Moto E5 (XT1920DL) Review - Tracfone Smartphone
The Moto E5 has a 5.7" screen with 18:9 screen ratio, 4000 mAh battery and runs Android 8.1 Oreo. It is the latest smartphone released by Tracfone and brings a number of great features for the price. |
| Tracfone Moto E5 Review |
The Moto E5 is the second phone available from Tracfone that features Android 8.1, the latest version (Android 9.0 is coming to certain devices) with the LG Stylo 4 also featuring Android Oreo.
The Moto E line of phones from Motorola is well known for the good value at a very reasonable price and we will see how the Moto E5 stacks up to this in our review.
First, let's look at the pro's and con's for the Tracfone Moto E5
Moto E5 Quick Facts
What we Like:Low Cost
Nice screen
Great battery life
Android 8.0.1
What we Don't Like:
Low RAM/Storage (2 GB/16 GB)
Mediocre camera
Only CDMA version available
There are several unlocked variations of the Moto E5 available including the E5 Plus and E5 Play with various differences for each version. These unlocked smartphones are compatible with GSM networks unlike the Tracfone Moto E5 which is only compatible with CDMA.
The unlocked Moto E5 is not available in the US market and actually has some differences to the Tracfone Moto E5, including a higher resolution rear camera at 13 MP compared to the Tracfone versions 8 MP.
Time for the full list of features on the Tracofone Moto E5.
Tracfone Moto E5 (XT1920DL) Features and Specs
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- 4G LTE capable on CDMA network (Verizon)
- WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.2
- Alarm Clock
- Access to over 1 Million apps on Google Play
- Hearing Aid Compatible
- Standard 3.5mm headphone connection
- SMS/MMS
- Voicemail, Caller ID, Call Waiting
- USB Charger
- Water Resistant
- Fingerprint Reader
- Size: 6.08'' x 2.84'' x 0.35'' (6.1oz)
- Camera: 8 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
- Screen: 5.7" HD 18:9 ratio with 1440x720 resolution (282 ppi)
- Processor: Qualcomm MSM8917 Snapdragon 425 1.4 Ghz Quad-core processor
- Memory: 2 GB
- Storage: 16 GB (supports up to 128 GB microSD card)
- Battery: 4000 mAh non-removable with 32 hrs talk time, 10 days standby
Despite changing hands several times, Motorola has maintained a consistent stream of budget friendly smartphones in several lineups including the Moto E and Moto G lines, that are well known for good value. The Moto G line, with the Moto G6 the current model, offers a little more power and performance for a somewhat higher price compared to the Moto E5.
We will cover some of the differences for these phones a little further down, but let's take a closer look at the main features on the Tracfone Moto E5
Tracfone Moto E5 Review
TouchscreenThe touchscreen on the Moto E5 is actually very nice for a phone at this price point. It has a 5.7" screen with 720x1440 HD resolution. Motorola adopted the 18:9 resolution which has become popular on higher-end smartphones and allows for a taller, thinner design.
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| Tracfone Moto E5 Review |
The screen is an LCD panel, which doesn't pop quite as well as an OLED screen found on more expensive devices, but for the price of the Moto E5, it works very nicely and looks good.
Internal Specs - Processor, RAM, Internal Memory
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 is a popular option in budget smartphones and has enough performance for most tasks with its Quad-core 1.4 Ghz processor. One of the nice features of newer processors like this one is that they can reduce power usage and run quieter when doing low performance tasks. This is one of the factors that helps the Moto E5 have a very impressive battery life.
The 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal storage are not very exciting as many users are finding they need more storage for apps, photos and videos and more. It would be nice to see at least 32 GB internal storage. The Moto E5 does have a micro SD card slot for up to 128 GB extra storage.
Camera
The 8 MP rear camera on the E5 is adequate for snapping images to share with friends or recording videos to post on social media but it isn't anything too impressive.
Along the same lines, the front 5 MP shooter gets the job done for snapping selfies and such.
While the Tracfone Moto E5 version has the 8 MP rear camera, the unlocked version has a 13 MP camera which does capture higher quality images and higher resolution. This must have been one of the areas Tracfone decided to cut corners to keep the price low.
Batery
One of the strengths of the E5, and many Motorola devices, is the long battery life. This phone comes with a non-removable 4000 mAh battery which is rated to last 32 hrs talk time, 10 days on standby. Actual battery life isn't quite the same, but it definitely will go a full day on a single charge with low to moderate usage which is very nice.
Android OS
Android 8.1.0 Oreo is the operating system on the Moto E5 and it brings a number of appearance and performance improvements over previous versions. Tracfone does not provide their smartphones with OS updates so whichever version it comes with is what it will keep.
With Android, users have access to the Google Play store with over 1 Million apps covering almost anything you could think of. We have created a helpful Guide to the Best Android Apps to use with Tracfone so take a look if you need some ideas.
Overall Design
The overall design and feel of the Moto E5 is quite good despite the plastic materials. All the buttons are in convenient places and even the fingerprint sensor on the back works well. The standard 3.5 mm headphone jack is at the top, with the USB charging port at the bottom.
Conclusion
Some features on the Moto E5 are not too exciting but for the most part, the phone is a strong contender for an everyday smartphone that can handle most tasks thrown its way. It is certainly a budget phone, but a good value for what you get.
We see this being a popular replacement for older Tracfone devices like the LG Rebel 2, Samsung Galaxy Luna, and other older smartphones.
This isn't the best phone for everyone, however, as the low internal memory will limit the number of apps and other media users are able to store on it.
For users looking for more storage, we recommend the Tracfone BYOP program, where you can bring almost any unlocked smartphone to use with Tracfone including the Moto G6 which comes with 32 GB storage.
Tracfone Moto E5 vs Moto G6 Comparison
The Moto E5 and G6 were released about the same time by Motorola with the G6 the 'step up' model.While these two phones share the same screen size, they don't share much beyond that with the G6 offering more RAM, internal storage, better camera, better processor and higher resolution screen. The E5 does have a larger battery.
The Moto G6 is also more expensive, with the unlocked version at $250.
Where to Buy the Moto E5
Get the Tracfone Moto E5 on Amazon for $106
And it is now available from HSN with airtime bundle for $119
And we have found it available from Walmart for $106
We expect to see it offered in the near future from other sources and will update as soon as possible.
For additional information, view the Interactive Tutorial.
That concludes our review of the Tracfone Moto E5. If you have any thoughts or questions, leave them in the comments below.
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