Introduction
So far, one of the most exciting phones to be featured at IFA 2019 is Motorola One Zoom. Not a shiny flagship or a compelling phone, but a device with its unique design, a ton of cameras on the back, and a bright Motorola logo that adds some punch. We have our hands on it right now, so let’s dive deeper into the Motorola One Zoom!
Prices in India, Variants, Availability
The smartphone is expected to be coming for Rs 32,590. The smartphone will come in Brushed Bronze, Cosmic Purple, and Electric Grey colours.
(Click here if you’re looking to upgrade to the Moto One Zoom by selling your old phone for the best price)
Box Contents
Moto One Zoom comes in a subtle box advertising the smartphone itself. The box includes the phone with a power adapter, charging cable, SIM ejector tool. Unfortunately, Moto doesn’t add headphones or case cover in the Moto One Zoom box.
All the stuff you will be getting in the box:
- Moto One Zoom
- 2-pin 15W
- USB Type-C Cable
- Quick Start Guide and Warranty information
Specs at a glance
- Display: 6.4-inch FHD OLED screen
- CPU: Snapdragon 675 CPU
- GPU: Adreno 630
- Memory: 4GB RAM, 128GB
- Rear Camera: Quad camera: 48-megapixel main, an 8-megapixel telephoto, 5-megapixel ultra-wide 117-degree
- Selfie Camera: 25-megapixel front camera dew-drop notch
- Battery: 4000mAh battery with 15W Turbocharger
- Security: Integrated fingerprint reader under the screen
Design and Build Quality
Without taking too many cues from its competitors, the Motorola One Zoom is just excellent and refreshing. It has a signature and evident motto flair and no, not only because of the glowing logo. The handset has a glass back, but it’s a matte finish. It means that it does not collect fingerprint smudges similar to glossy covers. The deal is that its smooth surface is very slippery when trying to keep the phone. Also, there is no wireless charging, so it is glass for mirrors.
The camera module on the back with the shiny Moto logo is nice, but it can sometimes be annoying when you handle the phone. It is where your index finger is trying to rest, so there is often a wrestling match as your finger is trying to find a different spot. Some people get accustomed to it fast, but using a case can quickly eliminate this problem.
You may have noticed that the bezel around the display is not exactly thin. We appreciate it – there is a very neutral area, so you don’t have to ghost while handling the device. Yes, because everyone is determined to kill the bezel, ghost touching will become the pet of reviewers in 2019.
Some other considerations – the power button and volume rocker are dirty and clicky. We certainly appreciate the texture of the power key, which makes it easily recognizable. The stunning matte glass back is slightly spoiled by the small cut-out at the bottom – probably one for the noise-cancelling microphone. The glowing logo is beautiful, sure, but it serves no real purpose – it doesn’t blink for notifications, and you can’t see its brightness when using the phone. After all – it is behind it. The speaker is on the top rather than the bottom, and it feels a little strange when we move the phone into the landscape. Yes, there is a headphone jack!
Display
The Motorola One Zoom has a massive 6.4-inch OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels (19.5:9) and is a charming looking panel. Yes, looking at dimensions and benchmarks, one might conclude that this is not correct. The Motorola One Zoom Screen is pretty cool in real life. It is sharp, its colours are pleasant, its angles are very generous, and it is very bright.
The trained eye may be slightly ignored in contrast to the screen – it is too flat or dull. The headlines don’t pop out, and it makes it a bit brighter than blacks, which is a shame for the OLED panel.
Performance
Like all other present-day phones, the Motorola One Zoom is a metal-and-glass body. It is comparable to the Google Pixel 3XL, which is 158 mm long, 75 mm wide, and 8.8 mm deep. The Zoom has Panda King Glass on the front and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back. The metal frame is solid. It’s a large and somewhat bulky handset, thanks to its proportioned display, and may not be a comfortable device for those with small hands.
Motorola Zoom will come in three colours: Brushed Bronze, Cosmic Purple, and Electric Gray. All three have a brushed metal-looking finish, with the grain running from side to side. We like the three shades, and maybe the purple colour is our favourite. At the very least, the finish helps to zoom in on the me-too styling of most modern slabs.
Software
Software onboard is Android 9, which is mostly untouched. Motorola has never been a fan of massive skins, so expect a more vanilla experience. Some new features are added, most of them find a place in the Moto app – you can activate the unique Motorola flavour of navigational gestures and physical controls, where you can activate the flashlight with a chopping motion or with a camera’s double twist.
