Motorola Moto e13 Review: Budget Compromises

[@christracy2144]

Look at the comments on all these cheaper end phones. What the hell do people expect for $100 when high end costs $2000. If you haven't got the money or don't want to spend it if you do, these lower end phones are good. I don’t spend what I don’t have to. I am not interested in trendy or techie points. I use my cheap ass Moto e20 for everything. Keeps shit nice and simple but does all I ask of it, I'm not a technophobe neither so that's plenty, and it's not at all slow. I want you to ask yourself how many people get the higher end because of spec/bragging rights but never use the extra functionality. Only using it to browse X-Twitter, pay bills, shop, text their mom and take a picture of the cat licking it's bumhole. If you want high end, pay for it and good on ya. Need to stop judging people who only want basic electronics.

[@itagow7202]

Yes

[@Grandmaster-Kush]

Hell ye

[@magnuskallas]

People also forget some need backup phones / extra numbers they can't loose or even a WiFi hotspot.

[@newtoniantime8804]

I like to spend extra money if it gives me a product that lasts. This is not the case with phones. They are made to be changed in ~3 to 4 years time if you are lucky.. Software walls that will lock you out from apps and the classic "builtin battery f*** you customer" scam. I have no problem dissembling the phones and change batteries, but the industry standards make me mad.

[@magnuskallas]

@@newtoniantime8804 Years ago, now decades, I used to be a PC gaming journo. Got something like 300 per page. Anyway, I always bought the games, boxed versions, "originals" we used to call them, when ever possible. What is original now? Digital license is on a certain level on bar with old-school pirating. You HAVE NOTHING. EDIT: In case of mandatory online access, you don't even own your own SAVE files. Game As A Service can suck my medium sized wiener.

[@johntate5050]

I need a mobile phone to make calls, send texts, store notes and that's it. For me this is a great phone. It's a phone...PHONE! What more do you want?

[@daveoliver5838]

Any problems so far - slow wifi, battery draining fast, crashing? Read it has problems but may be down to the android version?

[@PKWeaver74]

I want it to watch TV, KZbin and Netflix on, use as an alarm, a sat-nav, to take photos and videos in hd 60fps, to listen to podcasts on, to use as a personal assistant, to read my blood sugar from my cgm via NFC and Bluetooth, to pay for goods in shops using Google pay, to translate conversations with people in languages I don't speak, to keep in contact with family on via WhatsApp, to share and view my families location on, to buy my shopping on, to send and receive emails, to find my wallet, keys, etc on using my tiles, to use as a calendar, calculator, daily organiser, spellchecker, to answer my doorbell with and view callers, to run my smartphone from turning lights on and off, setting routines to save electricity, to cast content on my phone to multiple other screens in my home and car, to run my meditation app, to connect wirelessly to my home. Nas and backup photos and videos as well as stream music that I've ripped from my CDs and vinyl collection and to send via UPNP to my raspberry pi with iqaudio DAC in HD flac quality, to view my daily results from using my CPAP machine to better understand my mask fit, for online banking, charitable giving, reading books magazines and surging the web, for tracking my location history and number of steps as well as cycling data. I've probably forgotten a few. Oh yes, to power my usb-c fan to cool me down, my led string b lights when camping.... er... To connect to my father's computer over vnc to log into a remote desktop to help with his pc issues, to apply for jobs oh and of course first and foremost for watching porn.

[@DeimosVoid]

@@daveoliver5838 My mom bought it for herself, the camera is awful but all in all.. pretty decent phone

[@johntate5050]

@@daveoliver5838 wi-fi? I said I want a phone and something to store notes on. Where does wi-fi fit into this?

[@Brewspurs]

Depends if you want an all in one phone but this phone is great for price

[@Rustyfin1958]

Available in the uk now £59. Solid for the money

[@sebastiend.5335]

I just paid eur. 79.00 for mine here in the Netherlands. Not bad for a quick and cheap fix after I dropped my Oppo today.

