The first photo of Motorola’s upcoming smartphone Moto E has leaked online, just three days ahead of its official unveiling. This image shows that Moto E will be smaller in size and will look similar to older Motorola phones, like Moto Defy. Motorola is hosting the Moto E launch event in New Delhi and London on May 13.
The image was leaked by a Facebook user on Motorola Mexico’s page on the social networking website, but has been removed now, though many users downloaded it before it could be deleted. The Moto E smartphone in the image is slightly smaller and wider than Moto G and looks quite similar to the smartphone in the teaser image put up by Motorola on Flipkart.
Moto E has chrome grilles above and below the display; it remains unclear whether these are front-facing speakers or just the mic and speaker. Just like Moto G and Moto X, the upcoming Motorola smartphone will be made of plastic. The leaked image suggests that Moto E will not have a front camera, though it is possible that is masked by the wide sensor located beside the chrome grille on top.
The image teased by Motorola on Flipkart has the tagline “Goodbye old phone. Hello new Moto.” This reinforces the belief that Moto E will be targeted at buyers who are upgrading from feature phones to smartphones. The teaser clearly mentions that the smartphone will be available only via Flipkart in India.
According to data by a website that tracks goods imported to India, 1,300 units of Moto G have already been shipped to the country. The unit price of Moto G before local taxes is Rs 6,330, as per this data. Therefore, it is expected that Moto E will cost less than Rs 10,000 and will compete in the all-important budget segment that is responsible for most of the smartphone sales in India.
It is rumoured that Moto E will have a 4.3-inch screen, but the resolution has not been confirmed yet. Other key specifications of the device include 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 5MP camera and 1,900mAh battery. The smartphone will have 4GB internal storage and support for microSD cards, which is missing in both Moto G and Moto X.
Moto E will reportedly run on stock version of Android 4.4 (KitKat) and come in single-as well as dual-sim variants; India is expected to get the dual-sim variant of the model. The smartphone will come in black and white colour options and have back covers in different hues.
Among the USPs of Moto E would be its ultra-thin body. Rumours say that the smartphone would be just 6.2mm thick, making it slimmer than the likes of iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4. The phrase “Made to last” in Motorola’s invite suggests that the handset will be able to withstand water and dust to an extent.
