Looking for a really cheap smartphone that can handle your day to day task of surfing the web, streaming media and sending emails? If so then you have come to the right place as today we are going to take look at the new ‘E-Series’ smartphones by Motorola namely E5 Play and E5 Plus. The base model Moto E5 Play is available for just around $70 along with the prepaid service but you can even get the device for free if you have subscribed your number to Cricket. The slightly more powerful and modern looking Moto E5 Plus is available for around $180 which is pretty low considering the specs it offers. We were able to get our hands on both of the devices so here is our review.
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Design:
Both the smartphones are completely different from each other when it comes to the design, the E5 play looks like a smartphone from 2014 with its big bezels and removable textured plastic back. Anyways, you should not expect a fancy design at this price point, though you do get the antique headphone jack (pun intended) and tapered sides and corners to make the phone feel comfortable in hands.
The Moto E5 Plus on other hands have a much better and modern looking design, it has a glass back giving a premium look but it is more prone to scratches. Also, it has got 18:9 aspect ratio display with rounded corners and slimmed down bezels making the phone look trendy.
The camera module on both the phones is placed at the back. Just below the camera, you can find the fingerprint scanner. The volume and power buttons are also solid and clicky. You also get water-repellence thanks to the nano coating which makes it splash resistant, however, do not take it to the pool as it is not submersible in water.
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Display:
The display is also where you will have to compromise on both these devices. At 5.2 inches and 6 inches respectively, the E5 Play produces 282 ppi with HD resolution (720 x 1280) while the E5 Plus comes in at 268 ppi with an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1440. In other words, you can only stream media in 720p resolution and can also easily see pixels on either of the devices, though the E5 Plus is much better when it comes to color production, dynamic and vividness.
The E5 Play does get a plus point in the display as it can get bright up to 550 nits which makes it easily visible in direct sunlight and you won’t face any problem. The E5 Plus on other hand gets bright up to 390 nits only which makes it terrible in direct sunlight. Overall these basic screens get the job done in most lighting situations.
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Specifications:
Both the devices are running a clean version of Android 8.0 with some Motorola functionality added here and there. The experience is pretty smooth thanks to the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 chip which is decent for lightweight tasks. The Moto E5 Play comes with 2 gigs of RAM paired up with 16 Gigs of internal storage, the E5 Plus take things up a notch by offering 3 Gigs of RAM, 32 Gigs of internal storage and a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 435. You do get micro SD card slot in both the phones allowing you to add up to 128 Gigs of storage.
You can also do some lightweight gaming and both devices will run just fine. I was also able to play PUBG mobile on the Moto E5 Plus thanks to that extra Gig of RAM and a better processor. The battery life on both the phones is also decent. The E5 play can easily last a day with its 2800 mAh battery, while the E5 Plus can be used for two days straight without charging thanks to its 5000 mAh battery which takes whole 2 hours to get fully charged.
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Camera:
The camera setup on the phones is also different from each other. On the Moto E5 Play, you get an 8-megapixel shooter with an LED flash which is pretty basic when it comes to image quality. The Moto E5, on the other hand, offers a much better 12-megapixel sensor with Laser Autofocus and Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) packed into its camera bump.
The shots are passable for the most part, although, highlights seem to be blown out in most scenarios. You get somewhat dynamic range. The details, saturation and contrast is better on the E5 Plus cause of its improved sensor. Overall, both phones capture usable photos in favorable conditions.
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Final Verdict:
The devices offer pretty great specs for their respective prices, the cricket subscribers can even get the Moto E5 Play for free. However, I’d recommend you to spend a few extra bucks and get the E5 Plus as it will less frustrating to deal with, you’d also be getting a bigger battery. So this was our review of the E5 Play and E5 Plus, I hope you liked it. If you have any queries then make sure to drop down a comment below.