Motorola Moto E

Thanks to some useful hardware upgrades, the Moto E is no longer just a cheap phone for first-time or light users, but a proper Android smartphone that is more than capable enough for day-to-day use.

The Moto G, the Moto E’s bigger brother, has had a bit of an odd history, first sold as a 3G phone (mk 1), then upgraded to 4G (mk 2), and then a second version was released without 4G (mk 3). Motorola has since told us it would never again sell a (new) 4G version of the Motorola Moto G in the UK, which is odd, given it’s just added 4G connectivity to the entry-level model in the line-up. So ignoring the fact the mk 2 Moto G, which comes with 4G, is now over a year old, is there any reason why you might choose to buy the Moto G 4G over the Moto E 4G? In a word: no.

When placed side-by-side the difference in size and weight is barely noticeable (the Moto G 4G is just 2g lighter and only 0.7mm thinner). The new Moto E 4G has a newer processor, faster graphics and a larger-capacity battery. Meanwhile, the Moto G 4G has a slightly higher-resolution still-4.5in screen at 1280x720 (326ppi vs the 245ppi of the new Moto E), and an LED flash at the rear.

The Moto E 4G is very similar in its design to the original Moto E, with the same curved rear, chunky design that feels good in the hand, and reasonably thin screen bezel. It’s lost one of the two metal bars at the front, now with just the one at the top to hide the speaker. For a budget phone, it looks pretty good.

A key difference is the larger screen. Now a Kestrel-matching 4.5in rather than the 4.3in we saw in the original Moto E, the Motorola offers slightly more screen space on which to watch videos and play games. The resolution hasn’t changed, though, meaning this qHD (540x960) IPS display has a lower pixel density of 245- rather than 256ppi.

The display itself is good for the price, bright and reasonably clear for a qHD screen. IPS tech means colours are true and viewing angles are good. The Moto E’s screen is now splashproof; it also has an antismudge coating and is protected with Gorilla Glass 3.

Despite the increase in screen size, the Moto E is just 3g heavier than the original. The reassuringly heavy 145g smartphone is the same width at 12.3mm, which is a tell-tale sign of its budget price, and just a little longer and wider at 66.8x129.9mm.

The new Moto E features several hardware upgrades. It still has a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, but the 410 chip seen here is quadrather than dual-core. Memory is the same, at 1GB, while storage has doubled to 8GB. As before you can add up to 32GB via microSD. And where the original featured the Adreno 302 GPU, this has the 306.

In use, the phone feels pretty swift in general, but there can be annoying delays when opening apps. There’s also slight hesitancy when navigating around Lollipop, but nothing you won’t get used to.

One of the additions to the new Moto E is a front-facing camera. It’s only a VGA model, and not much cop for selfies (although you can set a timer), but those looking to Skype or video chat through other means will appreciate its presence.

As before, the rear camera is 5Mp, here with a f2.2 aperture, 4x digital zoom and several features such as a burst mode, auto HDR, tap to focus and quick capture. HD (720p) video is supported at 30fps, and there’s also a slo-mo video mode. There’s no LED flash, which is not at all unusual for a budget phone, but it’s a pain if you were hoping to use your phone as a torch. The results are very much the same as we saw from the original Moto E. Images are generally well exposed, but lack detail and reveal heavyhanded compression when you zoom in and look closely. They’re fine for sharing online, but won’t produce good enlargements for printing to put on the wall.

Video is understandably shaky since there’s no stabilisation. However, it is captured in HD now: 1280x720 as opposed to the 854x480 of the old Moto E.

The key change in the new Moto E is that for an extra £20 over the original it includes 4G connectivity, operating on LTE bands 1, 3, 7 and 20. Other connectivity specs remain unchanged, and the new Moto E 4G features Bluetooth 4.0 LE, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and GPS.

Whereas the original model ran Android KitKat, the new Moto E has Lollipop version 5.0 out of the box. It’s a reasonably plain implementation of Lollipop, but with some unique Moto software features. It can show notifications without waking the screen, and monitor your activity to create useful new features and functions.

Motorola has also upgraded the Moto E’s battery. Whereas before it was fitted with a 1980mAh battery it now has 2390mAh. This should be enough for a full day’s use.

Verdict

The new Moto E 4G is a worthy upgrade over the original Moto E, with upgrades in every area. It’s the best budget 4G phone intended for UK sale we’ve seen.