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Motorola One Smartphone Review

One without frills. For those who are just looking for a mid-range smartphone with pure Android, a nice case, and a large display, Motorola is offering the new Motorola One. You could describe the concept as "concentrating on the essentials." We take a closer look at the Motorola One in our test.
Motorola One
Motorola One

We are used to pure Android from Motorola smartphones, and there is no launcher on Motorola's smartphones that tries to "improve" on Android, which is already fairly intuitive anyways. Instead, Motorola only extends the capabilities of its smartphones via apps by some functions such as the always-on display. Until now, its mid-range has been reliably called the "Motorola-G series," but now Motorola wants to expand further on the concept of smartphones that are reduced to just the essentials by bringing the Motorola One to the market, which is part of the Android-One program for the first time. With Android One, Google wants to ensure that Android smartphones are always kept up to date for a long time and also include the newest innovations offered by Android. 

At first glance, this looks like quite an ordinary Android mid-range smartphone with a large display, but it also has a large notch at the top of the display containing the camera, sensors, and earpiece. In its price-class, the smartphone initially competes with the in-house Moto G6, and then also with the Sony Xperia XA2 Plus, the Honor Play, and the Xiaomi Pocophone F1. Let's see whether Motorola's newest smartphone can assert itself.

Motorola One (One Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 8 x 2 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
4 GB 
Display
5.90 inch 19:9, 1520 x 720 pixel 285 PPI, capacitive touchscreen, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
64 GB eMMC Flash, 64 GB 
, 53 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm audio port, Card Reader: microSD up to 256 GB, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: acceleration sensor, gyroscope, proximity sensor, compass, USB-C 2.0 (OTG)
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, 2G (850/​900/​1800/​1900), 3G (B1/​B2/​B5/​B8), 4G (B1/​B2/​B4/​B5/​B7/​B8/​B12/​B17/​B20/​B28/​B38/​B40), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 7.97 x 149.5 x 72.2 ( = 0.31 x 5.89 x 2.84 in)
Battery
11.4 Wh, 3000 mAh Lithium-Ion, TurboCharge
Operating System
Android 8.1 Oreo
Camera
Primary Camera: 13 MPix phase comparison auto-focus, LED flash, videos @ 2160p/​30fps (main camera); 2.0 MP, depth sharpness (second camera)
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix LED flash
Additional features
Speakers: mono speaker at the bottom edge, Keyboard: virtual keyboard, charger, USB cable, SIM tool, 24 Months Warranty, FM radio, fanless
Weight
160 g ( = 5.64 oz / 0.35 pounds), Power Supply: 78 g ( = 2.75 oz / 0.17 pounds)
Price
300 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case – Simple and inconspicuous

"Simple and without any frills" - with these words you could describe the design of the Motorola One. Motorola deviates from the design language of its other Moto devices in some areas here, perhaps to underscore the special position of the Motorola One visually as well. While Moto smartphones usually emphasize more organic curves, the Motorola One appears slightly more angular. Our test unit also does not have the round camera module of the other Moto devices, but the two lenses on the back are positioned separately in the case and are not in the center but are on the left edge of the case. The manufacturer logo in the fingerprint sensor on the back is one of the few design characteristics the Motorola One shares with other Motorola smartphones.

The inconspicuous design continues in the choice of colors: Black and white are the most conservative choices we can think of.

With its rounded corners, the Motorola One fits into the hand well, and at 160 grams (~5.6 oz), it is also a relatively light smartphone. The case is robust: Our test unit is not affected by pressure, and only occasionally do we hear some slight creaking when we try to twist it.

Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One
Motorola One

Size Comparison

157 mm / 6.18 inch 75 mm / 2.95 inch 9.6 mm / 0.378 inch 204 g0.4497 lbs157.9 mm / 6.22 inch 74.3 mm / 2.93 inch 7.5 mm / 0.2953 inch 176 g0.388 lbs155.5 mm / 6.12 inch 75.2 mm / 2.96 inch 8.8 mm / 0.3465 inch 182 g0.4012 lbs153.8 mm / 6.06 inch 72.3 mm / 2.85 inch 8.3 mm / 0.3268 inch 167 g0.3682 lbs149.5 mm / 5.89 inch 72.2 mm / 2.84 inch 7.97 mm / 0.3138 inch 160 g0.3527 lbs148 mm / 5.83 inch 105 mm / 4.13 inch 1 mm / 0.03937 inch 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Equipment – A separate microSD slot

With 64 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM, our test unit offers the same amount of storage as the Moto G6 Plus, while the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 offers slightly more RAM. Thus the equipment of the smartphone remains within the usual range for the price class. Dual-SIM capability and an FM radio are also included, and the internal storage can be expanded by up to 256 GB via microSD card. While you cannot move apps onto it, the microSD can be formatted as internal storage. It is gratifying that the microSD slot is kept separate, so that you can use two SIM cards and a microSD at the same time.

