Moto E6 gets octa-core processor and removable battery for under $150

[Shawn Knight]

Through the looking glass: The 3,000mAh battery is noticeably smaller than the 4,000mAh unit included in last year’s handset but curiously enough, it is removable. Swappable batteries were once a mainstay in the mobile industry but manufacturers have largely moved to fixed installations. Could the removable battery be making a comeback?

Motorola on Thursday pushed out a refreshed version of its Moto E smartphone boasting an interesting mix of new features at a compelling price.

The Moto E6 starts off on solid footing with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, an octa-core SoC with twice as many cores as last year’s E5, and Adreno 505 graphics. You also get 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage that’s expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB capacity cards supported).

The budget Android comes equipped with a 5.5-inch Max Vision HD+ (1,440 x 720 resolution, 296 PPI) IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter (also with f/2.0 aperture) and yes, even a 3.5mm headphone jack.

The Moto E6 ships running Android 9.0 Pie and tips the scales at 159 grams (5.6 ounces) with the battery installed. A P2i liquid repellent nano coating helps the handset deal with the accidental exposure to moisture although notably, Motorola says the phone isn’t waterproof. Other shortcomings include the lack of a fingerprint scanner and the use of microUSB instead USB-C.

Motorola’s new Moto E6 is offered in your choice of black or navy blue and is available from today priced at $149.99.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/81142-moto-e6-gets-octa-core-processor-removable-battery.html

 

[Cycloid Torus]

New crop of low cost smartphones are cause for celebration though I wish the article covered system updates. Nokia 2.2 is similar at about same price and has Android One support. Is there a 'comparison' article in the future?

EDIT: @Puiu identifies Redmi Note 7 as similar. Looks like a "budget, unlocked, upgradeable with replaceable battery" comparison might be of interest to a growing number of readers. I wonder just how insecure my Android 7 phone is.

 

[rrwards]

This is arguably a much worse phone than the previous Moto E5. This iteration (the E6) drops the fingerprint sensor, loses 1000 mah battery, and 0.2in of screen size. Sure, getting the SD 435 is nice, but that's still a 3 year old processor on the 28nm die. Could have at least included the newer SD 439 which is also an octacore but on the 12nm die to compensate for the 25% reduced battery size.

 

[psycros]

How are the lack of USB-C and fingerprint scanners shortcomings? Almost nobody uses these things and nobody in their right mind would willingly give Google their fingerprint.

 

[rrwards]

How are the lack of USB-C and fingerprint scanners shortcomings? Almost nobody uses these things.

In case you're not kidding, those are both incredibly ubiqitous in smart phones and used by millions of people. Heck, in 2018 almost 70% of smartphones shipped with a fingerprint sensor. USB-C has been a standard since 2016 and seen widespread use since early 2017 when the Galaxy S8 series launched with USB-C instead of micro USB. Most every phone above the $200 price point uses USB-C too.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

This is all true, but it also can be said that the smartphones with all of it cost 2x or more - which you throw away when the battery crumps - and may not even have regular updates to the OS.

 

[Puiu]

The Redmi Note 7 is still king at around that price point (especially with that SD 660 SOC), I got one for my mother when her older phone broke.

I also bought the Xiaomi Mi 9T for me (got it a few days ago), incredible phone for just 350$ (shipping and taxes included). I don't take many selfies so not having to deal with a notch is... a game changer (we went back to the era without notches). The selfie camera is very good if I ever need it

And for those who are wondering, yes they have USB-C and even headphone jacks.

 

[Uncle Al]

How are the lack of USB-C and fingerprint scanners shortcomings? Almost nobody uses these things and nobody in their right mind would willingly give Google their fingerprint.

THAT'S NOT TRUE! ..... I used my finger print scanner for a good 30 seconds before dumping it! OK, I exaggerated, it was only 10 seconds ........