Motorola started off on a great note and is among the leading budget smartphone makers right now. However, the company faces stiff competition from rivals in the same category.
Motorola's most-recent addition to its budget smartphone portfolio is the Moto E 2nd Generation, which succeeds the original Moto E with a massive overhaul. With a competently low price tag, Motorola is taking on the likes of Lenovo, Micromax and its subsidiary YU.
Motorola Moto E 2nd Generation has a close fight with Lenovo's successful A6000 budget smartphone and Micromax's most recent Canvas Fire 4 A107. All three phones fall under the same price category, making it a difficult choice for shoppers to decide which one is worthy. To simplify the process, we are comparing all three budget phones by their specifications and features. The final verdict must help you make your call.
Display
Of all three phones, Lenovo A6000 has the best resolution and the biggest screen size, measuring 5 inches. The display is illuminated by 1280 x 720 pixels. Motorola and Micromax have a close fight in the resolution department but feature similar 4.5-inch display protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The Moto E 2nd Generation sports slightly higher pixel count at 960 x 450p while Canvas Fire 4 features 854 x 480 pixels.
If you need a bigger and a brighter phone, Lenovo A6000 should top your list.
Camera
Camera is an important feature that shoppers look for in today's phones. But when manufacturers cut corners aiming for a low price for the handset, the camera quality tends to go down. Thankfully, the handsets in comparison have some high-standard for cameras.
The Lenovo A6000 features an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash and features like auto focus, geo tagging, touch focus and face detection. There is also a 2-megapixel front facing camera for selfies and video chatting. Micromax matches Lenovo in this category with a camera of similar standard on both sides. However, Motorola's Moto E 2nd Generation has lowered camera pixels compared to its rivals, measuring at 5MP for the rear snapper and a 0.3MP VGA shooter at the front.
Photo enthusiasts can choose from Lenovo or Micromax models to cater to their needs.
Processor
Qualcomm is the preferred choice of chip maker for Motorola and Lenovo phones while Micromax opted for a MediaTek processor. The Lenovo A6000 and Moto E 2nd Generation 4G variant is powered are powered by the same 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC while the Moto E 3G variant runs on a slightly lower 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series quad-core CPU.
On the other hand, Micromax Canvas Fire 4 is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek (MT6582M) quad-core, which is expected to be slightly faster than the other two phones but the difference can be barely felt.
RAM and Storage
All three phones are in the same boat with 1GB RAM and 8GB onboard storage. There's a microSD card slot in all three phones that can support up to 32GB of additional space.
Mobile OS
Lenovo, Micromax and Motorola run their respective models on Google's Android OS platform. The Lenovo is slightly backdated with Android 4.4.2 KitKat version while the Canvas Fire 4 and Moto E Gen 2 runs the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.
Battery
Mobile shoppers are looking for a lasting battery in their phones. Of all three phones Motorola have the longest promised battery life, up to 24 hours, with a 2,390mAh unit. Lenovo comes in second with its 2,300mAh battery while the Canvas Fire 4 packs a 2,000mAh battery.
Price
All three budget phones are light on the pocket with an efficient price tag of ₹6,999. But if you are looking to purchase the Motorola Moto E Gen 2 4G variant, the Indian price is yet to be announced. In the US, the handset has been priced $149.99, putting its approximate value between ₹8,000 to ₹8,500.
Verdict
All three phones are great for the price. Each phone has its own strong and weak points. In overall performance, Lenovo A6000 makes for a good value based on its design, specs and features as it is the cheapest 4G smartphone in the market. To get 4G on Moto E Gen 2, the prices will increase and the availability in India is yet to be announced.
Key specifications of Lenovo A6000, Motorola Moto E (2 Gen) and Micromax Canvas Fire 4 at a glance:
Model | Lenovo A6000 | Motorola Moto E (2 Gen) | Micromax Canvas Fire 4 |
Display | 5-inch HD IPS screen with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution. |
|
4.5-inch FWVGA display with 854 x 480 pixel resolution and Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. |
OS | Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Vibe UI | Android 5.0 Lollipop | Android 5.0 Lollipop |
Processor | 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC |
|
1.3GHz MediaTek (MT6582M) quad-core CPU |
RAM | 1GB | 1GB | 1GB |
Storage capacity | 8GB (expandable up to 32GB) | 8GB, expandable up to 32GB | 8GB, expandable up to 32GB |
Camera | 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with LED flash2-megapixel front snapper | Main: 5.0-megapixel cameraFront: 0.3-megapixel (VGA) camera | Main: 8.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, auto-focusFront: 2.0-megapixel camera |
Network | 4G, 3G, 2G | Moto E 4G variant supports LTE, 3G and 2GMoto E GSM variant supports 3G and 2G | 3G and 2G |
Battery | 2,300mAh Li-Po Battery | 2390mAh | 2,000mAh |
Add-ons | Dual-SIM (type: Micro) slots, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, USB port | Single-SIM (Type: micro), Dual-SIM slots in India confirmed, Bluetooth v4.0 (with LE), Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), micro-USB v2.0, microSD card slot, FM radio, water-resisting coating. | Dual SIM, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, microUSB, and microSD card slot. |
Dimensions | 141.0 x 70.0 x 8.2 mm | 129.9 x 66.8 x 5.2-12.3 mm | - |
Weight | 128 g | 145 g | - |
Price | ₹6,999/- | ₹6,999/- | ₹6,999/- |