Bottom: microphone, USB-C port, speaker
Bottom: microphone, USB-C port, speaker
Top: microphone, 3.5-mm audio port
Top: microphone, 3.5-mm audio port
Left side: SIM slot
Left side: SIM slot
Right side: standby key, volume rocker
Right side: standby key, volume rocker

Software – Updates every two months, Android 10 is guaranteed

Traditionally you get quite a clean Android with Motorola, so for those who know the brand, there is not much change here. The Android One program promises monthly security updates for three years and the newest Android versions for two years. However, Android 9 is not available yet on our test unit and you would have to be content with Android 8.1 at the time of our testing. This means that Motorola only guarantees a later update to Android Q. The next version is currently not mentioned. The security patches are from August 1, 2018, so they are not really current anymore in November, at the time of writing. Naturally, this is surprising, since the main promise of Android One to always offer an up-to-date smartphone operating system has not been kept. Then in the course of our test, we received an update that put the security patches on the level of October 1, 2018. At least there is supposed to be an update to Android 9 before the end of the year.

There is no bloatware, which refers to additional unnecessary or advertising software, on the Motorola One. The tradition of a preinstalled Moto app, which allows you to control additional functions of the smartphone, is also maintained here. These include an always-on display that also shows information in standby if needed, or an option for gesture controls.

Software Motorola One
Software Motorola One
Software Motorola One
Software Motorola One

Communication and GPS – Motorola One with slow WLAN

The Motorola One supports WLAN networks according to the 802.11 a/b/g/n standards. While you cannot connect to faster ac networks with this, you can use the less-congested 5-GHz band, which usually benefits the stability and speed of the connection. In terms of speed, the Motorola One behaves quite similarly to the Moto G6, which is not a compliment, since a maximum transfer rate of about 110 Mb/s is quite meager for a mid-range smartphone, as the comparison devices also demonstrate.

In mobile networks, the Motorola One is able to use many LTE frequencies: 12 different bands are available, so that travel abroad to other countries should not pose any problems. For example, anyone who travels to the USA a lot can connect to the LTE bands 2 and 4, which are very important there. In the German D2 net, the signal quality is quite good, and we have at least half the LTE reception even in enclosed spaces.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Xiaomi Poco F1
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
647 (598min - 665max) MBit/s +478%
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
347 MBit/s +210%
Honor Play
Mali-G72 MP12, Kirin 970, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
190 MBit/s +70%
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s +1%
Motorola One
Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash
112 (57min - 117max) MBit/s
iperf3 receive AX12
Xiaomi Poco F1
Adreno 630, SD 845, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
675 (630min - 704max) MBit/s +555%
Average of class Smartphone
  (last 2 years)
376 MBit/s +265%
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
Adreno 508, SD 630, 32 GB eMMC Flash
309 MBit/s +200%
Honor Play
Mali-G72 MP12, Kirin 970, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
188 MBit/s +83%
Motorola Moto G6
Adreno 506, SD 450, 32 GB eMMC Flash
113 MBit/s +10%
Motorola One
Adreno 506, 625, 64 GB eMMC Flash
103 (36min - 118max) MBit/s
0102030405060708090100110Tooltip
Motorola One; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø103.3 (36-118)
Motorola One; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø109.9 (57-117)
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test near a window
GPS Test near a window
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test outdoors

Buildings with concrete ceilings present a difficult test for the locating system of the Motorola One, and we are unable to determine our position here. Location works much better near a window, and outdoors the accuracy quickly rises to about five meters. While the location can also be determined very quickly in Google Maps, the compass for the viewing direction points in the wrong direction during a short test.

In our practical test, a bike tour with the Garmin Edge 520 professional navigation device and the Motorola One, our test unit proves itself quite reliable. Although the recording of our route is significantly less accurate than that of Garmin's professional navigation device, it is still within acceptable limits, and in some sections you can even correctly read the side of the street we went on. Thus overall, the Motorola One can be used for navigation without any problems, unless you have very high demands on the accuracy.

GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – overview
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – forest
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – forest
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS Garmin Edge 520 – bridge
GPS Motorola One – overview
GPS Motorola One – overview
GPS Motorola One – forest
GPS Motorola One – forest
GPS Motorola One – bridge
GPS Motorola One – bridge

Telephone Functions and Voice Quality – Earpiece so so, but good speakers

The standard Android Telephone app is also used in the Motorola One. It is arranged very clearly, well-known to Android veterans, and it is also quite intuitive for newcomers.

The voice quality is mixed. On one hand, the earpiece can easily become boomy at high volumes and the microphone also transmits our voice with a significant booming as well. On the other hand, you can make calls with a good quality and without much noise in hands-free mode using the speaker. However, then you also need to speak a little louder for the microphone to be able to pick up what you said.

Cameras – Decent image quality from the Motorola smartphone

Picture taken with front camera
Picture taken with front camera

The Motorola One has a dual-camera system on the back. The main camera offers 13 megapixels, and the second camera with its low resolution of only 2 megapixels cannot be used separately for its own pictures but is used only to calculate the depth sharpness. We like the color reproduction as well as the sharpness and level of detail in the enlargements. In weak light the camera brightens well, but details are reproduced slightly washed out. 

The main camera is able to record videos in 4K resolution at 30 FPS. Full HD videos can also be recorded at 60 FPS. The level of detail and the color reproduction are convincing, and the exposure is also adjusted variably and quickly to changing light conditions.

The front camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels. While the images also show a good level of detail, they could be a tad sharper and the dynamic is also rather weak in very light areas.

