Motorola One Macro Review

When you think of premium phones, Motorola doesn’t exactly jump out and yell “buy me,” but for a handset coming in at under $300 - this one is a winner.

With a budget phone, you’re really looking for the essentials to be seamless, which is the case for the Motorola One. Making calls, sending texts, streaming music, watching videos and browsing the net come easy on it’s nice looking 6.2” HD display.

The biggest downfall is ironically the Macro’s namesake. The Macro camera, which is boasted as the “best-in-class” by Motorola just doesn’t measure up.

Camera Rant

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I want to get this out of the way first, because if you saw the Macro and got excited by the prospect of getting a bomb camera for a small price, then you should know straight up that you’ll be disappointed. 

Look, the camera is fine. Just fine. You'll get a good snap, but you're unlikely to get crisp lines or any colour contrast that makes the image pop. There are some fun features in there, like cinemagraph, portrait mode and smart composition, but the (air quotes) creme de-la creme macro camera isn’t what it’s cracked up to be.

On still subjects, the macro camera does help to create some depth but the result just reminds me of the macro settings on my old digital cameras from 15 years ago. Admittedly, the best photo I got was using the macro mode on my cat Slinky, but from some distance. Keep in mind that this pic was an anomaly. I'm chalking it up to the stark contrast between her white fur and the shadowed background, as well as some well timed morning light.

The standard image capture takes several seconds, so if you’re trying to get a picture of an adorable dog’s before it moves, you’re flat out of luck. Low-light capture isn’t much better, and progressively gets worse the lower the light gets.

The Octa-core processor was an interesting choice for the Macro, considering just how simple the handset is made to be. The super-villainous named processor is basically two quad-core processors put together, which split various tasks between them, kicking in the faster of the pair when necessary. For most functions you would use the Macro for, like sending messages and switching between home screens, you won’t need the secondary quad. Tasks like HD streaming, gaming and photo manipulation are where you would need that extra jolt of power.

The Macro was marketed specifically for it’s camera, so it’s not completely ridiculous to assume that you might need to use some photo manipulation software in there. The problem however, is that the camera itself is lack-lustre. So while the faster processing speeds seem to help sell the “premium camera” package, I would be interested to know how often that secondary processor kicks in.

The HD+ display offers reasonable picture quality, but for a phone aimed at photography, 1520 x 720 resolution doesn’t quite seem like enough. Other phones in this price range are offering FHD+ so I won’t be writing home about the Motorola One Macro (although I will write to the internet about it).

If you’re hoping to snap something high quality for The Gram, then this just isn’t the camera for you - but if you like the nostalgia of grainy images then hey, kick it old school and give it a go.

End rant.

All the great things

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It’s not all doom and gloom, the Macro is actually a pretty great phone for the price. The operating speed, battery life, and audio quality are fantastic compared to other phones in this price range.

Looking good

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Well, looking good enough. The gorilla glass front, with a small-notch cut out creates a lovely display which runs near the edge of the phone. With rounded edges, the handset fits well in your hand, and despite it’s generous 6.2” display, slides well into even women’s jeans pockets.

The synthetic back of the phone comes in a deep, blue or purple ombre, aptly named Space Blue and Ultra Violet. At a glance the phone looks sleek and well made, but the back picks up fingerprints quickly and that can ruin the majesty of the interstellar colours.

It’s a good looking phone, not as nice as the Motorola Vision but it grabs attention.

Getting in

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If I could have my phone implanted into my hand, not much would change. I pick up my phone on average 206 times per day, so when it comes to testing them out I can get an average person’s daily usage out in half that time.

Picking up a phone 200 times per day means that I need to be able to get in and out quickly. If the process of checking a notification takes 30 seconds, then that’s 1.67 hours a day spent just checking my phone without even getting into anything else. Using my phone of choice, the average unlock time is closer to 4 seconds, which brings my wasted phone time down to 13 minutes.

The Macro is on par with my phone of choice if not slightly faster. With the choice of facial recognition and rear fingerprint access, zippy entry is a given - although it’s normally faster to tap the scanner at the back then wait for the camera to pick up your face.

Getting Around

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Using Android 9 Pie, the gesture systems are intuitive for any seasoned Android user, and easily picked up by iOS converts. The Octa-core 2.0 GHZ processor means transitions between apps are smooth, so you won’t be competing against any lag in your daily browsing.

The Macro’s most surprising feature is the battery life. We’ve already established just how avid of a phone user I am, and I was getting 2 solid work days out of this sucker between charges. The 4000mAh battery lasted well over 5 days on standby, and I felt entirely comfortable leaving the house on 50%.

Call and sound quality are also up there for the price. Crisp probably isn’t the word, but crispesque would be accurate if it was actually a word. Sounds aren’t muffled or static, but they lack a certain oomph that a premium phone holds. The included headphones also do the job, and my air pods paired well enough - there were a few hiccups but that’s what happens when you cross pollinate Apple hardware.

Getting it?

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If you’re in the market for a no-frills, budget smartphone that doesn’t necessarily feel budget, then you’ve found it. The Motorola One Macro does what it’s supposed to do; it makes calls, sends messages, lets you browse apps and takes photos and videos. And it does most of these things well. 

If, however you are looking for that “best in class” photography experience that was promised, then keep on walking.

You won't be able to pick up the Motorola One Macro on a plan, but you can buy it outright from Amazon for $281. You can also get it from JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks, but both will cost you the recommended retail price, rather than the Amazon discount.

Take a look at our most popular SIM only plans to go along with your new phone.