Motorola Mobility launched the first Moto E in India back in mid 2014 and it was one of those classic cases where your 'life would never be the same again' sayings made so much sense. After all, the first-generation Moto E went on to set a platform for the budget segment, creating a benchmark for OEMs both old and new to build upon and follow.
It was Motorola that introduced India to the concept of aggressive pricing and value for money devices, long before the likes of Xiaomi decided to venture into the world's largest democracy. That was then though.
Fast forward to 2015 and you realize things have changed drastically. Yes, Motorola did play a crucial role in introducing us to perhaps the first ever budget handset that made some sense, but in 2015, the budget smartphone segment is all but saturated by some really impressive gadgets.
When Motorola decided to launch the second generation of the Moto E in February 2015, many people looked up to the company with hope for something that would go on to set another benchmark. Sadly though, the Moto E (Gen 2) failed to recreate the charm we have grown accustomed to with Motorola devices in general. One reason could be Motorola deciding to offer two variants of the device.
Initially, the company launched only the 3G variant of the handset in India, and let's just say not many people were impressed. It's not that the Moto E (Gen 2) 3G was bad, it was just that it was launching at a time when it made little sense at all. That said it still got the job done and faired quite well in our review.
The company has now launched the 4G variant of the Moto E (Gen 2) in India.
So which one is a better buy? 3G version or the 4G version?
Granted 4G LTE is still at a nascent stage in India, but that doesn't make the 4G version any less useful.
The 3G variant, yes, it gets the job done, but buyers today want something more, value for money being one, but more importantly a re-assurance that their device is future-ready. The 4G variant brings along that confidence, something that makes it a more lucrative deal when compared with the 3G one.
The 4G variant is future ready in another sense as well. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. While this is certainly an upgrade over what we get in the 3G variant (Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 32-bit processor clocked at 1.2GHz), the future-ready aspect of the processor in the 4G variant is that it is 64-bit capable and will therefore support 64-bit applications running on Android Lollipop.
Many may argue that we don't have many 64-bit apps as of now, and there is still some time before we actually see more such apps coming up, but that's the beauty of it. The Moto E (Gen 2) 4G gives users the re-assurance that it would be ready when the time comes, something that was missing in the 3G version.
Taking you back to the processor on-board, the 3G variant of the new Moto E comes with the exact specification set that was found in the first generation Moto E. Now in 2015, that's one heck of a dated concept as consumers today have the option of better processors at aggressive pricing. The 4G variant thankfully doesn't do the same mistake and comes with a slightly better CPU. Of course, it's still not a monster, but that's not what the Moto E was ever all about.
Sadly, that's all the distinction that there is to it. Rest of the specifications stay the same in both the variants: 4.5-inch TFT LCD display (960x540 pixel), 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory expandable up to 32GB via micro-SD, Android 5.0 Lollipop, 5MP rear auto-focus camera (without flash), VGA front camera and a 2390mAh battery.
The 3G variant is available for Rs.6,999, while the 4G variant of the device has been priced at Rs.7,999.
So back to the question...
If you are buying the Moto E today or tomorrow or in near future, get the 4G version. Yes, the 3G version is cheaper by Rs.1,000 but the 4G version is a better value for money, mostly because of its speedy processor -- the Snapdragon 410 vs the Snapdragon 200 does make a difference.
Basically both the variants will get the job done for you, only that the 4G variant will do it slightly better. Also, it is kind of future-ready in comparison. Therefore if you have the extra cash (the difference being Rs.1,000), it's highly advisable that you go for the 4G variant.
At its price (the 3G variant), it's also safe to go for other alternatives like the Redmi 2 (you can even look at the InFocus M2 that is priced at Rs.4,999 and has one heck of a camera at the price).
As for choosing between the new Moto E smartphones, we'll opt for the Moto E (Gen 2) 4G.
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