[@cielazul713]

Moto e13 is fantastic for the price! Smooth, quick, 2+ day battery and one of the clearest and most precise audio speakers out there. Oh, and for some odd reason, the selfie camera takes really good pics, better than the main camera. Just wish the 4gig ram India-only variant was easier to find, that is the one to get if one is a heavy multitasker.

[@lippuarabiwiggiibnfredutak4269]

Got one two weeks ago and its a great phone 70 pounds New and not a lot of apps and 64gb

[@IDCSarcasticSam]

Where did you get yours from? Because even brand new it came with so many issues, such as petty limitations, quite likely phone restarts, and pathetic phone restart times.

[@lippuarabiwiggiibnfredutak4269]

London and the only thing it don't have is Don't have is a music player but other than that it's great

[@taroitofilau3983]

I just smashed my new Pixel 7a and spewing about the cost of repair. Needed a temporary fix so I just walked down to my local Woolworths to get milk and bread and just had a squizz behind the help counter and saw this phone. Heard nothing of it but it was currently discounted from $149 down to $49. $49 I thought that should tie me over until I can cough up some bigger money for my Pixel repair ($189 just to fix myself, $320 they're currently charging themselves). And guess what, yes I notice some lag in comparison to the way more expensive pixel but it does everything I need. All the apps I need work perfectly, I don't give a crap about the camera or 720p resolution screen because ultimately this is only a temporary replacement for $49. Now to put things into perspective since I've only been using this phone for 1 day.... It looks like I might be holding onto this phone for my day to day use and I can take my sweet time waiting for repair prices to come down for my Pixel 7a, this phone does everything surprisingly well enough. I struck it lucky at the budget bin at Woolies, who would have known.

[@AlexKidman]

Agreed - at $49 that’s a total bargain.

[@magnuskallas]

You might have just sold me this phone as a secondary beater! (That said I most likely will pay extra tenner for the 4GB RAM)

[@opfax163]

@@magnuskallas you have a new e13 for 100 euros with 8 gb of ram ,

[@magnuskallas]

@@opfax163 I landed on a deal for "dated" Samsung Galaxy M51 (battery life reminds me of good old Nokia days of no worry), more than enough for me. Can't imagine paying 1000 pounds/euros/dollars for "wireless charging" and 2 extra cameras.

[@maxbruhm2932]

Can I connect tv or monitor with this phone for display?

[@rachaelb5465]

Thanks for the review. I'm just looking for a second phone for work and download all the stupid apps I need for that. Dumb question but does this phone handle the Microsoft authentication app?

[@Flaberguest]

And what is the call quality on this phone? It should be the most important for a cheap one.

[@Redline.john1986]

Hi, What is the best budget phone you can recommend for around that price? Thanks

[@interstat2222]

Maybe Xiaomi Redmi A2 2023 or one of the TCLs?

[@Redline.john1986]

@@interstat2222 Thanks for the reply 👍

[@PavanKumar-ft5hi]

@@Redline.john1986 do not buy Redmi A2, it doesn't have USB type C port and IP 52 certification. Plus it is full of ads and bloatware. It bends if you wear a tight jeans. I don't know much about TCL though.

[@PavanKumar-ft5hi]

You can consider Samsung A04, Nokia C32, if you are looking for a budget smartphone with good built quality. Moto e13 isn't as bad as Alex says it is. Atleast it gives stock Android experience, protective case and 10w charger in the box.

[@Redline.john1986]

@@PavanKumar-ft5hi Thanks very much for your message I will look into the phones you have recommended 👍

[@nulla9601]

Are there any problems with basic use like calling, messaging etc? I only need something cheap that can do the basic phone stuf and maybe the occasional youtube video and this one is only 77 euros

[@connorlewis-t8q]

Do u reccomend the motorola g04 over the e13?

[@AlexKidman]

I'm testing out the g04 right now, should have a review up next week. Stay tuned...

[@connorlewis-t8q]

Thanks

[@connorlewis-t8q]

I'll sub and like

[@opfax163]

you should take the new version of the e13 , it has 8 gb of ram

[@vladimir-dxdx7653]

Good smartphone. In Ukraine you can buy it for $77.

