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Moto G Fast and Moto E: Motorola just launched two new budget phones under $200

The Moto G Fast and Moto E are the latest affordable phones that bring solid features and a wallet-friendly price.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
Expertise Apple, iPhone, iOS, Android, Samsung, Sony, Google, Motorola, interviews, coffee equipment, cats Credentials
  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
4 min read
moto-g-fast-and-e-backs

On the left is the $200 Moto G Fast and on the right the $150 Moto E.

Motorola

On the heels of launching the premium Motorola Edge Plus , Motorola on Friday announced two new budget phones that are under $200: the Moto G Fast and Moto E. The phones enter a crowded field of affordable phone competitors including the $399 iPhone SE and Samsung Galaxy A51, as well as lower-cost options such as the $150 Samsung Galaxy A01 and $180 LG K40.

Budget phones prices and specs compared

PhonePriceProcessorStorageRAMBattery
Moto E $150Snapdragon 63232GB2GB3,550 mAh
Samsung A01 $150Snapdragon 43916GB2GB3,000 mAh
LG K40 (2019) $180Snapdragon SDM45016GB2GB3,000 mAh
Moto G Fast $200Snapdragon 66532GB3GB4,000 mAh
Moto G Power $250Snapdragon 66564GB4GB5,000 mAh
Moto G Stylus $300Snapdragon 665128GB4GB4,000 mAh
iPhone SE $399A13 Bionic64GB3GB*1,821 mAh*
Samsung A51 $400Samsung Exynos 9611128GB4GB4,000 mAh

*Based on teardowns, unconfirmed by Apple.

The $200 Moto G Fast is the third and last G-series phone Motorola will release in the US this year. It joins the slightly costlier Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power . Despite being the most affordable Moto G phone, the G Fast has a similar hole-punch display, processor and overall fit and finish as the Stylus and Power.

The $150 Moto E represents the most affordable Motorola phone currently available. Unlike having a hole-punch notch found on the current G-line of phones, the Moto E features a teardrop notch and other hardware features found in 2019's excellent Moto G7.

The new Moto phones give users two more phone options that won't break their wallets. Motorola is committed to one major OS update with each phone and two years of bimonthly security updates. The Moto E and Moto G Fast are available for preorder now and will be available in stores June 12.

moto-g-flash-promo

The Moto G Fast is the newest budget phone from Motorola. It has a sporty look and costs $200.

Motorola

Moto G Fast is the new Moto G Play 

Motorola's Moto G family of phones provides solid phones packed with well-considered features. The new Moto G Fast is no different. As the successor to the Moto G Play line, it has a striking finish, a 6.4-inch hole-punch display, a triple-rear camera and many of the same features as the Moto G Stylus and G Power, including a Snapdragon 665 processor, Android 10 and all of Moto's clever software shortcuts like twisting your wrist to open the camera.

But with the phone's low price, it does make some sacrifices. The display only has a resolution of 720P instead of the 1,080P displays found on the Moto G Power and Moto G Stylus. The Moto G Fast has a smaller battery than the Moto G Power, as well as less RAM and half the storage. But these compromises aren't exactly negatives. It's important to remember that the Moto G Fast costs only $200. You can buy five of them for the price of an iPhone 11 Pro or seven of them for the price of a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Motorola named the phone "Fast" because its processor and RAM specs per dollar are better when compared to phones from the likes of LG and Samsung . But with 3GB of RAM, it actually has less memory than its G-siblings which each come packed with 4GB of RAM. (BTW, when you say the name out loud it sounds like you're saying, "Moto. Gee, fast!")

moto-g-fast-front

Like other 2020 Moto G phones, the G Fast sports a slick looking hole-punch display housing the 8-megapixel selfie camera.

Motorola

The Moto G Fast has a welcomed flashy appearance with an iridescent pearl white finish surrounded in chrome. It's definitely eye-catching and even the rear camera housing has a chrome accent.

