Review of Moto E5 Play, Motorola's new low-end phone

The Moto E5 Play does not dazzle, but it is lightweight and comfortable. podcasts, the horn of the E5 Play sounds ok, and the volume rises enough to hear the audio easily inside. However, the sound is not good enough to transmit music to the outside, especially since the front speaker is the only one that exists in the unit.

Regarding durability, there is no IP protection for the device, so we do not recommend going for a swim with him. But there is a water repellent coating for exposure to the water, or to protect it when it is used in the rain. We dropped it once on a concrete floor, and it only underwent a small side shot, but it's not too visible. Other than that, there were no major scratches or damage.

For color variations, our review unit is black, but it is also available in Dark Lake (blue) and Flash Gray (gray). slow but reliable

The Moto E5 game is powered by Snapdragon 425 or 427 from Qualcomm, depending on where you buy the phone. Our review unit included the Snapdragon 425 with 2GB of RAM. In general, the use of the phone is not a fluid experience, but it depends on the application. For example, moving to Instagram is simple, but Twitter tends to be delayed when the flow moves quickly. Many applications also take the time to open and load.

When it came to games, we had no major problems playing The Sims Mobile . He felt that he was a bit delayed by switching to different parts of the game, but the graphics were brilliant and vibrant.

Regarding storage, it only has 16 GB, which is easy to fill in a short period of time. Fortunately, there is a microSD card slot that allows you to add up to 128GB of additional memory.

The Moto E5 comes with Android 8.0 Oreo, and the only updates you can expect are security. Motorola has confirmed that Moto E5 Play will not receive Android P, so it could be something to consider before buying the device.

In any case, the experience is not terrible: there is very little bloatware, and it has the ability to access Google Now with a shift to the right since the l & 39; home screen. The Google Assistant can be activated by pressing the start button. You can also activate various Moto Actions features, such as using three fingers to take a screen shot, flip the phone to activate the "Do not disturb" mode and more, found in the Moto app.

Decent camera, but not in low light

As with most low-budget smartphones, the camera's Moto E5 Play environments with low light.

The 8 megapixel rear camera makes good shots in the light of day; everyone looks brilliant and captures more detail than we think. Even when we zoomed in on the photos, we did not find them too fuzzy. But when there is not enough light, the situation is very different. Even when we took pictures outside on a cloudy day, natural light was not enough to prevent everyone from being turned off and discolored.

As for the interiors, when the lighting was dim, the photos became unrecognizable, and the addition of flash only made things worse. The option to adjust the brightness inside the viewer did not make much of a difference either.

While the application of the camera itself opens quickly, we have seen some delay when shooting. Additional features include manual mode, with controls for changing the white balance, shutter speed, ISO, focus and exposure, as well as a QR code reader.

When it comes to taking selfies, the 5 megapixel front camera is not impressive either. Although they are beautiful at a distance, the images are somewhat blurry and tight. The integrated "facial beauty" function also made us look strange, it seemed to have brushed not only our skin, but also our eyebrows and parts of our hair. At least he removed the wrinkles.

Battery that lasts a whole day … or more

With a battery of 2800 mAh Feed the Moto E5 Play, we were able to take a full day on the smartphone. This includes notifications, email, using social networks and productivity apps, text messages, in addition to taking pictures. On average, we discovered that our device was about 85% at noon (after removing it from the charger around 8:30 am), and at the end of the working day at 5 pm it was about 74%

Around 10 pm, the phone reached 68% and that's after catching up with apps like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and reading the news. With lighter use of the phone, the phone could last up to a full second day. It also comes with a charger of 5 or 10 watts (depending on the operator), which allows for better fast charging capability.

Price, Availability and Warranty

The Moto E5 game is not offered unlocked, so you will have to buy it via an operator, and depending on which one you choose, its price varies. At Verizon, it will cost you $ 70, while Boost Mobile is worth $ 80.

You can also buy it with Best Buy, but it's a little more expensive, with a price ranging from $ 95 to $ 130, depending on which operator is connected. It is also more expensive in Xfinity Mobile, which lists the device for $ 120.

The Cricket Wireless operator has an enticing offer. In this business, it is known as Moto E5 Cruise and it will only cost you $ 40 if you sign up for a new line or if you upgrade your existing device. By transferring your number you can even get the device for free, although it is only offered in the navy blue version.

Motorola offers a standard one year warranty that protects against manufacturing defects. However, accidental falls or water problems are not covered.

Our Opinion

For such an economical price, the Moto E5 Play includes all the elements necessary for a solid experience. Since it is made of plastic and not glbad, you do not have to worry about breaking it and it should last about two years with regular use. However, since it is unlikely that you will receive software updates, performance will decrease over time.

Although he does not have the best camera and is sometimes late, his battery removable, a solid screen and good performance, with a comfortable design, he is more than able to handle all the elements of base that most people need.

If you want to spend a little more, there's also the Moto E5 Plus for $ 180, which is a bit bigger than the E5 game. It comes with Snapdragon 435, 3 GB of RAM and a 5000mAh battery. In general, it has a solid performance and an autonomy of two days.