Why Moto E is a huge hit!

After the runaway success of Moto X and Moto G, Motorola plans to beat the budget smartphone market hollow with the launch of Moto E for just Rs 7,000. Home grown budget brands, beware!

After Moto G's tremendous success all eyes were set on Motorola's next release. And the company did not disappoint its fans with Moto E, Motorola's most exciting budget smartphone that comes with sturdy built and stellar hardware.

Time to look at what made the Moto E sell out within hours of its launch.

Specs:

• OS: Android v4.4.2 (KitKat)
• Display: 4.3 inches @540x960 pixels, 256ppi
• Processor: Dual Core 1.2 GHz, Cortex A7
• RAM: 1 GB
• Camera: Primary -- 5MP. No autofocus or flash
• Memory: 16 GB, microSD up to 32 GB
• Battery: 1980 mAH Li-Ion (Non-removable)

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Built and design

The Moto E looks solid in hand even though the construction material used is plastic.

The front has a non-inspiring design, but one notices that the speaker has been placed in the front, just beneath the screen.

Seems like an awkward design, but the only justification is that the placement will avoid covering of the speakers and thus, multimedia experience won't be hampered. The speaker was pretty loud and clear during its performance.

Right above the screen, one finds the notification LED, and the sensors for proximity and ambient light. The back of the Moto E has been rubberised; this will lend better grip to the phone and will prevent the occasional smudging.

One has to pry open the back panel to access the micro SIM card and the memory card slot. The back panel doesn't come off easily either, but that means it won't pop out if the phone takes a tumble.

For the Moto E all the buttons like the power button and the volume rocker are on the right side. The 3.5 mm audio jack is located at the top of the phone, and the Micro USB port is located at the bottom.

Motorola has cut corners to keep the phone as a budget offering. The front-facing camera is missing and so is the flash light.

From the bundled accessories, the data cable too is sadly not present. The absence of the cable is definitely going to make quite a few people cringe.

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Display

Motorola has surprised everybody by providing a very impressive display for this budget phone.

The achievement becomes even more astonishing if one considers the fact that the display is Corning Gorilla Glass 3. This certainly has been unheard of
for a phone that sells for Rs 7,000.

The Moto E carries a 4.3" screen with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution, and a 256 pixels per inch density.

The screen comes across as brightly lit and which brings forward a crisp display overall. The colours came out pretty good, and the display angles for this display unit are really impressive.

All this made watching the videos on the Moto E a pretty good experience. The front speaker contributed in making things better overall as well.

The Moto E certainly seems to be carrying the best display in its category.

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Camera

The camera really is nothing to talk about for this budget contender but there are a few things which need to be mentioned.

First of all, one finds how the camera module is a bit recessed. This ought to protect the lens from getting scratched when placed on a surface. Very thoughtful of Motorola.

The camera definitely delivers if one is interested in posting just about acceptable pictrues on social networking websites. Beyond that, it is like asking a bit too much.

The camera, a 5MP shooter, looks good only on paper. The phone does takes decent shots during daytime, but more often than not, the pictures come
out lacking details and at times look washed out as well.

To add to it, the phone hasn't got a flash to assist in low light photography. So one cannot expect even passable results in the absence of ambient light.

Since the Moto E's camera has a fixed focus, shooting in macro mode becomes a difficult task.

In the video department, the phone does provide an HDR option and Panorama mode, but understandably so, there is no HD recording available.

The autofocus is missing here too.

Battery

The phone comes equipped with a 1980mAh Li-Ion battery, and does its job. At least for a day. Users will find the need to charge the phone once a day at the least, and considering the budget, this is perfectly acceptable.

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OS and features

Moto E runs a minimally tweaked version of the Android Kitkat (v 4.4.2).

The fact that the OS hasn't been disturbed much, the Moto E is very responsive without any apparent lag. This is something which the budget phone will be proud to show off to interested customers.

The lock screen features a camera shortcut for quick access to capture candid moments. There is next to no bloatware on the phone, and that shows with the Moto E's smooth performance. The pre-installed -- Moto Migrate, Alert and Assist -- are pretty useful as well.

Moto Migrate allows easy transfer of contents from the old phone to the new Motorola phone.

The Alert feature is pretty cool as well.

It enables the user to share and update your locations with selected users, and allows one to receive notifications while arriving at, or leaving a particular location.

Perhaps the most useful feature via the Alert app allows the user to access a one-touch Emergency Mode, which triggers an alarm via the phone speaker, as well as sends notifications to selected users.

Moto Assist behaves like a true assistant, determining which ringing mode is the best for a particular occassion. Moto Assist hooks to your calendar and picks up scheduled meetings. Depending upon your schedule, notification modes are changed by the app.

Moto Assist's sleep mode basically takes care the user is not disturbed unless the caller is showing utmost desperation and is trying to get in touch repeatedly.

The fact that Motorola has promised at least one more OS update for the Moto E, and going by its recent record of providing updates at a decent pace, all this will make interested customers feel more confident while evaluating the phone.

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Verdict

Motorola has truly redefined the competition with the release of Moto E.

It really seemed quite logical too once everybody witnessed the Moto G and Moto X. Both are stellar phones in their own segments, and the trend continues
with the Moto E.

Not only has Motorola brought out a complete winner with the release of Moto E, the company seems to be going in for the kill with the pricing. Home grown budget brands will surely feel the heat after this release.

Unless the rival companies bring out a phone with matching configuration and slightly more attractive features or pricing, Moto E is poised to run away with the competition.