The big surprise for me was that they nixed the rear LED flash. Not because anybody would take pictures with that camera, but for a phone made for the developing world not having a "flashlight" is a huge knock against it.
Seriously, flashlights are a big selling point even on simple dumb phones here in Rwanda, and I just can't imagine having a phone without it When the power goes out a few times a week, having a source of light on you is a big boon. (and no the screen doesn't count!)
Flashlights on mobile phones are like the 'Leatherman' of the underprivileged. I've seen almost every technician / handyman put it to good use to illuminate a dark nook of your home while doing his job.
I think that they're just following Nokia's lead. Nokia released the Lumia 520 without a LED flash and it has been their best seller, especially in emerging markets. The big difference, however, is that the Lumia costs half as much as the new Motorola.
I agree it isn't ideal, but hitting that price point isn't easy. And a Moto E and a flashlight is still quite a bit cheaper than a Moto G, so I understand why they might have made that cut.
a led flashlight isn't so expensive. if you could afford $120 for a smartphone, I think there's some room for a flashlight. I admit that led flashlight don't come with a rechargeable battery, but they last long.
and a white screen is a good substitute.
it's still a $120 device that allows you to go on the internet.
What do you mean that flash is needed only in developing world? Is it somehow not needed in developed countries, cause days lasts longer and Sun is shinier?
The Moto G is still pretty much the best value proposition out there, great phone at a great price.
In this crowd there's a lot of hate when the phone doesn't have an SD card slot (and I kinda wish it did), but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a better phone for the price (and even for double the price it might be hard).
Surprising... The Moto E has an SD card slot, dual sim support, and a gorilla glass screen.
I'm guessing they've got the price down by getting rid of the front facing camera, and LED flash for the rear camera, probably cheaper build quality. But... that's a a great price!
Some phones for the same price: ZTE Geek v975, Lenovo P780, Lenovo S860, Jiayu G4s, Star N9800. Faster, bigger, dual sim. And Lenovo has great battery.
The Moto G is still the best in its price range, and at $129 the Moto E may manage to pull the same thing in the lower than 150 dollar market.
Whatever Google changed in Motorola's approach, it's working, because that's the first two phones they've ever made that I wish to buy and recommend (including G for myself).
They say it sells very well so I hope these things are sufficiently profitable for them, we will all benefit from great phones at low price point.
(the higher priced market may be harder to breach though, since the Nexus brand is already there playing the same game)
I'm planning on buying myself a Moto G2 this fall/winter. I don't need a high-end phone right now, unless something great comes out of the Android Silver program (maybe a really nice Sony with a great camera). However, my next (and maybe "last") high-end phone will probably be one based on ARA, and then I'll just buy all the highest quality components I want (if it works well).
As for Moto G2, this would be my wishlist (if they're reading this):
- quad core Cortex A53 with LTE (basically Snapdragon 410)/Wi-Fi 802.11ac would be nice, too
- 8 MP camera that is at least as good as the one in Nexus 5 (but hopefully more reliable/faster with the focus)
- 32 GB version for $200 or at least 16 GB but with SD card support. 16GB without SD card support is too little, even at this price point.
- a slightly more compact size (same screen size, just more compact, as the Moto G is as big as Moto X, which has a bigger screen, but the compactness of Moto E makes me hopeful that it will be).
On the other hand, it's a real disappointment that they only guarantee one (1) future OS upgrade, which is a real shame especially since it's basically Google.
This is the first time I am seeing that a phone is priced cheaper in India. It is exclusively available online in India on http://www.flipkart.com/motorola/motoe
Moto E is a nice phone, and although I haven't tried Moto G in real life, it actually looks like it has slightly better build quality for some reason, and more compact, too (for the size). But for only $50 difference, Moto G seems the better choice. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic, but I actually thought they could manage to put this one at $99, especially once I saw a rumor that it will sell for $117 in India. Moto G also started at about 17 percent in India more than in US ($210), so I logically deduced in US it would be $99.
