Larger screen, sturdy build, better battery life, 4G, expandable memory, budget price
Low memory storage, camera is not great
The Motorola Moto G set new standards for what a budget phone could be -- not once, but twice, with its second generation incarnation.
Now comes the latest version of the even cheaper Moto E, with added 4G connectivity. But have its compromises to deliver a double figure price gone too far?
Screen & Chassis
As before, the new Moto E feels like a solidly built slab of plastic with no give in the moulded casing. It's a little bigger this time round, though fortunately not thicker at 12mm. However, although the 4.5in screen stretches the original's 4.3in, the resolution hasn't been upped from the sub-HD 960x540. So overall resolution is actually a little less at 245ppi, since the pixels are spread over a wider area. You won't notice that difference in the resolution if you look at them side by side, and it's at least bright and colourful, with a wide viewing angle. Still, it's not a great result, and a bit disappointing that Motorola hasn't attempted to get it up to at least standard HD, 720p resolution.
You can personalise it with a choice of different coloured plastic rims, or you can add a water-resistant splashguard -- a clear plastic cover lined with rubber around the edges. It adds some bulk to the phone, and doesn't cover microUSB or headphone ports, but it'll offer a little more protection.
Software & Processor
As we've come to expect, it's running the latest 5.0.2 Lollipop version of Android, despite the fact that the company has now been sold from Google to
The 1.2GHz processor has been beefed up a little from dual-core to quad-core and it's backed by 1GB RAM, which should make it not only more efficient but also more powerful. It's by no means up there with the high-enders -- it takes a fairly leisurely approach when opening apps and moving through menus -- but we didn't notice it stuttering or struggling to keep things moving. Our standard AnTuTu benchmark test gave it a score of 22,823, which puts it in similar company to Samsung's recent A3 and A5 -- and they're considerably more expensive phones, the A5 sells for over £300.
Photography
The 5-megapixel camera includes autofocus and HDR but there's no flash and very few options to play with. It's bog standard, but you can get some okay snaps if you're careful with your light. More disappointing is the VGA front-facing camera, which pays absolutely no attention to the recent trend for improved selfie snappers.
There's only 8GB of memory on board, though that's an improvement on the original's 4GB and you can add up to 32GB via microSD card.
The battery size has been increased by around 20 per cent to 2390mAh, which helps, though we didn't notice much of an increase in longevity, possibly due to the extra drain of 4G connectivity -- you'll still comfortably see the day through with it though.
Conclusion
The Motorola Moto E maintains its reputation as the budget phone to beat -- just about. With a bigger screen and improved processor, plus a superior battery, it ticks several important boxes, but we would have been more impressed if the screen resolution had improved or if either of the cameras had seen any more love. Still, it's a pocket powerhouse for under £100, and beats every other contender at the price.
Software: Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
Processor: Quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
Memory slot: Yes
Display: 4.5in IPS LCD 960x540 pixels
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports: microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Camera: 5 megapixel with autofocus, LED flash; VGA front-facing camera
Video playback: MP4, H.264, VC-1, WMV-9, DivX 4/5/6
Audio playback: AMR-NB, AMR-WB, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, MP3, PCM
Radio: Yes
Battery: 2390mAh
Size: 130x69x12mm
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
