A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)
A consumer checks out smartphones (Reuters)Reuters

Last week, consumer electronics giant, Sony launched an affordable smartphone Xperia E3 in India.

With the release of Xperia E3, Sony has joined the bandwagon of MNC brands like Xiaomi, Asus and Motorola (Moto G and now the second Generation model) to cash-in on the lucrative mid-range segment, which for long have been dominated by domestic players (Micromax, Karbonn Mobiles, Lava and others).

As Mi3 and Zenfone 5 series sales have temporarily been suspended due to lack of stocks in the market (exclusive online store- Flipkart), Xperia E3 will be competing with popular Motorola phone Moto G (Gen 2).

If prospective consumers are looking to upgrade from budget smartphone to mid-range, then Sony Xperia E3 and Motorola Moto G (Gen 2.) might interest you.

To get a clear perspective between these these two devices, we have done a quick rundown of the key features of the smartphones, check it out here:

Display:

In this aspect, Motorola Moto G (Gen 2.) trumps Xperia E3, thanks to its higher resolution screen.

The new Moto G phone sports a 5.0-inch HD (1280x720p) display with a pixel density of 294 ppi (pixels per inch) and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield.

On the other hand, Xperia E3 sports 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480p) screen with a pixel density close to 218 ppi and is protected by shatter-proof shield.

Processor, RAM and Storage Capacity:

In this aspect, both Motorola and Sony smartphones stand even as Moto G (Gen 2.) and Xperia E3 pack the same 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 series CPU (Adreno 305 graphics engine) and house 1GB RAM and expandable memory (up to 32GB).

Camera:

We all know Sony is one of the pioneers in camera technology in the industry and the company has incorporated the new Xperia E3 budget phone with feature-rich 5.0-megapixel main camera boasting 4x smooth zoom, Auto scene recognition, Face detection, Geo-tagging, HDR for pictures, Image stabiliser, Quick Launch, Scene recognition, Self-timer, Send to web, Smile Shutter™, Sweep Panorama, Touch capture, Video recording (HD 1080p), White balance and others value-added apps.

However, the 0.3-megapixel VGA front-camera is kind of a letdown, when compared to rival smartphones in the same price-range.

Motorola Moto G (Gen 2.) houses an 8.0-megapixel camera on the rear side with LED flash, Auto Focus, Slow Motion Video, Burst Mode, Auto HDR, Panorama, Tap to Focus, HD (720p) video recording ability and a 2.0-megapixel snapper on the front side with HD video recording ability.

[Note: More mega-pixel count in the camera does not guarantee a good quality photograph. It all depends on the type of the lens, size and aperture.]

Mobile Operating System:

In this aspect, both Motorola and Sony phone stand almost even as they run on the same ubiquitous Android OS platform.

However, Moto G (Gen 2.) owners will have an edge over Xperia E3, as the former runs on the latest 4.4.4 KitKat (almost stock Android OS) and it is guaranteed to get the next version Android L OS as well.

Whereas, the latter runs on v4.4.2 (with custom Xperia Theme UI) and is not yet confirmed whether it will get the new update or not.

[Note: Xperia E3 is less than one month-old in the market, so considering past history, we are certain Sony will release updates for the next one-and-half year i.e., 18 months]

Price:

Price is one of the most important aspects of this comparison article, as it plays a crucial role in the minds of the price-sensitive middle class and the aspiring youth population, which form the biggest chunk of India's demography.

Like its predecessor, the new Moto G (Gen 2.) has also been made available exclusively at Flipkart for ₹12,990.

Sony Xperia E3 has been made available for ₹11,990 (Single-SIM) and ₹12,990 (Dual-SIM). One advantage for Sony fans is that they can buy the phone at the local brick-and-mortar stores as well.

[Also readMotorola Moto G (Gen 2.) vs Micromax Canvas Nitro A310: Specifications Comparison]

Key Specifications of Motorola Moto G (Gen 2.) and Sony Xperia E3:

Models Motorola Moto G (Gen 2.) Sony Xperia E3
Display 5.0-inch HD (720x1280p) Screen with Gorilla Glass 3 shieldPixel density: 294 ppi (pixels per inch) 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480p) screen with shatter-proof shieldPixel density: close to 218 ppi
OS Android v4.4.4 KitKat Android v4.4 KitKat
Processor 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 series quad-core processor 1.2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core CPU
GPU 450 MHz Adreno 305 Adreno 305
RAM 1GB 1GB
Storage capacity 16GB, expandable up to 32GB 4GB, expandable up to 32GB
Camera Main: 8.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, auto focus, HDR

Front: 2.0-megapixel camera

Main: 5.0-megapixel camera with LED flash, 4X zoom, full HD (1080p) video recording ability

Front: VGA (0.3-megapixel) camera

Battery 2,070 mAh; 2,330 mAh;Talk time: up to 12 hours 20 minutesStandby time: close to 706 hours
Network 2G, 3G 2G , 3G & 4G-LTE (in select markets)
Add-ons Dual-SIM (optional) slots, Bluetooth v4.0 (LE), Wi-Fi (802.11 ac), front-facing speakers, FM radio, A-GPS, GLONASS, microSD card slot Dual-SIM slots (optional), Bluetooth v4.0, NFC, Wi-Fi , A-GPS, GLONASS, micro-USB (High speed v2.0), microSD card slot, USB, FM radio with RDS, 3D Surround Sound (VPT)
Dimensions 141.5 x 10.99 x 70.7 mm 137.1 x 69.4 x 8.5 mm
Weight 149 g 143.8 g
Price ₹12,999/- Single-SIM: ₹11,990/-Dual-SIM: ₹12,990/-