Motorola Moto E 2nd Gen (AT&T Locked, Brand New)

Product Description

The original Motorola Moto E was judged by many to be the best budget handset available when it was released. The 2nd generation of the device isn’t content with resting on those laurels, however. It insists on taking things up yet another notch.

The Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen.) is leading its class in just about everything from the quality of the components to the display spec, performance, and build quality. That Motorola managed to pack so much in, and yet keep the device amazingly affordable is quite an achievement. A quad-core processor is becoming a fairly common addition to mid-range devices. The Moto E uses it better than almost any other smartphone.

A Short Summary

4G capability is included. It is, one of the many upgrades from the 1st Gen. Moto E, as is the addition of Gorilla Glass protecting the display. Although not completely shatter-proof, Gorilla Glass goes a long, long way. It protects the phone from most drops and knocks in normal day-to-day use. In industry-standard performance tests, the Moto E (2nd Gen) didn’t just beat the competition, it ran away from it like an Olympic sprinter. It even had time to look over its shoulder and nod knowingly to the rest. All that before settling down with a coffee and a muffin to watch them all come home.

Moto E’s Nuts and Bolts

• Network:
  • 2G  GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – all versions
  • 3G – HSDPA 850 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 – XT1527, XT1511 ; HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 – XT1505 ; HSDPA 900 / 2100 – XT1524
  • 4G  – LTE band 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 17(700) XT1527, LTE band 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 20(800) – XT1524
• Dimensions: 129.9 x 66.8 x 12.3 mm (5.11 x 2.63 x 0.48 in)
• Weight: 145 g (5.11 oz)
• SIM: Micro-SIM
• Display Type: IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
• Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3, oleophobic coating
• Platform: Android OS 5.1
• Camera: 5MP rear, 0.3MP front
• Features: Geo-tagging, autofocus, HDR, panorama
• Comms: Wifi 802.11 b/g/n, wi-fi hotspot
• Bluetooth: 4.0
• GPS: Yes, with Assisted GPS
• Storage: 8GB built in, expandable to 32GB via MicroSD card

The Real World

The only true test of any device, whether a smartphone or a Waffle Maker is in day-to-day use. Unlike waffle makers, if you get distracted by a passing dog riding a unicycle, you’ll never get your fingers burned with the Moto E. Motorola has chosen to allow the standard Android 5.1 UI to speak for itself. It didn’t add the potential for increasing power or battery usage by adding a custom skin (or wrapper, if you prefer) over the top. This keeps the Moto E flying along in a way rarely seen at this level of the smartphone market.

The 2390 mAh battery will keep you going all day, even if you’re a fan of video on the go. That class-beating screen sharpness means less eye fatigue and just a lovely viewing experience all around. The rear cam is capable not just of great photos, but of capturing 720p video @30fps. Along with its front cam is perfectly capable of taking all the selfies you’ll ever need.

It Feels Great Too

The Moto E (2nd Gen) looks great and feels very comfortable in the hand. The Motorola logo on the back of the case is slightly recessed and makes a very nice seat for your finger to give even more grip and adds that element of safety to those with slightly clumsy hands. A smartphone should feel solid in the hand, and the Moto E fulfills that need.

Motorola has been in the mobile phone game for a very long time, and it shows with the Moto E. Expertise goes a long way to getting things right the first time. They did just that with the original Moto E and again with the 2nd Gen. update. The days when everything but the flagship models from the likes of Samsung and Apple could be sneered at and disregarded are long gone, as are the days when hundreds of dollars were needed to get even basic features. The Moto E is living proof of that very fact.