SoC and Internals
Snapdragon SoC
The SoC powering the 2015 Moto E represents a significant upgrade over last year’s model, which had shipped with a dual-core Snapdragon 200. Motorola, like most phone makers not named Samsung or Apple, uses Qualcomm SoCs across their entire lineup and this new Moto E has been updated with the quad-core Snapdragon 410. This SoC combines four 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 cores with Adreno 306 graphics, adding significantly to the performance of this new device and bringing the Moto E up to speed with the 2014 Moto G, Motorola’s other sub-$200 smartphone which is powered by a Snapdragon 400.
Let's take a look at the specs for the 2015 Moto E compared to not only last year's model, but the two bigger siblings in the Moto family against which it will be compared in the performance benchmarks section:
| Moto E (2014) | Moto E (2015) | Moto X (2014) | Nexus 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SoC | Snapdragon 200 | Snapdragon 410 | Snapdragon 801 | Snapdragon 805 |
| CPU Cores | Dual-core Cortex A7 1.2 GHz | Quad-core Cortex A53 1.2 GHz | Quad-core Krait 400 2.4 GHz | Quad-core Krait 450 2.7 GHz |
| GPU Cores | Adreno 302 | Adreno 306 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 420 |
| RAM | 1GB LPDDR3 | 1GB LPDDR3 | 2GB LPDDR3 | 3GB LPDDR3 |
| Screen | 540x960 LCD 4.3-in (256 ppi) | 540x960 LCD 4.5-in (245 ppi) | 1080x1920 AMOLED 5.2-in (424 ppi) | 1440x2560 AMOLED 5.96-in (493 ppi) |
| Storage | 4 GB eMMC MicroSD Slot |
8 GB eMMC MicroSD Slot |
16/32/64 GB eMMC | 32/64 GB eMMC |
| Camera | 5MP Rear Front (none) |
5MP Rear VGA Front |
13MP Rear 2MP Front |
13MP Front 2MP Front |
| Battery | 7.5 Whr 1980 mAh |
9.1 Whr 2390mAh |
8.7 Whr 2300 mAh |
12.2 Whr 3220 mAh |
| Network | Qualcomm MSM8210 Integrated HSDPA | Qualcomm MSM8916 Integrated Category 4 LTE | Qualcomm MDM9x25 UE Category 4 LTE | Qualcomm MDM9x25 UE Category 6 LTE |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz) Bluetooth 4.0 USB 2.0 |
802.11a/b/g/n (2.4 GHz) Bluetooth 4.0 USB 2.0 |
802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) Bluetooth 4.1 USB 2.0 |
802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz) Bluetooth 4.1 USB 2.0 |
| OS | Android 4.4.2 | Android 5.0.2 | Android 5.0 | Android 5.0.1 |
An important difference between the Snapdragon 410 and the SoCs found in the larger two Moto phones isn't compute power, but communications. The modem in the Snapdragon 410 is integrated as it was with the first Moto E's Snapdragon 200, and this updated block provides LTE capability up to CAT4 speeds with up to 150 Mbps possible with a 3rd generation LTE connection. In comparison the Snapdragon 810 in the Nexus 6 does not have an integrated modem, instead using Qualcomm's MDM9x25 block with CAT6 LTE speeds of up to 300 Mbps on 4th gen networks. Going forward I would expect many more LTE devices in the low-cost segment using SoCs like the Snapdragon 410, as the baked-in baseband can facilitate faster LTE adoption across product lines.
So what about performance? To put this aspect of the 2015 Moto E in context I ran some standard mobile benchmarks on this Moto E and the other Moto devices I have on hand, including the current Moto X (Snapdragon 801) and the Nexus 6 (Snapdragon 805 SoC). The results of these benchmarks are available on the next page.
Memory and Storage
One of the most obvious aspects of a budget device (beyond screen resolution) is limited RAM and low onboard storage, and the Moto E won’t wow anyone with just 1GB and 8GB respectively in those areas. Looking at RAM first one might assume that with many phones now offering 2GB or even 3GB of memory, having just 1GB seems like a significant drop. In actual use most applications will operate just fine with the lower number with the biggest impact being to multitasking, as having too many applications and processes running will adversely impact responsiveness with a limited amount of available RAM. In my time with the device I found this limitation to be noticeable, but not frustrating. The lower screen resolution probably helps here, as there is less on the screen the SoC to render, but running Lollipop with less than 2GB isn’t going to feel “snappy”. I can’t overstress that this wasn’t a bad experience, just slower across the board compared to Lollipop on the current Moto X and Nexus 6 that I compared it against.
