1.  Moto E5 vs Moto E5 Plus vs Moto E5 Play:     Price, Specifications, Features Compared 

Moto E5 series, along with Moto G6 lineup, has just been unveiled by Motorola. The Lenovo-owned company has launched Moto E5, Moto E5 Plus, and Moto E5 Play as three new entry-level smartphones. The trio will be released "in the coming months” running Android 8.0 Oreo and all of them have a fingerprint reader hidden in the company's logo along with water-repellent coating. Notably, just two of the handsets sport an 18:9 aspect ratio display, while the other one comes with the 16:9 display panel. The selfie cameras are equipped with LED flashes and users can store images at full resolution at Google Photos for free.

The Moto E series is more about budget pricing than raw specifications. But users would still want to know what they will get inside the affordable handsets. We take a look at the new Moto E5 series prices and specifications and compare them to help you choose the among the upcoming budget smartphones. 

2. Moto E5 vs Moto E5 Plus vs Moto E5 Play price
   

The Moto E5 will roll out over the coming months in various countries in the Asia Pacific, Europe, and Latin America with a starting MSRP of EUR 149 (roughly Rs. 12,100). Meanwhile, the Moto E5 Plus price has been set as EUR 169 (roughly Rs. 13,800), and it will start shipping in the next few months in the same regions as well as the US. However, the Moto E5 Play, whose price has not been revealed yet, will be available only in the US. Going by the specifications, the Moto E5 Play could cost a little less than the Moto E5. Notably, the release date and prices of the Moto E5 lineup with respect to India has not been disclosed yet.

3. Moto E5 vs Moto E5 Plus vs Moto E5 Play specifications,         features compared 

Moto E5 comes in dual-SIM and single-SIM (Nano) variants and runs stock Android 8.0 Oreo. The smartphone sports a 5.7-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor paired with 2GB of RAM. In terms of optics, the Moto E5 has a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash and on the front, is a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Also, the smartphone is equipped with 16GB of inbuilt storage, and microSD support up to 128GB.

Connectivity options in the Moto E5 include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC (in single SIM variant only), and 3.5mm audio jack. Sensors onboard are a Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, and Ambient Light sensor. It is fuelled by a 4000mAh battery. The smartphone measures 154.4x72.2x8.95mm, weighs 174 grams and will be available in Flash Gray and Fine Gold colour models.

The Moto E5 Plus, on the other hand, is a single-SIM (Nano) smartphone that runs stock Android 8.0 Oreo. It sports a 6-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 435 processor, coupled with 3GB of RAM. The Moto E5 Plus features a 12-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture, laser autofocus and phase-detection autofocus (PDAF), and LED flash on the back, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture in front.

Under the hood, the Moto E5 Plus is equipped with 32GB of inbuilt storage, and microSD card support up to 128GB. Its major highlight of the smartphone is its 5000mAh battery that comes with TurboCharge support. The handset comes with 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, 3.5mm earphone jack, and Micro-USB port. Sensors include a Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light sensor, and Gyroscope. The handset measures 161.9x75.3x9.35mm, weighs 200 grams, and will be available in four colour options — Black, Mineral Blue, Flash Gray, and Fine Gold.

Finally, the single-SIM (Nano) Moto E5 Play runs Android 8.0 Oreo. It sports a 5.2-inch HD (720x1280 pixel) and is powered by the 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425/ 427 SoC, coupled with 2GB of RAM. In terms of cameras, an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash sits at the back, and a 5-megapixel camera is present in the front.

The Moto E5 Play comes with inbuilt storage is 16GB, expandable via microSD (up to 128GB). It is powered by a 2800mAh battery. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, 3.5mm earphone jack, and Micro-USB port. It contains the usual sensor array- Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Ambient Light sensor, and Magnetometer. The handset measures 151x74x8.85mm, weighs 150 grams and comes in Black, Dark Lake, and Flash Gray colour variants.

4. Design and display 

Like the new Moto G6 and G6 Play, the Moto E5 Plus borrows heavily from the Moto X4, which debuted in late 2017. The edges on the back curve inwards, allowing for a comfortable grasp around the phone, and a circular camera fixture sits at top-center. Below it is the iconic Motorola dimple, which doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

The Moto E5 Plus is the heaviest of Motorola’s budget lineup, at approximately 7 ounces (200 grams). While Motorola made it look more high-end, it still feels cheap due to the use of polymer glass on the back (it’s not as durable or scratch-resistant as the Gorilla Glass 3 on the Moto G6). The Moto E5 Play, on the other hand, is the lightest. It has a plastic (Motorola calls it micro texture resin) removable back, which means there’s a removable battery as well.

