First impressions of the Moto E

Text and photos by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

The Moto E is here and now puts Motorola in a better position to gain new users in emerging markets, the entry level of the smartphone business as well as users transitioning from feature phones. Here are my intial thoughts on this new device.

The Moto E feels very much like a scaled down Moto G but the reduction in processing power, screen size and battery life translates into a very similar smartphone experience. The Moto E is the new entry level smartphone for Motorola and a great option for budget users wanting the closest thing to a Pure Google experience at a fraction of the price of a Nexus 5.

4G-LTE is not on tap on the Moto E (but the new variants of the Moto G have this feature, which in Canada means it is only available to Rogers and Fido unless you unlock the device). Specs for the Moto E are modest at best but my preliminary tests showed it to be sprightly and lag free. Far from the laggy experience I had with a similar entry level device, the Nokia X Dual SIM.

The Moto E may be affordable but it doesn't look or feel cheap. Heck, it feels better than many $500 Android phones in the hand and that's just Motorola doing what it does best, making solid hardware. The microSD expansion slot is another useful feature that has the Moto E punching above its weight class.

I popped a 32GB card in and it was good to go (a vast improvement over the 2GB left on the device's total of 4GB of storage). In terms of feel and user interface, the Moto E remains in tune with the Moto X and Moto G even if some Motorola apps aren't available for this device.

The 4.3-inch screen is clear and easy to read, movies and photos look good and you can't ask for more for a device in this price range and size. The multi-touch functionality is wicked fast and pinching and zooming is instantaneous. 

I plugged in my TELUS SIM Card into the Moto E and was delighted that it managed to get on the network straightaway. No fuss whatsoever. Same with setting up my personal and social media accounts, it was painless.

Camera is good and relatively fast to capture. There's no selfie camera here though so users who use Hangouts should probably consider the Moto G.

The Moto E continues the mission of the Moto G but brings down the price point even lower and is now available contract free for under $200. In many ways, the Moto E is a better option than the first gen Moto G was since it includes microSD expansion but at the price of a front-facing camera and no LTE. 

The built-in speaker is powerful enough for a mono set and did a decent job of playing the Police's Synchronicity from my Google Play subscription. There's also a built-in FM radio that I'm sure I'll get to use while commuting.

The specs of the Moto E don't tell the whole story, Motorola has managed to ensure quick performance using the latest version of Android (with a promise of updates in the future), which already makes this a better option than many entry-level Android devices which are stuck on older versions. This is the practical smartphone of 2014, a possible game changer in the entry level and a viable contender in the new race to the bottom (in terms of pricing) that's taking place among Android manufacturers.