Moto One Action tested: A smartphone with action cam
17.9.2019
Translation: machine translated
The special feature of the Moto One Action confused me at first: an action camera that records a video in landscape format while I hold the smartphone in portrait format. In practice, this turns out to be less of a problem than I feared. The smartphone is also impressive without this special function.
No matter how well the smartphone performs as an alternative to the action cam, it will not be a real competitor to GoPro and the like. This is not due to its shape, but to its housing. It has only received IPX2 certification and is therefore not even protected against splash water - only against spray water. This is why the test is carried out on land in good weather and not on an outdoor holiday.
The rotated video camera
Motorola advertises the One Action as the first smartphone with an "ultra-wide-angle video action cam". If you switch it on, you have to hold the smartphone in portrait format and still record videos in landscape format. Fortunately, my fear that Motorola would only use a section of the image sensor for videos in landscape format and that the image quality would suffer as a result was not realised. At least you don't have to accept any loss of quality when you switch to the Action Cam in the camera app - unless you insist on 4K resolution. Only the main camera offers this. Is this perhaps an indication that Motorola is only using a section of the action camera's image sensor after all?
To answer this question, I would have to disassemble the smartphone. I'm not allowed to do that with the test device. However, I can tell you that the quality of the Full HD videos from both cameras is on a par. In my opinion, the video stabilisation is more noticeable on the action cam and makes for a smoother image. However, I also have the feeling that my hand is steadier when I hold the smartphone in portrait format rather than landscape format. I also like the wider field of view of 117 degrees better - although that always depends on what you're filming, of course.
Triple camera, but only one lens for photos
Of course, you can also take photos with the Moto One Action. But not with the wide-angle camera. Despite the three cameras on the back, you can only use the main camera with a resolution of 12 megapixels. The third lens provides depth of field information for portrait photos in which the background should be blurred. It then looks like this:
The boundaries between the subject in the foreground and the background are not always optimised by the camera. For more beautiful images, it is worth foregoing the maximum possible blurring and staying in the medium range. However, you will have to do without the support of an HDR effect in this shooting mode and optimise the lighting yourself. Various lighting effects are available for this purpose.
The HDR effect of the Moto One Action has a positive effect on conventional photos. It balances out strong contrasts and ensures a bluer sky and more detail in the clouds. But even without HDR, the colour reproduction looks natural. The level of detail is sufficient for viewing on a smartphone, but not particularly high on closer inspection. The image then no longer looks like a photo, but rather like a painted picture.
When it gets dark, the image quality decreases: But even with little light, you can still recognise a lot in the pictures of the Moto One Action. The HDR effect increases brightness even more. However, you have to accept a significantly poorer image quality. Significantly more artefacts reduce the level of detail and the longer exposure time results in more blurring. The smartphone does not offer a night mode.
The front camera with a resolution of twelve megapixels is located in a hole in the top left corner of the display. This allows Motorola to bypass the notch, which is not always popular. The hole-punch display is somehow more appealing - at least to me.
I like the high level of detail in the selfies. The colours look natural, but could be a little stronger for my taste. The HDR mode helps a little here and also ensures better differentiation between bright areas. However, it does not prevent overexposure of the blue sky with fair weather clouds.
Good features and tidy software
Beyond the camera, the Moto One Action proves to be a very usable smartphone that even has a decent range of features considering its low price. These include the 6.3-inch touchscreen, which has an aspect ratio of 21:9 and ensures that the smartphone is elongated. The full HD+ resolution is responsible for sharp images and both the colour reproduction and the brightness of the display are satisfactory.
The built-in Exynos 9609 chipset from Samsung, together with four gigabytes of RAM, proves to be a solid mid-range combination that even runs games like PUBG Mobile in the highest resolution without any problems. You don't have to worry about long app loading times. The internal memory is large at 128 gigabytes and can be expanded with a microSD card.
The 3500 mAh battery, which gets the Moto One Action through one day of typical use, is charged via the USB-C port. There is also a 3.5 mm audio output port on the top of the smartphone.
The operating system on the Moto One Action is Android 9 Pie. The smartphone is part of the Android One programme and is guaranteed to receive updates for the operating system for two years and security updates for three years. Motorola has also only made a few changes to Google's operating system. The user interface has even remained unchanged and there are only a few pre-installed apps. These include the Motorola camera app, which replaces the standard Google app, and Moto Actions. You can activate practical functions here: For example, that the smartphone switches the torch on and off in response to a double hack motion or switches the camera on after turning the wrist twice. This may sound strange or even unnecessary at first, but it can be very practical.
Conclusion: Good smartphone with a special camera
The Moto One Action is no substitute for a real action cam, but its action camera proves to be better than expected. I don't know of any other smartphone with which you can produce such good videos in landscape format in portrait mode. And even if the action cam doesn't entice you, Motorola has put together an overall package of hardware with enough power, a nice display, solid workmanship, a good average camera and tidy software that is very attractive for the price.
When I was but a young student, I'd sit in my friend's living room with all my classmates and play on his SuperNES. Since then I've had the opportunity to test out all the newest technology for you. I've done reviews at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, and have now arrived at Galaxus.de.
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