Motorola’s New Moto E Is Its Most Powerful Budget Smartphone Yet

Moto E

Aiming to drive access to the mobile internet with affordable handset

Motorola has made another play for the budget smartphone market with an updated version of its Moto E device.

The company today announced the second generation Moto E handset, featuring a larger display, more powerful processor, 4G LTE and Android Lollipop – all for less than £100.

“We’re introducing the next generation, packed with more features and functionality to give people around the world even greater access to life’s possibilities – without a hefty price tag,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the new device. “Because we believe access to the mobile internet should be a choice, not a privilege.”

Moto E LTE (2nd Gen.) Front Dynamic - WhiteHigh-powered

The new Moto E comes with a 4.5in QHD display, and is powered by Qualcomm’s quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 chipset. The handset will run the latest version of Android Lollipop 5.0, and comes with a hefty 2390mAh battery which the company says has been designed to offer full day usage.

There’s also a 5MP rear camera, VGA front lens, and 8GB of internal storage for all your files and photos. The device will be available in either 3G or 4G LTE options, with the latter costing slightly more.

Similar to past Motorola releases, the design of the device is tailored towards making the individual stand out, as the case can be swapped out and replaced with any one of multiple Motorola Bands or Grip Shells.

The new Moto E will begin rolling out today in more than 50 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. It will be available unlocked in the U.S. via Motorola’s website for $119.99 (3G) and $149.99 (LTE), meaning we should see a price tag of under £100 for the device here in the UK.

What do you remember about the smartphones of 2014? Try our quiz!

Moto E - The Second Generation

Image 2 of 15