Motorola e13 4G – low-cost smartphone from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone (review)

The Motorola e13 4G smartphone is, by definition, entry-level at $149, and as we have said before, there are compromises in reaching that price point. It is a good phone, but $50 more gets a better phone.

The same is true of Nokia and other entry-level smartphones.

• 32-bit Android Go (won’t run 64-bit Google Play Apps).
• No OS update – 13, is it.
• Limited patches – 2 years.
• 2GB slow ram and 64GB eMMC slow flash storage.
• Single rear camera.
• Laggy processor and performance.
• No NFC.
• 7 hours plus charge – no charge supplied.

For $50 more, the Motorola g22 – cheap and cheerful (smartphone review) solves all these issues. And you won’t be locked to a Telco and paying higher data/voice plans.

So with that in mind, forgive us if we are not effusive and don’t recommend this device unless all you have is $149 – find the extra for the G22.

Australian Review: Motorola e13 4G, 2/64GB, Model XT-2345-6 (Single SIM and dedicated microSD)

Website	Product Page TBA
Price	Retail outright $179 Telco package $149 plus a plan Update: 3/8/23: Optus has $50 off to 26 September 2023 – . Vodafone has a range of pre-paid plans with monthly device repayments as little as $1! Details available on carrier websites.
Colours	Cosmic Black – retail Ink Blue
From	Retail: Big W, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Mobile Citi, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Amazon and motorola.com.au Telstra, Optus and Vodafone
Warranty	2-years
Made in	China
Company	Owned by Lenovo (Est 1984) – a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville, North Carolina. It is the world’s largest PC maker, and it purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More	Other CyberShack Nokia news and reviews

Deep-Dive review format

It is now in two parts – a summary (the first part) and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression – a basic smartphone for a basic price – Pass

It is an unremarkable glass slab. Motorola has done a good job on build quality, and the black plastic back has metal overtones.

It lacks a fingerprint sensor – just a 2D face unlock or a Pin.

Screen: 6.5”, 1600 x 720p, 20:9, 60Hz, IPS LCD – Pass

It is a fingerprint magnet. It is not daylight readable at a typical/peak brightness of 250/350 nits (test 245/330) – fine in the shade. The contrast is 1200:1 (tested 1100:1), but colour accuracy has a distinct blue cast. Fortunately, it has no PWM, so it is acceptable for those sensitive to that. The 720p screen is fit-for-purpose and has an L3 Widevine rating for HD SDR streaming content.

It has an obvious centre-notch selfie and quite wide bezels.

Processor: UNISOC T606, 2GB, 64GB eMMC – Barely passable

It is the same 12nm processor used in multiple entry-level phones from Nokia, Samsung, and Motorola.

We don’t have to run tests (but we did) because this is a very slow processor, exacerbated by 2GB RAM, slow eMMC storage, and 32-bit Android Go. Screen lag is there every time you select an App, and it quickly chokes if you leave multiple Apps open. OS updates take up to an hour instead of 15-20 minutes.

Its performance is like a MediaTek P70 and Qualcomm SD665.

Geekbench 5 single core score is 154, but multi-core would not run. OpenCL and Vulcan GPU tests would not run.

2GB of RAM means it runs in 32-bit Android Go Mode (usually 64-bit full Android), which means not all Apps will run.

64GB eMMC(44GB Free). CPDT sequential read/write scores are 179/127MBps – very slow. It will mount a MicroSD card to 1TB at 83/32MBps. An external USB-C S1TB SD hung the phone, but it seems OK with up to 256GB Flash Drives.

Throttling is minimal, but you will note the low GIPS (power).

Summary: Android Go is 32-bit, and 2GB is barely enough to function. The device is laggy, slow and often hangs for a second or two. It is the quintessential lowest-cost phone.

Comms – Wi-Fi 5 AC, BT 5.0 – Pass

Wi-Fi 5 AC has a theoretical maximum of 433Mbps. Our tests show a maximum of 292Mbps with reasonable signal strengths out to 10m.

As it is not a Qualcomm SoC, it does not have its aptX sound codecs, which means you are limited to SBC and AAC with 200+ms latency – too high for gamers.

It does not have NFC.

GPS performance is slow and accurate to 10+ metres, but the phone takes far too long to recalculate routes, so do not rely on it for turn-by-turn navigation at speed.

Phone – for capital city and suburbs only – Passable

As seems typical with UNISOC modems, it could only find the nearest tower, at up to 500fW. Pass for capital city users with good tower coverage.

