I'm happy that I was able to review one of the comeback devices of this global brand in the country. I chose this handset out of their 3 current offerings for various reasons. Is my decision good? Here's my assessment on Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen
I liked the form factor of this phone with it's 4.5 inch qHD display. It really made pocket-friendly as possible. With kinda-rubbery back, I'm in favor in this one as a rugged user. Just be careful at the removable sidings as that thing is the only protection for hot swappable micro SIM slots and micro SD slot.
The Motorola quality that I encountered during their late 90s handsets continue on this one. No problems on calls, texts, WiFi and mobile network. LTE both works on Globe and Smart. This SMS app was kinda stock to Android Lollipop is also a thumbs up for me. One more thing, there's an "4G only" in mobile networks which is my preferred choice in today's LTE phones.
On audio, this is one of the best that I found so far for a budget Qualcomm-powered device on the 3.5 mm. audio jack output. I tried 2 branded headphones on this one and sometimes, it gives more details compared to Lenovo Vibe Shot.
On benchmarks, Antutu gave me at over 19,000 which is typical to Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor. The phone has basic sensors and the internal storage was from Hynix.
On battery with it's 2,390 mAh non-removable battery and 4.5 qHD display, it came out with 12 hours and 15 minutes on my standard video battery rundown test. On real life test, I got a maximum of 1.5 days with 7 hours of screen time.
The camera has simple UI which means less controls if you are into "pro' mode. It's simple "tap screen to shoot" implementation gives ease on shooting some pics. Unfortunately, there's no flash so I would not recommend to use this phone in low light situations.
Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen 8 MP rear camera samples
Pros: Good audio output, very good on all sorts of connectivity, OTG support, stock Android feel
Cons: No flash on main camera, qHD display.
Even that it was officially released in 2014 overseas, the Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen was one of bang for the buck international budget LTE smartphones that you can find right now with almost a-ok on audio, connectivity and overall feel except if you are really meticulous in camera. I'll gonna rate it at 4 out of 5. This device is currently priced at Php 5,999