Moto G had a GREAT price at $179 ($210-$240 elsewhere), and why it became so popular in the first place. It doesn't quite look that Moto E has the same type of great price for what it offers. $99 would've been that great price that would've made everyone recommend it as the default choice for the price range.
If the rumor about the price in India was right, and it won't actually be more like $150 now there, then perhaps they are trying to have a more "global" price, where it's more or less the same price everywhere, even in US, and this way they'd make little profit on the global versions, but more profit in US.
As for the specs, I'm a little disappointed it comes with Cortex A5 instead of A7, but since it's clocked 200 mhz higher than Cortex A7 would be, maybe it's not too big of a problem, especially since they claim the general performance of the device is faster than a Galaxy S4 in many situations (like opening apps, which I think has more to do with their use of the F2FS file system, which ironically is made by Samsung, but they aren't using it themselves).
I also told my little brother if he'd want one of these, and he asked me if it has flash, and was disappointed to hear it does not. I think Motorola underestimated the importance of flash for this type of phone. The screen, size, internal storage+SD, I'm fine with. I'm just hoping that whenever Google launches Android 5.0 (hopefully this year), it will be upgraded to it.
Regarding the guaranteed upgrade:
"2 The device will receive at least one software update to the current KitKat 4.4.2 operating system."
The wording there is confusing. I could see reading it as "it currently doesn't support 4.4.2, but it will." or "We'll upgrade to at least 4.4.3" or "we'll upgrade to at least 4.5"
I suspect they intend it to mean 4.5, but it is written vaguely, and that sort of promise sounds very much like marketing weasel words to avoid shipping anything more than minor system upgrades (which are INTENDED to not break functionality on devices).
They should be more explicit, why not just say a particular version number or later? Fear of the team changing the numbering scheme?
I own a Moto G and am not totally happy with it. I replaced a Lumia 820 with it. The big problems for me are the camera is awful, I mean really bad. It's that bad I've started dragging my DSLR with me. Also the WiFi is terribly unreliable. I'll be sitting opposite the router and it'll start "avoiding poor connections". This isn't environmental as it happens everywhere. Also exchange integration is ugly and painful. Genuinely regretting the purchase.
I'm sure someone can produce a better handset for the price.
Moto E & Moto G, both are very well designed, hot selling items in developing countries. They offer so much more value for that price point than ANY of the competitors. Granted you'd find pain points but the fact is, they are providing a quality user experience to the masses at a fraction of the cost.
I think a first time budget user deserves a quality UI with a great touch experience to start with. (I'm looking at the sluggish Samsung etc. models at this price point with crappy touch experience).
They've been very clever with the timing on this! Bringing it out at a really affordable price just before all the new nexus/galaxy s5 mini/metal/iphone 600 come out!
So people like me, who are (desperately) due an upgrade can buy this and sit on the fence until all the shiny new phones are available and then start a new contract. Genius!
Its a shame about the lack of flash and the non removable battery but I think this type of phone is made to be short term. Its meant to be either an interim solution as I mentioned above or as a taster to get people into the smart phone ecosystem and upgrade to something better in a year or so when it starts slowing down.
At least in Canada it remains incredibly difficult to get the G or X without a plan or contract. I can't help wonder what exactly it is that makes Motorola so resistant to direct selling in the frozen north.
The single greatest thing about the Nexus 5 is how easy it is to buy the handset with absolutely no consideration about the carrier at all, and it's sad that Motorola haven't learned this from greater Google before going off to Lenovo.
Doubly sad, as the products deserve a lot more attention. I do wonder if they're concerned about them being good enough to cannibalise vast swathes of the market.
It just doesn't make sense to target a developed nation with high smartphone penetration that has a population of only 35 million. Moto's aiming to sell the G and E to price-sensitive first-time smartphone buyers in developing nations, probably with the plan that by building a brand now, those customers will buy higher end Moto smartphones as they gain wealth.
Where does the Moto E compare in "horsepower" to phones we currently know? It states the Snapdragon 1.4 ghz dual core processor, isn't that what's in the US domestic Galaxy S3?
