Now Lenovo-owned Moto E has launched its third-generation Moto E handset. However, there is a change this time. The model launched in India is called Moto E3 Power. This is a special variant of Moto E3 for India. On paper, the Moto E3 Power looks better due to its bigger battery, memory and inbuilt storage. Will these features help the Moto E3 Power challenge other popular handsets in the budget segment? This will be revealed in the coming time. We spent some time with the Moto E3 Power at the launch event held in New Delhi. Let us tell you how we liked this phone at first glance.
The most important feature of Moto E3 Power is its large 3500 mAh battery. The company is also trying its best to capitalize on this feature. For the large battery, Lenovo has provided a 10 watt rapid charger with Moto E3 Power. The phone supports rapid charging. This means that after charging for just 15 minutes, your phone will get up to 5 hours of battery life. This claim has been made by the company.
The back cover of Moto E3 Power can be removed. On removing it, you will be able to see two SIM slots and a microSD slot. The company has provided a removable battery in Moto E3 Power. This is a pleasant change.
The new Moto E3 Power looks very similar to the first generation Moto E. The speaker grills are present at the top and bottom of the display. The 5-inch screen makes it taller than the first Moto E which was equipped with a 4.3-inch display. The front panel of the phone is completely clean, there is no branding on it. At the same time, the familiar Moto logo can be seen in the rear. We liked the texture of the rear panel. The same can be said about the metal frame. Both give a good grip along with strength to the Moto E3 Power.
The volume and power buttons are on the right side, while the left side is completely empty. The 3.5mm audio jack is on the top and the micro-USB charging port is present at the bottom. Weighing 154 grams, this phone feels a bit heavy for its size.
Talking about the display, Lenovo claimed during the launch that the Moto E3 Power will have the biggest and brightest display in the Moto E-series. The E3 Power has a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display which is better than the previous generation QHD (540×960 pixels) resolution. It does not use reinforced glass, which has been a part of the previous generation device. In the limited time spent with the Moto E3 Power, we found that the display of the Moto E3 Power is crisp and works well most of the time. We also liked the viewing angles. However, the brightness of the display disappointed a bit. It is possible that you may have trouble reading anything on the handset’s screen in direct sunlight.
Lenovo has used onscreen buttons instead of capacitive buttons this time. The response to pressing the physical volume and power buttons on the right side was good. Like the older Moto handsets, the Moto E3 Power has a nano-coating which will protect it from water splashes.
Moto E3 Power comes with almost stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The company has made some major changes to the OS. The unit we used had the Google Now launcher by default. There are not many third-party apps on the phone. This means that the user will get a bigger share of the 16GB storage. It is possible to use a microSD card of up to 32GB in the phone. Apart from this, Lenovo is offering free photo storage on Google Photos app for two years.
The new phone uses a 64-bit 1 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor with 2 GB RAM. It is known that till now the company has been using Qualcomm Snapdragon processor in the older smartphones of the Moto E series. In the time spent with Moto E3 Power, we found that the response to touch input was good. It was also working quite fast in multitasking. Apps started quickly. By the way, we would suggest that you wait for the detailed review of Gadgets 360.
The biggest improvement in the Moto E3 Power is in the camera department. The phone has an 8-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash. This camera is equipped with 720p HD video capture and burst mode. It has a 5-megapixel front camera which is equipped with beautification mode.
The camera on the Moto E3 Power launches quickly after tapping the icon. In the limited time we spent with the smartphone, we found that photos taken in good lighting were crisp and had decent details. However, we noticed pixelation on the edges when we zoomed in. The front camera also took decent photos. However, we would like to give our verdict on the camera only after reviewing it in detail.
Talking about connectivity, Moto E3 Power has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, A-GPS, Bluetooth v4.0, 3G, GPRS/ EDGE and 4G LTE (Cat. 4) features. It also supports VoLTE, which means you will be able to take advantage of Reliance Jio’s network as well.
Final Thoughts
Lenovo’s Moto E3 Power seems to be a decent package for Rs 7,999. This handset is exclusively available on Flipkart. On the first day, it is available with many launch offers.
Motorola Mobility General Manager Amit Boni revealed during the launch that there are more than 30 lakh Moto E users in India which is a proof of the popularity of the previous two models. However, at this price, the Moto E3 Power will compete with popular phones like the Xiaomi Redmi 3S. Priced at Rs 6,999, the smartphone comes with a full-metal body and a 4100mAh battery.
The new Moto E3 Power will also compete with Lenovo’s own Vibe K5 Plus and Vibe K5 smartphones which are available for Rs 8,499 and Rs 6,999 respectively.
Moto E3 Power has been launched with many upgrades and better features. Is it worth buying? Especially considering the fierce competition in this segment. We would suggest you wait for the detailed review of Moto E3 Power.