Motorola’s E line has proven over the last several years that you can get away with spending only double digits (in British pounds, anyway) on a new smartphone and still get a quality experience. Last year’s Moto E3 launched in the United Kingdom for just 99 British pounds ($122), with features like a quad-core processor, LTE, a MicroSD slot, a generously sized battery, and 5-inch 720p display — alongside a slightly more premium variant known as the E3 Power. Now, Moto is looking to further drive the value proposition forward with two new devices: The Moto E4 and E4 Plus.
After the launch of the Moto E earlier in 2017, the Moto E4 Plus is finally hitting stores. It’s available through Verizon as a prepaid device now for $130. Later, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H, Fry’s, and Motorola.com are expected to follow with unlocked devices, starting at $180. On August 11, the phone will make its way to Sprint and Ting, while Republic Wireless will begin offering it on August 14.
Amazon has also announced the E4 Plus is heading to its Prime Exclusive phones lineup. Prime Exclusives are unlocked devices featuring lockscreen ads and offers from Amazon in exchange for a lower price — though you’ll have to be a member of Amazon Prime already to get in on the deal. Through the program, you’ll be able to pick up the E4 Plus for $140 for the 16GB model, or $160 for the 32GB one. They’re available for pre-order now.
In our review, we hailed the Moto E4 as boasting excellent value for money. The standard E4 packs a 5-inch 720p display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 427 system-on-chip, alongside 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. The company says the phone boasts a water-repellent coating — not waterproof, mind you, meaning it can’t be submerged — as well as a fingerprint sensor, MicroSD slot, and an “all-day” 2,800mAh battery. The E4 will go for $130, or 150 euros.
Spend just $50 (or euros) more and you can upgrade to the 5.5-inch E4 Plus, which features a couple key improvements over the smaller model. For one, the battery is nearly twice as large, weighing in at 5,000mAh. The camera also gets a bump from 8 to 13 megapixels, and you also have the option of 32GB of storage.
Both the E4 and E4 Plus feature all-metal designs that are understated yet attractive for low-range phones, and are certainly competitive in the sub-$200 price range. They also run Android 7.1 Nougat with Moto’s modest user interface modifications, which deliver an experience quite close to stock Android. However, customers in the United States will miss out on NFC for tap-and-pay transactions.
Both of the phones have shaped up to be excellent options for the budget-conscious.
Update: Added Verizon and Amazon Prime Exclusive availability information.
