Moto E3 Power review: Affordable but not powerful enough
The original Moto E was the harbinger of switch. For the very first time, a company was banking on cumulative smartphone practices rather than spec-sheets, to sell its product, through a very plain philosophy: give users what they need, and not overburden them with paper specs that, at the end of the day, don’t matter much for an average user. Clean software and good battery life, for example, were its plus points. It was also aggressively priced. It’s no surprise then that the Moto E became an instant bestseller.
Especially in India, where consumers were for long waiting for a decent smartphone, that wouldn’t burn a slot in their pocket — a majority of them being first-time buyers who were looking to make a switch from feature phones to uncharted territory, but were too afraid to shell out their hard-earned cash on something, well, more expensive. But, that was two years ago.
Look how the tables have turned in 2016. It’s all about the specs, and specs alone now. Smartphone practices are significant, also, but hey, I don’t see why anybody would mind some good specs, if they come for cheap. Switch is in the air. The Moto E, now in its third-generation avatar, however, is still far from the madding crowd. It’s still guided by the same philosophy that a smartphone should concentrate on technology that makes a difference based on what people truly care about. But, can it truly sustain solely on its, now, aging philosophy?
Design and build quality
Life was much simpler when there was one Moto X, one Moto G and just one Moto E. In 2016, we have three Moto Xs (err. Moto Zs), three Moto Gs, and two Moto Es. Diversification of the Moto brand — courtesy Lenovo — embarked last year. Only this year, it seems to have reached an all-time crescendo. Not that it is a problem. It is always nice to have more options.
The problem is there is so very little difference inbetween Lenovo’s budget and mid-range Moto phones right now — both in hardware and in looks — that it becomes confusing. It’s like all of a unexpected Lenovo is attempting to be Asus or something. The Moto G4, the Moto G4 Play, the Moto E3 Power and the Moto E3 all look the same. The Moto G4 Plus has been left out of this conversation because, well, it has a fingerprint scanner. Take that away, and it would be a part of it.
Having said that, I indeed like the way the fresh Moto E3 Power looks. I truly like the build quality as well. The same design that doesn’t work that well in the Moto G4 Plus, works well here. The all plastic shell and chrome rim toting Moto E3 Power makes so much more sense. It’s because the Moto E was always about the durability and ease of use. Lenovo has kept both these parameters intact, even tho’, its design may not be all that familiar any more. The Moto E3 Power, built by Lenovo, is generic at best, just like the other affordable Moto phones of this year.
There’s something about the Moto E3 Power’s design, which sets it apart from the entire hullabaloo in the budget segment. It brings back memories when all-plastic phones and removable batteries were still the in-thing
It’s vapid, mostly, and kinks around the edges just so you don’t feel the sharpness. It sits well in the forearms and it stays there, without slipping away. The back panel, which is also removable, has this very fine textured finish that gives the phone a sophisticated look, and improves grip. This is a phone that you would love to hold in your arm(s) and the five-inch form factor means it’s also very comfy to operate with one forearm. Just like the Moto E of Motorola’s heyday. The characteristic Moto dimple on the back stays put, but the camera module now rests behind an oblong chunk of glass-like plastic that is surrounded by a fine chrome lining.
At 153.Five gram and 9.Five mm, the Moto E3 Power retains the chunkiness of past Moto Es, which also means that it is still stronger and thicker than rival phones in the market. It also has broad chunky bezels.
The Moto E3 Power is not out to give the Xiaomi Redmi 3S a run for its money. In fact, it’s not even close to what Xiaomi’s phone has to suggest in design and build quality. But, there’s something about the Moto E3 Power’s design, which sets it apart from the entire hullabaloo that has been sweeping the budget segment off its feet. I call it nostalgia. It brings back old memories when all-plastic phones and removable batteries were still the in-thing. Rest assured the Moto E3 Power will take you there.
Moreover, the Moto E3 Power also has a water-repellent nano-coating that protects the phone from accidental spills, splashes or light rain. It is not exactly waterproof but it helps.
Display
The Moto E3 Power comes with a 5-inch HD IPS LCD display with a 720×1280 pixel resolution that toughly translates to two hundred ninety four ppi pixel density. Brightness levels are just about adequate and adaptive brightness works as it should. Viewing angles are just about adequate as well, with just a hint of discoloration when you tilt the screen sideways.
Lenovo’s phone, however, does not better the Redmi 3S Prime in terms of peak brightness, even more so in terms of colour accuracy. Albeit colours look rich and vibrant, they don’t exactly pop the way they do on Xiaomi’s phone. Moreover, unlike the Redmi 3S Prime, the Moto E3 Power also doesn’t give you a manual mode to achieve better results. You’re basically stuck with the phone’s default settings. In Lenovo’s defense, the Moto E3 Power has better viewing angles than the Redmi 3S Prime and also it is smudge-resistant so it is not very prone to smudges and fingerprints.
