exam with features, prices and specifications

Little by little, various manufacturers have added to Google's bet for its pure software, without additives. With a slow start, Android One gained fans and Motorola was one of the last giants to join. Lenovo's global mobile lineup has introduced several unpublished wagers, which was practically the case before, but they now carry the seal of Android One. The Motorola One was one of them.

The Motorola One has entered the Motorola catalog as a middle line to compete directly with other existing models in the market and operators of Android One, such as the Xiaomi Mi A1 from last year or the A2 Lite of it. A discreet phone in specification but interesting for both performance and aesthetics, and that goes through our analysis chart to show us what it is capable of. Are you with us during the analysis?

Motorola One, the technical specifications

	Motorola One
Screen	LTPS LCD 5.9 inches Appearance 19: 9 Resolution of 1,520 x 720
Processor	Snapdragon 625 Eight cores at 2 GHz Adreno 506 GPU
RAM	4GB
Storage	64 GB plus microSD
Rear cameras	13 megapixels f / 2.0 2 megapixels LED flash 4K video at 30fps
Front camera	8 megapixels f / 2.2 LED flash
Drums	3000 mAh TurboPower Quick Charge
System	Android 8.1 One
connectivity	WiFi 4 Bluetooth 4.2 radioFM USB type C NFC chip GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Dimensions and weight	150 x 72 x 7.97 millimeters 197 grams
Price	299 euros

Glass everywhere except in the frame

Phones little different in the design of the recent period, and which also moves to the section of building materials. With the plastic almost off, and the metal receiving touches of attention about it, glass invades the marketand in the Motorola One, we find it everywhere, with the exception of the phone frame, how could it be otherwise.

With the arrival of frameless phones, and more if we add the "notch" that invades the market as it 's been a virus, we discover phones that increase their screen but that the change does not affect too much in size. The 5.9 inches of this Motorola One are quite comfortable both in width, with 72 millimeters, and in weight, although we are talking about a model that brushes 200 grams. The phone is fairly balanced and does not become annoying at all times, although we will have to help both hands to handle it. Remember, we are moving to the 6-inch border.

As for the layout, the Motorola One is pretty classic. We have the right side reserved for the volume and power buttons, as usual with the sound over the power, and the right frame only concerns the microSD and SIM card tray, because we are in a triple tray to activate up to two phone lines. At the top we have the headphone jack, bothersome or appropriate depending on the tastes, and the charge is placed at the bottom, with a type C USB key next to the phone's main speaker.

We are talking about a phone with "notch" and, therefore, some pretty tight frames. The front camera is on this eyebrow that cuts the screen at the top, and next to it is the LED flash that accompanies the photographic equipment. The rest of the front is all screen, with the exception of the lower chin which contains the name of the mark. The back, also cleans save the dual camera, next to its flash, and the fingerprint reader centered. We are facing an Android One, so we will have the Google brand on the bottom of the phone.

We pointed out that the Motorola One was a comfortable model in the hand, but that it was not too clean. The only endemic of mobile phones is that of fingerprints, and here the oleophobic layer is not too well resolved. If we add that it is a black model, and that it looks like a mirror depending on how light hits, we find a magnet for our fingers as well as for dust and other stains. The bad news for compulsive users and eager to have the phone always clean, will require a lot of patience.

For the rest, the One is fairly well resolved in terms of surface changes, with a smooth jump between the screen and the back with the frames, despite a slight edge that is appreciated to be aware that it is not a curved screen phone It does not slip in the hand either, although on smooth surfaces, it is another song. Fortunately, the rear cameras, which protrude from the body, help us retain some grip, even if they do not contribute to stability by not being centered. Comfortable by hand and in the pocket, aesthetically sober and not too clean when used. That's the summary we could make of this Motorola One from Motorola and Lenovo.

LCD and 'notch', tradition and trend in one place

The trends are what they are and those who oppose them come up against the fact that they tend to impose themselves temporarily or permanently. At the moment, the mobile market is moving towards OLEDswhether they are plastic or super, curved or flat, and that the LCD starts to rain criticisms somewhat unjustified, especially those concerning the depth of their blacks. Something that high quality models have denied. On the other hand, we have eyebrows or "nicks" that invade the area and are almost impossible to avoid, except for some brands. In the Motorola One, we find all this compressed in one phone.

