Motorola Moto E32s Smartphone Review - Low performance entry-level model with equipment bonus
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75.1 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2022 | Motorola Moto E32s Helio G37, PowerVR GE8320 | 185 g | 32 GB eMMC Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 76.4 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2022 | Motorola Moto E32 T7200, Mali-G57 MP1 | 184 g | 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 75.9 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2022 | Realme C31 T7225, Mali-G52 MP1 | 197 g | 32 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.50" | 1600x720 | |
| 76.6 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2022 | Xiaomi Redmi 10C SD 680, Adreno 610 | 190 g | 64 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | 6.71" | 1650x720 |
Case and features - Inexpensive model with IP certification
The Moto E32s is a very affordable smartphone that is offered in two storage variants:
- 32 GB mass storage / 3 GB RAM: 129 Euros
- 64 GB mass storage / 4 GB RAM: 149 Euros
In terms of looks and also pricing, it strongly reminds us of the Moto E32 which we recently tested. The casing is almost identical, except for minimal differences in the design of the camera module and the volume rocker. The Moto E32s is also housed in a plastic casing, which is made special by a matte glossy back that refracts light.
The workmanship is solid, but you can feel material transitions in some places and the phone does not feel quite as smooth in the hand due to the slightly edgier design. Pressure does not affect the device too much, and it remains quite stable even when twisted.
An IP52 certification attests to the smartphone's basic resistance to splashing water and dust.
The Moto phone offers a dedicated microSD slot for memory expansion. In our benchmarks, it performs on the class level in terms of speed, but cannot stand out.
| SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C (Angelbird V60) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (7.7 - 77, n=77, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s (Angelbird V60) | |
| Motorola Moto E32 (Angelbird V60) | |
| Realme C31 (Angelbird V60) | |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Communication, software and operation - Fast Internet on board
In contrast to the Moto E32, the Moto E32s even feature Wi-Fi 5 and can convince with very high speeds in our Wi-Fi test with the reference router Asus ROG AXE11000, which hardly any other smartphone in this price range offers.
In terms of mobile connectivity, there is 4G connectivity, but only with quite a few bands, so use abroad could be problematic. The reception quality is rather mediocre in our samples during the entire test period and clearly below what is possible with the quantitatively and qualitatively better antennas in high-end phones.
Android 12 is preinstalled on our test device, which is a positive surprise since it is the latest widely available Android version. However, there is no information about further updates. The security patches are from June 2022 and thus urgently need a refresh at the time of testing. Motorola installs quite a pure Android with only a few own apps and no bloatware.
Using the touchscreen works reliably and often quite smoothly thanks to the 90 Hz screen. However, jerks due to low performance are common, especially shortly after the system start or during background tasks. It takes considerably longer than in the Moto E32 for the fingerprint sensor, which is integrated into the standby button on the right, to unlock the smartphone. However, the recognition is reliable and it can also be used to unlock apps with sensitive information. Face recognition is also available, which works well in daylight, but is not as secure due to the pure 2D software solution.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
Cameras - Moto with 16-megapixel sensor
A 16-megapixel camera is the main lens on the back. It allows for taking decent pictures in daylight, even though details always look a bit blurry. The brightness is not particularly good; as soon as the sun is a bit weaker, the pictures look quite dark. There is also a macro lens with a 2-megapixel resolution and an additional camera for blur effects that cannot be used for standalone photos.
In very low light, the drawing is lost in dark areas, and the entire picture also looks very blurry. The picture can still be recognized dimly in only 1 lux illumination, but details can hardly be made out anymore.
Videos with the main camera can be recorded at a maximum of 1080p and 30 fps. The autofocus struggles a bit with close objects from time to time, but overall it works reasonably fast and usually without pumping. The exposure compensation is solid, but the overall image quality is slightly blurry, just like in the photos.
The front-facing camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. It takes passable selfies in good light, but only a few details are displayed in the hair in our test picture.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Main cameraMain cameraLow Light
Display - 90-Hz display available
Motorola installed a 90-Hz display, which can provide fast operation and smooth movements during videos or scrolling. However, Motorola has neglected the brightness: with a maximum of 346 cd/m², the screen is significantly less bright than, for example, the Xiaomi Redmi 10C. Thus, you will have a hard time using the smartphone outdoors during the day or in other very bright environments.
The black level of the 720p IPS screen is mediocre, which also results in only moderate contrasts. As a result, dark areas look more gray than truly black and colors look somewhat muted. In our measurements of the color accuracy, there are partly high deviations from the optimum, especially brown tones that look strongly distorted and a clear brown color cast can be seen in the grayscale.
However, we did not notice any PWM, so even sensitive people should be able to cope with the phone's screen.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 90 %
Center on Battery: 346 cd/m²
Contrast: 736:1 (Black: 0.47 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 5.5 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
93.2% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.874
| Motorola Moto E32s IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Motorola Moto E32 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Realme C31 IPS, 1600x720, 6.5" | Xiaomi Redmi 10C IPS, 1650x720, 6.7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | -25% | -78% | -1% | |
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 30 ? | 40 ? -33% | 62 ? -107% | 33 ? -10% |
| Response Time Black / White * | 23 ? | 27 ? -17% | 34 ? -48% | 21 ? 9% |
| PWM Frequency | ||||
| Screen | 7% | 15% | 44% | |
| Brightness middle | 346 | 375 8% | 413 19% | 511 48% |
| Brightness | 330 | 339 3% | 394 19% | 478 45% |
| Brightness Distribution | 90 | 84 -7% | 91 1% | 84 -7% |
| Black Level * | 0.47 | 0.52 -11% | 0.4 15% | 0.42 11% |
| Contrast | 736 | 721 -2% | 1033 40% | 1217 65% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.4 | 4.41 18% | 4.89 9% | 1.51 72% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 9 | 6.55 27% | 8.35 7% | 2.53 72% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.5 | 4.6 16% | 4.9 11% | 2.9 47% |
| Gamma | 2.874 77% | 2.275 97% | 2.395 92% | 2.266 97% |
| CCT | 5971 109% | 7641 85% | 7598 86% | 6443 101% |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -9% /
0% | -32% /
-3% | 22% /
35% |
* ... smaller is better
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 23 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 8 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 15 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 48 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 30 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 16 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 14 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 36 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms). | ||
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Performance, emissions and battery life - Little power, long runtime
The MediaTek Helio G37 is a rather weak SoC, which we already encountered once in Motorola Moto G22. Even there, we did not have much fun with the processor because it does not offer much performance.
