. Motorola also sells these Grip Shells that are priced at $19.99 each and come in blue, raspberry, turquoise, golden yellow, and charcoal color options. These Grip Shells have a thick, rubberized outer ring that offer considerably more protection than a Motorola Band, and they also have a plastic rear to protect the Moto E’s backside.It’s also worth pointing out that in order to access the Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s SIM slot of microSD card slot, you simply remove the Band or Grip Shell that you’ve currently got on the device. Both slots are on the opposite side from the power/lock and volume buttons.
Features:
Considering this is Motorola’s entry level phone, the Moto E(2nd Gen) sports a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 pixel display. The phone runs Android 5.0.2 and houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC which has a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz along with an Adreno 302 GPU. This is paired with 1GB of RAM.
Motorola’s also included a few other custom apps with the Moto E (2nd Gen.) Motorola Alert will let you designate emergency contacts and, if you’re in an emergency, you can press a button to quickly shoot off a text message, call an emergency service, and sound a super-loud alarm. You can also send a Meet Me message to a friend with your location or use Follow Me to send your current location in selected intervals to certain recipients.
It may sound like Motorola has packed a lot of its own apps into the Moto E (2nd Gen.), but that’s really not the case. Several of them are hidden away in the Moto app, and if things like Motorola Alert and Motorola Migrate really bother you by sitting in the app drawer, you can disable them and hide them for good.
Lollipop here is just as you’d expect, with Material Design notifications, new Quick Settings, and updated software navigation buttons.
Performance:
Considering it houses the entry level Qualcomm system-on-chip, performance numbers aren’t the best. But thanks to no skin on the phone, the response shall be quite smooth.
Software and Motorola Apps:
The Moto E runs a nearly stock version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, and just as on the Moto X and the Moto G, comes with plenty of personalized software to make life a little easier.
With the Moto app, you can set your phone to keep the screen off at specified times (such as at night when you’re sleeping). Android’s Downtime Settings silences your notifications and only alerts you when someone on your Favorites list calls or sends a message. You can also set an auto-reply to missed calls from your Favorites when you’re in a meeting.
Motorola packed nifty gestures into the Moto E as well. You can launch the camera app by flicking or twisting your wrist quickly twice, and repeat the action to turn the selfie cam on.
Lazy users like myself will appreciate being able to say “OK, Google” when the Home screen is open to activate voice control. The Moto E recognized my commands well, opening Chrome and showing me the weather forecast. Unlike on the Moto X, though, you’ll only be able to use the “OK, Google” command to activate Google Now on the home screen.
Just as on the Moto G (2014), Motorola has bundled the Alert app to send your location to emergency contacts. You’ll also get Migrate for porting your contacts, photos and accounts to or from a different phone, whether it’s a Moto, iPhone or other device. Motorola also tosses in an FM Radio app so you can tune in to your favorite channel by plugging in a set of headphones.
Battery:
The Moto E (2nd Gen.) comes equipped with a 2390mAh battery, which is quite a bit larger than the original Moto E’s 1980mAh battery. And while the new model includes LTE, which was missing from the original, the Moto E (2nd Gen.) still manages some impressive battery life.
Benchmarks(Tested by Online Professional Reviewers):
Quadrant: 9413;
Geekbench: 330 (single core) and 1136 (multiple core);
AnTuTu: 17731
Conclusion
When looking at the complete package, I think it’s safe to say the new Moto E retains the title of best budget Android. As mentioned above, by closing the specification gap with the larger G, it almost makes the bigger phone obsolete if it weren’t for the 5 inch panel being a deal breaker for many.
Despite competition from lower tier brands, you will still struggle to find anything that really matches the full specification, build quality and brand prestige of the Motorola's new rollout!
It’s not a phone for the masses in established, mature markets, however it will still find an audience here. Plenty of discerning consumers looking for a bargain will be pleased and it’s an excellent first phone or backup.
I’m sure the E will also do very well in emerging markets – the addition of LTE support makes it a grand choice for those where cellular networks provide the only available Internet connection, plus Motorola’s recognition and durability puts a seal of approval and trust over lesser known manufacturers.
It's a perfect gift for a first time user or a new phone for an elderly relative, the E should be right at the top of your shortlist.
This is the new Motorola that has been carved from the remains of the old guard: simple, affordable and reliable. And it’s a winning combination that is being continued with a second generation of smartphones.
Design:
The second generation Moto E surely isn’t the only affordable device in this price segment. But does it make too many compromises in order to reach that low price? Let’s find out.
In terms of design, the 2nd gen Moto E don’t look terribly different, though the latest model does only have one silver bar on its face for the loudspeaker. The Moto E (2nd Gen.) has a plastic body that feels solid and a curved back that rests nicely in your hand. Motorola has also used the well-known dimple found on older Moto devices, giving you a place to rest your finger during phone calls.
