Budget Moto E launching on June 18 for AUD$249

Motorola today announced that the 2015 model of its budget Moto E smartphone will launch in Australia on June 18 for AUD$249. While the new device is aesthetically similar to last year's model, Motorola has increased the screen size to 4.5-inches (with a 540 x 960 pixel resolution), boosted the processor speed and added 4G capabilities.

The Lollipop-based Moto E features a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, a 2390 mAh battery, a 5 megapixel shooter and a VGA resolution front-facing camera. The Moto E will ship with Lollipop 5.0, but an upgrade to 5.1 will be available out of the box.

Motorola will also be launching "Motorola Bands" that provide the Moto E with a colourful accent. These will be available in six colours, including turquoise, raspberry, purple, red, blue and yellow. Local pricing for these has yet to be confirmed, but a three-pack retails for USD$20 in the U.S.

The Moto E will also be available in New Zealand on June 22 for NZD$269.