Motorola Moto E 2015 Smartphone Review
For the original German review, see here.
Motorola's Moto E already impressed us last year, and now Motorola wants to score again with its second generation Moto E. The new model has been treated to a bigger 4.5-inch screen, more internal storage, the brand new Android 5.0 Lollipop, and a front camera. Even LTE Cat 4 is installed. A purchase price of just 129 Euros (RRP, ~$137) makes it a hot candidate for the pedestal.
We used Microsoft's Lumia 535, LG's L Fino, Honor's Holly and Huawei's Ascend Y530 as direct competitors for this test.
Case
Motorola closely stuck to the former Moto E in terms of feel. Thus the second generation Moto E is just as pleasant to hold and agreeably slip-proof due to its rubber-coated plastic casing. However, its looks have changed more obviously. The second speaker below the screen has been axed. The micro-SIM and micro-SD slots' accessibility has also been modified. The back cover can no longer be completely removed, but only the accent band that also harbors the physical buttons. That also increases the stiffness, and the smartphone resists even persistent warping attempts successfully. Only the screen responds to high force with light discolorations. The battery is still non-removable. The gaps are extremely even, and the build quality does not suggest the low price, either.
The dimensions of 129.9 x 66.8 mm (~5.1 x 2.6 inches) are slightly higher than that of the predecessor, but the thickness of 12.3 mm (~0.5 inches) has remained. The weight has increased by an unnoticeable 3 grams (~0.1 oz). The review sample is black with a black accent band, but the device is also available in white. The bands are obtainable in different colors.
Connectivity
The port positioning is almost the same as in the predecessor. The micro-USB 2.0 port is on the lower edge, and the 3.5 mm jack is on the top. The micro-SD and micro-SIM card slots are under the accent band on the right. A clever detail: Since the back cover cannot be removed, and Motorola did not want to disrupt the clean looks, the IMEI number, model label and CE mark have been placed on a pull-out tab. As usual, the power button and volume rocker are on the right.
The internal storage is now 8 GB. Roughly 4.6 GB net are available for the user. It can be expanded by up to 64 GB via a micro-SD card. Many apps can be moved onto the card owing to App2SD.
Software
Motorola installs the latest Android 5.0.2 Lollipop operating system on the Moto E 2015. It has again virtually been left untouched, which leads to a pleasingly high performance. Like in the predecessor, the manufacturer preloads some proprietary apps, such as the well-known Assist feature for muting the device or scheduling via the calendar.
Communication & GPS
The review sample obtains a full score in this field. It offers a genuine rarity for this price range with quad-band LTE; the contenders do not offer that. On the other hand, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 LE are standard fare. NFC has not been installed.
In the test, Motorola's Moto E 2015 consistently presented a decent and stable reception at a distance of 10 meters (~33 feet) and through three walls from the router. Websites opened relatively fast.
The GPS reception proved rather mixed. Although the smartphone can link to a few satellites using the GPS Test app indoors and localization is quite fast outdoors, it had a deviation of 7 to 10 meters (~23 to 33 feet). This deviation was also recorded in our bike test when compared with the Garmin eTrex 30 navigation system. The review sample cut the total route by approximately 320 meters (~350 yards). This is particularly obvious in tight curves and on wooded paths.
Telephone & Voice Quality
The phone app corresponds to Google's stock application. All important features, such as call lists, favorites or groups, are available. The voice quality is decent, which our contact also confirmed in a test call. Neither static noise nor a too low volume was noticed. The hands-free feature is, however, only useful in quiet surroundings. The sound suffers from crackling and a low maximum volume.
Cameras & Multimedia
The primary camera on Motorola's Moto E 2015 has a sufficient resolution of 5 megapixels, and is roughly on par with the contenders. Although an auto-focus is installed, there is no photo light. That makes it even worse that the camera lens' low light performance is very unsatisfying. The pictures suffer under poor focus and relatively high image noise even when the objects are well illuminated. It is better not to use the digital zoom because the last bit of sharpness is lost and the noise increases exponentially. The Moto E records videos in 720p with 30 fps.
Motorola's Moto E second generation now also features a front-facing camera. However, Motorola might just as well have omitted it. It is extremely disappointing and useless with an outdated VGA resolution, virtually non-existing image focus, and pale colors alongside extreme noise. Rivals like Microsoft's Lumia 535 present a significantly better performance here.
Accessories
The box contains a quick start guide and USB charger besides the smartphone itself. A modular power adapter is not included for the device. Various Motorola accent bands will soon be available optionally, which adds a bit of color. Furthermore, different colored Grip Shells for protecting the device will also be purchasable. Users who are frequently on the road will be pleased about the additional Power Pack Micro battery for approximately 50 Euros (~$53), which even has an integrated key finder.
Warranty
Motorola includes a 12-month warranty on its Moto E 2015.
Input Devices & Controls
The capacitive touchscreen supports up to five fingers at the same time, and is sensitive up to its corners. Inputs are identified and implemented relatively fast, just like automatic screen rotation. Unfortunately, the navigation icons integrated in the screen again lessen the actual, usable screen area. Android therefore fades them out as often as possible.