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
click to load images

At first glance, the test chart we took a picture of under controlled light conditions in the lab appears quite dark. However, the detail and sharpness are fairly good, with the only exception being a slight fraying of text on a red background. Colors are reproduced slightly too dark.

Picture of the test chart
Picture of the test chart
Test chart detail
Test chart detail
ColorChecker: The target color is displayed in the bottom half of each field.
ColorChecker: The target color is displayed in the bottom half of each field.

Accessories and Warranty – Silicone bumper case included

In addition to the charger and a USB cable, there is also a silicone case for the smartphone in the box. A SIM tool to open the slot is also included. Motorola currently does not offer any accessories specifically for the device. 

The manufacturer offers a 24-month warranty for the smartphone. As already mentioned, there is also a guarantee for three years of security updates and two operating system updates. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.

Input Devices and Operation – Motorola smartphone with a good touchscreen

Google's GBoard, which is known to most Android users, is used as the keyboard, but you can also install alternative keyboard apps without any problems. The touchscreen is very easy to slide on, and it is also very responsive even in the corners and edges.

Using the Moto app you can only set up two options for the movement control, which are to activate the flashlight using a sudden cutting move and to activate the camera by turning it twice. 

The fingerprint sensor on the back unlocks our test unit very reliably, but there is always a slight delay before you can see the display content.

Keyboard, landscape
Keyboard, landscape
Keyboard, portrait
Keyboard, portrait

Display – Cool color reproduction

Subpixel grid
Subpixel grid

The display has a 5.9-inch diameter and a 19:9 format. There is quite a large notch at the top edge of the screen, so that the areas to the left and right of it are only used for status notifications. The 1520x720 pixels correspond to a slightly prolonged 720p resolution, which is a bit meager for this price range. Full HD is the standard for most of the devices in a similar price range. With this low resolution, single pixels can be recognized on the large screen if you look closely at the display. The sharpness of the display also suffers a bit.

On the other hand, the screen does quite well in terms of its brightness, reaching a maximum brightness of 477 cd/m². However, the brightness distribution is not quite as even as in other devices, so that you can see slight brightness differences in larger color areas when you look closely.

442
cd/m²
440
cd/m²
414
cd/m²
459
cd/m²
467
cd/m²
436
cd/m²
473
cd/m²
477
cd/m²
461
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 477 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 452.1 cd/m² Minimum: 5.5 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Center on Battery: 467 cd/m²
Contrast: 1229:1 (Black: 0.38 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.29 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
92.6% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.376
Motorola One
IPS, 1520x720, 5.90
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
IPS, 2160x1080, 6.00
Xiaomi Poco F1
IPS, 2246x1080, 6.18
Honor Play
IPS, 2340x1080, 6.30
Motorola Moto G6
IPS, 2160x1080, 5.70
Screen
31%
12%
8%
4%
Brightness middle
467
597
28%
489
5%
435
-7%
488
4%
Brightness
452
592
31%
486
8%
426
-6%
478
6%
Brightness Distribution
87
92
6%
93
7%
89
2%
95
9%
Black Level *
0.38
0.32
16%
0.34
11%
0.39
-3%
0.42
-11%
Contrast
1229
1866
52%
1438
17%
1115
-9%
1162
-5%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
5.29
2.4
55%
3.8
28%
2.89
45%
3.9
26%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
7.71
5.3
31%
7.1
8%
6.03
22%
6.8
12%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
5
3.4
32%
4.4
12%
4.1
18%
5.3
-6%
Gamma
2.376 93%
2.2 100%
2.22 99%
2.251 98%
2.41 91%
CCT
7583 86%
7172 91%
7213 90%
7408 88%
7146 91%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 2451 Hz ≤ 15 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 2451 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 15 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 2451 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 18110 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured.

At 0.38 cd/m², the black value is within an average range, just like the resulting contrast ratio of 1229:1. Although we determine some PWM flickering at low brightness, it has such a high frequency that it should not have any effect even on very sensitive users.

In our lab tests with the spectral photometer and the CalMAN software, we can see a slight gray tint in the Grayscale. This causes the color reproduction to appear slightly cool on the display. Furthermore, the color deviations are a bit higher than those of the comparison devices. The color-space coverage is at the standard level at most. The display of the Motorola One does not represent a revelation overall, and its resolution is clearly too low for its price range.

CalMAN Color Accuracy
CalMAN Color Accuracy
CalMAN Color Space
CalMAN Color Space
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Grayscale
CalMAN Saturation
CalMAN Saturation

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
       Response Time Black to White
32 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 17 ms rise
↘ 15 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 84 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (21.6 ms).
       Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey
56 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 27 ms rise
↘ 29 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 91 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.9 ms).

While the smartphone can be used outdoors, there should be no direct sunlight on the display, since it is not quite bright enough for that. The brightness sensor does a good job and mostly selects a brightness that is suitable for the surrounding light.

In terms of the viewing angles, you can quickly see large brightness differences if you look at the screen from various angles.