Out of the box the Moto E is limited to 8GB of onboard eMMC storage, but there is a microSD slot which supports cards up to 32GB. The first-generation Moto E was equipped with just 4GB of onboard storage so this is clearly and improvement, but such a low number really isn't practical for many people. I used a 16GB card throughout testing to bring the phone up to a more reasonable amount of storage, and this didn’t pose any issues. Such a configuration actually provides a very good value proposition as even the fast Samsung EVO memory card I purchased sells for only $10 on Amazon, a very cost-effective way to triple the phone’s capacity.
Slight typo on page
Slight typo on page 2
Essentially 540×960 offers the usable space of a sharper 1080×1920 panel, but with only half of the pixels the scaling looks at best soft on the Moto E
It’s a quarter of the pixels, half in each direction.
These budget phones look pretty decent, honestly. If Verizon would let me bring my own phone at a discount (which I don’t think they do currently) I’d buy my own phone and use it at the lower price. As it is, I decided to get one of those fancy flagships on Edge, which does give the per-line discount. Paying more than I’d like, but where I live Sprint and T-Mobile aren’t great. 🙁
Thanks – fixed the typo. I
Thanks – fixed the typo. I wish everyone had the option to BYOD, and while Verizon has such a good reputation for coverage the lack of device freedom is why I stick with AT&T.
I’m pretty sure verizon
I’m pretty sure verizon knocks the line fee down to $15 if you are not under a 2-year contract. I think they change that fairly recently.
I’m done with subsidized
I’m done with subsidized phones, we have 2 OnePlus One’s and a Moto G in this house.
Have 2 moto e 2 nd gens and 3
Have 2 moto e 2 nd gens and 3 HTC 510’s on Cricket. $100 month no contract. No plan to ever be gouged by Verizon again. Love it.
Just installed CM12.1
Just installed CM12.1 (Android 5.1) on my Galaxy S3 last night. It’s like getting a new phone!
Who cares, that has nothing
Who cares, that has nothing to do with the article or what anyone is talking about.
You LL want the motog first
You LL want the motog first gen without LTE ,gpe!1280x720p is the sweet spot for smartphone,size can change but the rest as to be 1280x720p .hspa+is also a sweet spot.LTE is a battery hog.the Asus zen2 has all a user need (the 1280x720p version,hopefully the max combo can be outfitted with a 1280x720p.sadly I don’t think zen 2 is gpe !tho Intel does promise update close to same time as android.if true?(usually Intel deliver on their promise)zen 2 will be best bang for $ for a while
I’ve used a SIM-only deal
I’ve used a SIM-only deal here in the UK, for years, with a preSmartphone Nokia, an HTC Desire and now the impressive Moto G
Cannot see the point of essentially leasing or hiring a phone, unless u just HAVE to have the latest flash kit. I pay c£9 (c$13) for 1000 mins ago of calls, unltd texts and a gig of data, plus cellphone companies here are will always haggle to keep u as a customer. Buy the Moto model that appeals – or even cheaper, buy one in India – the rupee is worth £.01 – a UK penny!
Thanks for the review. This
Thanks for the review. This will be in the short list of phones I will consider when and if I finally break down and get my first smartphone.
I currently own a first gen
I currently own a first gen moto G but a model with LTE(I suppose that model only launched in certain parts of the world like the EU). I like the smaller screen better than the new G, it has a higher resolution screen than the new E and an SD card slot. Still waiting for my Lollipop upgrade though…
I got one in the US, so it’s
I got one in the US, so it’s not just an international version. I’m quite happy with it. I got it for the uSD slot not the LTE. I do with they would hurry up with 5.1, though. You did hear the news that they were skipping 5.0.2 and going right to 5.1, right? Downside: it’ll take even longer to get here. But, better late and right than early and broken.