The Moto E (2nd Gen.) features several notable upgrades over its predecessor. The front of the Moto E(2nd Gen) includes a 4.5-inch display that’s slightly larger than the original E’s 4.3-inch screen and it has got a 960*540 -630*379 resolution. In the front of Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s display is a VGA front-facing camera.The second generation model’s has a 5Mp rear camera with an auto focus shooter and the original’s is fixed focus. Finally, the new Moto E’s got double the storage of its predecessor (8GB vs 4GB), a 2390mAh battery that’s considerably beefier than the first Moto E’s 1980mAh battery, a new Snapdragon 410 processor, and 4G LTE connectivity.
Extras
One other hardware detail that’s worth mentioning is about customization, there are Motorola Bands that you can buy. Motorola also sells these Grip Shells that are priced at $19.99 each and come in blue, raspberry, turquoise, golden yellow, and charcoal color options. These Grip Shells have a thick, rubberized outer ring that offer considerably more protection than a Motorola Band, and they also have a plastic rear to protect the Moto E’s backside.It’s also worth pointing out that in order to access the Moto E (2nd Gen.)’s SIM slot of microSD card slot, you simply remove the Band or Grip Shell that you’ve currently got on the device. Both slots are on the opposite side from the power/lock and volume buttons.
Features:
Considering this is Motorola’s entry level phone, the Moto E(2nd Gen) sports a 4.5-inch 960 x 540 pixel display. The phone runs Android 5.0.2 and houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 SoC which has a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz along with an Adreno 302 GPU. This is paired with 1GB of RAM.
Motorola’s also included a few other custom apps with the Moto E (2nd Gen.) Motorola Alert will let you designate emergency contacts and, if you’re in an emergency, you can press a button to quickly shoot off a text message, call an emergency service, and sound a super-loud alarm. You can also send a Meet Me message to a friend with your location or use Follow Me to send your current location in selected intervals to certain recipients.
It may sound like Motorola has packed a lot of its own apps into the Moto E (2nd Gen.), but that’s really not the case. Several of them are hidden away in the Moto app, and if things like Motorola Alert and Motorola Migrate really bother you by sitting in the app drawer, you can disable them and hide them for good.
Lollipop here is just as you’d expect, with Material Design notifications, new Quick Settings, and updated software navigation buttons.
Performance:
Considering it houses the entry level Qualcomm system-on-chip, performance numbers aren’t the best. But thanks to no skin on the phone, the response shall be quite smooth.
Software and Motorola Apps:
The Moto E runs a nearly stock version of Android 5.0 Lollipop, and just as on the Moto X and the Moto G, comes with plenty of personalized software to make life a little easier.
With the Moto app, you can set your phone to keep the screen off at specified times (such as at night when you’re sleeping). Android’s Downtime Settings silences your notifications and only alerts you when someone on your Favorites list calls or sends a message. You can also set an auto-reply to missed calls from your Favorites when you’re in a meeting.
Motorola packed nifty gestures into the Moto E as well. You can launch the camera app by flicking or twisting your wrist quickly twice, and repeat the action to turn the selfie cam on.
Lazy users like myself will appreciate being able to say “OK, Google” when the Home screen is open to activate voice control. The Moto E recognized my commands well, opening Chrome and showing me the weather forecast. Unlike on the Moto X, though, you’ll only be able to use the “OK, Google” command to activate Google Now on the home screen.
Just as on the Moto G (2014), Motorola has bundled the Alert app to send your location to emergency contacts. You’ll also get Migrate for porting your contacts, photos and accounts to or from a different phone, whether it’s a Moto, iPhone or other device. Motorola also tosses in an FM Radio app so you can tune in to your favorite channel by plugging in a set of headphones.
Battery:
The Moto E (2nd Gen.) comes equipped with a 2390mAh battery, which is quite a bit larger than the original Moto E’s 1980mAh battery. And while the new model includes LTE, which was missing from the original, the Moto E (2nd Gen.) still manages some impressive battery life.
Benchmarks(Tested by Online Professional Reviewers):
Quadrant: 9413;
Geekbench: 330 (single core) and 1136 (multiple core);
AnTuTu: 17731
Conclusion
When looking at the complete package, I think it’s safe to say the new Moto E retains the title of best budget Android. As mentioned above, by closing the specification gap with the larger G, it almost makes the bigger phone obsolete if it weren’t for the 5 inch panel being a deal breaker for many.
Despite competition from lower tier brands, you will still struggle to find anything that really matches the full specification, build quality and brand prestige of the Motorola's new rollout!
It’s not a phone for the masses in established, mature markets, however it will still find an audience here. Plenty of discerning consumers looking for a bargain will be pleased and it’s an excellent first phone or backup.
I’m sure the E will also do very well in emerging markets – the addition of LTE support makes it a grand choice for those where cellular networks provide the only available Internet connection, plus Motorola’s recognition and durability puts a seal of approval and trust over lesser known manufacturers.
It's a perfect gift for a first time user or a new phone for an elderly relative, the E should be right at the top of your shortlist.
