Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)

Mobile is good at this price range.
But they failed their promise of delivering updates. No updates were made since the purchase.
Seems that 4G variant is getting Marshmallow update only in some places. 3G variant doesn't.

Since Lollipop 5.0 has memory leak issues, close all the apps and restart the mobile daily to fix the hanging problem.

Moto E 2015 version is the successor to Moto E. It is the best of Motorola till now (considering the budget segment). It seems to overrule other smartphones in this range. It comes in two variants-3G and LTE. We will be reviewing the 3G model Let us figure out what makes it everyone's favourite- 1) Design and Display- Its design is similar to that of the Moto G 2nd gen. It sports a 4.5 inch IPS LCD display offering a 540 x 960 pixels resulting in a poor 245 ppi pixel density. However, due to the Gorilla Glass 3 and oleophobic coating, it is strong enough. Although, the resolution is not up to the mark, the viewing angles are good and clarity can be observed in text while browsing. You may see colours turning upside down while auto rotation but that's alright. Physically, it is built very well. It is a good rugged device. Weighing 145 grams only, it feels light and comfortable in hand. The looks aren't that great but the quality of hardware used is pretty nice. You have the speakers placed at the top and capacitive buttons at the usual places. You can expect quality components and loud sound which will fill up the room. So, I rate it 4.1/5. 2) Performance and RAM- It boasts a Quad core Snapdragon 200 Cortex A7 clocked at 1.2 Ghz clubbed with 1GB RAM. The only problem with the previous model was a dual core processor but now this issue has also been resolved. The performance on Moto E 2nd Gen is similar to Moto G Gen 2. It has an Adreno 302 sitting inside. You can swipe here and there smoothly without any noticeable lags but for gamers, it might be a nightmare. Due to the Snapdragon 200 chip and Adreno 302, gaming is not that great. It can do your daily tasks with ease but HD games might lag a bit. But, considering the price, I would rather not discriminate it. But, I must say that it is majorly meant for daily tasks, games, multitasking, and a good user experience instead of heavy games. So, I rate it 4.3/5. 3) Software and Interface- The most exciting part is that it comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop and is further upgradable. Lollipop is surely a sweet upgrade from Kitkat. It brings new innovations and changes in UI. You have a redesigned settings app, better notification centre, screen pinning, faster connectivity, lots and lots of animations, battery saver, enhanced Google Now, Swype keyboard and much more. The performance is also very much smooth without any stutters. Better optimization of apps and play store will make you love this phone. It has negligible bloatware unlike other phones which offer beefy specs with lot of bloatware inside. Hence, I give 4.7/5. 4) Camera and Features- There are no upgrades to the camera. It is still a 5MP one. You have a poor VGA secondary camera and no flash. This is quite disappointing for selfie fans. The photos clicked in low light would not be appreciated at all. During the daytime, it still captures somewhat better pictures but overall it lacks that clarity and crispness. Also, it has only 2 sensors-Accelerometer and Proximity sensor to cut down the price. Overall, I rate 3.5/5. 5) Battery and Storage- Here is something really great done by Motorola. Moto E 2nd Gen comes with a huge battery backup of 2390 maH which is sure to last a day at least after heavy usage. Frequent travellers and lazy people do not have to their phones intermittently due to a huge battery life. That's just amazing. On the storage front, you have 8GB of onboard storage but not to worry as it is upgradable to 32GB via micro SD card. You can download apps, games, music, etc blindly as by spending a little on microSD cards, you can expand the storage. Hence, I rate it 5/5. Verdict- Moto E 2015 is really a good challenger. It is priced at Rs 6,999. The major difference between Moto E 2nd gen and other phones is the user experience. You have no bloatware and Google software inside. Other phones use their own ROM's and fill the phones with useless things. Also, it offers good specs at this price and after all it's a branded phone too. The compromise you have to make is on the camera, sensors,display and heavy HD games.. Rest seems to be well and good. If you love Nexus and Motorola (or Google) devices, then I recommend it. Overall, considering the brand value, price, features, competition in the market, I rate it 4.5 stars out of 5.(read more)