After my Nexus 4 was stolen, I decided to do an “experiment” and used a dumb phone for a couple of days and then went ahead without a phone for a few more. My almost non-existent social life and the availability of Wi-Fi at all places other than the road got me through those 10 odd days. For you, it might be different. You’re already sad and angry about what happened. Why add kerosene to the burning fire? Just get the Moto E. Not convinced? Read on then.
1. It Won’t Make You Pull Your Hair In Anger
Backup phones usually do a great job of reminding you just how great your primary phone is. They are slow, difficult to use and for some people, not even smart. Moto E is none of that. It is fast, runs the latest version of Android KitKat and offers all the basic software features of your flagship phone.
2. It Is Cheap
At $129 (Rs. 6,999 in the country I live in) it is, unabashedly, cheap.
3. But Doesn’t Feel Cheap
No it does not feel cheap. It feels like the Moto G in hands, which in turn feels like the Moto X. So by extension Moto E feels like a phone almost 4 times its price. It’s a handsome little devil. It looks good in your hands, so good in fact that if you are one of those image-conscious beings, holding a Moto E will not subject you to life-haunting embarrassment.
4. It Performs Just As Well As Your Flagship Phone
It only has a dual-core processor with 1 GB RAM but runs near vanilla Android. In other words, it is fast. When it comes to opening apps (and just opening apps), it is actually just as fast/faster than the Galaxy S5 (check out this video for some astonishing entertainment). It will also run all the apps you hold oh so dear. It won’t display it as well as your 1080p smartphone does. But hey, if you hadn’t dropped it in the first place, we would never be in this situation.
5. The Touch Input Doesn’t Suck
The problem with cheap phones is that they are made of cheap materials. And cheap materials usually suck. Not on Moto E though. Touch input is where most sub 10k phones disappoint, even the Nokia X. The touch input on Moto E is just as good as any other non-cheap Android phone out there.
6. It Is A Dual SIM Phone
The fact that the Moto E is a dual SIM phone makes it a great secondary phone you can carry around. Going on a multi-country trip (good for you. No, really), take the E with you. The SIM you use in your “real” phone has expensive data? But you can’t switch because the network is really good. Oh, problems. Get a Moto E, get a (or two) cheap SIM card with cheap data plan and use it for tethering.
7. The Battery Will Last You Days
For such a tiny phone with a low-res screen (4.3 inch is tiny and qHD is low-res), Moto E has a big battery – 1980 mAh. As a spare phone that you’re not going to use so much, it can last you days on stand by and even if you start using it vigorously, you should get 1-2 days use off of it.
8. When You Can’t Use Your “Real” Phone
Heading up to the beach for the day to pretend to read on your Kindle? But you don’t want the damn sand to rinse off that wonderful Space Grey paint off your iPhone 5s? Take your Moto E. Moto E is protected by Corning® Gorilla® Glass and a water resistant splash guard.
9. And Lastly, So You Can Be Happy
A backup phone is just as important as the 10,000+ mAh power bank that you always keep charged because you never know when the apocalypse might hit. A good backup phone will decide how your post apocalyptic life will turn out. And trust me, when the world is going to end, the last thing you need is trying to figure out how to use a BlackBerry (a nod to the header image). But if you choose the Moto E, you’ll be as happy as this guy.
Bonus: What The Moto E Isn’t
Moto E isn’t a lot of things. It’s not a terribly good looking phone. It feels good to hold in your hands but you’d rather not look at it. Moto E only has a dual-core processor. In a world where phones have hexa-core processors for no logical or constructive reasons, that might be a bad thing. Good thing is you’re not a PR rep. You don’t have to fool yourself into believing that more cores = more performance. To you, life has been kind. It also only has 1 GB RAM and multi-tasking can be a problem. There’s only 4 GB internal memory, expandable of course. The camera has no flash and there’s no front facing camera either. But the phone costs $129 (again, only Rs. 6,999 in India) and it’s not even going to be your primary phone so what do you care about all this. Just go and get one (that is if it’s actually in stock for more than a couple of hours every week. And Motorola, get your crap together, not every long lost cell phone company gets a second chance like this!).