Battery: 5000mAh and 10W charging – Barely passable

First, we must chastise Motorola for no charger inbox. Sure, it is a 5V/2A/10W charger that everyone should have lying around, but this market expects one.

It takes over 7 hours to charge – using a higher-wattage charger does not speed this up.

• Video loop 50% brightness/volume, aeroplane mode: 19 hours 36 minutes
• PC Mark Modern Office Battery life: 23 hours 24 minutes
• GFX Bench Manhattan and T-Rex tests – would not run
• GFX Bench T-Rex: 733.7 minutes (12.23 hours), 1931 frames
• 100% load battery drain: 4 hours 43 minutes
• Idle mA: 350-400
• Full load mA: 1150-1200

Battery Summary: Reasonable battery life but unacceptable charge times and relatively high load current makes this hard to recommend.  It uses too much energy on standby and will need daily charging.

Sound – Passable

This mono device with Dolby Atmos decode is as useless as a screen door on a submarine! It is more about bragging rights and does precisely nothing except add an EQ that does not work.

• Maximum volume is 78dB (a tad low).
• Handsfree is poor with one bottom mic, no noise cancelling and low speaker volume.
• BT codecs are SBC and AAC, but the channel separation and BT volume were only average.
• It has no bass, almost no mid, late mid and early treble for clear dialogue and no mid or upper treble, so the music is not good and lacks vitality.

Build – Pass

Never mind the plastic frame or PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate shatter-proof glass substitute) back – it is probably more shatterproof than glass. It is well-made, and the warranty is one year for retail sales and two years via the Telco. It is IP52 – not very water-resistant.

Android 13 Go – Barely passable

It ships with 32-bit Android 13 Go and Motorola’s overlay My UX. There is no OS upgrade; you can reasonably expect two years of security patch updates.

Android is almost pure, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures. See the table for all features.

But Android Go is slow and does not run 64-bit Android Apps, so you are limited in what you can do.

Missing

• NFC, but we don’t expect that at this price
• Performance
• Sound quality

Camera – Motorola e13 4G

It has a single 13MP Galaxy Core GC13053 sensor and a 5MP selfie. Camera performance is basic and shooting options are limited (no night mode or Macro).

UNISOC AI competence is an unknown, but it produces social media class shots in decent day or office light. Video struggles.

Camera Comments

• 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are natural with a decent dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day Primary sensor – colours are natural with good dynamic range. The background is getting noisy.
• 4X Day: Primary sensor – pushing its limits.
• Macro: Does not have a macro sensor, but the primary sensor handles this to 4cm focus
• Indoor office light: Colours are good, and the dog’s face/ears are black.
• Bokeh Depth: Even though there is a portrait setting, it requires a human face for bokeh.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is quite good, with adequate details, although there is too much noise.
• Night mode: Not applicable.
• Selfie: The 5MP selfie has natural skin tones, details, and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light.
• Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps. It struggles, and you would be better at 720p@30fps.

CyberShack’s view – Motorola e13 4G– redefines entry level in a mostly adequate way

It is fit-for-purpose if this is all you can afford and lower your expectations. At this level, you get what you pay for!

But the processor crawls, photography results are variable, phone reception is capital city use only, and we had to drink much coffee waiting and waiting for tests to complete that usually take a few seconds to minutes.

It is not helped by 32-bit Android Go (and 32-bit Apps), a meagre 2GB of RAM, slow 64GB eMMC (18GB free), and it hangs and freezes too often. Did I say it is snail’s pace slow?

One wonders how low you can go – see Best Android phones 2022 – $200 to $2000 (guide January 2023 update) and still get a decent functional, if slow, phone. Frankly, we thought the $179 Motorola g22 – cheap and cheerful was borderline, but compared to this, it is stellar.

Rating Explanation – Motorola e13 4g, 73 out of 100

Any smartphone scoring over 7 is adequate.