The Moto E32s already shows what the user can expect after the first start: the phone stutters and can hardly be used for a few minutes. After that, the system stabilizes and you can use it more or less smoothly in everyday operations, but you have to live with long loading times and stutters as soon as you start even slightly more complex apps.
The lame eMMC storage also contributes to that, which is hardly used by any phone in the cheapest category anymore. The temperature increases up to 43 °C during longer periods of high system load, but it is not yet critical.
The mono speaker on the bottom edge gets averagely loud and does not offer a sufficient amount of low tones, but does not overdrive even at maximum volume and offers quite a clean sound. It is sufficient for occasional videos or listening to music. A 3.5 mm port and Bluetooth 5.0 are available for connecting external audio devices. Bluetooth supports aptX and aptX HD, but not the more modern versions of the codec.
The 5,000 mAh capacity of the battery is on par with the competition. The phone achieves a good runtime of 16:12 hours in our WLAN test. It beats all comparison devices, even if some are only by 25 minutes. The phone should at least be ready for several days away from the power outlet in normal use.
We find it annoying that despite the option of using 15 watts of charging power, only a 10-watt power supply is included. Thus, it takes well over 2 hours until the battery is full again. An existing charger with more power can shorten the charging time by about 40 minutes.
| GFXBench | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G37 (7 - 7.9, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (3.6 - 247, n=204, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G37 (4 - 4.2, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2.3 - 263, n=204, last 2 years) | |
| on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G37 (4.9 - 5, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 144, n=204, last 2 years) | |
| 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
| Average Mediatek Helio G37 (1.5 - 1.5, n=4) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 112, n=204, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | Motorola Moto E32 | Realme C31 | Xiaomi Redmi 10C | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 156% | 50% | 246% | -26% | 618% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 248.6 | 664.3 167% | 478.8 93% | 927.7 273% | 242 ? -3% | 1859 ? 648% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 184.3 | 250.7 36% | 131.9 -28% | 510.2 177% | 100.5 ? -45% | 1445 ? 684% |
| Random Read 4KB | 49.1 | 139.1 183% | 89 81% | 120.2 145% | 43.2 ? -12% | 278 ? 466% |
| Random Write 4KB | 40 | 134.3 236% | 61.5 54% | 195.2 388% | 22.4 ? -44% | 310 ? 675% |
Temperature
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 39.8 °C / 104 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 43 °C / 109 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
Motorola Moto E32s audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (80.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (13.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.3% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (24.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 56% of all tested devices in this class were better, 7% similar, 37% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 72% of all tested devices were better, 6% similar, 22% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Redmi 10C audio analysis
(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.3 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 32% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.1% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (6.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 2.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (5% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 50% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 41% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 68% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 25% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Battery life
| Battery Runtime - WiFi Websurfing | |
| Average of class Smartphone (476 - 3244, n=204, last 2 years) | |
| Motorola Moto E32s | |
| Realme C31 | |
| Motorola Moto E32 | |
| Xiaomi Redmi 10C | |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Decent equipment, but the performance...
If you are looking for an inexpensive phone with good features, you will get your money's worth with Motorola's Moto E32s: with WiFi 5, 90-Hz screen, and modern Android 12, you get a few things in the Moto E32s that you would otherwise not find in a smartphone for 130 Euros. We also like the battery's long runtimes. The only annoying thing is the weak charger that is included.
If only Motorola had tried to use a more powerful SoC... Already at the first system start, you notice that there are only a few performance reserves, and stutters and waiting times are part of everyday life unless you hardly put any load on your smartphone. The dim screen wouldn't have to be and the camera is also more for snapshots than serious photography.
The Motorola Moto E32s is a somewhat strange combination of a 90 Hz frame rate, fast WLAN, and a modern operating system with very little performance and a gloomy screen.
However, if that is enough for you and you only want to use your smartphone for basic tasks but need fast Internet and good stamina, the Moto E32s is definitely worth a look. We recommend the slightly more expensive 64 GB variant even if you only take photos or download music occasionally, otherwise, the storage will be full very quickly.
The Xiaomi Redmi 10C (with 159 Euros at the moment at amazon.de a bit more expensive) offers a much brighter screen, more power, and faster storage. You also get WiFi 5 here, but only a 60-Hz screen. Overall, however, a very interesting alternative with greater performance potential.
Price and availability
The manufacturer itself states that the Moto E32s is not available at the moment of this review.
However, the device with 32 GB of storage is available for 130 Euros at this time from our lender cyberport.de, also you can currently pay a few Euros more for it at amazon.de.
There are currently only very few offers for the 64 GB variant in German-speaking countries.
Motorola Moto E32s
- 09/07/2022 v7 (old)
Florian Schmitt
Price comparison
