Motorola Moto E Review – The ultimate budget phone?

Motorola Moto E Review
Monlam Makhampa
Written by Monlam Makhampa

After the success of Moto G and Moto X, Motorola rolled out another smartphone targeting the budget segment with features of a high-end phone. But is it the ultimate budget phone? There are a few things you should know before you buy Moto E.

Motorola Moto E Review

After the success of Moto G and Moto X, Motorola rolled out Moto E targeting the budget segment. With some amazing specifications of that of a high-end phone and a very low price tag (Rs.6,999), Moto E has disrupted the budget market with stocks running out in just two days after its launch in India.

But is Motorola’s Moto E the ultimate budget phone? Read my Motorola Moto E Review to find out.

Moto E Specifications

1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor – What this means is, outdated and not super processor.

1 GB RAM – This is enough to help the phone function smoothly without hanging so that’s a decent amount of RAM.

4GB Storage – That’s for storing all your pictures, apps and videos. It’s very less but you can put a micro-SD card(memory chip) and increase the storage up to 32GB.

Dual Sim – Supports two Micro-SIM Cards in dual-standby mode

Corning Gorilla Glass 3 (Scratch Resistant) – The display screen is coated with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 which means the phone is scratch resistant so you don’t need to put a screen guard. No phone in this price range offers Scratch Resistant Screens. It is something only found in high-end phones (Rs.20,000 and above phones).

Water Resistant – This is great but you should know it’s water resistant and not water proof. Not found in other phones in this price range.

Motorola Moto E Review

Ambient Sensor in Moto E automatically adjusts your screen brightness according to the surrounding light

Ambient Sensor (light sensor) – When you are using your phone at home especially at night, you reduce the screen brightness so that its soft on your eyes. Now the next day you go out, your phone rings, you take out your phone to see who’s calling and you can barely see anything because the outside sun is too bright and your phone brightness is set to low.

If you had or have this experience, your phone lacks Ambient Sensor. Moto E has ambient sensor which can sense the surrounding light and can accordingly adjust the screen brightness. Not found in other phones in this price range.

Motorola Moto E Review

4.5″ Moto G [Black] Vs 4.3″ Moto E [White]

Display – Moto E has a 4.3″ display (which is pretty decent) with a resolution of 960×540 translating to a sharp density of 256ppi. What this means is crisp and clear display.

Software – Moto E runs on the latest Android (4.4.4 Kitkat) It is smooth, fast and cool. Other phones in this segment comes with the older versions of Android.

Unlike other smartphones (especially Samsung), Moto E is not bloated with stock apps (useless mostly) which slows down your phone and takes up space considerably and most of them you cannot even remove.

So what you will get is a pure Stock Android experience – faster, smoother and better.

Camera – Moto E has a 5MegaPixel rear camera that shoots decent pictures in bright light. You can also shoot panoramic images. Not good for Low lights as there’s no Camera Flash.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Vs Moto E?

Our conventional wisdom tells that a budget phone can never even compare to a high-end phone like Samsung Galaxy S5. Well, it’s time to think again.

Moto E Review: Scratch & Water Resistance Test

Flipkart Service – In India, like other Motorola flagships, Moto E is available only online on Flipkart.com  We ordered the phone at around 12:30PM and opted for the Same-Day-Delivery by paying an additional Rs.140.

The normal delivery is free (for cities) and delivers in 3 to 5 business days.

We received our package at 7PM. As always, flipkart does a great job.

Pros – The good Things

  • Dual Sim, 1GB RAM, External Memory Card Slot (up to 32GB)
  • Water Resistant and Scratch Resistant Screen
  • Ambient Sensor, FM Radio, Latest Android Kitkat 4.4.4
  • Notification light – when there is a missed call or message, this LED light will blink
  • Excellent Performance – Fast, no lag

Things you should know before buying Moto-E

Although the Moto-E is an excellent phone yet there are a few things you should know before buying.

No Font Camera – The phone has no front camera so for selfie lovers and video callers, this can be a major disappointment.

No Flash – There is no Camera flash so taking pictures in low light will be a problem.

No Tethering or Portable Hotspot – Tethering is a feature using which you can set a Wifi hotspot with your phone and then connect other devices like laptops, ipads or other phones to the internet using your phone’s internet.

Moto E doesn’t have this feature.

Irremovable Battery – The Battery in Moto E cannot be removed like Moto G and Moto X

Over all, Moto E offers a lot more than what you pay for. The performance is great, we opened Candy Crush, Temple Run 3 and then watched a Video all at the same time with no lag or problem.

So if you don’t care for a front camera, flash and Portable Hotspot, Moto E is THE ultimate budget phone – Made to last, Priced for all.

You can buy this phone from the below link


I hope you find my Motorola Moto E Review useful. Feel free to share, like or comment.

About the author

Monlam Makhampa

Monlam Makhampa

My name is Monlam Makhampa and I'm a Freelance Web Designer. I started Digital Shangrila in 2014 & I write on various topics related to technology and Web Designing. Read more here

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