"Capture the Action". That's what the Motorola One Action is all about. boast? Or can the One Action rightly call itself an 'action smartphone'? In this review you can read all about its ups and downs.
Motorola One Action
Price 259 eurosColors Blue White
OS Android 9.0 Pie
Screen 6.3" LCD (1080 x 2520)
Processor Exynos 9609 octa-core processor (2.2 GHz)
RAM 4GB
Storage 128GB (expandable with memory card)
Battery 3500 mAh
Camera 12.16.5 megapixels (rear), 12 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G (LTE), Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 16.1 x 7.1 x 0.9cm
Weight 176 grams
Other fingerprint scanner, usb-c, dual-sim
Website www.motorola.com 6 Score 60
- Pros
- Sharp image
- Lightning fast hardware
- Android One software
- Negatives
- Action Cam only suitable for video recording
- Battery life
- Barely dust and water resistant
- faded colors
Action Cam
The One Action is Motorola's first smartphone with Action Cam. The wide-angle lens is rotated a quarter turn. This allows you to film in landscape mode while holding the device normally. Motorola also has an attachment to attach the phone to your bike, but it is not included as standard.
The Action Cam is a cool gimmick, but it has three shortcomings: you can't photograph with it, filming in 4K is not possible and it only has electronic image stabilization. Despite the lack of optical image stabilization, the images you record with the Action Cam are less jerky than you would expect.
Lightning fast and sharp
I have mixed feelings about the screen. On the one hand, the image is nice and sharp thanks to the Full-HD resolution and it is wonderful to watch films and series on the 6.3-inch CinemaWide display. On the other hand, the colors are faded and the contrasts leave something to be desired. A hole in the screen for the selfie camera does not have to be a nuisance, but with the One Action, the hole punch is an eyesore due to its size.
One aspect that Motorola scores on is the performance. The Exynos 9609 moves mountains with work. Even in top gear, games like PUBG run flawlessly. The One Action therefore runs like a well-oiled machine.
Android at its best
The shell over the operating system is minimalistic, so you are not flooded with redundant features. Moto Actions, Motorola's hand and swipe gestures, are naturally present. Thanks to Android One, updates to Android 10 and 11 are in the pipeline. The One Action will also receive security updates for three years.
Disappointing battery life
Unfortunately, Motorola lets it down when it comes to battery life. The battery capacity of the One Action is a meager 3500 mAh, which with this device is barely enough to get through the day. Support for TurboPower is missing, which means that charging takes more than two hours. For an 'action smartphone', the One Action has very little stamina.
Another shortcoming is the dust and water resistance. The IPX2 certification offers little protection. A few drops of rain won't hurt, but watch out for running water.
Conclusion
The Motorola One Action has its good and bad qualities. The CinemaWide display is nice and big and sharp, the hardware is fast, the operating system is close to stock Android and Motorola promises many updates in the future. The Action Cam with tilted wide-angle lens is a nice addition, but not without its flaws. The fact that an 'action smartphone' is barely resistant to water is also a shortcoming. The biggest Achilles heel is without a doubt the battery life.
The One Action is in itself not a bad smartphone. In my opinion, there are plenty of alternatives in the same price range where you have to make fewer compromises, such as the Samsung Galaxy A50. It is therefore difficult to fully recommend the One Action.