Outdoor use – minimum brightness
Outdoor use – minimum brightness
Outdoor use – medium brightness
Outdoor use – medium brightness
Outdoor use – maximum brightness
Outdoor use – maximum brightness
Outdoor use – brightness sensor
Outdoor use – brightness sensor
Viewing angles
Viewing angles
 
 
 

Performance – An aged SoC in the Motorola One

It does seem a bit strange that Motorola would use such an aged SoC for the Motorola One: The Snapdragon 625 from Qualcomm is already almost three years old and shows its lack of performance compared to the more current Snapdragon 630 in the Sony Xperia XA2 Plus. Particularly the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 stands out among the comparison devices by delivering a high-end performance at almost the same price.

The Adreno 506 graphics unit is also from the end of 2015 and is unable to keep up with more current smartphones in this price-class either. It can hardly even beat the Motorola Moto G6 with its entry-level SoC.

Geekbench 4.4
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
878 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
858 Points -2%
Xiaomi Poco F1
2468 Points +181%
Honor Play
1904 Points +117%
Motorola Moto G6
743 Points -15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (841 - 881, n=12)
866 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (800 - 9574, n=90, last 2 years)
5063 Points +477%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
4374 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
4152 Points -5%
Xiaomi Poco F1
9182 Points +110%
Honor Play
6673 Points +53%
Motorola Moto G6
3868 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3148 - 4396, n=12)
4171 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (2630 - 26990, n=90, last 2 years)
13549 Points +210%
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
3592 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3621 Points +1%
Xiaomi Poco F1
14369 Points +300%
Honor Play
8454 Points +135%
Motorola Moto G6
2777 Points -23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (2628 - 3678, n=10)
3281 Points -9%
Average of class Smartphone (2053 - 18432, n=70, last 2 years)
10590 Points +195%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Motorola One
5927 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
5659 Points -5%
Xiaomi Poco F1
9664 Points +63%
Honor Play
9326 Points +57%
Motorola Moto G6
5321 Points -10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (4596 - 7846, n=16)
5855 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (10884 - 19297, n=2, last 2 years)
15091 Points +155%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Motorola One
4936 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
4953 Points 0%
Xiaomi Poco F1
8101 Points +64%
Honor Play
6293 Points +27%
Motorola Moto G6
4552 Points -8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (4626 - 5558, n=14)
4894 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (9101 - 12871, n=4, last 2 years)
10872 Points +120%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
13847 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
16972 Points +23%
Xiaomi Poco F1
63159 Points +356%
Honor Play
29924 Points +116%
Motorola Moto G6
12756 Points -8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (8541 - 14003, n=16)
13468 Points -3%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
13382 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
18472 Points +38%
Xiaomi Poco F1
82125 Points +514%
Honor Play
34836 Points +160%
Motorola Moto G6
12441 Points -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (7668 - 13491, n=16)
12957 Points -3%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola One
15762 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
13217 Points -16%
Xiaomi Poco F1
34928 Points +122%
Honor Play
20035 Points +27%
Motorola Moto G6
13997 Points -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (14195 - 16267, n=16)
15727 Points 0%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
Motorola One
876 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1334 Points +52%
Xiaomi Poco F1
5687 Points +549%
Honor Play
3487 Points +298%
Motorola Moto G6
800 Points -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (476 - 876, n=17)
826 Points -6%
Average of class Smartphone (712 - 7285, n=52, last 2 years)
3548 Points +305%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola One
751 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1248 Points +66%
Xiaomi Poco F1
8261 Points +1000%
Honor Play
3734 Points +397%
Motorola Moto G6
690 Points -8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (390 - 751, n=17)
710 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (618 - 9451, n=52, last 2 years)
3905 Points +420%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
Motorola One
2091 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1757 Points -16%
Xiaomi Poco F1
2720 Points +30%
Honor Play
2832 Points +35%
Motorola Moto G6
1803 Points -14%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1631 - 2157, n=17)
1968 Points -6%
Average of class Smartphone (1093 - 4525, n=52, last 2 years)
3005 Points +44%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Motorola One
884 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1381 Points +56%
Xiaomi Poco F1
5230 Points +492%
Honor Play
3710 Points +320%
Motorola Moto G6
824 Points -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (533 - 885, n=15)
838 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (704 - 23024, n=115, last 2 years)
9038 Points +922%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola One
762 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1303 Points +71%
Xiaomi Poco F1
6898 Points +805%
Honor Play
4040 Points +430%
Motorola Moto G6
713 Points -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (440 - 801, n=15)
729 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone (607 - 45492, n=114, last 2 years)
15757 Points +1968%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola One
2003 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1744 Points -13%
Xiaomi Poco F1
2832 Points +41%
Honor Play
2885 Points +44%
Motorola Moto G6
1816 Points -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1638 - 2452, n=15)
1962 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone (1075 - 8749, n=114, last 2 years)
4335 Points +116%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) (sort by value)
Motorola One
484 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
824 Points +70%
Xiaomi Poco F1
3972 Points +721%
Honor Play
2973 Points +514%
Motorola Moto G6
442 Points -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (452 - 484, n=17)
467 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone (286 - 7890, n=102, last 2 years)
2685 Points +455%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola One
397 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
718 Points +81%
Xiaomi Poco F1
4746 Points +1095%
Honor Play
3018 Points +660%
Motorola Moto G6
363 Points -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (372 - 397, n=17)
384 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone (240 - 9814, n=102, last 2 years)
2675 Points +574%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Physics (sort by value)
Motorola One
2067 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1712 Points -17%
Xiaomi Poco F1
2528 Points +22%
Honor Play
2827 Points +37%
Motorola Moto G6
1834 Points -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1636 - 2177, n=17)
1958 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone (858 - 4679, n=102, last 2 years)
3127 Points +51%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
Motorola One
534 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
903 Points +69%
Xiaomi Poco F1
3669 Points +587%
Honor Play
