Motorola One Zoom hands-on review

Introduction

After Motorola officially confirmed that it's focusing on its mid-range phones and the upcoming flexible handset, it's no surprise to see another Motorola One-branded smartphone. And just like the Motorola One Action and One Vision, the One Zoom keeps true to its name and brings a versatile camera setup capable of 3x lossless zoom while still keeping it in the mid-range market segment.

But aside from the quad-camera setup on the back, the phone also boasts an OLED screen allowing for an under-display fingerprint reader. All are driven by a competent Snapdragon 675 chipset and strangely, just 4GB of RAM. We could let that one slide if the price is right. Still, even the most affordable midrangers come with 6GB of RAM as an option while the Motorola One Zoom doesn't seem to be offered in that configuration.

Another centerpiece feature that's worth mentioning is the design and the materials used for the build. As soon as we got our hands on it, at first thought it's one of Motorola's flagship devices. Glass and aluminum wrap around the handset giving it that distinct premium feel.

Motorola One Zoom specs

• Body:Front and back glass, aluminum side frame
• Screen: 6.39" FHD+ (1080x2340px) OLED; 19:9 aspect ratio.
• Camera: Primary: 48MP Quad Pixel Sensor, f/1.7, 1/2", 0.8µm, OIS; Ultra wide-angle: 16MP f/2.2, 117-degree FOV; Telephoto: 8MP f/2.4, 3x optical zoom, OIS; Depth sensor: 5MP, CCT.
• Selfie cam: 25MP Quad Pixel sensor f/2.0.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 (2x Kryo 460 cores @1.7 GHz and 6x Kryo 460 cores @2.0 GHz + Adreno 612 GPU).
• Memory: 4GB of RAM; 128GB storage; microSD slot.
• OS: Android 9.0 Pie.
• Battery: 4,000 mAh 18W TurboPower charging support.
• Connectivity: Dual SIM; USB-C (USB3.1), Wi-Fi, Buetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC.
• Misc: Under-display fingerprint reader; 3.5mm headphone jack; P2i splash-proof nano-coating.

But looks and camera count aren't enough to generate sales. Following the footsteps of its close relatives, the Motorola One Zoom is in a tough position with a price tag that's around €400. It has to fight the likes of Mi 9T Pro/Redmi K20 Pro and Google Pixel 3a. But could there be something more than it meets the eye?

What's in the box

The One Zoom comes in a standard box containing the 18W-capable TurboPower charging brick, a USB-A to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging, and a pair of earbuds. There's also a protective, transparent silicone case as a bonus.