             

1. Moto E5 Play 

2. Moto E5 Play 

3. Moto E5 Plus 

4. Moto E5 Plus

The E5 Play, like the E5 Plus, has a camera fixture in the top-center, with an indented fingerprint sensor below. It curves at the edges of the back, and that makes it comfortable to hold. The fact that it has a smaller 5.2-inch screen helps as well; the E5 Plus has a 6-inch screen, but we didn’t think it felt unwieldy. The E5 Play’s plastic back will attract scratches easily, as we already noticed a few scuff marks.

On the front, Motorola made some effort to shave down the bezels surrounding the screen — jumping on the “bezel-less” trend in smartphones. There are still some sizable bezels, but we’re happy it’s a little slimmed down. Only the Moto G5 Plus utilizes an 18:9 aspect ratio, which means you’ll be able to see a little more content in vertical-scrolling apps than with previous Moto E devices.

There’s a Motorola icon on the back of the phone, but the company’s name is also printed on the front of both Moto E phones. We wish Motorola could be a little more subtle, as it just makes the front look busy. A volume rocker sits on the right edge, with a power button below it; at the top is the headphone jack, and there’s a MicroUSB charging port on the bottom.

5. For super-affordable phones, the Moto E5 Plus and Moto E5 Play look great.








The 6-inch IPS LCD screen on the Moto E5 Plus has a 1,440 x 720 pixel resolution. The screen may not be as sharp as higher-end phones, but it manages to look good. It doesn’t get bright enough to see outside in daylight, but we’ll have to do more testing to confirm. The 5.2-inch E5 Play has a 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, and the screen doesn’t look fuzzy at all thanks to its smaller screen size.

6. MOTO E5 PLUS COMPARED TO

• sony xperia xa2 ultra 
• nokia 7 plus
• lg v30s thinq
• lg v30
• htc u11
• moto z2 play
• meizu m3 max
• huawei mate 8
• zte grand x max+
• htc one remix
• lg g flex
• lg lucide 2
• motorola droid razr hd

For super affordable phones, the Moto E5 Plus and Moto E5 Play look great. Again, they still feel cheap, but they’re ergonomic. The polymer glass on the E5 Plus does seem like a recipe for a shattered front and back, so make sure you grab a case. There’s also no IP-rated water-resistance, but both phones are splash-resistant.

7.  Performance and software 

The Moto E5 Plus is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 435 processor, with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Moto E5 Play uses either the Snapdragon 425 or the Snapdragon 427 — it’s dependent on the carrier you’re buying it from — as well as 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Both have MicroSD card slots for more space.

We didn’t run into any problems moving throughout the phone’s Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, but we only used it very briefly during the phones’ launch event. Opening apps is a little slower than flagships, and we’ll have to do more testing to see how this phone performs with more intensive tasks. This is not a phone for power users, as it won’t be able to satisfy all your needs.

We’re happy to see near stock Android again on these phones; Motorola phones don’t have a lot of pre-installed apps or services. But there is reason for disappointment. A Motorola spokesperson told Digital Trends both these phones will not receive any Android version upgrades. That means when the new version of Android comes out around August, the Moto E5 Plus and Play will not receive it. The reason? Motorola said its customers sometimes aren’t fans of software upgrades, but it’s largely because both these devices are carrier phones, and Motorola doesn’t expect the carrier to issue an update. It’s appalling that a phone manufacturer can release a phone and say it won’t upgrade the software for it at all.

On the bright side, Motorola said it will issue security updates every 30 to 60 days, for two years.

Both these phones should last you a good deal of time, especially the Moto E5 Plus. It has a 5,000mAh battery, which means the Plus will likely last more than two days. It supports Motorola’s TurboPower fast-charging technology as well. The E5 Plus only has a 2,800mAh battery, but considering the low-power specs on the phone, that capacity should definitely make the phone last quite some time as well.

There’s no NFC here, so you won’t be able to use Google Pay to make contactless payments.

8. Camera 

In our brief tests, the camera on both these phones are certainly capable, particularly in good lighting. The E5 Plus has a 12-megapixel rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture, along with an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with a f/2.2 aperture. The E5 Play has an 8-megapixel rear camera with a f/2.0 aperture, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. Both phones have flashes on the front for selfies.We noticed a little shutter lag when tapping on the shutter icon, which produced some blur in photos. If you hold still, you can take some solid photos with good color and detail. But don’t expect much in poorer lighting conditions.

9.  Price and availability 

We’re not sure how much both phones will cost, but last year’s Moto E4 Plus and Moto E4 were priced at $180 and $130, respectively. It’s likely the new versions will stay around this price range, but it’s entirely dependent on the carrier. These are carrier-only phones, so you won’t be able to buy them unlocked. Motorola said we can expect to see them launch in the U.S. this spring.

For those estimated low prices, the Moto E5 Play and Moto E5 Plus are excellent value. We hope Motorola strongly rethinks its software upgrade plan to give these two devices Android P when it rolls out.