Software
Near vanilla Android practice is something that all Moto phones vouch for, and buyers, who buy these phones, usually tend to choose it that way. If, however, you’re someone who likes third-party skins, for maybe, the customisation options (like themes) that they suggest, Xiaomi’s MIUI would most likely suite you more.
Having an almost unmodified version of Android has its advantages. One is of course, the practice. Phones with stock Android (and close) generally tend to be smoother and lag-free. But more importantly, these phones are also fairly quick to be updated with latest software. Moto phones in general are relatively quick to get software updates as opposed to say Xiaomi, a company that has to wait for Google to give the code to it so it can re-work on it and then pass on the update to users.
Spectacle and battery life
I will not strike around the thicket here. The Moto E3 Power is not as powerful as Lenovo would want you to believe that it is, based on its naming convention. Heck, it’s not even close. Moto phones have, for long, been rocking Qualcomm chips. Not top-tier chips, but, Qualcomm-based, at least. MediaTek chips, despite the fact that they are a little more fever efficient, are known to be less powerful than Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips.
I agree that raw power has never been the USP of the Moto E (even the Moto G, for that matter), but at least, previous Moto Es were pretty prompt in day-to-day usage. These phones, with their unadulterated software, managed to do the basics right. The Moto E3 Power, not so much. The phone seems lacking in almost every sense of the word, so much so that even near vanilla Android can’t save the day.
Practically, each and every app inwards the phone opens and closes with visible lag or stutter. I’ve even had a duo of instances when the Google launcher went haywire and crashed out of the blue: not at all a pretty look. Killing background apps does help, but there’s only so much that it can do. Besides, permanently closing apps in the background, so newer ones would work slightly better, becomes jarring after some time.
The Moto E3 Power is certainly not the phone you’re looking for if you’re into gaming. Even basic games like Subway Surfers are susceptible to a few lags here and there, particularly during long periods of game-play.
The Moto E3 Power is not as powerful as Lenovo would want you to believe that it is, based on its naming convention. Heck, it’s not even close
The Coolpad Note three Lite, which is powered by the same Mediatek MT6735 processor (only, clocked higher) and has 3GB RAM trumps the Moto E3 Power in terms of all-round spectacle. And then there is the Redmi 3S, with its heftier Snapdragon four hundred thirty processor. The Moto E3 Power, well, it doesn’t stand a chance.
The front-firing mono speaker on-board the Moto E3 Power comes as a very pleasant surprise tho’. It gets indeed noisy, louder than the Redmi 3S Prime, with little or no distortion at peak volume. Voice quality during calls made with the Moto E3 Power was also excellent.
The phone is backed by a Three,500mAh battery which is also user-removable. Battery life is fantastic. Lenovo claims one day worth of battery life on this one. Our tests have shown it can go even longer using the phone’s in-built battery saving option. Of course Android Marshmallow’s Doze functionality has a lot to do with this.
Having a 5-inch 720p display and a heat-efficient processor also helps a lot. Moderate to extreme usage witnessed us cross the one entire day barrier with ease. Extreme usage screenplays got us close to thirteen hours on the Moto E3 Power. It doesn’t exactly hammer the Redmi 3S Prime (Four,100mAh) but it gets close.
Moreover, the included prompt charger is rated to produce up to five hours of power in just fifteen minutes of charging, according to Lenovo. It takes almost one and a half hours to charge fully tho’.
Camera
The Moto E3 Power comes with an 8-megapixel camera on the rear with f/Two.Two aperture, autofocus and LED flash. On the front you get a 5-megapixel snapper.
Albeit concentrate and shutter speed are fairly respectable, quality of photos clicked with the Moto E3 Power’s rear shooter is average at best. Photos clicked in good light come out well, with decent amount of detail and mostly accurate colours.
Dynamic range is fairly decent — in good light — but photos are sometimes marred by metering — overexposure — issues resulting in deepthroated out highlights, especially when subject has an abundant light source. Also, while photos clicked in good light look acute and well-detailed on the phone’s screen, zooming into them brings out some noise or grain, which is not surprising, considering the low megapixel count of the sensor. The level of noise increases as the power of light decreases.
The front camera, meantime, clicks sad selfies. They would be just about sufficient for posting on Facebook and Instagram and nothing else. Nude basics, is what I would like to call it. The rear shooter can record 720p movies but slow-motion and time lapse movies are not supported.
Overall, the Redmi 3S camera is superior to the camera on-board the Moto E3 Power, in both quality and functionality.
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