Motorola Moto E vs. Micromax Unite 2: Which One is for You?

Motorola entered the sub-Rs. 10,000 smartphone arena with the Moto E and we called it the Goliath of budget smartphones in our review. A lot of Indian manufacturers had to race to catch up with it. Micromax is one among them and its new offering, the Unite 2, tries to do something different with support for 21 Indian languages out-of-the-box.

The common features in both the phones are that they run Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat), have 1GB of RAM, and have 5-megapixel cameras. We pitted both phones against each other and did a feature-by-feature comparison to figure out which one comes out on top.

(Also see: Micromax Unite 2 vs Motorola Moto E specs comparison)

Look and Feel
One phone has character and the other is just another sheep in the flock. The Moto E is the former and the Micromax Unite 2, the latter. With the trademark curved back, dimpled chin and interchangeable rear covers in different colours, the Motorola fits perfectly in with the company's new design philosophy, which started with the premium Moto X. On the other hand, the Micromax Unite 2 is a boring black slab available with four different coloured back panels, which is still fewer options than the Moto E. Also, the Unite 2 is heavier than the Moto E.

The Unite 2 has a bigger 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 480x800, but the Moto E has a comparatively smaller 4.3-inch screen sporting a resolution of 540x960. The higher pixel density on the Moto E coupled with slightly better viewing angles makes it superior to the Unite 2. This round clearly goes to the Moto E.

Moto E: 1 Unite 2: 0

Specifications
On paper, the quad-core Mediatek MT6582 processor seems better than the dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200. Both phones feature 4GB of internal storage, but the Unite 2 offers only 890MB to user while the Moto E offers around 2.2GB. Thankfully, both phones support microSD cards of up to 32GB.

While the Moto E has a 5-megapixel camera, it has no flash or auto-focus, unlike the Unite 2. Moreover, it doesn't have a front-facing camera while the Unite 2 has a 2-megapixel one. Overall, Micromax Unite 2 comes out on top here.

Moto E: 1 Unite 2: 1

Software
As we mentioned earlier, both phones run Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat), but the Moto E's version is closer to vanilla Android save for a few additional apps. The Unite 2's support of 21 Indian languages is an advantage.

However, the Unite 2's additional apps are more irritating than functional, whereas Moto Migrate, Assist and Alert on the Moto E are quite useful. We're also quite sure that the Moto E will get the Android 4.4.3 update sooner. All in all, the Moto E wins this round.

Moto E: 2 Unite 2: 1

Camera
The Moto E's camera is a joke. It is almost like Motorola added it as an afterthought. The camera on the Unite 2, on the other hand, takes decent photographs. At least one can focus on a subject using the camera on the Unite 2. Take a look at the samples below. The Unite 2 knocks out its competition in this round.

Moto E: 2 Unite 2: 2

(Click to enlarge the Moto E camera's sample picture, above)

(Click to enlarge the Micromax Unite 2 camera's sample picture, above)

Performance
When it comes down to pure numbers, the Unite 2's quad-core MT6582 outperforms the Moto E's dual-core Snapdragon 200, but in the graphics tests, the Moto E's Adreno 302 has better numbers than the Mali-400 MP2 in the Unite 2.

At the end of the day, they are merely numbers. We can vouch for the fact that the Moto E performs better in everyday tasks such as opening multiple apps and browsing the Web. The Micromax Unite 2 has better battery life, though. Choosing the winner in this round was tough but we think the Moto E beats its opponent.

Moto E: 3 Unite 2: 2

Verdict
In the end, the Motorola Moto E has a marginal upper hand over the Micromax Unite 2. For users worried about after-sales service, Motorola India has committed to providing enough service centres around the country. Motorola also recently resolved the unregistered IMEI number issue affecting some Moto G units.

There is a minor hassle, which is that the Moto E is available only through the e-commerce website Flipkart and is currently almost always out of stock. On the other hand, the Micromax Unite 2 was launched at Rs. 6,999 but since then the price seems to have been bumped. We are speculating here, but it could be because Micromax wants to make the most of the Moto E's scarcity. Whatever the reason, the Micromax Unite 2 definitely has a better camera and is therefore the phone you should choose if that is a big priority for you when buying a smartphone. Otherwise, we think the Moto E is a better bargain and is more future proof in terms of software updates.