The phrase "
A phone for the masses" has caught up a lot of attention since Motorola showed off the "
Moto E" . Google announcing the
Android One programme to reach the masses at lower cost and no loss of premiumness , the smartphones are becoming much more affordable than they were 2-3 years ago.
Seeing this change, we decided to look up one of the first of its kind affordable phone the Moto E by Motorola.
First up we would like to thank Motorola for providing a review unit to make this post possible.We hope that this post of our review of the Moto E reaches the deepest of masses who still are not able to enjoy the premiership of a smartphone.
Moto E can be bought online and is sold exclusively by
flipkart.com at ₹6999/-
Specifications:
A price this low, is bound to see a compromise on the features if not externals, on internals for sure.
- Moto E sports a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 with a 1 GB RAM.
- Storage onboard is 4GB with 2.21GB user accessible.
- It supports a microSD card upto 32GB.
- For network connectivity 3G is supported on both SIMs.
- A 1980 mAh battery that just does amazing for an average day use.
- The display is 540x960 qHD with 256 ppi pixel density.
- A 5MP camera with fixed focus that just does well for outdoor shots.
- Moto E comes with latest version of Android Kitkat with guaranteed timely updates.
Physical Overview:
Motorola promises the phone to be a long lasting one sacrificing a bit on the elegant aspects.
Moto E is not the most elegant of the phones but it also is not some of the worst design structure. The "Pebble" structure provides the Moto E a well composed ,strong yet a comfortable feel in the hand.
The Gorilla Glass 3 on top of the screen adds to the durability.It is also persistent for some light water splashes.
On the front side, The asymmetric chrome strips increase the elegance of the phone covering the ear piece above screen and the front facing loudspeaker lying at the bottom.
The volume rocker and the power button are collinearly adjusted on the right hand side.
There is a micro usb charging port at the bottom side and a 3.5mm jack with a secondary microphone at the top.
The Display:
Moto E has a very good display in terms of the price it comes and the productivity it offers.The display is a qHD 540x960 resolution 256 ppi pixel density with rather good viewing angles than many others in its price range.
The display might seem pixelated sometimes when looking closely but from a distance it is better overall.
Battery Life:
Moto E has a small battery of 1980 mAh capacity but with the software optimisations , the battery can easily take you through a day of normal use with a single charge.
For a hardcore use, with heavy media consumption and gaming the battery feels too small and dies out about in just 8 hrs of time.
The standby time is also one of great features . You can go to sleep with 90% charging at night and wakeup with almost 89% left.
Camera:
Moto E's 5MP provides everything that you can expect from a fixed focus rear shooter.Great outdoor photos and with a little bit of work you can have a quality image but the close up shots are the one where the phone struggles. They are just not that clear due to focusing issue.
No flashlight is available. Hence shooting at night is almost impossible.
Though the HDR mode helps in achieving a saturation of colours .
The camera is the only disappointing feature that highlights the low price of this device.
Some of the pics are given below:
The camera can record only 480p videos but the noise cancellation is really great.
Software:
The software out of the box is 4.4.2 with the OTA of 4.4.4 available now.Also the next big version of android has been promised as an update by Motorola.
The overall UI is a bit forked but it still resembles the stock android experience as on the Nexus devices.
The transitions of windows are smooth due to the 1GB RAM.There is a noticeable lag while switching for multitasking through the "Recent APPs" screen.
Sometimes it has been found that the transition from home to apps tray is faster then the high-end flagships.
There are some special apps which make some daily life tasks easier.
Moto Migrate,
Moto Assist and
Moto Alert are three apps provided by motorola, functioning as the first one helps migrate the data from your previous phone through wifi , the second one allowing quiet hours during meeting , sleeping and other custom times. The last one helps during an emergency by allowing to contact a relative using a single tap by sharing location, sending SMS or dialing a call.
Conclusion:
This is a perfect phone for those who want to use some social apps along with a normal gaming and media experience.
Pros:
- Affordable to most of the people looking to buy a smartphone
- timely updates keep the software in track of the latest versions
- the front facing speaker provides a great sound effect.
- good battery life for normal usage.
- great call quality.Good noise cancellation for better calls.
Cons:
- Not so great camera for indoor shooting.
- No HD video recording.
- Not great gaming performance.
On the Whole, If you are looking to buy a new phone this is worth checking out.It can be a great upgrade for people having older,slower smartphones.