Last year Motorola introduced its One line of phones, giving consumers the ability to purchase affordable device backed by years of software updates and support. The handset maker is back with a new model: the Motorola One Action.
As one might guess, the “Action” aspect is a play for the action camera crowd currently led by the likes of GoPro. In essence, this is Motorola adding action camera video quality and features to a smartphone.
An industry first camera experience
Flip the One Action over and you’ll see there are no less than three cameras on the back. The main one is a 12-megapixel shooter with phase autodetection, 1.25µm pixels and a f/1.8 aperture. Not only does it focus quicker, it also lets in more light.
A second, 5-megapixel camera captures depth and allows for natural blur, focal intensity, and great portrait shots.
The “Action” camera, is where it gets really fun, though. The third rear camera is dedicated to ultra-wide video and offers a 117-degree field of view. What’s more, it’s rotated 90-degrees.
Through a unique combination of hardware and software innovation we’ve made it possible to finally film amazing ultra-wide video while holding the phone more naturally in a vertical position. And when you play it back horizontally, you can relive all your action packed memories in full screen.
As the first ultra-wide action camera in a phone, it allows users to hold their device vertically to record horizontal videos. Further, it has software tricks up its sleeve to reduce shakiness through “Enhanced Video Stabilization”. Clips have four times the video in frame and look great played back on any device.
Hardware
The rest of the hardware in the Motorola One Action are pretty solid for a mid-range, or budget experience. The 6.3-inch display has a 21:9 aspect ratio with a hole-punch cutout for the front-facing camera.
Rather than a Qualcomm processor, Motorola employs a Samsung Exynos 9609 chip, supported by 4GB RAM. In terms of storage, there’s 128GB worth of space, which is on the higher end for today’s handsets. A USB-C port, headphone jack, microSD expansion card slot (up to 512GB), and 3500mAh battery round out the specs.
Availability
The Motorola One Action is available starting today in Brazil, Mexico, and “various European countries” starting at €259 (approximately $288 USD). Latin America, Europe, and Asia Pacific are expected to also carry the phone.
The Motorola One Action comes to the US and Canada sometime in early October, but pricing has not been announced.