Motorola One Macro review
Can a focus on the little things lift this Moto above the rest?
In 2019, Motorola is fiercely fighting its corner in the budget smartphone bout to decide the next crowning champion. It hasn’t been forced to the ropes yet, however it needs energy and a good game plan to succeed.
As such, the veteran manufacturer has released a flurry of new smartphones this year, each aimed at a different niche. Some of these have been expertly targeted, such as the Moto G7 Power (with a focus on battery life), while others have been a little more left-field and esoteric.
It is in this latter category that the Motorola One Macro sits, its entire appeal arguably resting in its particular, peculiar photographic capabilities. But with many capable rivals, each of which arguably has a broader general appeal, is the potential of this device’s eccentricities enough to make it worthy of your attention?
Key features
- Dedicated macro camera
- Big 4,000mAh battery and fast charger
The clue is in the name, the appeal of the Motorola One Macro rests in one of its capabilities alone - that of getting as close as possible for the perfect shot.
What this means is that it has a dedicated 2MP camera sensor which can focus from distances as little as 2cm. In photographic terms, normally this would require dedicated, expensive kit for a large-sensor camera to achieve, so being able to do the same with point-and-click simplicity is quite a time-saver.
Whether you’ll put value in this will strongly depend on how ‘creative’ you like to get with your shots. Having it is definitely a nice extra, but whether it deserves to take top billing is something which will be confirmed later in this review.
Aside from its extra camera spice, the One Macro is actually a very well-rounded budget device. It has a big 4,000mAh battery to keep the power flowing throughout the day, comes with a generous RAM and storage allowance, and has a very reasonable 720p+ screen.
In the box you also get a 10W fast charger to make emergency top ups a little less frantic, and the device itself comes with a splash-resistant nano-coating which will mean a little less worry when whipping it out in unexpected rain.
