motorola moves to a different part of
the alphabet that at first glance
doesn't quite seem like the kind of
device that a typical Western user would
want essentially made to its retail
value this phone packs far less than the
typical power performers that we've
become rather accustomed to but moto has
made it clear that it's not necessarily
a bashatt power that is the point here
it's about an experience that is meant
to last and is meant to be the most
accessible package ever is it well let's
find out because it's Joshua Vergara
from Android Authority and this is the
Moto e if there's one thing about this
phone that is obvious from the get-go
this is a moto device and you can tell
just by the shape of it they're
generally curved design all around that
results in a pebble like design is now a
common trope that was originally
introduced in the Moto X only now it's a
bit smaller but generally beefier in
thickness and weight up front is the 4.3
inch screen a screen size many of us
might look at as a bit of a throwback
above and below it are the only main
stylistic choices made in this device
silver slits that house the phone and
loud speakers coming around the sides
you'll see that the button layout is
only on the right side with the power
and volume rockers underneath it and as
far as the field goes on those buttons
they are really squishy but at the very
least I didn't have any problems with
the responsiveness of these buttons the
volume rockers are a little bit better
when it comes to their press but the
power button is what is the squishy is
out of the three the soft touch back is
removable and replaceable with a number
of different coloured Motorola shells
that of course will cost a little bit
more money now they're not terribly
tough to get off by any means and once
you get that cover off you have access
to the sim tray and of course the
microSD card slot you can largely rest
assured that this phone will withstand
your lifestyle whatever it is as not
only has the screen been made with
Gorilla Glass 3 but the entire device
has been rated to handle tumbles and
splashes and be able to bounce right
back things are generally really
simplistic for the Moto e but what I
really did think when I was using this
phone was at its price it manages to not
look like a feature phone and that is
thanks to motos general style the 4.3
inch capacitive touchscreen comes with
the Rezo
solution of 960 by 540 and 256 pixels
per inch the pixel density is actually
the main draw here as the resolution is
pretty much expected for a phone that is
supposed to go to a lower spec overall
the sharpness here however is higher
than that of any other phone sporting
the same size screen navigating through
the interface and getting through
websites posed no issues then and while
the ultra colorful candy crush has
definitely seen some better days it
still is workable on this smaller screen
as you will find is the case with this
phone from here on out the Moto e is
ultimately capable of being the lasting
communication device it is meant to be
only somewhat capable of tasks that
require more than it is able to provide
this is especially true considering the
power package found within the Moto e
just might be the first time many of you
have heard of the Snapdragon 200 the
dual-core 1.2 gigahertz processor backed
by the audrina 302 and one gigabyte of
ram as was somewhat demonstrated in our
comparison to the Moto G the Moto e is
simply just a slow device all-around far
from the snappy experience that you
would expect from higher rated
Snapdragon processors that we've become
accustomed to by now one gigabyte of ram
also unfortunately doesn't feel like
enough for any power users out there and
eventually you will experience slowdown
if you try to go too crazy expect either
some force closes or the need to restart
the phone if it tends to get too
sluggish you will see more cut corners
in the hardware aspect where plenty of
concessions were made in order to ensure
the low cost of this device one place
that we have to tip the hat to though is
definitely that front facing speaker
it's not an incredible performer but
just its placement is enough to truly
set this phone apart from a vast
majority of similarly priced offerings
motorola also doesn't skimp out on the
call quality as the same great sound
comes through on either end of the call
and in terms of phone networks this
budget-priced phone made for the global
stage sticks to HSDPA connectivity for
work ibly fast mobile internet dual sim
versions of this phone are available in
certain markets making this one of the
cheapest smart phones available that
offers such a feature and as far as
storage goes four gigabytes are found on
board but you aren't able to expand it
with a microSD card slot that can have
cards of up to 32 gigabytes and capacity
and you are going to need it though to
install anything more than the bare
essentials four gigabytes of space is
simply not enough to handle a full suite
of applications for even the slightly
above average user not to mention any of
