Motorola Moto E (2015) Review

Motorola Moto E (2015) Review
















One area seeing considerable growth over the last couple of years is the entry-level segment of the smartphone market, which is garnering more and more precedence amongst companies. Last year, Motorola brought on a one-two punch with its Moto G, which was subsequently one-upped in the price department by the even cheaper Moto E. Well folks, the process is exactly the same thing this time around, as the 2nd generationMoto E dishes up an even more drool worthy starting price tag of $120 – a marginal decrease over its predecessor’s sticker price of $130. We’ve seen several value centric smartphones of late, so we’re intrigued to see how this one handles.

Simple and humble, that’s the premise behind the design of the 2nd generation Moto E. For the most part, they didn’t stray far from the design language this series is known for. What’s different, though, is that the new Moto E features a slightly more closed design – in the way that the rear cover isn’t removable like last year’s model, but rather, it’s only the plastic bezel that can be removed. Yes, it’s still constructed out of plastic. And yes, it’s incredibly compact and decent feeling with its construction, so the entire package comes off pleasantly nice. In fact, this is arguably the perfect size in an era where with 5-inchers are considered the norm.

Available in either white or black paint jobs, there’s a touch of personalization in the form of the various Motorola Bands and Grip Shells available to the phone. These Motorola Bands are offered in a palette of paint jobs, and do decently to accent the otherwise uniform colored smartphone. Even though there’s a water resistant coating with the construction, the various translucent colored Motorola Grip Shells add another layer of protection by giving the phone some extra grip and ruggedness.

• Motorola Moto E
• Wall charger
• Product information

Sony Xperia Z4 LCD Touch Digitizer leaks

With a media event planned by Sony for January 5th, expectations are high that we will see the manufacturer introduce its next flagship phone on that date. That, of course, would be the Sony Xperia Z4. Recently, there was talk that the device will feature a 5.5-inch screen with 1440 x 2560 resolution. Also rumored to be on board is a Snapdragon 810 CPU, along with 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of native storage. There was also some chatter about the phone coming to market with support for Qi wireless charging, and IP68 certification.

This morning, some photos were leaked that show off the LCD Touch Digitizer for the Sony Xperia Z4, and compare it with the same part belonging to the Sony Xperia Z3. There have been some changes made. On the top, the speaker has been moved to the edge, while the front-facing camera and proximity sensor have swapped positions. And on the bottom, the speaker has also moved to the edge.  

No doubt that this will not be the last leak out of Sony's camp in reference to the Xperia Z4. Despite previous attempts by Sony to guard against such things, information about its new flagship models still seems to escape. You can check out the latest leak by clicking on the slideshow below.

According to data just released this week, Samsung was the leading smartwatch manufacturer in the world for the fourth quarter. During the period from October through December 2014, the company sold 1.2 million timepieces. That easily topped the 700,000 units sold by Pebble during the same period. Fitbit was third with 600,000 units rung up in the quarter. Sony and Lenovo rounded out the top five with 550,000 and 500,000 watches sold respectively.

Samsung offers a number of smartwatches powered by Tizen and Android Wear. One Tizen powered model, the Samsung Gear S, is a stand-alone device that doesn't need to pair with a smartphone. It features a 3G radio and SIM card slot.

With the Apple Watch launching on April 24th, we could see some changes in the list starting in the second quarter. That period begins on April 1st and ends on June 30th. Apple has initially ordered 3 million units of the Apple Watch covering all three editions of the timepiece. Strategy Analytics forecasts that Apple will sell 15 million units of its wearable during 2015, good enough for a leading 55% share of the global smartwatch market.

HTC One M9 Plus images leak, showing a bigger, badder flagship in the making

Two alleged photos of the HTC One M9 Plus leaked on Chinese social network Weibo. What we're seeing is a 5.2-inch screen HTC One M9 lookalike with a positively huge round camera on the back panel, accompanied by a dual-LED flash. Otherwise, the smartphone is identical in appearance, but it's a bit of a different beast inside. 

