Motorola Moto E (2015, Boost Mobile)

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Pros Affordable. 4G LTE connectivity. Near-stock Android 5.0.

Cons Subpar camera quality. Bottom Line The Motorola Moto E combines high-quality parts with clean Android software to great effect. It earns an Editors' Choice for budget-friendly smartphones on Boost Mobile.

By Eugene Kim

For $99.99 on Boost Mobile, the Motorola Moto E is an exceptional value that should be the first option for price-conscious smartphone buyers. Display quality is on point, performance is solid, and the Moto E supports 4G LTE connectivity. Throw in near-stock Android software and a promise of speedy updates, and you have a real winner on your hands. The Moto E easily earns our Editors' Choice award for budget smartphones on Boost.

We previously reviewed the unlocked Moto E, which is physically identical to the Boost Mobile model. Head over to that review for a full rundown on design, specs, and general performance. For this review, we'll focus on network performance and battery life.

Network Performance and Battery Life
Boost piggybacks on Sprint's 3G CDMA and 4G LTE networks, and the Moto E supports all the appropriate network frequencies. We've seen Sprint's Spark LTE network deliver seriously fast speeds, but finding coverage is the real issue here. In my tests, the Moto E hovered around 5Mbps down and 1Mbps up, but our LTE coverage was pretty spotty. Call quality was good, with strong earpiece volume and clear transmissions through the mic. Noise cancellation worked well, but also dampened natural voice tones, making them sound somewhat digitized.

Editors' Note: The slideshow below is of the unlocked Moto E, which is physically identical to the Boost Mobile model.

In a battery rundown test, where we streamed a YouTube video over LTE with screen brightness set to max, the Moto E lasted a respectable 6 hours, 7 minutes. That's right on par with the LG Tribute's 6 hours, 13 minutes, and beats the Sharp Aquos Crystal's 5 hours, 2 minutes in the same test.

Software and Conclusions
Motorola is building a great reputation for clean Android software and timely updates. The Moto E runs an essentially stock version of Android 5.0, which is incredibly rare in the low-end market. Boost, unfortunately, loads up a healthy serving of bloatware, but most of it is uninstallable. Mobile ID, for Sprint's theming service, and Boost Zone, for account management, are both permanent additions, but more offensive apps like Boost Wallet and NBA Game Time can be easily removed.

See How We Test Cell Phones

Of the 8GB of internal storage, 4.55GB is available to users out of the box. Our 64GB microSD card worked fine as well. The built-in storage is key for larger apps, and the Moto E easily beats phones like the LG Tribute, which tops out at a paltry 1.4GB of storage.

The Motorola Moto E stands as a litmus test for the ultra-budget smartphone market. The high-quality parts and clean Android software make for a potent combination, especially in the sub-$100 realm. It's an easy pick for a budget-friendly Editors' Choice on Boost. You could opt for the LG Tribute and save $20; it performs similarly, but doesn't have nearly as much internal storage capacity. Those looking for a bigger screen will have to spend a lot more for a phone like the $200 Boost Max by ZTE, which is still a great value for entry-level phablets.

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