Moto E4 and Moto E4 Plus First Impressions

The Moto E4 Plus was launched in India on Wednesday, and the company announced that it will be made available for Rs. 9,999 on Flipkart. The Moto E4 smartphone was also launched officially at the event, although it has been available offline since last month. The Moto E4 is priced at Rs. 8,999. We managed to get our hands on both new Moto E4 models at the launch event, and here are our first impressions.

Moto E4 Plus vs Moto E4

There are a few differences between the two models. The Moto E4 Plus has a 5.5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) screen while the Moto E4 features a 5-inch HD screen. Due to the difference in size but not resolution, the Moto E4's display appears crisper than that of its larger sibling. The biggest highlight of the Moto E4 Plus is its massive 5000mAh battery, while its smaller sibling has a 2800mAh unit.

Moving on to other specifications, the Moto E4 Plus has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage while the Moto E4 packs 2GB and 16GB respectively. Storage is expandable using a microSD card on both models. Both smartphones run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. In our time with both models we didn't find any major issues with their performance, and both were able to function smoothly. However, we only had limited time with them and the units on display only had the standard preinstalled apps.

Moto E4 Plus

The Moto E4 Plus features a 13-megapixel rear camera while the Moto E4 has a more modest 8-megapixel shooter at the back. Both have 5-megapixel front cameras with a single-LED flash. The sample images we captured using the front cameras on both phones appeared to be impressive, while those taken with the rear cameras turned out to be average.

Moto E4 Plus vs Nokia 3 vs Xiaomi Redmi 4 vs Lenovo K6 Power

Compared with previous Moto E generations, the most noteworthy thing about the Moto E4 and Moto E4 Plus is their design. The new phones both feature metal bodies and have the circular camera module that has now become a trademark for the current Moto lineup. In hand, the Moto E4 and the E4 Plus both feel sturdy but not very premium, though this can be overlooked considering that they are both budget offerings.

The Moto E4 measures 144.5x72x9.3mm and weighs 150 grams. On the other hand, the Moto E4 Plus's larger battery and screen make it taller and thicker, measuring 155x77.5x9.55mm and weighing 181 grams. However, neither of them is difficult to hold and use. That brings us to the 'Moto One Key Navigation' feature. Both models have Home buttons on the front with embedded fingerprint scanners, and you can perform navigation gestures across them to make it easier to navigate through the Android interface with one hand. While this feature can be useful in many situations, it might not be easy for everyone to get used to.

At these prices, the Moto E4 will be competing against the Xiaomi Redmi 4 and Yu Yureka Black, while the Moto E4 Plus will be going up against other smartphones with large battery capacities, including the InFocus Turbo 5, Lenovo K6 Power, and Asus ZenFone 3 Max.