For starters, the 5.2-inch display has a 1440x2560 resolution. The chipsets powering the device will be the MediaTek MT6795 2GHz octa-core processor and the Snapdragon 810 (in a different version). 3GB of RAM are on-board, as well as 32GB of internal storage, a fingerprint reader, and the prodigious BoomSound speakers.

Leaks aside, HTC's plans for an upgraded One M9 are rather unclear at this point. It seems there will be such a smartphone in the end, but it could (or not) be sold as a Desire series smartphone in China, powered by the MediaTek SoC, or as the One M9 Plus in Western countries (running on the Qualcomm chip). We'll have to see how this will play out, so if are absolutely jonesing for a One M9, don't be sitting on your cash waiting for the more powerful smartphone.

NOKIA LUMIA 730 REVIEW

INTRODUCTION


The Nokia Lumia 730 is part of Microsoft’s 2014 fall lineup of Windows Phone devices, and one of the last smartphones to carry the Nokia brand. An affordable handset with a 4.7” 720p AMOLED display, it comes with a quad-core Snapdragon 400 system chip, 1GB of RAM and 8 gigs of internal storage. Where it differs from most of its peers, though, is in its advertized 5-megapixel front-facing camera and aspirations to be a master of ‘selfie’ photography.

The Lumia 730 also comes with Windows Phone 8.1 on board, enriched with the goodness of the Lumia Denim update that is exclusive to the series. It’s an important update that brings substantial improvements in the speed of the camera and some other stability fixes.

Before digging deeper, though, we should clarify that the Lumia 730 has a nearly identical sibling called the Lumia 735. The Lumia 730 is a dual-SIM handset, while the Lumia 735 features 4G LTE connectivity, and that’s the only difference between the two. There are no other differences, and even the design is identical.

With an alluring price tag that aims to undercut Android peers from first-tier brands, the Lumia 730 makes an interesting case for Windows Phone on affordable phones. Let’s learn more about it.

In the box:

• 0.75A wall charger with permanently attached microUSB cable
• User manual
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
           
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Design

The Nokia Lumia 730 comes with a pillow-shaped design that will remind those who follow the Windows Phone history of the first Nokia handset on the Microsoft’s platform: the Nokia Lumia 800 from early 2012. Luckily, this design that was once considered premium now comes to affordable handsets, and we’re impressed with the quality feel of the Lumia 730. 

With no sharp lines, the phone sits very comfortably in the hand, and it has a welcoming soft feel to it. It’s made of plastic, with a removable, wrap-around plastic shell, but the material is a well-treated plastic that does not feel or appear cheap. The thickness of the phone is 0.34” (8.7mm), but it does not feel as thick as that number suggests because of the curved edges of the device. All in all, the phone is well fit for single-handed use, and it can safely be considered one of the best designs in the affordable phone class. You also have a choice of black, white, red, and green colors for the Lumia 730, and we appreciate having these color options as opposed to having just the more conservative black and white.

The Lumia 730 features on-screen navigation buttons, while all physical keys are conveniently within reach of the thumb on the right. The lock key is in the middle, and the volume rocker above - both are made of glossy plastic that contrasts with the matte grey of the body, and are clicky and responsive.

Display



The Nokia Lumia 730 features a 4.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 1280- pixels (720p). It uses AMOLED technology, which is still rather rarely found in affordable phones. It comes with the advantage of perfect black color, excellent contrast, and great viewing angles. On top of it, is a Nokia ClearBlack filter with polarization that filters out reflections nicely, which makes it easier to use the phone outdoors.

Looking at sharpness, we have a pixel density of 312ppi on the Lumia 730, which sounds great for such an affordable phone, at least on paper. In reality, however, some pixelization is noticeable. The reason for this is not the resolution per se, but rather the PenTile Diamond pixel arrangement used in the phone. PenTile features less sub-pixels, and this results in noticeable jaggedness, especially noticeable on larger patches of a single color.



Colors on the Lumia 730 are not bland at all: quite the contrary, we have a rich, vibrant image and looking at our display measurements one can see why. The 4.7” AMOLED panel covers a wider color gamut than the industry standard sRGB, and all the color saturations are overblown. As a result we have the aforementioned vivid colors that are rather unrealistic. This effect is multiplied by the fact that the screen’s gamma response at 2.48 is above the standard 2.2, which results in a darker, even more contrasty and unrealistic picture. Some people like those punchy colors, but we have seen better calibrated displays even in this affordable class of devices.