Here we talk about a LTPS LCD screen that reaches 5.9 inches diagonal despite the fact that he is in front of a phone that measures only 15 centimeters high. This is the magic of frames without frames, and the panel is even more stretched thanks to the aforementioned eyebrow. If you place it on the screen, its aspect extends to 19: 9 and the HD + resolution moves a little further, passing from 1440 pixels high mobile phones 18: 9 to 1520 pixels. The center of the top of the panel is, of course, impractical. This is the ground for the front camera.

This Motorola One has a good screen. It will not be the best in resolution or cleanliness, nor the best in color representation, but of course, it's a good screen. We are facing a phone with Android One, so the settings are what they are and you have to be satisfied with the configuration provided by the model. A configuration that offers slightly saturated colors and a good level of brightness, even if sometimes, as when exposed to the sun, we miss an extra shot that we see in other higher models, and of course in some OLEDs .

Here, the only thing we can do is turn on or off the sleep mode, which can be programmed and that dyes the screen in orange tones so that, theoretically, our eyes rest and almost nothing. But we have a screen that responds well to the touch, which offers a good immersive experience in titles adapted to its length and which, Also, do not consume too much compared to other aspects of the phone.

However, there is a failure that deserves to be emphasized, and that is the fact that its resolution remains a bit shortbecause we are moving around 285 pixels per inch. What's less, talk about a phone with these features and this price, that have raised the bet at least on FullHD +, although this has had an impact on the overall autonomy of the phone and can be on the overall performance.

It also offers good viewing angles and you have to tilt the phone to appreciate the color aberrations and the loss of contrast. You can work on the table without too much trouble, even by removing a little. In general, a good screen despite its gray dots, and If the resolution is not a major problem for us. The problem, as usual, is the level at which the competition moves, and we can end up with a slightly lower average panel. On a daily basis, of course, this does not appear.

The ubiquitous Snapdragon 625 returns to the charge

The years are not in vain and the Snapdragon 625 has been in circulation for some time. Enough for Qualcomm to replace it directly with a 626 that was not even distributed, or by 63X line models that seem to be part of the background, so that should to be the opposite. However, Google knows what it's playing, and although we're bumping into a Snapdragon 625 in this one, the system is responsible for making it fluid at all times, we feel, browsing the system, that we are in front of a higher phone.

It is also useful to have 4 GB of RAM, which allows many applications to remain open in the background, even if they have to deal with traditional system closures. Using the phone daily is nice, everything runs at a sufficient speed and probably also contributes to the low resolution of the equipment. But the truth is that at the system level, everything is fine. From a normal operation to the use of multitasking and even using two split screen applications.

With normal applications and games, the understanding of "normal" as undemanding is repeated. The titles open up at a good speed, although some may take a little more than the count, especially if we are dealing with more "grumpy" graphics engines such as Unity or Unreal, and once open, they work also smoothly. With applications, exactly the same thing, even scrolling in applications that handle large amounts of data. Everything seems to be going well … until we have to press the system, and the system puts us on our site.

A year ago, everything was much less demanding at the software level. Two years ago, let alone. Today, things have changed, as they have always changed, and the most prominent titles require us to switch to a more advanced processor. Clash Royale or Hearthstone are hurting the phone. The Snapdragon 625 feels a bit aged with some more hardcore titles and here we have no help from RAM. The Adreno 506 arrives where it arrives, and we clearly notice that this Motorola One is an average line phone, let alone considering the hours. At the level of landmarks, as we will see later, the sensations are more or less identical.

	Motorola One	Moto G6 Play	Nokia 6.1	Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus	Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
Processor	Snapdragon 625	Snapdragon 430	Snapdragon 630	Snapdragon 626	Snapdragon 625
RAM	4GB	3 GB	3 GB	4GB	4GB
AnTuTu	81 147	57,547	87,557	77221	78,316
Geekbench (mono / multi)	856 / 4.206	632 / 2.222	833/4142	864 / 4,293	864/4 304
3DMark (Icestorm)	13,760	9,563	16,522	–	13794
PCMark (work 2.0)	4,909	3,687	4,680	–	3,329

It's worth it stop a little in the fingerprint reader, which Motorola places at the back, centered in relation to the width and moved up. A fingerprint reader that has evolved compared to previous generations and responds much more quickly and accurately. Especially considering that we tested it with slightly damp fingers to see what he could offer us.

