Decent processor, expandable memory, budget price
No 4G, so-so screen, camera and battery life not great
The Moto E is the latest in Motorola's series of budget phones.
It has the lowest spec yet, and the lowest price, but still hopes to do the basics better than most.
Chassis and screen
At 12mm deep, it's a little chunkier and heavier than its more expensive stable mates, Motos X and G, but still makes for a neat little handful. It certainly feels a cut above many of the ultra cheap Androids in the sub-£100 bracket and there's the option to personalise it with a range of different coloured versions of the rubberised plastic rear casing, dubbed Motorola Shells.
The 4.3-inch screen has a resolution of 540x960 pixels (equating to 256 pixels per inch) -- a considerable step down from the HD resolution of the Moto G and Moto X. It's protected by Gorilla Glass though, and perfectly decent for casual surfing. If your eyes have got used to HD sharpness though, the slight blurriness of small type and lack of 'pop' from HD images can leave you feeling a bit short-changed.
Processor and software
The dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm processor is backed by 1GB RAM and while it's not as powerful as its Moto siblings, that's still a pretty powerful beast to find in a handset at this price. It makes using it a joy, as apps open quickly, and web pages load with the speed you'd expect from a considerably more expensive device. Our AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 12,800, which puts it in line with other more expensive dual-core devices like the Sony Xperia E1 and the ZTE Grand S Flex.
It's not 4G, but it is running the latest 4.4 KitKat version of Android. That makes it one of the cheapest ways to get the latest Android features and fixes. It comes with a paltry 4GB of memory on board but you can add a further 32GB via microSD card. The battery, which Motorola claims should last all day, struggled to make it that far with heavy use.
Photography
The 5-megapixel camera is pretty basic. It's fixed focus, there's no flash and only really HDR and Panorama settings to play with -- it's pretty much point and shoot. Within its limitations though, picture quality isn't bad, so long as you're careful with your light and don't rush. It records video at 854x480 pixels at 30fps but there's no front-facing camera for video calls or selfies, which seems like quite a serious omission at this price point.
Conclusion
Unfortunately for the Motorola Moto E, the screen is so-so, the camera a little below par, it's not 4G and the battery life isn't great. However, it's certainly very cheap, and as far as its processor, expandable memory and up-to-date Android operating system go, it's cheerful too. It might suit you well if you only have basic requirmenents of a smartphone, but if you're unsure, you could splash another £45 to get the Moto G with its faster processor, better camera and more battery (the new version has 4G and allows you to expand the memory too).
Software: Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor: Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 4.3-inch 540x960 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 5 megapixels with autofocus
Video playback: MPEG4, H.263, H.264
Audio playback: AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, PCM, FLAC, MIDI, QCELP, EVRC, OGG/Vorbis
Radio: Yes
Battery: 1980mAh
Size: 125x65x12mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