• Features: 75 – It has basic features commensurate with the price. Loses points due to no charger inbox.
• Value: 80 – Only from a Telco on a plan
• Performance: 60 – It is an entry-level value SoC, and you get fit-for-purpose performance. It is not for gamers.
• Ease of Use: 70 – My UX adds some value to stock Android, but it loses points for 32-bit Android Go. 2 years of security patches.
• Design: 80 – All plastic is fine – looks like a more expensive smartphone

Motorola e13 4G

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.7 (E&OE)
Brand	Motorola
Model	Motoroal e13 4G
Model Number	XT2345-6
Price Base	2/64
Price base	$149 from Telcos only
Price 2
Price 3
Price 4
Warranty months	24-months Telco carrier
Tier	Entry-level
Website	https://www.motorola.com/we/smartphones-moto-e-13/p?skuId=493
From	Telstra Optus
Country of Origin	China
Company	Owned by Lenovo (Est 1984) – a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville, North Carolina. It is the world’s largest PC maker. It purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More
Test date	45017
Ambient temp	20°
Release	May 2023
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Only buy from Telstra or Optus – no retail availability

Screen

Size	6.5″
Type	IPS LCD
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3D	Flat
Resolution	1600 x 720
PPI	270
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	0.828
Colours bits	8-bit 16.7m colours
Refresh Hz, adaptive	Fixed 60Hz
Response 120Hz	N/A
Nits typical, test	250 (test 245)
Nits max, test	350 (tested 330)
Contrast	1200:1 (tested 1100:1)
sRGB	Not tested
DCI-P3	Not tested
Rec.2020 or other	No
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	N/A, but above 4
HDR Level	SDR
SDR Upscale	No
Blue Light Control	Yes
PWM if known	No
Daylight readable	No
Always on Display	No
Edge display	No
Accessibility	Usual Android features
DRM	L3 (lowest) – 480p at best, but Netflix will not play
Gaming	Not for gaming
Screen protection	Unknown
Comment	Slight blueish cast – best to use the Natural setting. Fit for purpose

Processor

Brand, Model	UNISOC T606 https://www.unisoc.com/en_us/home/TZNSJ-T606-5
nm	12
Cores	[email protected] + [email protected]
Modem	4G Cat 7
AI TOPS
Geekbench 5 Single-core	154
Geekbench 5 multi-core	Would not run – Android Go
Like	Used in Nokia G11/21/22/ Samsung Galaxy A03 Motorola e13/20/32 Between MT Helio P70 and Qualcomm SD665
GPU	ARM Mail G57 1-core 650Mhz
GPU Test
Open CL	Would not run
Like	N/A
Vulcan	Would not run
RAM, type	2GB LPDDR3
Storage, free, type	64GB eMMC (44GB free)
micro-SD	Up to 1TB
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	179 – typical of eMMC Flash memory
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	127
CPDT microSD read, write MBps	83/32
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	1TB test unit identified in My Files but not seen in CPDT – not mountable
Comment	Android Go is 32-bit, and 2GB is barely enough to function. The device is laggy, slow and often hangs for a second or two. It is the quintessential lowest-cost phone.
Throttle test
Max GIPS	121914
Average GIPS	120207
Minimum GIPS	82413
% Throttle	No
CPU Temp	50
Comment	Good thermal management

Comms

Wi-Fi Type, model	Wi-Fi 5 AC
Test 2m -dBm, Mbps	-33/292
Test 5m	-39/292
Test 10m	-48/292
BT Type	5
GPS single, dual	Single
USB type	USB-C 2.0 480Mbps
ALT DP, DeX, Ready For	No
NFC	No
Ultra-wideband	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes – combo with Gyro is very sensitive
Gyro	Yes
e-Compass
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	No
Comment	Wi-fi AC speeds are lower than expected – they should have been 433Mbps. Again typical of the UNISOC.

LTE and 5G

SIM	Retail: Dual Sim and dedicated microSD Telco – single sim and dedicated microSD
Active	Only one active at a time
Ring tone single, dual	Dual
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	1/3/5/7/8/28/40
Comment	All Australian 4G bands
5G sub-6Ghz	N/A
Comment	N/A
mmWave	N/A
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
UL, DL, ms	28/11/23ms
Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pW	-96/300-500fW
Tower 2	No
Tower 3	No
Tower 4	No
Comment	It appears typical of the Unisoc modem. This is a city/suburbs phone only if you have good tower coverage.

Battery

mAh	5000
Charger, type, supplied	Not supplied – 5V/2A/10W capable
PD, QC level	No PD, but can use PD chargers.
Qi, wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)	N/A
Charge % 30mins
Charge 0-100%	Over 7 hours
Charge Qi, W Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge	N/A
Charge 5V, 2A	Over 7 hours
Video loop 50%, aeroplane	19 hours 36 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery	23 hours 24 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	733.7 minutes (12.23 hours) 1931 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	4 hours 43 minutes
mA full load	1150-1200
mA Watt idle Screen on	350-400
Estimate loss at max refresh	N/A
Estimate typical use	The maximum it would charge at 5V/2A/10W, taking an extraordinary 7+ hours. We tried with several chargers, but the result was the same.
Comment	Reasonable battery life but unacceptable charge times and fairly high load current makes this hard to recommend.  It uses too much energy on standby and will need daily charging.