Display
The 4.5-inch IPS LC screen in Motorola's Moto E 2015 has a resolution of 960x540 pixels - Honor's Holly offers HD resolution, and other rivals only offer a slightly lower resolution.
The average brightness of a meager 204.1 cd/m² is clearly lower than the rates of the contenders. A maximum of 248 cd/m² are achieved. The illumination disappoints with just 55%, decreasing significantly from top to bottom, visible even for the naked eye on bright contents. The former Motorola Moto E did a considerably better job here.
Motorola again relies on Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the screen. It even has an "anti-smudge coating". However, its usefulness did not become evident in the test.
|
Brightness Distribution: 55 %
Center on Battery: 217 cd/m²
Contrast: 1447:1 (Black: 0.15 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 4.12 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 4.87 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.38
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash | Huawei Ascend Y530 Adreno 302, 200 8210, 4 GB Flash | LG L Fino Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 4 GB Flash | Microsoft Lumia 535 Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash | Honor Holly Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | -62% | -26% | -10% | -51% | |
Brightness middle | 217 | 375 73% | 299 38% | 431 99% | 472 118% |
Brightness | 204 | 370 81% | 303 49% | 424 108% | 455 123% |
Brightness Distribution | 55 | 91 65% | 93 69% | 90 64% | 87 58% |
Black Level * | 0.15 | 0.74 -393% | 0.5 -233% | 0.64 -327% | 0.77 -413% |
Contrast | 1447 | 507 -65% | 598 -59% | 673 -53% | 613 -58% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 4.12 | 8.8 -114% | 5.41 -31% | 3.6 13% | 8.23 -100% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 4.87 | 8.69 -78% | 5.44 -12% | 3.71 24% | 8.84 -82% |
Gamma | 2.38 92% | 2.03 108% | 2.23 99% | 2.4 92% | 2.12 104% |
CCT | 6019 108% | 8507 76% | 7400 88% | 6878 95% | 6819 95% |
* ... smaller is better
The review sample can clearly outperform its rivals with its black level of a superb 0.15 cd/m². The contrast of 1447:1 is also very impressive. Images look vivid and the black reproduction is exhilarating.
The CalMAN analysis discloses clear shifts from the sRGB reference color space. Although the color accuracy is decent, a light yellowish cast is evident. The color brightness is also a bit too low. The grayscale levels exhibit a visible greenish-yellowish color cast particularly in the brighter hues. In return, the color temperature and gamma rate are quite close to the ideal rate, and the DeltaE in ColorChecker is also on a good level. The contenders have significantly higher rates here. Subjectively, Motorola's Moto E 2015 color reproduction is still decent especially in view of the price range.
The Moto E 2015 does not convince outdoors due to its low maximum brightness and highly reflective screen. However, content is still easily read in partial shade.
The screen's viewing angle stability is high owing to the IPS technology. Its brightness does decrease in extreme, impractical viewing angles while the color reproduction remains stable for a very long time.
Performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 quad-core SoC installed in the review sample clocks with 1.4 GHz and offers a high performance in this price range.
Motorola's Moto E 2015 regains ground in terms of performance, and clearly outruns the contenders in almost all benchmarks. Solely Honor's Holly stands out in the Androbench 3 storage test. The user has 4.55 GB of the 8 GB storage available. The storage is generally accessed very quickly. Holly's Honor is on par with the review sample in the Linpack benchmark.
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly |
3DMark | |
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
LG L Fino | |
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
LG L Fino | |
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
LG L Fino | |
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Physics (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Graphics (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
1920x1080 Ice Storm Extreme Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Physics (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Graphics (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly |
GFXBench 3.0 | |
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | |
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly |
AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly |
AndroBench 3-5 | |
Random Write 4KB (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
Random Read 4KB (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly | |
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly |
Linpack Android / IOS | |
Multi Thread (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Microsoft Lumia 535 | |
Honor Holly | |
Single Thread (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Microsoft Lumia 535 | |
Honor Holly |
Smartbench 2012 | |
Gaming Index (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly | |
Productivity Index (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly |
A mixed impression emerges from the browser benchmark performance. Where Motorola's Moto E 2015 can still score in the Google V8, WebXPRT 2013, Vellamo 3.1 and Octane v2 benchmarks and lets some contenders look quite inferior, they surpass it in the Sunspider 1.0 benchmark and Kraken 1.1. The tests were all performed using the preloaded Google Chrome browser. Subjectively, Motorola's Moto E 2015 offers plenty of browsing fun for the money.
Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Microsoft Lumia 535 | |
Honor Holly |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Huawei Ascend Y530 | |
LG L Fino | |
Microsoft Lumia 535 | |
Honor Holly |
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
LG L Fino | |
Honor Holly |
Vellamo 3.x | |
Metal (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly | |
Multicore Beta (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly | |
Browser (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Honor Holly |
Google V8 Ver. 7 - Google V8 Ver. 7 Score (sort by value) | |
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 | |
Microsoft Lumia 535 | |
Honor Holly |
* ... smaller is better
Games
The somewhat older Qualcomm Adreno 306 GPU with a clock rate of 450 MHz is located in the mid-range, and provides enough power for most up-to-date games found in Google's Play Store. For example, even the slightly more demanding first person shooter Modern Combat 5 ran smoothly in our game check. The accuracy of the sensors and touchscreen greatly contribute to the gaming fun.
Emissions
Temperature
Motorola's Moto E 2015 does not exhibit irregularities and always stays cool. A maximum of only 36.1 °C (~97 °F) on the upper side's center and at most 35.4 °C (95.7 °F) on the underside were measured during full load. The idle temperatures on the surface remained clearly below 30 °C (86 °F). The former Motorola Moto E was noticeably warmer, and the other rivals cannot compete with it here, either.
The battery test of GFXBenchmark 3.0 also confirms that the smartphone does not get excessively warm and thus does not throttle.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.1 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 35.4 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 29.2 °C / 85 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The receiver of Motorola's Moto E 2015 also serves as the speaker for audio output. Although its maximum volume is still sufficient, the sound transducer soon begins to overdrive. The tinny sound with extreme lack of bass prevents a balanced sound and consequently also music enjoyment. An external speaker or headphone is clearly the better choice. The latter is connected to a well-implemented 3.5 mm jack that fuses a relatively low basic noise with high maximum volume.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The power consumption of Motorola's Moto E 2015 is within an acceptable range with rates of 2.7 to 4.3 watts during high load. Some contenders consume significantly more; only Huawei's Ascend Y530 is less guzzling. When idle, the review sample’s 0.7 to 1.4 watts surpasses only the much less powerful Huawei's Ascend Y530. The other rivals are not as power-hungry as the Moto E 2015, which gives hope for a long battery life.
Off / Standby | 0.1 / 0.2 Watt |
Idle | 0.7 / 1.1 / 1.4 Watt |
Load |
2.7 / 4.3 Watt |
Battery Runtime
According to Motorola, the non-removable battery has a capacity of 2390 mAh, which is 410 mAh more than in the predecessor. The review sample, however, only achieves a 20-minute longer runtime under load than last year's first generation Moto E - that is likely due to the considerably stronger SoC. All rivals have to take their place behind that, particularly since all have a weaker battery installed. The review sample proved to be a real marathon runner with its maximum runtime of around 26.5 hours in minimum brightness and enabled energy-saving mode. The smartphone had to be recharged after approximately 8.5 hours in the Wi-Fi test using a brightness of 80% (150 cd/m²) and constantly opening different websites via a script. Although the predecessor lasted longer here, it is still an impressive time. The review sample managed 6 hours of Full HD video entertainment. Thus, watching will be possible even on long trips.
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015 Adreno 306, 410 MSM8916, 8 GB eMMC Flash | Microsoft Lumia 535 Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 8 GB eMMC Flash | LG L Fino Adreno 302, 200 MSM8212, 4 GB Flash | Huawei Ascend Y530 Adreno 302, 200 8210, 4 GB Flash | Honor Holly Mali-400 MP2, MT6582, 16 GB eMMC Flash | Motorola Moto E 1. Gen 2014 Adreno 302, 200 8210, 4 GB Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -31% | -12% | -20% | -19% | -4% | |
H.264 | 360 | 322 -11% | 350 -3% | |||
WiFi v1.3 | 506 | |||||
Load | 260 | 127 -51% | 228 -12% | 208 -20% | 211 -19% | 248 -5% |
WiFi | 376 | 407 | 483 | 363 | 846 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
Motorola's Moto E 2015 has definitely earned our recommendation. The refresh simply provides a lot for a price of 129 Euros (RRP, ~$137). But first things first.
The build and the choice of materials are very good, and would look good in even considerably more expensive smartphones. The plain and stylish design also appealed to us. The internal 8 GB storage is easy to expand for little money via a micro-SD card. Furthermore, the hardware's performance alongside the latest Android 5.0.5 operating system and long battery life is convincing. The communication modules do not exhibit any major missteps, and LTE is still the exception in this price range. That makes it easy to forgive the lack of NFC.
Our verdict about the 4.5-inch screen is mixed. The IPS screen's high contrast and great black level deliver a good score, and the color reproduction is also decent. On the other hand, the low brightness is not as pleasing and makes outdoor use a bit difficult. However, the camera modules and the squeaky speaker are really disappointing.
The multiple pros outweigh the cons and thus we give a purchase recommendation to everyone who wants as much "bang for the buck" as possible.
The price/performance ratio convinces; the contenders are all decent devices taken alone. However, they cannot knock the Motorola's E 2015 off the top, which even outclasses its successful predecessor.
Motorola Moto E 2. Gen 2015
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04/02/2015 v4(old)
Michael Moser