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Budget Motorola One Macro arrives with triple-camera setup, notched display

By Joshua Swingle

Published: Oct 09, 2019, 4:09 AM

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Motorola Android

Budget Motorola One Macro arrives with triple-camera setup, notched display

The Motorola One series has already expanded a lot this year – it now includes the One Vision, One Action, and One Zoom – but it turns out the Chicago-based, Lenovo-owned company had an extra device up its sleeves this entire time – the Motorola One Macro.

Triple-camera setup with dedicated macro shooter

When talking about this particular smartphone it makes sense to start with the rear camera setup because, after all, that’s what gives the device its rather unique name. Leading the way is an all-new 2-megapixel macro camera that features an f/2.2 aperture and 1.75µm pixels. Unlike most sensors, it’s capable of focusing on objects that are situated just 2cm (0.8-inches) away. This level of proximity also permits a natural bokeh without the need for image processing afterward.

Obviously, not everyone’s going to be interested in macro photos and those who are won’t be shooting them all day. That’s why Motorola has also equipped the One Macro with a decent 13-megapixel, f/2.0 camera that’s also capable of recording 1080p video at 60fps. Additionally, if you’re a fan of slow-mo, a 120fps option is available too.

The rear camera setup is completed by a 2-megapixel depth sensor which activates automatically when shooting portrait photos to produce better background blur. As you may have noticed, there’s no telephoto lens, but the One Macro does support Hi-Res Zoom which apparently improves upon standard digital zoom by gathering data from all three cameras. Lastly, Motorola’s latest budget smartphone is equipped with an LED flash and a new laser autofocus system that improves both the speed and accuracy of autofocus.

Notched display, 64GB of storage, guaranteed Android 10 update

Motorola has released a range of notched devices this year including the Moto Z4 and One Zoom which are equipped with U-shaped implementations and the Moto G7 series which uses iPhone-like and V-shaped alternatives, but today’s phone is a little bit different.

The V-shaped notch is now significantly wider but also shorter while the display itself is surrounded by thicker bezels. Especially noticeable is the size of the chin which could easily house the Motorola logo or perhaps even a physical home button. In regards to actual numbers, the One Macro is equipped with a 6.2-inch LCD panel that features a 19:9 aspect ratio and a 1520 x 720p resolution. Due to the thicker bezels, though, the phone itself is actually about the same size the Moto Z4 and One Zoom which boast 6.4-inch displays.

Due to its budget nature, Motorola has chosen to cut costs by implementing a MediaTek chipset rather than its usual Qualcomm or Samsung choices. Specifically, it’s powered by the Helio P70 which should provide a decent level of performance that’s slightly ahead of the Snapdragon 660. The model announced today also features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. However, if this isn’t sufficient, microSD cards of up to 512GB are supported.

The One Macro’s setup is completed by a 4,000mAh battery that can be charged with the 10W charger included inside the box. Motorola says this can last up to 48hrs with “casual” use. On one final note, it’s worth pointing out the phone ships with Motorola’s flavor of Android 9 Pie which naturally means it won’t be launching as part of the Android One program, despite its name. The downside to this is Motorola’s promise of just one update to Android 10.

Motorola One Macro price, availability, release date

The Motorola One Macro will be available in India starting Saturday, October 12, as a Flipkart exclusive. It costs INR9,999 ($140) locally and will be sold in Space Blue.

Motorola says the global launch will start on Thursday, October 24. Exact availability details are yet to be provided but the phone should be sold across Europe and Latin America. A US launch could be on the cards too.