There’s no shortage of choice if you’re on a limited budget for your next smartphone. The Moto E in its various guises has always been a solid choice. For the fourth generation, Lenovo has pushed it upmarket a little so it will compete with the Moto G5 which has also just launched.
There are two models, the 5in Moto E4 and the 5.5in Moto E4 Plus.
When is the Moto E4 release date?
For some reason the Moto E series is out of step with the G series. In 2016, Lenovo launched the Moto G4 and the Moto E3.
The bigger E4 Plus can also be bought from those retailers, as well as from Vodafone and Three.
How much does the Moto E4 cost?
In previous years, you’d have change from £100, but the E4 is more expensive at £129. That’s Moto G territory, although the G5 is officially £169, once again more expensive than its predecessors.
Hunt around online and you can find it £20 cheaper than that, so we expect the Moto E4 will be around £110 even from launch.
The larger 5.5in Moto E4 Plus (below in Iron Grey) costs £159, so it could be a good alternative if you want a bigger phone and don’t want to pay the extra for the Moto G5 Plus.
What are the Moto E4 specifications?
This handy table gives you the main specs and shows how the two phones compare.
| Moto E4 | Moto E4 Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| Colours | Iron Grey, Blush Gold, Oxford Blue | Iron Grey, Fine Gold |
| OS | Android Nougat 7.1.1 | Android Nougat 7.1.1 |
| Screen | 5.0in 1280×720 touchscreen, 294ppi | 5.5in 1280×720 touchscreen, 267ppi |
| Processor | Mediatek MT6737 1.3GHz quad-core processor | Mediatek MT6737 1.3GHz quad-core processor |
| GPU | Mali T720 MP1 | Mali T720 MP1 |
| RAM | 2GB RAM | 3GB RAM |
| Storage | 16GB | 16GB |
| MicroSD | Support up to 128GB | Support up to 128GB |
| Main camera | 8MP main camera, LED flash, support for 720p video at 30fps | 13MP main camera, LED flash, support for 720p video at 30fps |
| Front camera | 5MP front camera | 5MP front camera |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 4.2 | Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Cellular | 4G LTE | 4G LTE |
| SIM type | Nano-SIM | Nano-SIM |
| Battery | 2800mAh removable battery | 5000mAh non-removable battery |
| Charge / sync | Micro-USB rapid charging | Micro-USB rapid charging |
| Extras | Fingerprint reader, NFC, water-repellent nano-coating | Fingerprint reader, NFC, water-repellent nano-coating |
| Dimensions | 72.3×144.7×9.mm | 77.5x155x9.5mm |
| Weight | 151g | 198g |
So you can see that both phones have cut-down specs compared to the full-HD Moto G5. As well as having relatively low-resolution screens, it’s likely performance will be a good step down due to the 1.3GHz quad-core processor.
Both have big-capacity batteries for their screen size, but they’re also relatively thick and heavy. The E4’s battery is removable, but the E4 Plus’ is embedded and can’t be swapped out.
The other main difference is that the smaller phone (above) has a lower-resolution 8Mp main camera, though they both share a 5Mp selfie snapper around the front.
Depending upon the region in which you’re buying the E4 you may or may not get a fingerprint reader or NFC . The specs above are correct for the UK models , which have only a single SIM slot. Other regions have dual-SIM slots.
We’ll bring you reviews as soon as we can get our hands on the phones.
Author: Jim Martin, Executive Editor, Tech Advisor
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.
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