Moto E vs Redmi 2: Android Lollipop and flash sale might help Motorola

Two smartphones from two popular brands launched within two days. Both are budget-friendly. Should you go for the Moto E (2nd Gen) or Xiaomi Redmi 2? While both offer great value for the price of Rs 6,999, buyers will have to compromise a bit with the Moto E (2nd Gen) while Xiaomi is offering almost everything possible (in terms of specs and experience) at the same price.

The spec sheet of the Redmi 2 might easily excite any buyer to line up at Flipkart. But for Moto E (2nd Gen), the major weaknesses of the device, in the eyes of the consumers, seem to be related to the camera department and 4G support.

Redmi 2

                                                                                                                    

Price: Rs 6,999                                                     

Display: 4.7-inch 720p HD IPS fully laminated display, 312ppi                               

OS: Android 4.4.4 with MIUI 6                                                        

Processor: 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410                               

RAM: 1GB                                                                                  

Memory: 8GB ROM (up to 32GB)                                                               

Rear camera: 8MP BSI f/2.2 rear camera with Flash                                              

Front camera: 2MP BSI front camera                                                                     

Connectivity: Dual 4G SIM card slots                                                                   

Battery: 2,200 mAh

Moto E (2nd Gen)

Price: Rs 6,999

Display: 4.5-inch (540×960 pixels, 245 ppi) 

OS: Android 5.0.2 Lollipop 

Processor: 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200

RAM: 1GB

Memory: 8GB ROM (up to 32GB) 

Rear camera: 5MP A/F rear camera with no Flash

Front camera: 0.3MP front camera 

Connectivity: Dual SIM with 3G only 

Battery:  2,390 mAh

                                                                             

The camera battle

Motorola India GM Amit Boni feels that according to their market research "users are comfortable in trading off Flash for a selfie camera." Well, firstly, why trade off? We are used to seeing 5MP rear camera with Flash along with a front camera. Yes, both can co-exist at Rs 6,999. Also, the expectations were much higher this time from Moto E.

Coming to the Flash debate, the reality is that a majority of the users prefer not to use Flash even in low lighting conditions as it's a common believe that the smartphone flash kills the charm of an image. For the record, the HDR of Moto E (2nd Gen) is doable for low light shots. So, the flash is more related to the buyer's mindset than of real use in a budget smartphone.

Going with the selfie trend, the Moto E's selfie camera can do very little. In good lighting conditions, images appear okay but it's not of much use when it comes low lighting situations. The rear camera of the Moto E (2nd Gen) is decent for the price.

(ALSO READ || Xiaomi Redmi 2: First Impressions Review)

On the other hand, buyers may be awestruck after reading "8MP BSI f/2.2 rear camera with FLASH and 2MP BSI front camera" on the spec sheet. But its not just words. The camera of the Xiaomi Redmi 2 delivers on this.

Overall, obviously Xiaomi wins. But it will only matter to the buyer who clicks a lot of pictures on his/her smartphone.

Let's face it. Having a better smartphone camera doesn't necessary mean you will start clicking more pictures. But then Motorola could have offered a better deal in the camera department.

4G battle

While Xiaomi is offering dual 4G SIM support, Motorola, on the other hand will launch another 4G version with a higher price tag. This so-called weakness of the new Moto E and strength of Redmi 2 can be ignored totally. By the time 4G becomes mainstream in India, people will mostly opt for a new handset. 'Future-proofing' really doesn't work much in the smartphone market as the product refresh cycles have shortened greatly.

Other spec battle

Yes, the Moto E (2nd Gen) might look underpowered in front of the Redmi 2. The debate can be extended to 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 (in Moto E) versus 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU (in Redmi 2). However, the real deal depends on how much the user actually does with their new smartphone. For checking e-mails, Facebook, browsing, music and a bit of casual photography, the spec sheet hardly matters.

(ALSO READ || New Moto E: First Impressions Review)

Moto E's biggest strength in this battle seems to be its pure Android Lollipop 5.0.2 OS. Xiaomi, on the other hand, is trying to woo users with MIUI 6 which is based on Android 4.4.4 KitKat.

Flash sale- boon and bane

As Xiaomi will offer around 30,000 to 40,000 Redmi 2 smartphones on the first sale day on Flipkart, a huge rush can be expected. This can be good news for Motorola as it says that it has plenty of Moto E (2nd Gen) in stock. Xiaomi's flash sales on Flipkart have always brought more frustration than smiles on customer's faces which Motorola can encash. Also, the Redmi 2 goes on sale on March 24 giving Motorola a breather.

Should you buy the Moto E (2nd Gen) or Redmi 2?

It can be easily guessed that most buyers would want to wait till March 24 to try their luck on the Redmi 2 if they haven't already purchased the Moto E. But should you buy the Moto E after running out of luck? Yes and no. Moto E offers a good overall experience. If your need a smartphone for regular tasks with a good battery life, the Moto E (2nd Gen) is a good budget Android Lollipop option. But if you want more out of a budget smartphone then start praying for your Redmi 2.