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Motorola Moto G
The Motorola Moto G is the current cut-price king and while the Moto E isn't positioned as a direct competitor to it (it slots just below it in price and specs) it will likely be a consideration for many potential Moto E buyers.
Prices for the Moto G start at around £120, so roughly £30 more expensive, but you get quite a lot more for your money, with a 4.5 inch 720 x 1280 display, a 1.2GHz quad-core processor, up to 16GB of built in storage and a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera, alongside a Moto E matching 5 megapixel rear camera, albeit one with a flash, which the Moto E is lacking.
On the other hand the Moto G doesn't have a microSD card slot, unless you plump for the more expensive 'Moto G with 4G', so not everything about it is better, but I'd argue that it more than justifies the extra £30 if your budget can stretch that far.
- Read our in depth Motorola Moto G review
Nokia Lumia 630
The Nokia Lumia 630 is another quite compelling alternative to the Moto E. At £89.95 SIM free it's almost exactly the same price and it matches the Moto E's 5 megapixel camera as well as having a similarly solid build.
It even has a 1.2GHz quad-core processor. That's coupled with just 512MB of RAM. It runs Windows Phone 8.1, which is a more lightweight OS than Android, so it still feels fairly snappy.
In fact the operating system is the main difference between them. It's also worth noting that the Lumia 630 comes with 8GB of built in storage, which is double what the Moto E has. But while its 4.5-inch screen is slightly larger, at 480 x 800 it's also slightly lower resolution and by extension has a lower 218ppi pixel density.
Vodafone Smart 4 Mini
The Vodafone Smart 4 Mini is just about the cheapest smartphone you're likely to come across, as it's available for just £50. But being locked to Vodafone is the least of its problems.
Its 1.3GHz dual-core processor is encouraging but it's coupled with just 512MB of RAM, while its 4-inch screen is a little smaller than the Moto E's and it has an utterly underwhelming 3.2 megapixel camera.
For £50 it's not a total waste of time, but it's somewhat lacking compared to the Motorola Moto E.
- Read our in depth Vodafone Smart 4 Mini review
