Motorola Mobility has realised there's a market for affordable, well-featured smartphones with a recognisable brand name.
Some people aren't prepared to spend $500 on a smartphone, let alone the $800+ needed to buy a 'hero' phone such as the iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5 or an HTC One M8. But just because they are on a budget, they might not be inclined to buy unfamiliar brands such as Huawei and ZTE.(That's not to imply there's anything wrong with Huawei or ZTE - this writer knows people who have happily used phones from both companies.)
To address this market segment, Motorola Mobility has launched the Moto E, a $179 (unlocked) smartphone featuring a 4.3in Gorilla Glass display, Android 4.4 KitKat, Snapdragon 200 processor, dual-SIM support (the Moto E purportedly learns you calling pattern to work out which SIM to use when you place calls), MicroSD slot, FM radio, 5MP camera, and an 'all day' battery.
There's also a selection of optional interchangeable back shells as shown in the top picture, but the announcement didn't mention which colours will be available here or how much they will cost.
Motorola Mobility guarantees to provide at least one Android update (one of the snags with low-end Android phones has been that the operating software may never be updated by the manufacturer or carrier).
So the company's description of the Moto E as "fully loaded and fairly priced" doesn't appear to be hyperbole, though we'll reserve final judgement until iTWire has had an opportunity to try one out.
The Moto E goes on sale in early July.
In related news, Motorola Mobility also announced a 4G version of the Moto G, priced at $299. The original 3G version remains available at $249.
As reported in January, Google has agreed to sell the Motorola Mobility business to China-based PC maker Lenovo for almost US3 billion.
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