The budget segment has officially been refreshed now. Stalwarts, Motorola and Xiaomi have both introduced the new generation of their devices, while Lenovo jumped the gun and beat everyone to the market. The Xiaomi Redmi 2, Moto E (2nd Gen) and Lenovo A6000 are all priced at Rs. 6,999 and have raised consumer interests to the maximum. So, without further ado, here's a side by side comparison of the three to help you figure out what's what.
We will not be making a value judgement right now, till we've finished the full review of the Moto E and Redmi 2. You can read the Lenovo A6000 review here.
Build
While all three devices have a matte-ish finish on the back, the Moto E seems to be the most sturdily built device. The rubber grip around the sides is a good addition. That said, the Redmi 2 and Lenovo A6000 are both well build devices as well, but we would give the Mi device the edge, thanks to its chrome buttons.
Design and Usability
The Redmi 2 and A6000 both sport bar designs, while the Moto E is pretty much the same as its predecessor. From a looks point of view, the Redmi 2 and Lenovo A6000 are both pretty good looking. From an ergonomics point of view though, the Moto E is the easiest to manouvre around and use thanks to its curved back and smaller form factor.
Storage and RAM
All three smartphones have 8GB of internal storage and 1GB of RAM. Each of them are also expandable to 32GB using a micro-SD card.
SIM and Connectivity
The first big blow to the Moto E is in the connectivity department. Even though 4G isn't widespread in India yet, the two other devices are 4G capable and future ready. The Moto E on the other hand is a 3G device.
Further, all three smartphones are dual-SIM capable, but the Redmi 2 allows 4G on both the SIMs. The A6000 on the other hand is a 4G/2G device, while the Moto E only allows 3G on its SIM cards.
OS and User Interface
We're stock Android fans, which means we'll side with the Moto E. That said, there's no denying the amazing MiUI 6 experience that the Redmi 2 provides. Lenovo's Vibe UI is a distant third with all its bloatware and lags. The other two show no lags or stutters in terms of the UI experience.
Camera (Fluorescent Light)
Left to Right: Moto E, Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo A6000
As before, the Moto E still lacks in the camera department. The device doesn't come close to the quality that the Redmi 2 provides and lags behind the A6000 as well. Between the Redmi 2 and A6000, the former seems to offer more fidelity in images and does well with uneven lighting.
The camera images shown here are indicative of the originals that we took, but they should give you some perspective.
Camera (Low Light)
Left to Right: Moto E, Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo A6000
Under low light, the Redmi 2 is still the better shooter. While the A6000 fails with colours, the Moto E still provides a washed out image.
The camera images shown here are indicative or the originals that we took, but they should give you some perspective.
AnTuTu Benchmark
Benchmark scores will give you an idea of the performance you can expect, AnTuTu shows that the Moto E hasn't advanced from the older generation as much as we all hoped for, the A6000 and Redmi 2 on the other hand are very close. That said, if the UI experience is any indicator, we would think the Redmi 2 is a much better device.
3D Mark Ice Storm Extreme
The competition is closer in terms of the graphics performance. This can be attributed to the fact that the Snapdragon processors in the three phones do not change much in terms of the GPU. The Moto E is still the lesser performer though.
Quadrant Standard
The results from the last two benchmarks are easily visible in this one as well.
Battery
Even though it is the smaller in terms of size, the Moto E has the biggest battery size. The 2390 mAh battery on the Moto E may easily outlast the 2200 mAh and 2300 mAh in the Redmi 2 and A6000. Battery tests take a lot of time, so we'll be putting that up in our full review of the devices. Also, we already know that the Lenovo A6000 doesn't have the best battery life.
Buy Moto E (2nd Gen) on Flipkart at Rs.6,999