Moto E3 Power First Impression – Feels Like An Afterthought

As was explicitly clear when we first inspected the Moto G4 Plus, the Lenovo association has finally begun to rub off on Moto devices. The E-series phones have never posed with towering hardware specifications, but attributes like a perky design, well-calibrated display, and more than adequate battery backup have helped Moto E’s smoothly sail through in this part of the world.

Moto E3 Power Specifications

Today, Motorola presented the new Moto E harping the (by now) overused ‘experience over specs’ jazz. The Moto E ethos are certainly missing here, and neither is Lenovo attempting to squeeze in the best possible spec-sheet.

Also Read: Moto G4 Hands On – Plus Features, Minus Charm

Design and Build

This year’s Moto E doesn’t pose with a new, unique design and is more of an afterthought. Lenovo clearly didn’t want to invest any effort in a new design and lifted a Moto G4 mould right off the shelf. That would have been fine if there weren’t three other same design handsets (Moto G4 Play, Moto G4, and Moto G4 Plus) lurking in the affordable price bracket.

The silver lining is that Motorola isn’t skimming on the quality of materials used. It doesn’t feel like a cheaped out Moto G4 (even when the side metal frame has been replaced with plastic). The E3 Power can also resist splashes or accidental contact with water.

Moto E3 Play Photo Gallery

The 3500mAh battery housed inside the fairly chunky 9.55mm casing pushes the weight to 153 grams. The back cover is removable and that’s where you can plug in two SIM cards and MicroSD card.

Design originality is highly overrated in the smartphone domain, and I am not sure how highly consumers looking for entry-level phones value distinctive style, but yes, it would certainly have made more sense with Moto G4 Play available for just 1,000 INR more.

Display

Motorola is using a 5-inch HD display on the new Moto E. All things considered, the display quality is passable. It’s not outright impressive but still feels sharp and bright. The display also has a smudge-resistant coating on top, but that doesn’t account for much. You can still smear it with finger grease rather easily, and you will be using a screen protector either way.

As far as our initial impression goes, we liked it a tad better than the display on the Redmi 3s Prime.

Performance Expectations

This is the first Moto E handset powered by a MediaTek chipset. The MT6735P clocked at 1GHz sounds like bare minimum in the second half of 2016. Paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, this could be a good enough proposition for basic users with basic usage needs. Besides, the unadulterated (well, almost) Android Marshmallow software should help.

We played around for a bit with the Moto E3 Camera but in a far from ideal environment. In low indoor lighting, the images on the Moto E3 Power display felt reasonable, but we won’t be holding our breath for sure. Lenovo is using an 8MP sensor on the rear and a 5MP one on the front.

The Moto E3 Play also comes loaded with a fairly capacious 3500mAh battery. The good thing is that Motorola has also bundled a turbo-charger within the box.

Price and Availability 

You can buy Moto E3 Power exclusively from Flipkart starting September 20 at 12:00AM. It will be available in black and white colors. If you buy on the first day, you can avail a few launch day offers to further reduce the effective cost.

Also Read: 6 Things Specs Won’t Tell You

Conclusion

The Moto E3 2016 is missing that intangible spark and is perhaps the most unexciting Moto E that we have come across till date. At the same time, the simplicity of stock Android marshmallow and the promise of a stellar battery backup are features to look forward to that could ultimately weigh scale in its favor. We will need to spend more time with it in our personal space to know for sure if Moto E3 Power proves to be an easy recommendation for anyone restricted by an under 8K budget or a dud.