Keep in mind that those display measurements apply for the default standard color profile (you can change color profiles from Settings -> Display -> Color Profile). The Lumia 730 features an even more oversaturated ‘vivid’ color mode, a ‘cool’ one with preference for colder tonalities and a colder white point, and finally, one big surprise. That big surprise comes in the form of the ‘advanced’ color profile that allows you to tweak key aspects of the color performance of the display: you can set color temperature (from warm to cold, with a slider), tint (from green to neutral to purple), and color saturation (from natural to vivid). Those obsessed with color purity will be able to use these settings to calibrate the screen to near perfection.

Our measurements show that the Lumia 730 can reach peak brightness of around 294 nits. Keep in mind that AMOLED displays reach different brightness levels depending on the colors that are displayed (we measure brightness on an all-white display, while in real-life usage the brightness output might be a bit higher). We find the Lumia 730 bright enough for use outdoors.

We’re happy to see that the screen can also be used with gloves (something Nokia calls ‘super sensitivity mode’). We did not have to trigger any option to enable this - it works right out of the box, which is nice.

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Review on Microsoft Lumia 535

INTRODUCTION

The first Microsoft-branded Lumia – the Lumia 535, announced a couple of months ago, is a low-end handset, targeted at the budget-oriented folk who still look for a device that offers the connectivity options of a modern smartphone, but having corners cut in all the right places, in order to make for a viable compromise. Costing $169.99 in the US, the Lumia 535 brings all the bells and whistles of Windows Phone 8.1 – Cortana included – powered by the humble Snapdragon 200, but still paired with a good 1 GB of RAM.

So, does this handset really deliver usability, or is it just another entry-level device that frustrates users, rather than empower them? Let's check it out!

In the box:

• User manual
• Wall charger
• Headset

DESIGN

As we said, corners had to be cut, and this is evident once one lays their eyes on the Lumia 535 for the very first time – the handset looks rather dull – a black front with a quite darkened Microsoft logo above the display and a frontal cam nested right next to it – if you try to pick up the handset in a low-light environment, you'd be hard-pressed to tell which way is up.

The back panel of the device wraps around its sides and can come in a few vivid colors, signature for the Lumias, though – our review unit is matte black, which just adds to the device's dry looks. Its plastic does not feel as cheap to the touch as one would expect, but does tend to attract a lot of fingerprint smudges. We also winced at the protruding camera – a gradual lump at the back of the 0.35" (8.8 mm) thick handset houses a 5 MP snapper, with its LED flash situated to the left of it.

As far as buttons go – we found them to be pleasant to the touch – both the power button and volume rockers are placed on the right side, clicky when pressed, and just a very tiny bit shallower than we would like.

Size-wise – the handset sports a 5" display, but does not feel bulky to handle. In terms of contemporary handset size – the Lumia 535 falls in the "normal" category – it keeps the user mindful of which pocket they tuck it in, yet is not larger-than-comfortable.

DISPLAY

The entry-level 535 looks to deliver an industry-standard experience in terms of display size – its 5" screen delivers a more comfortable usage experience than the 4" one that adorned the Lumia 530. Its pixel density, however, is, as can be expected, on the low side – a 540 x 960 resolution makes for a 220 PPI ratio, which often means that the user will need to zoom in to read text on webpages.

We were pleasantly surprised by its color temperature – measuring at 7069 K – just slightly higher than the reference value of 6,500 K – the display does not look too cold and its color reproduction is pleasant and rather accurate.


The viewing angles are, as can be expected, pretty harsh – though, not as bad as we've seen on other low-range handsets. Watching the display straight on will provide for an even image, both in portrait and landscape mode, however, slightly tilting it will lead to distortions.

As far as brightness goes – the lowest the display can go is 61 nits, which doesn't make for pleasant usage in the dark. The highest level it can go to is 433 nits, which, combined with a strongly reflective glass on the panel, doesn't make it easily readable under the sun as well.