Motorola One Action

amazon Motorola One Action reviews

They have corrupted the internet since the rise of smartphones. People take them because it’s easier to shoot movies with one hand when holding the phone in portrait orientation. About 70 percent of consumers shoot videos vertically, according to Motorola. The company’s newest phone has a solution.

Motorola One Action has a dedicated video action camera. It is oriented so that when you film vertically, your footage will playback horizontally. It’s a feature I didn’t know I wanted until I tried it out.

The end of the vertical video?

The Motorola One Action has three cameras on the back: a 12-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, a 5-megapixel depth sensor for portrait mode photos, and a 16-megapixel wide-angle action camera with f/2.2 aperture and 117-degree viewing angle.

The first two lenses are standard for a phone that costs 249 euros (~$278), but the latter makes it stand out. It’s a wide-angle lens so that you can get more in one shot. It also uses pixel binning technology, so it combines pixels to capture more light. The result is a 4-megapixel photo, but one that performs better in low light.

And then there’s the action camera. It is placed horizontally in the module, so the footage is still recorded in landscape orientation when you shoot vertically.

You can watch a 21:9 movie on your phone without the black bars next to the content.

It works well, although it’s worth noting that when you shoot vertically, the live preview of the video is very small. That is a visual fix for the vertical video plague, and I wish more phones had a feature like this. The action camera can record movies in the 21:9 aspect ratio and supports electronic image stabilization. You can shoot up to Ultra HD at 30 frames per second (with the main lens).

Motorola’s Hyperlapse mode is available on action cameras, so you don’t have to hold your phone horizontally awkwardly. The Motorola One Action makes video recording much simpler for the average smartphone owner.

What if you want to film your Instagram Story vertically? No problem. You can switch to using the main camera instead of the action camera. However, if you want to use the wide-angle lens for vertical video, you’ll have to hold the phone horizontally.

I haven’t reached a verdict on the main camera and depth sensor yet, but I expect strong shots in good light mixed with poor low-light results. That’s standard for cameras on phones at this price, like the Nokia 7.1.

I still think the 21:9 aspect ratio will be popular.

The usual Motorola camera extras are here, like Spot Color, which isolates one color and makes everything black and white in a photo, Cinemagraph, and more. You can even adjust the intensity of blur in portrait mode photos after taking them.

I’ll put the camera to the test when I hold the phone for a full review, but I couldn’t be more excited to use the action camera in particular. I doubt it will change the way I use the camera daily.

Narrow phone, 21:9

Motorola and Sony are the leaders in 21:9 phones, and I am all. This aspect ratio translates to a tall, narrow screen instead of the wide and short screen on 16:9 phones (like the Samsung Galaxy S7). Most phones these days have 18:9 or 19:9 aspect ratios, putting them between the two.

What’s so special about 21:9? Movies are usually shot at this aspect ratio. Motorola calls it the CinemaVision display. You can watch a 21:9 movie on your phone without the black bars next to the content. Sony also has 21:9 displays on its 2019 phones, including the Xperia 1 and Xperia 10 Plus.

However, most of the videos you’ll watch aren’t in 21:9. YouTube videos, for example, are shot in 16:9, and they look a bit squeaky on the Motorola One. You can find 21:9 movies on Netflix (and YouTube), but they’re not common.

However, I think 21:9 phones will become popular because they feel great to hold and use. The Motorola One Action is so narrow – almost like a remote – that I could easily wrap my palm around it. However, it was tall, so I had to change the phone to get to the top.

If you play many games or use your phone constantly, the Exynos chip may feel weak.

The One Action’s 6.3-inch display is surrounded by a uniform bezel, mimicking Samsung Galaxy S10e and Apple iPhone XR. It looks modern thanks to its almost bezel-less design, and I think the placement of the 12-megapixel selfie camera is very appealing.

The same screen you’ll see on the Motorola One Vision launched in markets outside the US. It’s an IPS LCD with a resolution of 2,520 x 1,080 (432 pixels per inch). It looks sharp and colorful, although the brightness could be better.

Motorola’s choice of materials doesn’t give me the premium feel I like, but the design makes up for it. The rear is clean and simple, especially in the two colors coming to America: denim blue and pearl white. I tried an Aqua Teal model, which Motorola promised the US I would pass on – I’m not a fan of the color.

Motorola’s dimple on the back doubles as a fingerprint sensor. A single, bottom-firing speaker sits at the bottom, next to the USB-C charging port. The body is rated at IPX2 water resistance, which means it can withstand rain, but that’s about it.

where can you get a Motorola One Action online

Motorola One Action | Unlocked | Made for US by Motorola | 4/128GB | 16MP Camera | Denim: Buy it now

Unlocked Motorola One Action – 6.3 inches – 128GB – Denim Blue – PAGL0003US (Renewed): Buy it now

Performance and battery life

The Motorola One Action has Samsung’s Exynos 9609 processor with 4GB of RAM – just like the One Vision. In our review, performance was sufficient for basic tasks like browsing social media, checking email, and texting. Apps can load faster but aren’t annoyingly slow. However, the demo phone I tried had few apps installed.

A major disappointment hangs over the Motorola One Action. The US model is not part of the Android One program.

If you play many games or use your phone constantly, the Exynos chip may feel weak. I’ll need to check more to know for sure. Very few phones in the US have an Exynos processor, but I love Samsung’s Galaxy A50, which has a slightly faster Exynos 9610.

There’s 128GB of internal storage, a generous amount for a phone at this price, and a MicroSD card slot is towed if you need more space. The Motorola One Action has a 3,500mAh battery, which is enough to make the phone last all day.

No Android One for the US

A major disappointment hangs over the Motorola One Action. The US model is not part of the Android One program. Android One is a Google initiative that guarantees a clean, bloatware-free Android experience that promises three years of monthly security updates and two years of operating system upgrades. The global model is part of the program, but the US model is not. Motorola said it dropped Android One support in the US because it wasn’t a major purchase driver.

Whatever the reason, I think it was a mistake. Updates keep phones safe and bug-free and add new features when the latest Android version is released. Motorola only promises industry-relevant security updates, which means an update whenever there is a serious malware threat and an operating system upgrade. You’ll get Android Q (coming in August), but that’s it.

HMD Global, the maker of Nokia phones, has some Android One phones in the US that offer consistent updates, including the Nokia 7.1 and Nokia 9 PureView. Its carrier-only phones like the Nokia 2V and Nokia 3.1 Plus are not included in the program, but HMD said it is working with carriers to release the update. The Motorola One Action isn’t affiliated with a carrier yet, and it will be available as an unlocked phone, so Motorola should do more to handle updates.

Otherwise, the software is close to stock Android. It’s slick, clean, and easy to use. The usual Motorola actions are present, like cutting the phone twice to turn on the flashlight or twisting the phone twice to turn on the camera.