Micromax has responded to Motorola’s budget segment challenge with its own under Rs 7,000 smartphone. But the Moto E, with its much-hyped launch and rave reviews, is clearly the phone to beat in the entry-level segment. So let’s see if the Unite 2 has enough to disrupt’s Moto E’s comfortable stay so far.

In typical Micromax fashion, the Unite 2 beats its competitors in this price range, in terms of specs. This is true for the Moto E too. While the Moto E sports a dual-core Snapdragon processor, the Unite 2 has a MediaTek 1.3GHz quad-core CPU. Both phones have 1GB of RAM. Both also run Android 4.4.2 KitKat, and while Motorola has assured users of upgrade to the next version, Micromax also does the same. Micromax says the Unite 2 comes with OTA support, but having seen the company’s spotty record when it comes to updates in the past, we cannot pose too much faith in that.

Motorola has gone for a 4.3-inch display and Micromax gives users a larger 4.7-inch display. Having said that the Moto E has a higher resolution display, which given the smaller size means it’s a crisper display thanks to the higher PPI. Having not seen the Unite 2’s display ourselves, we cannot say that it’s inferior. But having seen the Moto E’s brilliant value for money screen, it looks a better proposition.

On the camera front, the Moto E and the Unite 2 have 5-megapixel rear snappers, but only the latter has an LED flash. In fact, Micromax has also thrown in a 2-megapixel front camera. Looks like Micromax has got the better of the Moto E here too, but we’ll have to see what kind of pictures the Unite 2 shoots before making a final call. On paper, it’s Micromax’s win.

With 4GB onboard storage, the Unite 2 matches the Moto E and also has support for up to 32GB more via microSD card. We know the Moto E accepts even 64GB cards, so the Unite 2 could be slightly behind here. Micromax even packs in a beefier battery; its 2000 mAh unit narrowly beating out the Moto E’s 1980 mAh battery.

Micromax has released the first TVC for the Unite 2. Check it out below:

While there is no doubt that the Motorola brand name still is worth something in India, especially when it comes to mobile phones, Micromax has a larger distribution network, and is not exclusively sold by just one retailer. This is a big advantage for the Unite 2 and as is usually seen with Micromax phones, expect the Rs 6,999 price to fall rapidly after launch. We had expected the Moto E to have a comfortable run in the market for the next few months, but the Unite 2 has just thrown a big challenge Motorola’s way.