The position is quite natural when it comes to handling the phone and unlocking the phone is very fast. In less than half a second, the phone is free in front of our eyes. If we add to that the NFC chip to allow mobile paymentsand that the Motorola One comes with Google Pay preinstalled, we have a phone pretty competent in biometrics, which is always appreciated given the price range in which it is marketed. Mobile payments for almost everyone.

3000 mAh, are they enough?

One of the main doubts when choosing a mobile phone lies in its autonomy. To do this, we usually look at the battery capacity and, if we have some experience, we compare it to the size of the screen. Logically, the component that generates more consumption on the mobile phone. Although there more factors that play an important role in terms of autonomy, such as hardware and software optimization, or even mobile coverage of the area in which we move.

In the case of One, we end up an internal battery of 3000 mAh, not removable as in most current phones, and you must power a 5.9-inch panel. Although the resolution of the latter allows to reduce the consumption, despite the fact that it is in front of a LCD screen and not before one of the OLED which are now popular beyond a few manufacturers.

The Motorola One Motorola offered us a pleasant experience despite the fact that, on paper, promised a reduced autonomy. With average usage and keeping most of the day on a WiFi network, we moved about six hours of using the screen. Enough time to resist work all day and even leave the battery for the next day.

With a more aggressive test, either by devoting time to games and more demanding applications, or spending part of the day away from WiFi and subjecting us to the inclemence of data networks, the autonomy dropped to offer us something less than 5 hours of screen. Also to support a day but here without excess. If we are more active users, we could have problems when we go home with the phone still on.

Fortunately, we have a fast charging system typical of the company, an evolution of the Quick Charge 3.0 offered by the processor. With the Motorola TurboPower, we can make the full charge on the phone in just 1:15, although the first is the key. With only 20 minutes of charging, the phone will recover about 40% of the total energy, allowing us to detach from taking a few extra hours.

The defect, although many do not consider it so, is that we are facing a glass phone which, as seems to be the custom, does not benefit from it to include wireless charging. The absence of metal should invite to place this system charging, convenient even though it is slower than cable charging, but we do not find it in the Motorola One. Something to evaluate for each user, but for us, it's a gray dot.

Android One, as Google likes

Over the years, Google has found that more and more manufacturers add to its pure experience the assembly of its operating system without layers or additives, but its greatest progress has been made with Android One. Motorola has added two of its phones, the One and the One Power, despite the fact that the Chinese manufacturer had not made the system for a while.

The Motorola One arrives so without impurities, mean by all that helps minimize the experience that Google has designed for your Android. This, yes, in version 8.1 because the jump to Android Pie has not been done yeteven if the phone will give it soon. In fact, the One Power has already started its own series of updates.

Nevertheless, we find details "touched" by Motorola, such as the system of gestures included in the phone, which allows us to shake the phone to turn on the flashlight or quickly turn on the phone to capture. We also have other enhancements, such as the Dolby Audio system, configurable from your own phone application.

But in the end, the Motorola One offers a completely clean Android experience, which is always appreciated, especially on phones with such hardware that should probably feel more time than others. However, this Motorola One has a lot of life without layers that overload its use. Remember that you should get at least until Android Q and maybe Android R?

Let's see, how are these cameras?

Today, it is rare that a mobile phone does not offer a double camera at the back and some models already carry it naturally to the front. The Motorola One is no exception to the rule and the lenses on the back are duplicated, giving the impression that more and more users are looking for this type of system: Selective blur. bokeh. Fuzzy backgrounds.

The Motorola One has particular a 13 megapixel sensor and a 2 megapixel secondary sensor, only responsible for reading in depth. We do not have optical zoom or other advantages of secondary sensors here, just a camera that reads the second shot so that the phone software can work with as much information as possible. And the truth is that the job is of good enough quality to be a midrange. A model that, at the photographic level, is really competitive.

With the Motorola One, you can make very accurate photographs and bright colors when the light is plentiful. The capture is fast, the contours are sharp and we can afford some degree of increase, still digital, until the defects seem to force a 13 megapixel sensor to exceed its normal limits. Take the phone out of your pocket and shoot becomes almost a habitbecause the focus is fast and we rarely get displaced or fuzzy pictures. Motorola has worked well on these little details that enhance the experience of using a mobile camera. In addition, the phone offers good dynamic range management and resists well before "burning" the darker or lighter areas of a photo.

