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Moto E (2015) Review – A pretty ‘Basic’ deal, with unpredictable performance drops

Cosmic Paladin by Cosmic Paladin
March 8, 2024
in Reviews

“E for ‘economy’ is what Motorola aimed for with the Moto E, introduced in 2014. Its success in changing trends, breaking sales records, and other achievements is well-known. Who would’ve thought that a tiny entry-level phone packing decent specs, capable of getting you through the day with telephony, and housing the elusive vanilla Android OS would come at that price? And within a year of its release, Motorola seeks to leverage its success with the Moto E (2nd Generation). Does it dominate the entry-level battlefield? Let’s find out.

detailed review of Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)A lot has changed in the segment where the Moto E operates in the last year. The entry of competitors like the Lenovo A6000, Xiaomi’s Redmi 1s and Redmi 2, Asus Zenfone 4, and others has intensified competition in the 5-7k INR price range. While this is good for consumers, it also creates confusion about which phone to choose.

Detailed Review of Moto E 2nd Generation

Here is our review of the new Moto E after using it for over a week, including how it compares against the competition and for whom it makes sense to get one or not!

What’s in the box

Moto E (2nd Gen) box and accessories

  • Moto E (White or Black depending on your order)
  • 3.5mm jack earphones
  • 550A Charging adapter
  • Instruction manual

Design and Display

Motorola has retained the overall design theme but made some changes that are quite pleasing. Hold the phone and it instantly gives a feeling of solid build quality, and the 4.5-inch screen is great for one-handed usage. However, the slightly thicker bezels give it a bulkier feel, and the phone is not lighter either.

The curved design of the phone is good to hold in the hands and the sweet Moto dimple has become an identity. The option to change the ‘bands’ with many different colors adds a touch of customization too. However, the bands don’t come cheap – 999 INR for a set of three. For an entry-level device, will the users be ready to shell out 999 INR? We do not think so! While the notion is good, the pricing isn’t, more so the price of 899 INR for the back cover or grip shell.

Moto E (2nd Gen) display and speakers    Moto E (2nd Gen) back design
The display is a 4.5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 540 x 960 pixels. The screen is prone to fingerprints, and you may want to bring a screen guard although it is Gorilla Glass protected. The 245 dpi screen leaves us with nothing much to talk about but just that the viewing angles are decent, just decent.

Software

This is the strongest area of the Moto E, at least for folks like me who yearn for the vanilla Android experience and what more if it’s the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop. The adaptive display that says ‘howdy’ when you pick up the phone, displays notifications and such that need your attention and then goes to sleep when you place it back – nice experience.

Moto E (2nd Gen) softwareWe instantly got a minor software update on the first boot and we do expect constant updates based on Motorola’s track record. Though the software is near-stock Android, Motorola has added a few apps of its own, like Moto Assist, Moto Actions, Moto Display, and Moto Migrate, which enhance the user experience.

Moto Assist helps you keep your phone quiet during meetings or while asleep. With Moto Actions, you can launch the camera app by twisting your wrists. Moto Display brings notifications on the lock screen when the screen is not active. Interestingly, the Moto E offers the ability to move apps to SD card though you cannot install them directly on the SD card.

quick settings panel on 2nd gen Moto E   Moto E 2015 stock android UI   Moto E (2nd Gen) sd card apps
Overall, the UI is snappy, responsive, and smooth in transitions. Out of the box, a little more than 5GB will be available out of the 8GB total memory. Thankfully there is an option to increase the memory via microSD up to 32GB.

Performance

Powered by a Snapdragon 200 SoC, the Moto E is not suitable for heavy usage or multitasking. It will simply crash the apps or freeze if you do heavy gaming or open 20 apps. A phone in this price range is just not meant to view HD movies, play graphic-intensive games, or go crazy on multitasking.

It did run well with less than 5 apps open at a time and beyond that, signs of stutters and struggles start to show up. It all depends on what kind of apps you are running. We had Gmail, Google Play Store, Music, Subway Surfers, and Chrome with 10 windows open, and beyond this, it started showing signs of sluggishness.

Here are the benchmark scores.