Sound

Speakers	Mono earpiece and down-firing bottom speaker.
Tuning	No
AMP	Unisoc
Dolby Atmos decode	No – DA EQ
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	Yes
BT Codecs	SBC and AAC only
Multipoint	Likely not
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes – auto/ movie/ music/ voice and games mode
EQ	See DA
Mics	Single
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	78
Media (music)	72
Ring	66
Alarm	80
Notifications	65
Earpiece	48
Hands-free	Slightly low volume, no noise-cancelling, so keep it close to your face.
BT headphones	Good volume and channel separation

Sound quality

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Nil
High Bass 100-200Hz	Nil
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Slowly building
Mid 4000-1000Hz	Slowly building
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Linear decline to 20kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	decline
Sound Signature type	Mid for clear voice. Music quality is poor, with no bass, no treble and lacking any vitality.
Soundstage	Mono – none
Comment	Suitable for voice but not for music

Build

Size (H X W x D)	164.19 x 74.95 x 8.47mm
Weight grams	179.5
Front glass	Not specified – likely toughened
Rear material	Plastic
Frame	Plastic
IP rating	52 – light rain
Colours	Black
Pen, Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	No
USB cable	USB-A to USB-C 2W capable – no data lines
Buds	No
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Loses points due to no included charger

OS

Android	Android 13 32-bit Go edition
Security patch date	5 April
UI	Gestures: Press and hold the power button, System navigation, Fast flashlight, Three finger screenshot, Quickly open the camera
OS upgrade policy	No
Security patch policy	Two years of security patches
Bloatware	Facebook (uninstallable)
Other
Comment	There is a lot of added functionality in MY UX, which leaves the underlying Android alone. But this is 32-bit Android Go, and 64-bit Apps will not run.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, type	No
Face ID	Yes
Other
Comment

Camera – Motorola e13 4G

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	13MP
Sensor	Likely Galaxy Core GC13053
Focus	PDAF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV° (stated, actual)	69.2-81.3°
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	4X digital
Video max	1080p@30fps
Flash	Yes
Auto-HDR	Primary sensor only
	Shooting modes: Portrait Photo Panorama Artificial intelligence: Auto Smile Capture Other features: HDR Leveller Timer Assistive Grid
QR code reader	Google lens
Night mode	No

Front – Motorola e13 4G

MP	5MP
Sensor	Likely Samsung S5KE9Y
Focus	FF
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated, actual)	65.4-77.5
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fil
Zoom	No
Video max	1080p@30fps
Features	Shooting modes: Portrait Photo Artificial intelligence: Face Beauty Auto Smile Capture Other features: HDR Leveler Mirror Assistive Grid Watermark Timer

Camera comment – Motorola e13 4G

• 1X Day Primary sensor – the colours are natural with a decent dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights. • 2X Day Primary sensor – colours are natural with good dynamic range. The background is getting noisy. • 4X Day: Primary sensor – pushing its limits. • Macro: Does not have a macro sensor, but the primary sensor handles this to 4cm focus • Indoor office light: Colours are good, and the dog’s face/ears are black. • Bokeh Depth: Even though there is a portrait setting, it requires a human face for bokeh. • Dark <40 lumens: The standard (not night mode) is quite good, with adequate details, although there is too much noise. • Night mode: Not applicable. • Selfie: The 5MP selfie has natural skin tones, details, and a range of filters to enhance any image. Best in day and office light. • Video (we are not video experts): You can shoot at 1080p@30fps. It struggles, and you would be better at 720p@30fps.

Ratings

Features	7.5
	It has basic features commensurate with the price. Loses points due to no charger inbox
Value	8
	Only from a Telco on a plan
Performance	6
	It is an entry-level value SoC, and you get fit-for-purpose performance, and it is not for gamers.
Ease of Use	7
	My UX adds some value to stock Andriod, but it loses points for 32-bit Android Go. 2 years of security patches.
Design	8
	All plastic is fine – it looks like a more expensive smartphone.
Rating out of 10	7.3
Final comment	It is good value, but I would spend $179 and get the Motorola G22 from JB Hi-Fi – full Android, 4/128GB and better phone antenna strength.

Motorola e13 4G, Motorola e13 4G, Motorola e13 4G