The blur, easily activated from the Motorola One's camera interface, is also of good quality and allows you to adjust it with a three-level scrollbar. Except on occasions where there are too many planes or objects that are too small, there is confusion about the blur, The One shows us a closeup pretty well identified. There are no jagged edges or too much background blur. Of course, we also have the panoramic mode, the results of which have been fairly standardized on the market, and the possibility of making certain cuts on the photograph while we are taking it, and not a posteriori. How to make them square.

When the light falls, something happens that we were already waiting for, the quality decreases. Without the light, the authentic blood of the photographs, the phones of the reduced budgets flicker, and also certain of more advantageous price. The focus becomes somewhat erratic and the noise does not take long to appear, photos are captured at a slower speed and, therefore, it is easier to be blurred. It is also difficult to model light sources, such as local lights, street lights or vehicle headlights. However, we expected everything to be worse with the specs on hand, and the Motorola One was better than theoretically equivalent.

We have reached the front camera, an 8-megapixel sensor that allows us to play something in terms of cuts but which, thanks to the phone software, offers a selective blur. Yes, in the Motorola One also we have bokeh despite having a single camera, although his treatment is a bit more erratic than the back blur, perhaps because of the phone's AI. It is a blur that we can turn on or off at will, simply by switching from normal mode to portrait mode and working well edges, despite the fact that the background is too powerful and gives an impression of artificial art. Motorola does not work the same way with the dual purpose, and here it is clear.

Regarding the phone software, Motorola does not offer an application too remarkable in terms of photography. As we have mentioned, we have different photography modes, such as portrait or panning, and we can easily switch from the rear camera to the front camera. Without optical zoom, the camera interface gets a little cleaner and everything is pretty intuitive although, as they say, there is nothing really remarkable. A correct camera application, no more, and with almost all options available.

The camera of this Motorola One, or the camera team that suits better, will not go down in history for its quality, but it shows that mid-range phones can work at a good level without making too much sacrifice. And be sincere The managers of this one did not facilitate the task to their competitors. Good camera and not boastful, always aware of the price level and specifications in which we operate.

Sound and Dolby

We pay special attention to mobile phone screens, as well as to cameras, but the sound section is just as important. A good sound can raise the level of a phone when we watch a video, whether it is personal or in series, movies or any other streaming content. A bad video can spoil the experience and make us feel uncomfortable. In the case of the Motorola One, the experience was a little gray.

Yes, we have the Dolby sound system, but the most notable is in the headphone output. EThe speaker, although it sounds at a good volume, tends to warp. when we approach the sound to its maximum expression, and that the tests were made with audios of different qualities. However, as we have said, the experience changes when we talk about headphones.

Here we have good volume and good quality, which can be appreciated with higher budget headphones, but, of course, this 3.5mm jack is not great. Nevertheless, a good experience with headphones, also with Bluetooth alternatives. In summary, pretty good with a headset, normal on the speaker. It's a great thing, is not it?

Motorola One, Xataka's opinion

We have arrived at the end of this analysis and it is necessary to review each section and publish our conclusions. The Motorola One has almost everything to succeed, but also has nuances in everything related to its operation. Mainly for a processor that already notices the passage of time and that, while remaining competitive, it is no longer able to cope with the most demanding situations.

The construction is more than correct, the phone is beautiful and elegant, and it looks pretty resistant, although We will have problems with dirt and fingerprints, a problem for the most difficult users. But it is comfortable in the hand and in the pocket, and almost does not look like the 6 inches it seems, partly thanks to the reduction in the number of frames and the "notch".

As for the cameras, good with the light and normal at night, with a good blur and also correct in the color management. At night, all phones are losers and the Motorola One also, although a little less than a good part of its competitors. The front camera also plays at a good level to be a mid-line phone.

In short, a mobile that has surprised us forever and which, despite its shortcomings, has them, he knows how to play his cards and showcase his virtues. Of course, he becomes one of the advisables of his range despite fierce competition. The Motorola One may not be part of the historic features, but it is a fairly balanced mobile, and a reduced price that reduces its price can result in many sales. Good job, Motorola.