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| Sample photo from yours truly |
Build & screen
Feels just right on a regular-sized hand and has rubber-like back and edges to forestall slipping. I have been using the phone for over four months now, and thanks to these edges, I have been able to get a good grip on the device, and not even once I have felt it has been at risk of slipping away, as a smooth finish would have surely done.
Has a roomy 4.5 inch display which is readable for regular eyes. Yes, the screen is reflective under sunlight and impossible to look at under it, but once you get under a shade it's fine. Clicking something on the lock screen is a bit unresponsive as some very few times you have to try again to get the action done. Otherwise fine.
Android OS
Clean and without bloatware. However for an android first-timer, the OS and apps feel convoluted compared with Apple's IOS. I imagine that not technically-savy might need help for first-time setup.
Probably the biggest letdown coming from Motorola is that this phone will be stuck on Lollipop meaning it will not be upgradable to Marshmallow. Depending on your point of view, this might or might not be something of importance. As I see it, none of the features offered by Marshmallow would really benefit the Moto e as it already has commendable battery usage and lacks a fingerprint reader. The other minor features are minor really.
Speed
Having experienced only the Samsung Nexus 6, the Moto e one feels zippy enough. Every once in a long while it gets laggy, but it sorts itself out after a reboot or even by letting it be.
Battery & Memory
Lasts for me the whole day. In fact I could go with my semi-light use (no phone calls) for ~3 days without charging. The battery is replaceable and the memory is expandable to 32gb.
Camera/Video
Basic for basic stuff. No flash and zoom is done digitally.
Podcast & audio
The audio sounds of lesser quality as compared to the ipod, however, unless you have golden-ears, you can quickly adjust. Podcast Addict does the job for me, but it only did after scratching my head figuring it out. For its part, the Audible app, does allow for chapter skips from the lockscreen which is a boon and remembers the playback position across devices. The WSJ auto-updates on the library, but you have to give it the go-ahead for downloading. Maybe it's just me but the bundled Play Music app from Google so minimalist for standard mp3 playing as to make it unacceptable. Months in, I cannot still figure it out. There's an FM radio app as well, but you need to have the headphones on to tune in.
Google Integration
Not having a google account for your phone is a waste. Google drive app is especially useful, since it can be used to transfer files to and from your phone without buying yet another cable.
Wifi & localization
The wifi is as fast as you can expect in accordance with your source hotspot. Has GPS.
Conclusion
For my intents and purposes this phone makes me not want to look back to a dedicated MP3 player. There's room for improvement here and there, but the android apps and features and its affordability makes it hard to look for anything else if someone's looking for an entry phone. Recommended.
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| 4 stars |
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