Moto E3 release date, rumored specs: 5-inch display, 8MP camera, Android Marshmallow

Lenovo-owned Motorola is releasing a new device under the Moto E lineup. Dubbed as the Moto E3, the upcoming smartphone is a follow-up to 2015's second-generation Moto E.

According to Android Community, the device was announced in China, confirming rumors about its existence. It's also even said to be coming very soon. While there is still no specific date for its release, reports claim that it will be coming out earlier than expected. Previous rumors pointed to a September release but it seems like it's going to come out in August.

As for its specs and features, reports stated that the Moto E3 will be sporting a 5-inch HD 720p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It's apparently an upgrade from its predecessor which only came with 4.5-inch display.

It is also said to be equipped under the hood with a MediaTek chipset with a quad-core 1GHz CPU paired with 1 GB of RAM. It will come with an 8 GB native storage which can be expanded further up to 32 GB via microSD card slot. Its battery capacity is 2,800mAh.

The device also carries an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and 720p video recording capability with features like burst mode, HDR and panorama. Its front panel will come with a 5-megapixel camera. The handset is expected to run with Android Marshmallow out of the box. It's still to be known if it will get an Android Nougat update, though.

With regard to the design, it's revealed that the Moto E3 appears similar to the Moto G4. The difference is the thickness with the former measuring 8.6mm while the latter measures 9.9mm. The upcoming smartphone also features an LTE connectivity, and leaks suggest that the company will be adding their Splash Guard feature, which utilizes a nano-coating technology that protects the device from spills from all sides.

The Moto E3 is considered as a budget smartphone, carrying a price tag of only $130.