What's good
- Ability to personalize phone with interchangeable bands
- Decent performance during daily tasks
- Good battery life
- 4G LTE connectivity
What's bad
- Poor camera image quality
- Low resolution display leads to some fuzziness
- Only 8GB of space
Motorola follows up the success of their budget Moto E phone with an updated 2015 model. While it won't win any awards for best-looking smartphone, the 2015 Moto E did give experts the impression of "affordable but sturdy." It comes with an all-plastic build and interchangeable band wrapping around the rim, which hides the microSD and SIM slots. Users can customize their phone by choosing different band colors. Besides the aesthetic quality of the bands, experts add that it along with the matte back finish helped improved overall grip on the otherwise round phone. It's also a bit on the thick side at 0.5 inches but critics add that it didn't detract from its usability at all.
At 4.5 inches, the display on the 2015 Moto E is 0.2 inches larger than its predecessor though it does stick with the same 540p resolution. That means its pixel density is slight lower at 245ppi. While it wasn't generally an issue with critics they did notice some fuzziness and lack of fine detail on text and images. With that said they add that the quality of the display helped soften the blow as it provided them with good viewing angles, excellent brightness and vibrant colors. Androidpit adds that it is, "…perfectly sufficient for the casual user."
Another upgrade on the 2015 Moto E is its internal specs. It now comes with 1.2GHz quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM. While it is provided better performance than the older Moto E and Moto G, experts still warn that it is not a gaming powerhouse. Even on simpler games they experience some hiccups and, with 3D games, very noticeable lag. Still, they were able to perform more basic tasks with ease. It also comes with a mere 8GB of internal storage though it does have a microSD slot. In order to counter the more powerful processor, Motorola stuck a 2,390mAh battery in the second generation Moto E. In general, experts were able to get a full day's of use during moderate usage, but when 4G LTE is used the batteries drain fairly fast and last only 8-9 hours.
Perhaps the biggest letdown of the new Moto E is its camera. It keeps the same 5MP resolution and lack of LED flash though it replaced the fixed focus lens with an auto-focus one. That said, many experts didn't see too much of an improvement in picture quality. Images still lacked definition and detail even under optimal light conditions and, they add, colors looked artificial. When compared to the original Moto E, Ars Technica notes that it "…is a small improvement."
While there are some downsides to the Moto E (2015), reviewers still have no problem recommending it to the casual Android user. Pocket Lint states, "…the Moto E is brilliant for the price…for the money, there's arguably no better budget phone on the market."
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Ershad Kaleebullah, Gadgets 360The Moto E (Gen 2) improves upon its predecessor in more ways than one. We love the new design tweak in the form of 'bands' and the better battery performance. The inclusion of 4G connectivity on both these phones is a point in their favour, considering the 4G variant of the Motorola Moto E (Gen 2)...
- Prasid Banerjee, DigitThe Moto E 4g is definitely an improvement over the 3G variant, but it still can't match the competiton in terms of display and camera. If you need an inexpensive smartphone with very good battery life, then this one would make sense, but for everything else, you should look at the Xiaomi Redmi 2 an...
- GSMArena team, GSMArenaThe Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) is exactly what you'd expect from the sequel of the most popular budget phone for 2014. The new model gets a screen bump, major performance boost, better camera, double the storage, a bigger battery, a much better build quality and materials and, surprisingly, there is...
- Sofian Nouira, Digital VersusThe Moto E 4G is a better deal than the first Moto E was when it came out. The addition of 4G connectivity, a decent chipset, Android 5.0 and a bigger screen with better picture quality all make it a better buy. Unfortunately, there's a lot of competition in this price range. If you can do without 4...
- Daniel Bader, Mobile SyrupThe Moto E’s negatives are few, and don’t undermine the truly superlative nature of this product. As a first smartphone, it is a great choice, but its price affords it the versatility of being used in a number of different configurations. Because it can be so easily purchased outright, m...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
The Moto E (2nd Gen) price will vary depending on retailer, age, special offers and whether or not it's purchased with a service plan. If purchased with a 2 year service contract for example, you would likely pay much less for the phone itself up front. You can compare Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) prices from around the web here on The Informr.
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen) user manual here.
Motorola backs up the Moto E (2nd Gen) with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Moto E (2nd Gen) has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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