The Moto E was designed to specifically compete against feature phones in emerging markets; according to Charlie Tritschler, Motorola's senior vice-president of products, the Moto E's goal was to "end the feature phone", and the device was primarily targeted towards "people who have been on the edge for a while but just didn’t think they could afford a smartphone.

[2][6][7] Trischler noted that durability was a key selling point in emerging markets, specifically citing the device's use of Gorilla Glass 3, an anti-smudge screen coating, and a similar splashproof coating to the Moto G—which he also noted were attributes that are not normally seen in such low-end products.

The company also emphasized its efforts to reduce the cost of constructing the phone—expanding upon those used by the Moto G. Tritschler stated that these measures must be designed "...[right] into the product; you can’t just cut the price.

Upon its launch at midnight local time, demand for the device was so high that the resulting surge in orders caused the website to crash.

[16] Vlad Savov of The Verge praised the design of the Moto E for not appearing "downmarket" and for having adequate performance, but still noting that the device's camera was not as good as those on other smartphones.

"[17] Chris Velazco of Engadget was relatively positive, noting that the Moto E was well-designed and carried the trademark design cues of Motorola's recent products, while praising its vivid display, along with its sufficient performance, battery life, and nearly stock Android software.

In conclusion, it was felt that "for all its minor shortcomings, the Moto E still represents a level of power and quality that's become even more accessible to people the world over, and that's something worth celebrating.

If all you need is a smartphone that can take you to Facebook, capture fodder for Instagram or fire off missives on Twitter (or WhatsApp or Weibo), the Moto E will make a worthy sidekick.