This is great news for android developers! Maybe one day google will be able to deprecate Gingerbread! It was released over 4 years ago yet every android app must support it since it represents about 20% of users since manufacturers continue to sell phones with it in 2014.
Gingerbread is a real pain to support and bloats and slows all android applications by having to include a huge support library (~5MB).
My Android 4.1 smartphone is $70 at Bestbuy. It's a dual-core 1.4ghz with 1GB ram. Half the cost of the Moto E.
Does the Moto E have slightly higher specs than my phone? Yes. But is it "shaking up" the smartphone world? Hell no. Feature phone buyers will buy phones like mine, which are half the cost of the Moto E, and fully capable modern Android phones.
"Goodbye Flip Phone" Not likely - as long as the carriers REQUIRE a data plan to buy a smart phone. Some people use a WiFi tablet and a flip phone to keep monthly costs to a minimum.
Seems you can't buy the phone outright in the UK and have to buy it through network providers. Would have been good to see an unlocked version purchasable direct from Motorola.
These Moto phones would be great vehicles for getting people to try Ubuntu Touch. Why do they only provide images for the most expensive possibilities?
[+] [-] nicpottier|11 years ago|reply
Seriously, flashlights are a big selling point even on simple dumb phones here in Rwanda, and I just can't imagine having a phone without it When the power goes out a few times a week, having a source of light on you is a big boon. (and no the screen doesn't count!)
Seems like a misstep to me.
[+] [-] enscr|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] adolfojp|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] lukasm|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] fpgeek|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] dpweb|11 years ago|reply
I'm going to think about this today as I reflect upon my own #firstworldproblems
[+] [-] trurl42|11 years ago|reply
Now you have a flashlight.
[+] [-] jokoon|11 years ago|reply
and a white screen is a good substitute.
it's still a $120 device that allows you to go on the internet.
[+] [-] levosmetalo|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rtpg|11 years ago|reply
In this crowd there's a lot of hate when the phone doesn't have an SD card slot (and I kinda wish it did), but the fact of the matter is you cannot get a better phone for the price (and even for double the price it might be hard).
[+] [-] Alterlife|11 years ago|reply
I'm guessing they've got the price down by getting rid of the front facing camera, and LED flash for the rear camera, probably cheaper build quality. But... that's a a great price!
[+] [-] sliverstorm|11 years ago|reply
But, it's not a big deal, and for the price? Can't think of anything close.
Edit: Oh dear, the new 4G version supports SD cards. Man, I didn't get my Moto G that long ago either. Regrets...
[+] [-] polshaw|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bnn|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nolok|11 years ago|reply
Whatever Google changed in Motorola's approach, it's working, because that's the first two phones they've ever made that I wish to buy and recommend (including G for myself).
They say it sells very well so I hope these things are sufficiently profitable for them, we will all benefit from great phones at low price point.
(the higher priced market may be harder to breach though, since the Nexus brand is already there playing the same game)
[+] [-] higherpurpose|11 years ago|reply
As for Moto G2, this would be my wishlist (if they're reading this):
- quad core Cortex A53 with LTE (basically Snapdragon 410)/Wi-Fi 802.11ac would be nice, too
- 8 MP camera that is at least as good as the one in Nexus 5 (but hopefully more reliable/faster with the focus)
- 32 GB version for $200 or at least 16 GB but with SD card support. 16GB without SD card support is too little, even at this price point.
- a slightly more compact size (same screen size, just more compact, as the Moto G is as big as Moto X, which has a bigger screen, but the compactness of Moto E makes me hopeful that it will be).
[+] [-] tomp|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rglullis|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|11 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] pjmlp|11 years ago|reply
"And with a guaranteed upgrade" == "The device will receive at least one software update to the current KitKat 4.4.2 operating system"
[+] [-] aphexairlines|11 years ago|reply
False advertising: obviously not "always" up to date.
[+] [-] samstokes|11 years ago|reply
The price point is tremendous though.
[+] [-] rythie|11 years ago|reply
iPhone 3GS users had 4 years and 8 months of updates before they were stopped.
iPhone 4 users have had almost 4 years of updates so far, which is 3 major versions or about 29 updates if you include minor ones.
