Moto E was the revolutionary smartphone which stirred budget Android segment in India couple of months back, and since then, it has been the benchmark against which all budget Android phones are being compared. Xiaomi Redmi 1S will soon be available (sort of) in India and brings unprecedented jaw dropping hardware at a lower price, let’s take a look at how these two titans compare against each other.
Display and Processor
Moto E comes with a 4.3 inch display with qHD resolution, amounting to 256 PPI. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 which makes it quite durable as well. Xiaomi Redmi 1S on the other hand, has bigger and sharper, 4.7 Inch IPS LCD display with 720p HD resolution with 312 ppi. Xiaomi Redmi 1S however, has Gorilla Glass 2 protection on top which is slightly more scratch prone than Gorilla Glass 3.
In practice, both displays are crisp with good colors and responsive touches. If you can remain content with a smaller Moto E display, the quality on either of the two won’t disappoint you.
The processor employed in Moto E 1.2 GHz dual core Snapdragon 200 chipset which has been well optimized with Android Kitkat software to give decent and fluid performance. However, Xiaomi Redmi 1S excels in this department with a better 1.6 GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 chipset which makes it more efficient for handling demanding tasks.
Camera and Internal Storage
Motorola Moto E comes with a fixed focus 5 MP at the rear and no front facing camera. Xiaomi Redmi 1S is however miles ahead in this segment with an 8 MP rear shooter with 1.4 micrometer pixel size, 28 mm wide angle lens and wide aperture, capable of Full HD 1080p video recording coupled with a 1.6 MP front shooter. This Xiaomi advantage will also translate into a substantial user experience. Though Redmi 1S hardware excels in various other segments, imaging hardware is the one which in our opinion will count the most at user end.
Moto E comes with 4 GB internal storage and option for 32 GB microSD secondary storage. Xiaomi Redmi 1S on the other hand comes with 8 GB internal storage expandable up 64 GB along with option of USB OTG, which Moto E lacks.
Battery and Other Features
Though battery rating is about same for both devices, (1980 mAh vs 2000 mAh), Moto E is expected to fare better. Moto E battery lasts decently long thanks to well optimized hardware and stock software. We don’t know the exact battery backup just after hands on review, but we don’t expect back up of both devices to be vastly different.
Xiaomi Redmi 1S runs on Android 4.3 Jelly bean with MIUI on top while Moto E comes with stock Android 4.4.2 Kitkat. Both MIUI and Stock Android have their own set of advantages and which one you prefer depends on your taste. Stock Android on Moto E runs smoothly and is expected to get Android L upgrade in future. MIUI on the other hand gives more customization options. Both phones have Dual SIM functionality and Moto E has an added advantage of front facing speakers. Xiaomi Redmi 1S has red capacitive keys, which might not be in line with everyone’s taste
Key Specs
| Model | Moto E | Xiaomi Redmi 1S |
| Display | 4.5 inch, qHD | 4.7 inch, HD |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz Dual Core | 1.6 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB |
| Internal Storage | 4 GB, Expandable up to 64 GB | 8 GB, Expandable up to 64 GB |
| OS | Android 4.4 KitKat | Android 4.3 Jelly Bean |
| Camera | 5 MP | 8 MP/ 1.6 MP |
| Battery | 1,980 mAh | 2,000 mAh |
| Price | Rs 5,999 | Rs 5,999 |
Conclusion and Price
Xiaomi Redmi 1S at 5,999 INR is a complete package, definitely offering more for a lesser price as compared to Moto E (6,999 INR) and will account for a better user experience. However, in our opinion, Moto E scores better in terms of Design and much better in terms of availability. Xiaomi will be selling Redmi 1S for the next 5-6 weeks and not everyone will be able to buy one.