[@niall7439]

Bro i upgraded to the Moto e13 from an Alcatel one 😂 feels lightning fast in comparison

[@mrct-hp4lj]

Do you habe the 2gb ram versions?

[@niall7439]

@@mrct-hp4lj yes 2gb version

[@mrct-hp4lj]

@@niall7439 so android 13 go runs smooth on that device? Do you notice lags when you are switching between apps and do multitasking? :) Cause i am thinking of getting one

[@niall7439]

@@mrct-hp4lj yes runs very smooth, Ive had mine 3 months no issues still going good awesome phone

[@niall7439]

@@mrct-hp4lj best phone for the money Id recommend it to anyone looking for a phone in this price range 😍

[@ristosorri301]

just bought this yesterday and the camera is horrible...but wallet friendly phone still.

[@chabrow5459]

Thinking of getting this cheap phone to use for apps like youtube, Disney and Neflix for my kid. Would it suffice?

[@Tammy-xf4kz]

More than adequate for what you mentioned. Bought one for my kid. No complaints so far😂

[@RSTrader]

Is it still a may be for $98?

[@antsgamingvideosn2b]

The E14 which replaces the E13 has NFC and so far only offered on Vodafone prepaid-picked one up at my local Vodafone store for $99 down from the $129 RRP.

[@michellesarabiavailoces9114]

What is best moto e13 or moto e22??

[@MsDezsoe]

I bought it just now for a baby monitor purpose. All I need is to hear my boy when he wakes up and it's surprisingly good for this money.

[@Doodooman65]

Bro are you comparing this to samsung galaxy s23 or iphone 14

[@AlexKidman]

Nope. Next question?

[@_rx_38]

You can get the 8gb version of this i have it as my secondary and its ok considering the price like on cod its gtmets around 28 fos and geekbench runs like butterflies

[@TheNotthediver]

I just replaced a Huawei Y6 with one of these and it's been sort of flawless so far. 1080p would be nice. Its not slow.

[@iain8837]

Can now get this for 115 AUD in Switzerland, looking at a basic phone for my 11 yo so we know where she is and she can call in an emergency. Looks like a good deal and nothing really to compare to it just now?

[@opfax163]

it's a really good little processor for it's price what the previous version lacked was more RAM . honestly it's one of the best cheap phone

[@opfax163]

and the battery is very good

[@GO-gh2cp]

this is 90 euro in my country. 128/8 GB version, worth every cent

[@opfax163]

yes with the 8gb ram it's the best not used cheap phone on the market

[@mohammedr.almallahi7988]

How was your experience with the 8 GB RAM version?

[@jaybajwa6704]

Just bought for $97 from good guys

[@helenahayes6150]

I have a 3G phone which will be obsolete in a couple of weeks. Im a senior, and need to buy a new phone and have no idea what to buy. The fact that its not too bad, and that I can go up to my local coles store to buy it, probably means its ok for me.

[@sonyap5757]

Is it good for 10yo child?

[@tomspice73]

I ám 51 and ám using IT, IT is good.

[@NoahNobody]

I don't need a great phone. The biggest performance I need is watching youtube. I picked up mine for 60 euros! The phone takes nice pictures (low noise and performs great in low lighting). My only gripe is the pattern unlock is too big, so you have to do a lot of dragging over a large area and I find because of this, I'm more likely to make a mistake.

[@connorlewis-t8q]

This phone in uk is 69 british pounds

[@Woodman-Spare-that-tree]

Does it do whatsapp? That’s all i want.

[@opfax163]

yes, I have the 8 gb ram version of this phone and whatsapp is running well

[@sunintheroom]

yes it does, and my e13 has just 2 gb ram memory so it can't handle the nfc writer

[@mohammedr.almallahi7988]

​@@opfax163How was your experience with the 8 GB RAM version?

[@antsgamingvideosn2b]

Went from a 1st gen Moto G (a XT1033 that’s 3G only and still going like a charm, purchased in 2014) to a Moto E13-gee, it’s fast! Very happy with my Optus prepaid Moto E13 which I got from Coles Runaway Bay today on special for $129 down from $149-which was also the price at the Target at my local shopping centre. Am using my Optus prepaid E13 with a Amaysim SIM A-OK (ported my Optus number over). Saw the retail model in that slimline box at my local Domayne store.