2959 Points +454%
Motorola Moto G6
498 Points -7%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (507 - 882, n=15)
540 Points +1%
Average of class Smartphone (317 - 20131, n=174, last 2 years)
6545 Points +1126%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola One
441 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
793 Points +80%
Xiaomi Poco F1
4468 Points +913%
Honor Play
3041 Points +590%
Motorola Moto G6
413 Points -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (420 - 761, n=15)
449 Points +2%
Average of class Smartphone (267 - 33376, n=173, last 2 years)
9330 Points +2016%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Motorola One
2027 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1756 Points -13%
Xiaomi Poco F1
2257 Points +11%
Honor Play
2702 Points +33%
Motorola Moto G6
1786 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1638 - 2119, n=15)
1936 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone (938 - 8480, n=173, last 2 years)
4158 Points +105%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
35 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
28 fps -20%
Xiaomi Poco F1
60 fps +71%
Honor Play
60 fps +71%
Motorola Moto G6
20 fps -43%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (17 - 35, n=17)
22.9 fps -35%
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 165, n=177, last 2 years)
83.6 fps +139%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
23 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
30 fps +30%
Xiaomi Poco F1
150 fps +552%
Honor Play
115 fps +400%
Motorola Moto G6
22 fps -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (22 - 23, n=17)
22.9 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (19 - 791, n=177, last 2 years)
243 fps +957%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Motorola One
19 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
13 fps -32%
Xiaomi Poco F1
58 fps +205%
Honor Play
55 fps +189%
Motorola Moto G6
8.9 fps -53%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (7.4 - 19, n=17)
10.6 fps -44%
Average of class Smartphone (6.8 - 165, n=178, last 2 years)
71.3 fps +275%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
9.9 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
14 fps +41%
Xiaomi Poco F1
71 fps +617%
Honor Play
62 fps +526%
Motorola Moto G6
9.4 fps -5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.1 - 10, n=17)
9.43 fps -5%
Average of class Smartphone (9.2 - 363, n=178, last 2 years)
137.9 fps +1293%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
6.5 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
9.3 fps +43%
Xiaomi Poco F1
54 fps +731%
Honor Play
31 fps +377%
Motorola Moto G6
5.8 fps -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.1 - 14, n=17)
6.52 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (3.7 - 158, n=178, last 2 years)
60.2 fps +826%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
14 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
9.8 fps -30%
Xiaomi Poco F1
35 fps +150%
Honor Play
39 fps +179%
Motorola Moto G6
6.1 fps -56%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.5 - 14, n=17)
6.66 fps -52%
Average of class Smartphone (6.2 - 279, n=178, last 2 years)
97 fps +593%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
7.3 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
5.3 fps -27%
Xiaomi Poco F1
33 fps +352%
Honor Play
19 fps +160%
Motorola Moto G6
3.3 fps -55%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.1 - 7.4, n=16)
3.98 fps -45%
Average of class Smartphone (5 - 117, n=178, last 2 years)
42.9 fps +488%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
3.6 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
5.6 fps +56%
Xiaomi Poco F1
35 fps +872%
Honor Play
20 fps +456%
Motorola Moto G6
3.4 fps -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.4 - 3.8, n=16)
3.52 fps -2%
Average of class Smartphone (2.9 - 166, n=178, last 2 years)
58.6 fps +1528%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
6.5 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
5.4 fps -17%
Xiaomi Poco F1
31 fps +377%
Honor Play
22 fps +238%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.4 - 6.5, n=3)
4.63 fps -29%
Average of class Smartphone (3.6 - 123, n=218, last 2 years)
43.3 fps +566%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
3.6 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
5.6 fps +56%
Xiaomi Poco F1
32 fps +789%
Honor Play
24 fps +567%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3.5 - 3.6, n=3)
3.57 fps -1%
Average of class Smartphone (2.3 - 229, n=218, last 2 years)
62.9 fps +1647%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
4 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3.1 fps -22%
Xiaomi Poco F1
22 fps +450%
Honor Play
13 fps +225%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (2 - 4, n=3)
2.8 fps -30%
Average of class Smartphone (2.8 - 105, n=218, last 2 years)
32.2 fps +705%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Motorola One
1.2 fps
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1.9 fps +58%
Xiaomi Poco F1
14 fps +1067%
Honor Play
8.6 fps +617%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1.2 - 1.2, n=3)
1.2 fps 0%
Average of class Smartphone (0.85 - 94, n=218, last 2 years)
25 fps +1983%
AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
65759 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
89006 Points +35%
Xiaomi Poco F1
263165 Points +300%
Honor Play
152773 Points +132%
Motorola Moto G6
71352 Points +9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (65759 - 81789, n=6)
76418 Points +16%
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
Motorola One
66291 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
70346 Points +6%
Xiaomi Poco F1
227026 Points +242%
Honor Play
178745 Points +170%
Motorola Moto G6
59454 Points -10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (59867 - 68348, n=17)
63396 Points -4%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Motorola One
1362 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1570 Points +15%
Xiaomi Poco F1
3838 Points +182%
Honor Play
2174 Points +60%
Motorola Moto G6
1069 Points -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1019 - 1362, n=17)
1206 Points -11%
Average of class Smartphone (411 - 11438, n=158, last 2 years)
5704 Points +319%
System (sort by value)
Motorola One
3176 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3284 Points +3%
Xiaomi Poco F1
6506 Points +105%
Honor Play
3795 Points +19%
Motorola Moto G6
2560 Points -19%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (1960 - 3261, n=17)
2819 Points -11%
Average of class Smartphone (2376 - 16475, n=158, last 2 years)
9621 Points +203%
Memory (sort by value)
Motorola One
1235 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1334 Points +8%
Xiaomi Poco F1
3239 Points +162%
Honor Play
2417 Points +96%
Motorola Moto G6
770 Points -38%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (584 - 1553, n=17)
1018 Points -18%
Average of class Smartphone (670 - 12306, n=158, last 2 years)
6230 Points +404%
Graphics (sort by value)
Motorola One
1019 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
1480 Points +45%
Xiaomi Poco F1
7945 Points +680%
Honor Play
2231 Points +119%
Motorola Moto G6
965 Points -5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (968 - 1026, n=17)
1008 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone (697 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
13900 Points +1264%
Web (sort by value)
Motorola One
860 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
936 Points +9%
Xiaomi Poco F1
1296 Points +51%
Honor Play
1091 Points +27%
Motorola Moto G6
688 Points -20%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (649 - 958, n=17)
772 Points -10%
Average of class Smartphone (10 - 2145, n=158, last 2 years)
1487 Points +73%

