Motorola has launched the Moto E13 in India. This is an entry-level smartphone which is to say that it is designed to bring the “next billion” (in Google parlance) online giving them access to calls and internet without burning a hole in their pocket.
Motorola E13 price in India starts at Rs 6,999. You don’t usually expect top-tier specs at these kinds of prices but for what it’s worth, the E13 does have a competitive and likeable spec-sheet for the asking price.
The body of the phone is made entirely out of plastic but Motorola has somehow been able to put an official IP52-rating on it which makes it resistant to dust and splashes of water. Considering that ingress protection isn’t always a given in even some of the more expensive phones, the Moto E13 is actually punching above its weight in this regard.
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The design itself is quite sleek (179.5g/8.47mm) and attractive with a shimmery back panel that transitions seamlessly into the mid-frame which is relatively flat. The camera module sits flush, too, so whole setup looks unibody. The phone has a headphone jack up-top and USB Type-C port at the bottom. You can get the Moto E13 in a choice of three colours— black, green, and white.
Flip over to the front and you see a large 6.55-inch 720p LCD display with wide bezels and a waterdrop notch housing a 5MP selfie camera, typical of most phones in this class.
Under the hood, you get a Unisoc T606 chipset. This is paired with either 2GB/64GB or 4GB/64GB memory configurations. This is expandable via a dedicated micro-SD card slot. Powering the phone is a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging support. Rounding off the hardware package is a 13MP main camera.
The Motorola E13’s key USP feature is not its hardware, though. We feel that it’s the underlying software. The phone runs near stock Android 13 Go Edition. Being a Motorola phone means you do get access to some exclusive gestures like three-finger screenshot and chop twice to turn on flashlight. The phone is guaranteed to get 2 years of security udpates.
Android 13 is a rarity at this price and easy-to-use clean software without uneccsary apps and spammy notifications means getting started with your first smartphone is much less cumbersome. We will have more to say about the Moto E13’s performance in our full review but as far as first impressions go, this is a great entry-level option for anyone looking to dip their toes into the world of “smart” phones. The average selling prices have gone up and it’s becoming more and more difficult to recommend a good smartphone for cash-strapped buyers. The Moto E13 seems good value, at least on paper, but be sure to watch this space for more on Motorola’s latest.
The Moto E13 comes in two versions— 2GB/64GB for Rs 6,999 and 4GB/64GB for Rs 7,999. It will be available starting February 15, 2023.
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