2nd gen Moto E antutu benchmark   2nd gen Moto E Quadrant benchmark
Gaming on the Moto E is possible but limited. We tested it with several different games without expecting much. However, to our surprise, games like CSR, Sonic Dash, Real Racing, Dead Trigger 2, and even Asphalt 8 ran well! Asphalt 8 was in the default ‘medium’ graphics mode, but it managed to handle the game smoothly about 95% of the time. There were some isolated fraction-of-a-second jerks and stutters, but overall, the performance was impressive.

When pushed to its limits for elongated periods, the device did heat up, reaching close to 46 degrees Celsius. However, this is expected with intense gaming. Unfortunately, the loudspeaker on the phone is disappointing and does not provide an immersive gaming experience. Sound is crucial for games, and while playing, we want to hear the vrooms and screeches of the cars, but the Moto E falls short in this aspect.

2nd gen Moto E gaming reviewThe calling experience on the Moto E was just okay, nothing exceptional. Overall, connectivity was reliable, and signal reception was good. The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth worked fine too without any noticeable problems.

The music playback is satisfactory, and the loudspeaker isn’t overly loud. Regarding video playback, it was passable, but at times, videos were jerky.

The Moto E’s battery life is impressive. With regular usage including calls, messaging on WhatsApp, browsing, taking pictures, and listening to music for about 30 minutes, the battery lasted a little over a day. Motorola’s claim of a 20% improvement in battery performance for the 2nd Gen over the 1st Gen holds true. With typical usage, the battery can last 1.5 to 2 days, with a screen-on time ranging from 5 to 6 hours, which is quite good.

Connectivity options on the Moto E are decent but not outstanding. It’s disappointing that Motorola didn’t release the 4G variant in India. The current model supports dual micro SIMs, but only the primary SIM supports 3G while the other supports 2G, operating in dual-standby mode. Other connectivity features include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot functionality, FM radio with RDS, GPS with A-GPS, and GLONASS support.

Camera

The Moto E’s camera is a mixed bag, as not much has changed from the first generation. The phone sports a 5MP autofocus rear camera and a VGA front camera. While there have been some minor improvements to the rear camera, such as slightly better image quality, Motorola still hasn’t included an LED flash. The camera quality is also not acceptable when compared with Redmi 2, which in the same price range produces some stunning shots.

The camera can shoot 480p videos at 30fps, but the quality is just okay for social media sharing. Photos taken in daylight conditions are decent, but indoor and low-light shots possess a high level of noise.

moto E 2nd gen rear camera

The camera app is simple and typical of Motorola phones, with options like HDR and Panorama. The Twist to click feature is a nice addition, but it feels like a gimmick given the camera’s limitations. Despite its shortcomings, the camera offers some fun features.

Moto E 2015 Camera Samples

For a better idea of the Moto E’s camera capabilities, check out the camera samples below.

Low light shot
daylight shot taken on 2nd gen moto e
Daylight shot
HDR
moto e 2015 close up shot
moto e 2nd gen closeup shot
Low light shot
Indoor shot
indoor shot taken on 2nd gen moto e

Verdict

The competition in this price range is fierce. For 6,999 INR, one could consider the Lenovo A6000 or the Redmi 2, which offer better specs and performance and are known to provide better performance across departments. The Moto E’s camera and lack of 4G are a huge disappointment for its Indian release and the compromises Motorola made are obvious.

However, if you are looking for superior build quality and a vanilla Android experience, along with excellent battery life, and can live with a subpar camera and screen, the Moto E (2nd Gen) could be a suitable choice. Make sure to consider everything before making a decision.

PROS

– Good build quality
– Brilliant battery performance
– Vanilla Android OS with basic additions
– Gorilla Glass 3 protection
– Color band options
– Handy size
– Affordable price

CONS

– Mediocre screen
– Below-average camera
– No LED flash
– No OTG support
– SD card support for installing apps

Tags: AndroidMotorolaReview
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Cosmic Paladin

Cosmic Paladin

Cosmic Paladin is a Tech Enthusiast and a Gadget Freak! From Nokia 3310 from back in the day to OnePlus One today, he has used tons of devices and has dived deep into the nuances of what it takes to make a good phone. As a Product Manager building enterprise mobile and web apps, his passion is music, photography and tech blogging!

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Comments 2

  1. Ketan says:
    10 years ago

    Nice review… I\’m sure this will help people to make right decision.

    Reply
  2. h says:
    10 years ago

    really a nice review.can u tell more about its audio quality and camera. thanks

    Reply

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