[+] [-] joosters|11 years ago|reply
I wish phone manufacturers would specify a support time period.
[+] [-] dlhavema|11 years ago|reply
"Moto E runs Android™ 4.4.2, KitKat®, the latest version of the world’s most popular mobile platform"
and then the footnote says:
" 2 The device will receive at least one software update to the current KitKat 4.4.2 operating system. "
so are they saying you will get at least one update to the same minor version that it already comes with???
[+] [-] free|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mataug|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] higherpurpose|11 years ago|reply
http://indianexpress.com/article/technology/mobile-tabs/moto...
Moto G had a GREAT price at $179 ($210-$240 elsewhere), and why it became so popular in the first place. It doesn't quite look that Moto E has the same type of great price for what it offers. $99 would've been that great price that would've made everyone recommend it as the default choice for the price range.
If the rumor about the price in India was right, and it won't actually be more like $150 now there, then perhaps they are trying to have a more "global" price, where it's more or less the same price everywhere, even in US, and this way they'd make little profit on the global versions, but more profit in US.
As for the specs, I'm a little disappointed it comes with Cortex A5 instead of A7, but since it's clocked 200 mhz higher than Cortex A7 would be, maybe it's not too big of a problem, especially since they claim the general performance of the device is faster than a Galaxy S4 in many situations (like opening apps, which I think has more to do with their use of the F2FS file system, which ironically is made by Samsung, but they aren't using it themselves).
I also told my little brother if he'd want one of these, and he asked me if it has flash, and was disappointed to hear it does not. I think Motorola underestimated the importance of flash for this type of phone. The screen, size, internal storage+SD, I'm fine with. I'm just hoping that whenever Google launches Android 5.0 (hopefully this year), it will be upgraded to it.
[+] [-] ColinDabritz|11 years ago|reply
The wording there is confusing. I could see reading it as "it currently doesn't support 4.4.2, but it will." or "We'll upgrade to at least 4.4.3" or "we'll upgrade to at least 4.5"
I suspect they intend it to mean 4.5, but it is written vaguely, and that sort of promise sounds very much like marketing weasel words to avoid shipping anything more than minor system upgrades (which are INTENDED to not break functionality on devices).
They should be more explicit, why not just say a particular version number or later? Fear of the team changing the numbering scheme?
[+] [-] pling|11 years ago|reply
I'm sure someone can produce a better handset for the price.
[+] [-] whizzkid|11 years ago|reply
"Moto E: Made to Last. Priced for All."
[+] [-] enscr|11 years ago|reply
I think a first time budget user deserves a quality UI with a great touch experience to start with. (I'm looking at the sluggish Samsung etc. models at this price point with crappy touch experience).
[+] [-] serf|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] apricot13|11 years ago|reply
So people like me, who are (desperately) due an upgrade can buy this and sit on the fence until all the shiny new phones are available and then start a new contract. Genius!
Its a shame about the lack of flash and the non removable battery but I think this type of phone is made to be short term. Its meant to be either an interim solution as I mentioned above or as a taster to get people into the smart phone ecosystem and upgrade to something better in a year or so when it starts slowing down.
[+] [-] fidotron|11 years ago|reply
The single greatest thing about the Nexus 5 is how easy it is to buy the handset with absolutely no consideration about the carrier at all, and it's sad that Motorola haven't learned this from greater Google before going off to Lenovo.
Doubly sad, as the products deserve a lot more attention. I do wonder if they're concerned about them being good enough to cannibalise vast swathes of the market.
[+] [-] w1ntermute|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ctb_mg|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nellyspageli|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] peterwwillis|11 years ago|reply
Does the Moto E have slightly higher specs than my phone? Yes. But is it "shaking up" the smartphone world? Hell no. Feature phone buyers will buy phones like mine, which are half the cost of the Moto E, and fully capable modern Android phones.
[+] [-] rahimnathwani|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] grymoire1|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] shapeshed|11 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DonGateley|11 years ago|reply