When will this phone get Android 10 – we’re not sure. Despite the name, Motorola One Zoom is not a member of the Android One program, which means its updates get slower.
Cameras
First of all, it’s not precisely a quad-camera – a sensor is used for depth information, so the phone knows where to cut it when duplicating bokeh for portrait mode images. The rest of the cameras are your contemporary trio – wide angle (48 MP), ultra-wide-angle (16 MP), and telephoto (8 MP).
Let’s talk photos, though. The primary camera is excellent – it has a wide dynamic range and offers exact colors. Our only gripe is that it loves, loves, and loves most of the details. Camera, be light, everything should be as sharp as a razor!
Are you wondering if the Motorola One Zoom can do some crazy levels of zoom, right? It’s in the name, not really – not really – the phone is “only” up to 10x. But it provides a quality shot at the zoom level! Motorola One Zoom’s telephoto lens gives us a 3x optical zoom. If you go too far, it switches to a mode that uses information from both the telephoto camera and the primary 48 MP sensor (hybrid zoom).
Then, there is an ultra-wide-angle lens. It’s nothing to write home about. Yes, it allows you to fit more into the frame. Still, when you compare the Ultra-Wide-Angle Camera to the regular Wide-Angle in the same circumstances, the Ultra-Wide gives you not only the smooth details but the colors and the green cast throughout the entire photo.
Depth sensing camera seems to be challenging to work with while portrait mode is on. It can sometimes miss the mark, but more often than not – it does an impressive job. There is also Night Mode (also known as Night Vision), which divides the camera’s 48 megapixels into four groups, which collects more light and exposes the shot longer. It does a pretty impressive job of lighting up a dark photo and sharpening it a bit. It’s not in the league of the new iPhone 11 or Google Pixel 3, but it’s useful as long as your photo’s content can stand for a few seconds.
You can use the One Zoom Camera to record video, and the clips are great. You can use both the ultra-wide camera and the telephoto lens to zoom in and out of the shot, and still keep the relevant detail. Stabilization in the Motorola One Action isn’t excellent, but it’s enough to defy your regular “shaken hand” effect. One thing to remember – if you choose to record in 4K, you can only use the phone’s primary 48 MP camera. It means that if you want to record a video that zooms in the distance, recording at 1080p is a good option because you get that detailed and sharp hybrid zoom
Battery Life
Motorola One Zoom has a 4,000 mAh battery. It is the size we expect to see inexpensive handsets and is an excellent addition to the mid-range zoom. The high-capacity lithium-ion power cell, the phone supports 15W of fast charging and can be shipped with Motorola’s turbo power charger for faster refills.
In everyday use, the One Zoom pushes the power efficiently with a full day. It means you can use the phone from morning till midnight without worrying. The phone had enough juice for another half-day before recharging.
It does not take long to recharge the battery. The 30-minute quick charge gives you a boost of up to 40%. The Motorola Zoom went from 25% to 65% at that time. A full cost from 0% takes just under 100 minutes, which is similar to other devices in this category.
Bottom line, the battery is more than enough.
Audio, Connectivity, Biometrics
The handset features an in-display fingerprint scanner, which works fine most of the time. On some unlocks, this can take a sweet time, but it’s very reliable. There’s also Face Unlock, which only uses a selfie camera, so it’s not the safest option.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Distinct looks, solid build
- Impressive 10x hybrid zoom on a mid-ranger
- Lots of storage
- Very dependable battery life
Cons:
- Some issues with ergonomics (finger regularly jabs at the camera module)
- The ultra-wide camera is sub-par
- Threat from low-end competitors when it comes to performance.
The Motorola One Zoom is a pleasant surprise. It looks good, it’s built solid, its appearance is OK, and its camera can pull some good shots for its class. At the initial price, it is an excellent midrange offering. Unfortunately, the Pixel 3A and Pixel 3A XL are also ramping up in this price range, and they are a significant enemy.
Motorola succeeds with its unique design, small-sized features such as the visual-feeling metal-and-glass build, the in-display fingerprint sensor, and the Moto Action if you’re a fan of them. The Pixel 3A comes with stereo speakers and no doubt – a good camera, but its plastic shell or its intriguing design may be a turnoff for some. It is where Motorola One zooms in and hopes to turn some heads.
However, you can add $ 50 on top and go for the OnePlus 6T or Asus Zenfone 6, both of which come with top-grade flagship hardware without compromising on midrange silicon. Sadly, there is no additional “oomph” to make it unique and distinct from the competition in the price range in One Zoom.