Legend

 
Motorola One Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 64 GB eMMC Flash
 
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, Qualcomm Adreno 508, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
Xiaomi Poco F1 Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Qualcomm Adreno 630, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
 
Honor Play HiSilicon Kirin 970, ARM Mali-G72 MP12, 64 GB UFS 2.1 Flash
 
Motorola Moto G6 Qualcomm Snapdragon 450, Qualcomm Adreno 506, 32 GB eMMC Flash

In many browser benchmarks, the Motorola One is even surpassed by the Moto G6 and ends up in last place in our comparison. Even though websites are loaded quite smoothly, you often have to wait for the images. More-demanding HMTL5 content such as as Google's Interland runs fairly smoothly and does not need too much time to load.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (66.1 - 104.3, n=2, last 2 years)
85.2 Points +300%
Xiaomi Poco F1 (Chrome 68)
76 Points +256%
Honor Play (Chrome 68)
33.09 Points +55%
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (Chrome 67)
27.61 Points +30%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (21.3 - 31.8, n=17)
27.2 Points +28%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
22.56 Points +6%
Motorola One (Chrome 69)
21.32 Points
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (4633 - 89112, n=202, last 2 years)
33355 Points +782%
Xiaomi Poco F1 (Chrome 68)
14514 Points +284%
Honor Play (Chrome 68)
6692 Points +77%
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (Chrome 67)
5017 Points +33%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (3781 - 4979, n=17)
4524 Points +20%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
3943 Points +4%
Motorola One (Chrome 69)
3781 Points
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Motorola One (Chrome 69)
12194 ms *
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
11751 ms * +4%
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (Chrome 67)
10086 ms * +17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (8028 - 12194, n=17)
9289 ms * +24%
Honor Play (Chrome 68)
6221 ms * +49%
Xiaomi Poco F1 (Chrome 68)
2714 ms * +78%
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=165, last 2 years)
1658 ms * +86%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Average of class Smartphone (37 - 304, n=118, last 2 years)
130.7 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (Chrome 67)
37 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (35 - 38, n=2)
36.5 Points
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
31 Points
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall
Xiaomi Poco F1 (Chrome 68)
223 Points +97%
Honor Play (Chrome 68)
119 Points +5%
Motorola One (Chrome 69)
113 Points
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus (Chrome 67)
106 Points -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 (60 - 113, n=12)
90.5 Points -20%
Motorola Moto G6 (Chrome 66)
90 Points -20%

* ... smaller is better

In terms of storage, Motorola still uses eMMC flash, while you can already get UFS storage that offers much better transfer rates in the Pocophone F1 or the Honor Play for 50 Euros (~$57) more. Otherwise the access rates of the Motorola One are at a standard level. This goes for the internal storage as well as for our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference storage card.