[@Karim_D6]

I pretty much needed a work phone and for the price you couldn't beat it...

[@CaptZenPetabyte]

No biometrics, basic IP rating, large battery reasons for actually purchasing.

[@opfax163]

yeah it's a + for me

[@cadderley100]

Low budget phones are a good way to capture a large amount of the market share. We can't all afford £350 Samsung phones. I use my phone to send and receive texts, and to act as a modem occassionally. As long as the Wifi works, I'm good. I can connect my PC or Laptop to it, and set it up as a wifi hotspot. As far as gaming goes, I've got my mid range PC and Steamdeck for that, so I'm good for gaming on the go, and 2GB Ram will let you use the browser for Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass.

[@AlexKidman]

I'm jealous of your Steam Deck (not exactly a budget purchase, that one!) -- but you're right, and it's true -- you can make a lot out of a lower-spec phone like this, though the screen on the e13 wouldn't be ideal for GamePass streaming and the like.

[@cadderley100]

@@AlexKidman The Steam Deck has multiple different levels available. You can get the cheapest version for about £350, and it's well worth it, especially if you enjoy playing emulated retro games. It's the best retro gaming system that I know of. The question is, when it comes to budget phones, and this really is the only question: What do you expect out of it? If you expect features that are only available on £350 Samsung top end phones, then your going to be disappointed. It's about managing expectations. The fact that a budget phone like the Motorola can play games at all, is remarkable.

[@AlexKidman]

@@cadderley100 Oh, I don't disagree at all in terms of what can be done with a budget phone these days -- it was just the contrast between the price of a Steam Deck and the price of pretty much every Moto G series phone (and the likely buyers thereof).

[@cadderley100]

@@AlexKidman Yeah, I get that. I mean, the Steam Deck is pricey. There's no getting around that. It does one job, which is play games off the internal memory, but it does do it very, very well. It feels worth the price, if you get what I mean? You won't be texting anyone on one any time soon though. That said, each device, each and every one, has it's own unique purpose. My bespoke, by bespoke I mean hacked up Steam Deck cost me about £700 by the time I was done upgrading to 4.5TB of storage, about the same price as a mid level desktop gaming system, or the same price as 10 Motorola E13's. The first day I received it, I took a screw driver to it and cracked the back off, to have a nosey around inside. Then I broke the heat shield on the NVME, but it wasn't a big deal, because I put a new 2TB NVME in anyway. I bought the cheapest version of the Steam Deck, the 64GB version, because I knew that I was going to, eventually, upgrade the internal NVME anyway, so buying the 512GB version wasn't worth it. I mean, your certainly not going to get 4.5TB of storage in a budget £70 Motorola, but then, you don't need it due to streaming games over the internet. Xbox Game Pass has dramatically changed all of that. Provided that you have the internet, you have a gaming system. Add a Data Only sim, and you can game any where, any time. Add a Moga XP5 Pad (I think it is), with phone clip, jobs a good one. For £70, a Data Only Sim, and the price of Game Pass for three months, which costs about £3 on some key sites, it's a steal. That's what I used in hospital about 3 years or so ago, before the Deck was released. Back in my day, the height of the technology that we had access to, was a Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128K, and that's if you could afford it. Now, your able to play games over the internet, on any toaster Mobile Phone. It's phenomenal, looking back, where we started from, to where we are now.

[@Skyhigh_905]

I recently got one, and so far, it's okay. The only games I have is C.A.T.S and Geometry Dash, so I don't get any lag, although C.A.T.S crashes occasionally. The battery seems pretty good, and it did come with a charger in the box. I haven't had any other issues other than the previous one, and I think this phone is definitely worth what I got it for, which was £40, or $50.55, which I think is amazing. Edit : Nevermind, the phone's shit.

