Motorola has recently been making a name for itself in the budget smartphone space by providing quality phones at an affordable price point. Moto’s upcoming e 5 play looks to continue that trend by embracing Google’s Android Go platform designed to maximize performance on lower-end devices.
The phone is expected to launch in Europe and Latin America later this month and will cost 109 euros or roughly 127 U.S. dollars. In addition to the Go version of Android Oreo, that price point will get you a 5.3-inch screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies. In terms of security features, the e 5 play will include a fingerprint reader located, thankfully, on the back of the device.
We don’t know too much about the phone’s software features aside from the fact that it will be running the Go version of Android Oreo which should, hopefully, provide the phone with better performance given that Go is built for lower-end devices. One potential downside is the fact that the press release specifically mentions “fewer pre-installed” apps which means there will be some pre-installed apps on the phone. Rather that refers to necessities such as a calling and texting app or bloatware that you’ll want to uninstall remains to be seen.
Unfortunately, U.S. consumers may be out of luck on this one. The press release specifically mentions that this device will “only be available in various countries in Europe and Latin America.” Provided you ensure the device is compatible with U.S. carriers, you could theoretically have one imported for you, but the shipping fees and other costs associated with such a move may ruin the phone’s value proposition.
U.S. consumers might be disappointed that they won’t be able to get their hands on the Go edition of the e5 Play, but take heart, because there are still plenty of great budget smartphones out there for the U.S. market. In fact, there are so many that we had to write create a list to keep track of them all. With options ranging from “flagship-killers” to sub-$150, there’s a phone for every budget.
Editors’ Recommendations
- Android vs. iOS: Which smartphone platform is the best?
- The best smartphones
- OnePlus 6 vs. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Which big phone is better?
- LG Fortune 2 review
- Moto G6 vs. Moto G5: Is it time to crown a new budget king?