Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)

“The Motorola Moto E stands as a litmus test for the ultra-budget smartphone market. The high-quality parts and clean Android software make for a potent combination, especially in the sub-$100 realm.”

“The build and the choice of materials are very good, and would also 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 reap in 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.”

“With the addition of LTE and a processor upgrade,Motorola's latest Moto E narrows the gap between entry-level and high-end smartphones.”

“The $150 version of the new Moto E does a lot of things very well, especially for the price. Performance is generally good. The LTE speeds are as good as what you'll get in many high-end phones. Build quality is fine and screen quality is good even if its resolution and pixel density aren't very impressive. You cut corners to get here—the camera, the storage, and NFC for mobile payments are probably the most noticeable, in that order—but this new Moto E does a better job of covering the basics than the old one did.The phones that come the closest to matching the Moto E's bang-for-buck are Microsoft's Lumia phones, and new additions like the 640 are particularly attractive. However, the fact remains that the Android software ecosystem is larger and more varied, and an Android phone will serve a general smartphone buyer better in the long run.If you're dead-set on spending less than $200 on an unlocked phone, we might actually recommend the new Moto E over the second-generation Moto G in some cases. The Moto E has the faster processor and better cellular connectivity, it's got superior battery life, and it has a 4.5-inch screen that might appeal to fans of smaller phones. If those are the most important things about a phone for you, get the $150 Moto E.If you prefer a higher-resolution screen, a phone that's physically larger, or a slightly better camera, the $180 Moto G is the better pick. It's not as fast, but it's not so much slower that you'll end up hating it. It's too bad that Motorola didn't do more to upgrade it when it came out, but in the smartphone business the next refresh is only ever a few months away.With this release, however, we would recommend that you stay away from the old Moto E, which cuts too many corners, and the $130 3G version of the new Moto E. You give up too many things to save that $20. Generally speaking, we'd favor the LTE Moto E over the first-generation Moto G unless you can find it at a pretty deep discount.Motorola is still making the best budget Android handsets you can get for the money. Lenovo hasn't screwed that up yet, and hopefully the company doesn't try to fix what isn't broken.”