your media that could take up space even
quicker and finally in the power
department this phone is touted to be
capable of lasting all day with a 1980
milliamp hour unit now it should come as
no surprise that this phone is actually
not supposed to be able to take
moderately heavy to heavy usage
especially when it comes to media
consumption so when you sort of change
your perspective on the Moto e you
realise that this is a phone that is
supposed to be used primarily as a
communication device and when you do it
that way
you do get some lasting longevity from
this that kind of usage means sticking
to primarily making phone calls working
with SMS messages emails and doing some
web browsing and if you do I have no
doubt that it will last the full 12
hours and with power saving likely
beyond the camera situation on the Moto
e is well bleak at best as it is where
the most corners were cut in the nut
show there is a five megapixel shooter
but no flash and it works with a fixed
focus getting into the app first however
we do find the same simplistic interface
that moto generally sticks with HDR and
panorama are available but those are the
real only editions shooting is fairly
fast but without the quality and the
control it's a bit of a stale trade-off
as such the quality of photos is
dependent on your ability to really set
up the scene fixed focus is the biggest
attractor and thus requires you to be
able to frame your scene to the best
possible outcome anything close up will
remain blurry while the lack of flash
makes low light
a fringe shooting opportunity at best
ultimately the five megapixel shooter of
the Moto e is a requirement for the
smartphone experience and by far is not
a defining feature of this budget
smartphone and finally in software you
do get Android 4.4.2 kitkat with the
promise of timely updates from Motorola
making this one of the easiest entry
points for any new Android user you get
what you would expect from the core
experience though home screens app
drawer notification drop-down and the
quick settings and I have already
mentioned the periodical force closes I
can happen and the phone's own
limitations especially in regards to low
RAM and low storage but underneath the
core surface are a few Motorola
additions motorola assist does help in
certain instances changing phone
settings to cater to wear knows you are
what a roll alert is an actual nice
addition introduced in the Moto e that
might just save you from predicaments it
allows for emergency correspondence with
any specific context of your choosing
and includes a built-in alarm if things
get really hairy
and finally motorola migrate makes it
easier for you to transition from past
devices to your new Moto e the Moto e is
able to boast that it has stock Android
or at least comes really close to it and
for that price having stock Android and
the promise of timely updates does make
that a feather in its cap unlocked the
Moto e comes in at 129 dollars and is
one of the lowest prices you can
currently get for a smart phone the
closest competitor is actually from Moto
itself which is the Moto G and we
already made a comparison video with it
you can pay the $50 premium for the G
for a better screen a better processing
package that can yield a more reliable
performance experience and still have
the same good build quality and strong
connectivity characteristic of Motorola
devices and so there you have it the
Moto e this is definitely a case where
the phone falls in line with its retail
value while for some people this phone
will be considered a steal for others it
is an indication of just what is missing
in the experience and what we have to
remember is that those are two different
camps and this phone is trying to reach
both groups of people and quite
literally everyone else in between in
plenty of places around the world to the
Moto e will likely be considered the
Gateway into the current world of
smartphones on the other side of the
spectrum people who might already
have the means to buy higher to your
devices we'll look to the Moto e as no
more than a backup phone and you know
what both sides make sense no matter
where you stand on that spectrum what
you get in the Moto e is a phone that
excels at the bare essentials the core
communication experience a sturdy build
quality that can last and the battery
power to help you stay in touch with all
those who are important to you so if you
know anybody in your life that still has
not used Android or for that matter a
smartphone the Moto e right here is
probably the shallowest part of the pool
so you can encourage them to just jump
right in as always thank you guys very
much for watching and hope you enjoyed
this review of the Moto e yes it comes
with a lot of limitations but you get
what you pay for with that $129 price
point and for a lot of people around the
world this just might be the gateway
into smartphones or Android for that
matter so keep it tuned to Android
Authority for all of the best coverage
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