There are three good options if you are in the market for a new 5-inch budget Android phone. The Acer Liquid E700, the Motorola Moto G and the Asus Zenfone 5 are all capable smartphones in their own right, each bringing something unique to the table. There isn’t a whole lot to separate the three.
Screen: Tied
None of the phones really have anything to separate them here. It’s a 5-inch, high-definition (1280×720 pixels) touchscreen with scratch-resistant glass for protection.
Performance: Moto G > Zenfone 5 > Acer E700
Again, it’s not a significant difference between the three, but going purely by gaming performance and general snappiness after a week of usage, we’ll hand it to Moto G. Still, this is not reason enough to choose one of the phones over another.
Camera: Zenfone 5 > Moto G > Acer E700
The Zenfone 5 is easily the best camera among the lot, especially for low-light environments. The Moto G isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. Avoid the Acer E700 if you take a lot of photos.
Storage: Asus Zenfone 5 & Acer E700 > Moto G
All three handsets have 16GB of internal memory, but Asus and Acer also offer a microSD slot to expand that further, while you’re restricted to the built-in storage on the Moto G.
Connectivity: Acer E700 > Moto G > Asus Zenfone 5
The E700 lets you use three SIMs simultaneously, and set up profiles for each. The Moto G edges out the Zenfone 5 for a better antenna.
Multimedia: Asus Zenfone 5 > Moto G > Acer E700
The Zenfone 5’s audio quality, coupled with camera and video recording, make it the best of the three devices for multimedia fanatics. The E700’s audio is too poor to recommend it for someone who cares about their music.
Battery: Acer E700 > Moto G > Asus Zenfone 5
The E700 has among the longest battery lives in phones of this range and performance, which makes it the easy choice. The Moto G is a solid contender too, but the Zenfone 5’s battery could have been better, in our opinion.
Software: Moto G > Asus Zenfone 5 > Acer E700
The Moto G is guaranteed to get Android Lollipop, and be among the first phones to get it at that. The same can’t be said about the Zenfone 5 or the E700. We actually like the Asus Zen UI, but the E700’s customisation seems unnecessary and earns no points.
While there isn’t a clear winner, here is the rough guide you need:
If you care about Android updates and want a solid all-rounder, get the Moto G (read our full Motorola Moto G review)
If you take a lot of photos and like your music, get the Asus Zenfone 5 (read our full Asus Zenfone 5 review)
If you talk on the phone a lot and use multiple SIMs, get the Acer E700 (read our full Acer Liquid E700 review)