Motorola OneSony Xperia XA2 PlusXiaomi Poco F1Honor PlayMotorola Moto G6Average 64 GB eMMC FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
-13%
21%
80%
-11%
-15%
351%
Sequential Read 256KB
280.2
281.1
0%
705
152%
895
219%
238.2
-15%
273 ?(95.6 - 704, n=201)
-3%
1468 ?(215 - 4512, n=210, last 2 years)
424%
Sequential Write 256KB
214.9
146.2
-32%
155.6
-28%
188.3
-12%
117.2
-45%
176.8 ?(40 - 274, n=201)
-18%
1078 ?(57.5 - 3678, n=210, last 2 years)
402%
Random Read 4KB
61.9
77.4
25%
101
63%
142.4
130%
69.9
13%
59.1 ?(9.58 - 148.5, n=201)
-5%
242 ?(22.2 - 543, n=210, last 2 years)
291%
Random Write 4KB
69.1
10.5
-85%
17.81
-74%
155.5
125%
59.9
-13%
31.7 ?(2.34 - 146.9, n=201)
-54%
266 ?(13 - 709, n=210, last 2 years)
285%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard
80.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
86 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
6%
85.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
6%
82.8 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
2%
75.3 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
-7%
77.4 ?(21.1 - 107.6, n=144)
-4%
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard
60.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
67 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
10%
65.6 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
8%
71.9 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
18%
61.5 ?(Toshiba Exceria Pro M501)
1%
58.3 ?(11.2 - 83.3, n=144)
-4%

Games – Some current games cannot be played

While the Motorola One is able to play some current games such as Arena of Valor and Shadow Fight 3, there are some limits. For example, you cannot install Asphalt 9 from the Google Play Store, probably because of some incompatibility with the graphics unit of the smartphone. In Arena of Valor, you can only reach a frame rate of barely above 30 FPS on average. In Shadow Fight 3 it is between 50 and 60 FPS. So those who only want to play games that really run smoothly and who want to be able to safely play all the current games should look elsewhere.

Control via touchscreen and position sensor is sufficiently fast for gaming, which we can see in the extremely fast Endless Runner Temple Run 2 among others.

Shadow Fight 3
Shadow Fight 3
Arena of Valor
Arena of Valor
Temple Run 2
Temple Run 2
Arena of Valor
 SettingsValue
 min31 fps
 high HD31 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!
Shadow Fight 3
 SettingsValue
 high54 fps
 minimal57 fps
  Your browser does not support the canvas element!

Emissions – Hardly any warming in the Motorola smartphone

Temperature

GFXBench battery test
GFXBench battery test

The Motorola One always keeps its cool, even under high load. The smartphone does not heat up at any time, and even under longer full load the device only reaches a maximum 33.4 °C (92 °F) case temperature. This can hardly be felt with your hand and is in no way problematic. The warming occurs fairly evenly over the whole case. If there is no load on the smartphone, you also don't notice any warming.

Using the battery test of GFXBench, we evaluate whether the smartphone throttles after longer load. However, this is not the case in the Motorola One, and the frame rates remain stable even after 30 runs of the same benchmark.

Max. Load
 32.7 °C
91 F
31.4 °C
89 F
31.6 °C
89 F
 
 33.1 °C
92 F
31.6 °C
89 F
32.1 °C
90 F
 
 32.8 °C
91 F
31.5 °C
89 F
32.7 °C
91 F
 
Maximum: 33.1 °C = 92 F
Average: 32.2 °C = 90 F
31.4 °C
89 F
32 °C
90 F
33.4 °C
92 F
31.4 °C
89 F
32.5 °C
91 F
33.4 °C
92 F
31.4 °C
89 F
32.1 °C
90 F
33.3 °C
92 F
Maximum: 33.4 °C = 92 F
Average: 32.3 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  39.6 °C = 103 F | Room Temperature 21.7 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 32.7 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 33.1 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.4 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.2 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Heat-map - back
Heat-map - back
Heat-map - front
Heat-map - front

Speaker

Pink Noise speaker test
Pink Noise speaker test

The Motorola One offers only a single mono speaker at the bottom edge, but it sounds fairly acceptable. Even at maximum volume, it hardly distorts and delivers a pleasing, fairly warm sound. The low mids are still easily perceptible and the highs are not overemphasized too much. The maximum volume is also okay and sufficient for a medium-sized room.

In contrast to many other smartphones, the Motorola One still has a 3.5-mm audio port. The sound output is clean, and you also get good sound if you connect Bluetooth devices to the smartphone.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2036.947.42536.544.23137.235.44037.637.65031.739.46323.822.88024.423.310023.621.312519.919.916023.324.420018.437.725018.244.831515.851.440014.658.750015.560.56301359.680012.363.9100012.167125011.969.3160010.770.2200010.767.2250010.566.9315010.365.1400010.768.4500010.571.8630010.569.2800010.665.71000010.664.71250010.562.61600010.642.6SPL63.572.461.552.561.424.179.7N16.225.514.68.214.50.644.7median 12.1median 63.9median 38.1median 30.3median 37.9median 12.3median 62.2Delta5.311.323.522.123.511.817.535.430.133.236.823.730.131.933.139.738.830.233.925.221.521.923.822.326.419.338.316.646.916.347.916.552.41858.715.463.715.663.114.269.614.876.314.672.614.468.414.575.214.870.814.674.114.871.614.871.115.266.614.663.815.162.114.654.415.344.927.183.40.954median 15.1median 63.71.411.1hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseMotorola OneXiaomi Poco F1
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Motorola One audio analysis

(±) | speaker loudness is average but good (79.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 30.6% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (5.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.5% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 48% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Xiaomi Poco F1 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 24.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 6.2% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (10.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (5.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 48% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 43% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 67% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 26% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery Life – Good considering the small battery