It comes with 32GB of storage, with support for a microSD card up to 512GB. It has a water- and dust-resistant rating of IP52, which protects against splashes and light rain.

On the rear is a main 16-megapixel camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. It's unclear if these are the exact same cameras found on the Moto G Power, but the specs are identical. That said, when I reviewed the Moto G Power, I found its cameras to be pretty average. In good light, photos were decent, but pictures taken indoors or in low light were soft and noisy. I look forward to testing out the phone for an in-depth review.

moto-e-front-and-back

The Motorola Moto E is one of the most affordable new phones you can buy new.

Motorola

Moto E might be the best Android value for your dollar

If your phone budget is absolutely tight, there's the $150 Moto E. The phone is this affordable because it blends old features, like a teardrop notch display and last year's Snapdragon 632 processor.

But you're not exactly getting an obsolete phone. The Moto E has a modern body and sleek finish. On the back there are two cameras that include a 13-megapixel main shooter and a 2-megapixel depth camera. Essentially it uses both cameras to capture an image with the depth sensor helping isolate your subject from the background to create portrait-mode bokeh effects.

Like the Moto G Fast, the Moto E has an IP52 rating, a headphone jack, 32GB of storage and a microSD expansion slot. But the Moto E has just 2GB of RAM, a slightly smaller battery and display. Curiously instead of a USB-C port it has a Micro-USB port. Don't worry, I checked and it's still 2020.

Read a full comparison of the specs between the Moto G Fast, Moto E, Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power below, with the Galaxy A01 thrown in for good measure.

Moto E specs vs. Samsung Galaxy A01, Moto G Fast, Moto G Power, Moto G Stylus


Motorola Moto ESamsung Galaxy A01Motorola Moto G FastMotorola Moto G PowerMotorola Moto G Stylus
Display size, resolution 6.2-inch LCD; 1,520x720 pixels5.7-inch LCD; 1,520x720 pixels6.4-inch LCD; 1,560x720 pixels6.4-inch LCD; 2,300x1,080 pixels6.4-inch LCD; 2,300x1,080 pixels
Pixel density 271ppi295ppi268ppi399ppi399ppi
Dimensions (Inches) 6.29 x 3.01 x 0.34 in5.81 x 2.79 x 0.33 in6.37 x 2.98 x 0.36 in6.29 x 2.98 x 0.38 in6.24 x 2.98 x 0.36 in
Dimensions (Millimeters) 159.77 x 76.56 x 8.65 mm147.5 x 70.9 x 8.3 mm161.87 x 75.7 x 9.05 mm159.85 x 75.8 x 9.63 mm158.55 x 75.8 x 9.2 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams) 6.52 oz; 185g5.32 oz; 151g6.68 oz; 189.4g7.01 oz; 199 g6.77 oz; 192 g
Mobile software Android 10Android 10Android 10Android 10Android 10
Camera 13-megapixel (standard), 2-megapixel (depth camera)13-megapixel (standard), 2-megapixel (depth sensing)16-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle16-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle48-megapixel wide-angle, 2-megapixel macro, 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle
Front-facing camera 5-megapixel5-megapixel8-megapixel16-megapixel16-megapixel
Video capture 1080p1080p4K4K4K
Processor Snapdragon 632Snapdragon 439 Snapdragon 665Snapdragon 665Snapdragon 665
Storage 32GB16GB32GB64GB128GB
RAM 2GB2GB3GB4GB4GB
Expandable storage Up to 512GBUp to 512GBUp to 512GBUp to 512GBUp to 512GB
Battery 3,550mAh3,000mAh4,000mAh5,000mAh4,000mAh
Fingerprint sensor RearNoRearBackBack
Connector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-CUSB-C
Headphone jack YesYesYesYesYes
Special features



Stylus, Action Cam
Price off-contract (USD) $150$150$200$250$300
Watch this: Moto G Fast vs. Moto E: Sub-$200 phone battle

Moto G Stylus is a sleek note-taking machine

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