[@exroady1]

Alex Kidman, thanks for the post, and keep up the good work, however, I have to disagree on a few points. I,m i Liverpool UK, have had cell phones ever since my first, in mt van back in 1985. Never being seduced by Big iphone specs etc, I always look for the best deal. This E13, replaced my i7 Motorola, My Tesco Mobile people gave me this, Monthly contract up .50p per month. At £8 per month not wanting much apart from texts and calls, my home internet covers my data. And I fitted an old Micro sim from an old phone, for extra memory.My old iphone 5s bought outright, is kept for nostalgia. Thanks again I hope this review helps folks out there? Cheers from Liverpool UK.ps The phone is FAB.

[@arthursideofthegame3579]

is this 32 or 64 bit?

[@denicegrant4369]

64

[@alexstrang9334]

I got this phone last month and it couldn't connect to any WiFi signal so i had to return it

[@daveoliver5838]

What version of android did it have?

[@CosmicVoid420]

I'm gonna get this or the Redmi 12C. It's gonna be my trap phone. I just need the dual sim function, Whatsapp and some video recording. I currently have the Sony Xperia XA1 and I am happy with the camera quality. So as long as the camera similar then I'll be happy.

[@orionxtc1119]

I had Sony Xperia a while back... hated it...

[@RistoVorinokov]

Redmi all day. Entry level Moto phones are basically trash. Even as a burner phone

[@TheZyonig]

These are absolute dog shit. And I'm not bashing it cus it's cheap, I've bought Motorola phones for years, I'm not precious about them, and three or four last phones have been £100 Motorola. I regret spending money on this one. Camera is dreadful, mic while recording is awful. It's sooooo slow at everything, there's constant issues, camera orientation gone off randomly, all kinds of settings issues. I'm not demanding of phone tech, but would never go with this again.

[@ntal5859]

Excellent it does not have fingerprint unlock.... Not that I do anything wrong but why the hell would I want my fingerprints on a google server or uploaded to the CIA.

[@walermos]

I just bought it for 70 dollar on sale :)

[@MelonGaming20]

planing to upgrade from a moto g4 to this

[@NaesMan97]

I have this phone because my last phone had a lot of problems and the e13 is pretty useless and doesn't have all the same stuff as my last one like PiP and Google is really weird to use on it and so is some other apps and it doesn't want to work well it keeps throwing me out of almost every app on my phone and the camera has really bad. I don't recommend but it's okay if you don't have a high budget for a phone which is why I bought.

[@madmax404]

You don't show the phone being used! What's the point of static B roll especially when the normal usage performance of the phone is questioned. You should talk over trying to use the phone, especially the camera as it's pointless to say "it's slow" while NOT ACTUALLY SHOWING ANYTHING

[@paranoidgenius9164]

Argos sells these for £69.99

[@SuperAp0calypse]

Looking at this now as my Huawei Y7 2019 packed in earlier tonight (battery was bloated and broke the back case). I only need a mobile for authenticators and obviously contacts so this might be a good go to

[@PavanKumar-ft5hi]

Sounds good to me.

[@E8kristianvnossen]

It costed me like 65 usd or something its the cheapest smartphone ive seen, if i wanted anything even slightly better it would have been over 200

[@stevensjonn8431]

Good afternoon IAM writing from Greece I have the same Motorola E13 with 8 GB ram /128 the price was 100 euro with code with code discount was 110 euro is very fast big battery Dolby Atmos and etc

[@mohammedr.almallahi7988]

How was your experience with the 8 GB RAM version?

[@sarcasmo57]

I'll get one.

[@arunk5307]

Yes are right, you will not get a DSLR attached with this phone 😂.

[@nanotechnicianhq]

Its another Android Go phone, isn't it.

[@BeamerABC]

i just bought mine new for 69 euro

[@Shank.G_13]

I wish I watch this video before buying the phone

[@Bill-kj5xw]

I can't find how you put a play store gift card on it can anyone help

[@sunintheroom]

..it´s a nice phone.. :)

[@Mikael-bc8vw]

I love this phone...

[@ralfrufus6573]

Android Go is a big no no.

