Motorola announced the new Moto E (2nd generation), the latest iteration of the company's budget handset, and Motorola said that this version was developed with low cost in mind while attempting to bring the performance and features common in higher-end devices.
"When we were designing this new generation of Moto E, we went back to consumers who bought the first generation. We really listened to what they liked and how we could make this affordable device even more useful and more powerful. We were able to pack in a quad-core processor, an all-day battery, a new front-facing camera, and a 4.5" qHD display—and still keep the phone at an ultra affordable price," said Kristin Arnold, research design director at Motorola.
The smartphone features an ergonomic design that Motorola claims will fit comfortably in your hand. The company also designed what it calls a "Grip Shell" that goes along the edge of the device. Besides adding grip to the phone, it also comes in several colors that are easily changeable, allowing you to personalize the device.
Inside, Motorola has opted for a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC, over the Snapdragon 200 SoC used in the older Moto E. Although both are quad-core chips running at 1.2 GHz, the 410 moves on from the ARMv7 instruction set to ARMv8, giving it 64-bit compatibility.
The smartphone also adds built-in 4G capabilities and features an Adreno 306 GPU instead of the Adreno 302 GPU in the previous-gen Moto E, which should give the handset a minor speed boost.
The device resolution remains the same with at 960x540 (245 ppi), and the smartphone has a 2,390 mAh battery, which Motorola claims can last up to 24 hours. Other features include two 5 MP cameras, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of storage, with a micro SD card for expansion up to 32 GB.
Unfortunately, although the phone has 4G capabilities, it only supports 4G LTE. In most of the world this won't be much of an issue, but it could be a problem in Korea and China where other LTE standards are sometimes used.
Users will be happy to see that Motorola opted to load the new Moto E with Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Motorola has also included its exclusive software features such as Moto Display, which will display the time and your notifications with just a slight nudge, and Motorola's Quick Capture, which activates the camera with the flick of your wrist.
Motorola will release the new Moto E today in 50 nations around the world, starting at $149.99 USD (opens in new tab) unlocked. The old Moto E will continue to be sold for $119.99.
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