After running pompous teaser campaigns, Motorola finally launched the new budget smartphone Moto E5 series in India on 10 July 2018.
As advertised, the highlight of the Moto E5 Plus is its battery. It comes with a huge 5,000mAh cell, which is more than sufficient to run the phone for more than a day under mixed usage.
If used more conservatively, Moto E5 Plus can last two full days, easily. Another notable attribute of the device is that it supports fast charging capability. With this, device despite having massive battery capacity will be able to get fully recharged within two and half hours. Even just 15 minutes of charging is enough to make the phone last close to 6 hours, the company claims.
Another important aspect of the device is that Motorola's Moto E5 Plus comes with pure Android interface and not a single pre-loaded third-party app. Yes, it comes with Moto Experience app with special services including Moto Voice and some gesture features, but they truly add value to the user experience. The UI is as clean as it can get and users need not have to lose their mind to find a particular feature on the phone.
Motorola phone also comes with 6.0-inch HD+ (1440x720p) MaxVision screen with 18:9 aspect ratio thus guaranteeing the user, rich cinematic viewing experience.
Under-the-hood, it houses a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 octa-core, Android Oreo, 2GB/3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB storage, 12MP camera and an 8MP front shooter.
On the other hand, the generic Moto E5 features a 5.7-inch HD+ (1440x720p) screen, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 octa-core CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, 13MP primary camera, a 5MP front snapper and a 4,000mAh battery.
Moto E5 series price and launch offers:
Moto E5 Plus will be exclusively available on Amazon India and Moto Hubs for Rs 11,999. As part of launch offers, consumers are entitled to get flat Rs 800 discount via SBI card, no cost EMI offer, extra Rs 1000 cash-back via exchange deal (on Amazon) and 130GB additional data on Reliance Jio SIM subscription.
If the consumer buys the phone through Paytm, they get Rs 1,200 off, but will be redeemed through mobile bill payments, currency recharges and utility payments.
As far as the Moto E5 is concerned, it will be exclusively available on Amazon and Moto Hubs retail chains for Rs 9,999.
Both devices will be available for purchase effectively from July 11 onward. It can be noted that if consumers buy Moto E5 or the E5 Plus at Moto Hubs or other authorised retails chains, only the aforementioned Paytm and Reliance Jio offers apply.
Moto E5 Plus vs competition:
Motorola Moto E5 Plus is up against the popular Xiaomi Redmi 5, Tecno Camon i and Honor 9 Lite, among others.
The company has not revealed about launch details of the low-end Moto E5 Play for the Indian market, but if previous release pattern is to be believed. Motorola will most probably roll it out in a month so that new product doesn't hurt others' sale prospects.
Key specifications of Motorola Moto E5 series:
| Models | Moto E5 Plus | Moto E5 | Moto E5 Play |
| Display | 6.0-inch HD + (1440x720p) IPS screen with Corning Gorilla Glass shield
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5.7-inch HD + (1440x720p) IPS screen with Corning Gorilla Glass shield
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5.2-inch HD (1280x1720p) LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass shield
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| OS | Android Oreo 8.0 | Android Oreo 8.0 | Android Oreo 8.0 |
| Processor | 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core | 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 octa-core | 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425/427 octa-core (depending on region of sale) |
| GPU | Adreno 308 | Adreno 308 | Adreno 308 |
| RAM | 3GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 32GB, expandable up to 128GB | 16GB, expandable up to 128GB | 16GB, expandable up to 128GB |
| Camera |
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| Battery | 5,000mAh with 15W TurboPower charger, with 6 hours of usage in 15 minutes of charge
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4,000mAh with 10W rapid charger | 2800mAh, (interchangeable) with 10W TurboPower charger |
| Network | 4G-LTE
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4G-LTE
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4G-LTE
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| Add-ons | Nano water-resistant coating for protection against water splash, Fingerprint reader, Moto actions, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), FM radio, A-GPS, front port loudspeaker, 2 mics, 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB port | Nano water-resistant coating for protection against water splash, Fingerprint reader, Moto actions, Near Field Communications (NFC) in single SIM model, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), FM radio, A-GPS, front port loudspeaker, 2 mics, 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB port | Nano water-resistant coating for protection against water splash, Fingerprint reader, Moto actions, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), FM radio, A-GPS, front port loudspeaker, 2 mics, 3.5mm audio jack, Micro-USB port |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 75.3 x 9.35 mm (camera bump 0.4mm) | 154.4 × 72.2 × 8.95 mm | 151 x 74 x 8.85 mm |
| Weight | 200g | 174g | 150g |
| Colors | Black/ Mineral Blue/ Flash gray/ Fine Gold | Flash Gray/ Fine Gold | Black/ Dark Lake/ Fine Gray |
| Price | Rs 11,999 | Rs 9,999 | To be revealed during the local launch event |