[@jedi7494]

Bought the E13 a few months ago, when my old Samsung galaxy S9 kept kicking me out of apps and switching itself off. I just needed a cheap replacement at the time. I wish I had not bought this phone, I'm currently thinking about buying something else and binning this one! It is incredibly slow, I've never known anything like it! It can struggle to load almost anything, and sometimes just doesn't at all. All I get is an endless buffering symbol on the screen. Even after all that waiting, it may still not load! Absolutely awful phone, do not buy! You have been warned

[@Brght_07]

I use this phone and absolutely it's very terrifying, I can't even multitask for a minute without apps refreshing, my Instagram takes ages to open, settings app takes more than 20 seconds to load, in fact this phone is rubbish, i agree, i wouldn't recommend this to anyone !

[@jedi7494]

@@Brght_07 It is honestly the worst phone I have ever had! It looks quite good, but that's about it 🤷🏻‍♂️😂 I've bought myself a Sony Xperia 10 iii (refurbished, to save money and better for the planet). Love my new phone, does everything well. Would never get a Motorola again!

[@tacovoladorchinoyt7100]

Worst phone I ever had

[@newtoniantime8804]

They locked me out with software, have a fully working premium phone that I have changed battery on once. Its 7 years old.. apparently too old for the politicans and tech industry. No more android updates to this model because of licenses, hardware would have no issue to run the later versions of android. Its funny how the mobile industry works. They really want us to throw our 2 yr old phone in the trash and buy their new hyped model. They don't even give us another choice. All phones comes with limited software updates to lock apps utilizing the latest android systemlibraries and push the customer to buy a new phone. Same goes with batteries that are built in to make it much harder for the normal user to change when they break.

[@Andrzejdomeradzki]

Funny bloke subscribed

[@stevejobs1955]

Someone is offering me this phone and an iPhone 7 for a galaxy a10. Worth it?

[@Dentistmentalust]

Yes good phone. What about the radiation levels though?

[@sunless_item8605]

??

[@vornamename4989]

Nice review. There is an even better version available with 8GB RAM and 128GB. It only costs 75€ at Mediamarkt in Germany. That should be a perfect price/quality ratio dont you think so?

[@AlexKidman]

That does sound decent -- but then it's in the nature of the Android phone market that everything drops in price over time, even budget handsets.

[@opfax163]

run for it , it's hard to find something with more than 2/3 gb at this price

[@kadevent]

well said

[@LEVI-mu1ce]

VER BAD Motorola moto e13

[@RistoVorinokov]

Previous Moto cheap end phones were decent. This model however is unusable. Motorola has ruined their marketshare of cheap phones. Xiaomi and others deserve to take that position. If Motorola chose to make cheap phones bad in purpose like HTC did then they will take a bad hit.

[@JayawardhanaWasala]

worst 4n I ever had🤮

[@tasostheodorakos8493]

just for recommending nokia shows that your not qualified for this job.

[@leonyo10]

Cheap but it is so bads it's almost unusable always crashes

[@NeldaTolina]

Important this phone does not have NFC! It's unbelievable! Bought this phone cause my other broke and I can't buy groceries.

[@aaronthompson9201]

My Moto e13 has face unlock

[@AlexKidman]

Most Android phones these days offer a simple face unlocking feature -- but that's based off a 2D image of your face, not properly secure 3D mapping, easily fooled with a photo of you and so on. It's fine for quick unlocking, but in no real way secure.

[@cielazul713]

Ah, "tech journo" - that explains your negativity on an affordable mobile which performs like mobiles twice the price. You tech journos truly are the same no matter your 'market'. Guess only flagship $1k+ mobiles are 'good enough' nowadays 🙄

[@AlexKidman]

Not at all - there are plenty of flagship phones that are poor value (for example check my review of the s23+ recently on this channel) and many budget phones that are terrific value. It’s all relative.

[@martinranalli8572]

Motorola smartphones are 💩

[@seabird6744]

A ginger Vampire ..... RUN !

[@adokapo]

Those phones are almost waste of materials.

[@TheAnderon666]

Absolute dogshit phone. I'm having more fun throwing it at things than actually using it.