Are you still to make the step-up to the world of smartphones? Well, despite the number of ads showing that everyone owns an all-singing, all-dancing handset, that’s far from the case. Could the Moto E change that?
The Moto E is a new smartphone from Motorola, which it hopes will lure non-smartphone owners by virtue of its wallet-friendly £89 price tag.
You might assume that, for £89, the Moto E will have cut so many corners that it will have lost the speed and convenience that makes a smartphone, well… smart. But, having had a chance to get my hands on one at yesterday’s unveiling, that’s far from the case.
Keeping up with the Joneses
Motorola is actually going so far as to claim that the Moto E can outperform the Galaxy S4 in everyday tasks, such as the time it takes to launch the camera app and get back to the phone’s homescreen.
That said, there’s no doubt that Motorola has been savvy with the specifications – a 1.2GHz dual-core processor is hardly world-beating, nor is 1GB of RAM or its 5 megapixel camera. But, pound-for-pound, the value more than outweighs the downsides of not having the fastest phone on the market.
Interesting too is the fact that the Moto E is fast enough to run the latest version of Android (4.4 KitKat), and it will even run 4.5 apparently. That means you’ll be able to keep your phone as current as the much more powerful (and expensive) handsets on the market.
It’s also one in the eye for numerous other phone manufacturers whose handsets have been made obsolete by the introduction of Android KitKat. A fate that’s befallen even former flagship phones such as Samsung’s Galaxy S3 (which, on paper at least, is actually a more powerful phone than the Moto E).
Tempted by the Moto E?
So what do you think about the Moto E? Is the relatively low price tag of £89 enough to tempt you into buying your first smartphone? Or, if you already have a smartphone, is the price low enough that you might consider buying it mid-contract, just to have a change of handset?
We’ll be subjecting the Moto E to our expert tests soon to find out just how much of a bargain the Moto E really is when compared to other cut-price phones, such as the Nokia 520 and even the Moto G. So keep a look out on our smartphone reviews if you’re on the fence.