Power Consumption

Overall, the power consumption is at the level of the price class, with the Sony Xperia XA2 Plus having some slight advantages with its modern SoC. The Motorola Moto G6 also consumes less power but delivers less performance.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.05 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 1 / 1.6 / 2 Watt
Load midlight 3.3 / 5.1 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.
Motorola One
3000 mAh
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3580 mAh
Xiaomi Poco F1
4000 mAh
Honor Play
3750 mAh
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
13%
-19%
-75%
14%
-9%
-18%
Idle Minimum *
1
0.35
65%
0.65
35%
1.4
-40%
0.6
40%
0.981 ?(0.49 - 2.2, n=17)
2%
0.894 ?(0.42 - 2.37, n=157, last 2 years)
11%
Idle Average *
1.6
1.81
-13%
1.97
-23%
2.6
-63%
1.81
-13%
1.985 ?(0.87 - 3.92, n=17)
-24%
1.452 ?(0.69 - 4.26, n=157, last 2 years)
9%
Idle Maximum *
2
1.83
8%
2.01
-1%
4.3
-115%
1.86
7%
2.27 ?(0.9 - 4.03, n=17)
-14%
1.632 ?(0.79 - 4.45, n=157, last 2 years)
18%
Load Average *
3.3
3.31
-0%
4.29
-30%
6.5
-97%
2.78
16%
3.51 ?(1.69 - 6.2, n=17)
-6%
5.55 ?(2.4 - 16.5, n=157, last 2 years)
-68%
Load Maximum *
5.1
4.97
3%
9.05
-77%
8.2
-61%
4.04
21%
5.38 ?(3.8 - 7.2, n=17)
-5%
8.23 ?(4.32 - 20.8, n=157, last 2 years)
-61%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Life

The Motorola One surprises us with its battery life. Despite its fairly small 3000-mAh battery, it delivers decent runtimes and is even able to beat the Honor Play that has a significantly larger-capacity battery in the WLAN test. Our test unit is also able to surpass the closely related Motorola Moto G6 without any problems. More than 12 hours of continuous surfing on the web make it very likely that the Motorola One can last through a standard workday without a recharge, and it can probably last even for several days without a charger if you use the phone efficiently. 

Thanks to its quick-charge function, the smartphone can be completely recharged in much less than 2 hours. 

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
27h 32min
WiFi Websurfing
12h 15min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
12h 49min
Load (maximum brightness)
4h 28min
Motorola One
3000 mAh
Sony Xperia XA2 Plus
3580 mAh
Xiaomi Poco F1
4000 mAh
Honor Play
3750 mAh
Motorola Moto G6
3000 mAh
Battery Runtime
78%
10%
-6%
-13%
Reader / Idle
1652
4682
183%
2088
26%
1723
4%
1170
-29%
H.264
769
893
16%
936
22%
759
-1%
600
-22%
WiFi v1.3
735
837
14%
808
10%
710
-3%
553
-25%
Load
268
529
97%
220
-18%
204
-24%
338
26%

Pros

+ decent battery life
+ guaranteed update to Android 10
+ good speaker sound
+ hardly any warming
+ sharp camera images
+ separate microSD slot

Cons

- slow WLAN
- booming earpiece
- brightness shifts from steep horizontal viewing angles
- aging SoC

Verdict – A little tame, but very solid

In review: Motorola One. Test unit provided by Motorola Germany.
In review: Motorola One. Test unit provided by Motorola Germany.

There is a clear concept in the Motorola One: On one hand Motorola wants to offer a device without frills for all those for whom the more organically rounded design of the manufacturer is too playful. On the other hand, Android One should ensure that the most current security patches always come to the device quickly and that the operating system remains up-to-date at least for the next few years. However, particularly in terms of the software, there are two caveats: First, Motorola is still taking too long until updates reach the device (the September update was completely left out and the October update arrived in November), and users also need to be patient until they receive the Android-9 patch. Second, Android 9 is already counted as one of the two promised Android-One updates, so that only Android 10 is still guaranteed to users.

What else can the Motorola One offer? An acceptable battery life and a decent camera, a sturdy case and a reliable performance even under longer lasting full loads.

The Motorola One is a smartphone that turns out very solid in many areas. However, at this point there is strong competition in its price range.

Those who can pay 50 Euros (~$56) more can get much more performance and a significantly longer battery life with the Honor Play or Xiaomi's Pocophone. In this light, the price-performance ratio of the Motorola One seems doubtful. However, anyone for whom the ensured updates for the next two years are important and who does not mind the two-month update frequency will get a smartphone that is solid through and through.

Motorola One - 11/07/2018 v6(old)
Florian Schmitt

Chassis
82%
Keyboard
65 / 75 → 87%
Pointing Device
86%
Connectivity
41 / 60 → 69%
Weight
91%
Battery
94%
Display
82%
Games Performance
33 / 63 → 52%
Application Performance
52 / 70 → 75%
Temperature
94%
Noise
100%
Audio
68 / 91 → 75%
Camera
77%
Average
74%
84%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

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Florian Schmitt, 2018-11- 9 (Update: 2019-02-26)