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What were you thinking Moto?

Last updated on: September 25, 2018 17:01 IST

With Motorola's One Power up for grabs, Ashish Narsale/Rediff.com is wondering why the company has come so late to the party with nothing considerable to offer. 

Photograph: Courtesy motorola.in

Motorola has been one of the top choices when it comes to budget phones in India.

Motorola One Power, their latest India-exclusive entrant priced at Rs 15,999 approx is powered by Google Android One.

Motorola P30 Note, a 6 GB variant with almost similar features as Motorola One Power, (P30 Note is powered by ZUI 4.0 based on Android Oreo) is already being sold in China.

In India, Power competes with Xiaomi Note 5 pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) with respect to specifications and price.

Is it different from its competitors?

Motorola One Power, Xiaomi Note 5 pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1) all three run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 636 with Artificial Intelligence.

What sets it apart from its competitors is that Motorolaone Power comes with Google's Android One based on Android Oreo 8.1 out of the box.

Having Android One will provide faster updates and a guaranteed future update of Android P and Q.

Android One doesn't come with any pre-installed bloatware which makes your experience smoother.

Photograph: Courtesy motorola.in

The phone comes with the new notch design with display size of 6.2" inch in a 6.14" metal body.

The fingerprint sensor is artistically placed on the Motorola logo dimple on the rear of the phone.

The rear dual cameras are primary with 16 MP, f/1.8 aperture and secondary depth sensing camera for background blur portrait as 5 MP, f/2.0.

The front camera is 12 MP f/2.0 selfie shooter with LED flash.

The phone comes with a massive 5000 mAh battery and can be fast charged with a 15 W Turbo charger.

Motorola claims that if charged for 15 minutes, the phone can last up to 6 hours.

It has the latest USB type-C port for charging and data transfer.

For audio experience, you have Dolby Audio technology.

It also includes FM radio and 3.5 mm audio jack on the top rim of the phone.

Right now the face unlock feature is missing, but you can expect it to be covered in the future software upgrade.

See how Motorola One Power fares against some of its closest competitors:

Specification Motorola One Power Xiaomi Note 5 pro Asus Zenfone Max Pro (M1)
Body Metal Metal Metal
Resolution FHD+ (2246 x 1080) FHD+ (2160 x 1080) FHD+ (2160 x 1080)
Aspect Ratio 19:9 18:9 18:9
Display Size 6.18" 6.18" 5.99"
Chipset (SOC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
RAM+ROM/Expandable 4GB+64GB/ up to 256 GB dedicated slot 6GB+64GB 4GB+64GB /up to 128 GB SIM slot 2 6GB+64GB 4GB+64GB 3GB+32GB /up to 512 GB dedicated slot
Selfie Camera 12 MP, f/2.0 20 MP, f/2.2 8 MP, f/2.2 and a 16 MP on 6GB variant
Rear Camera 16 MP, f/1.8 + 5 MP f/2.0 12 MP, f/2.2 + 5 MP f/2.0 13 MP, f/2.2 + 5 MP f/2.4 And 16 MP, f/2.0 + 5 MP f/2.4 on a 6 GB variant
Battery 5000 mAh 4000 mAh 5000 mAh
USB Type-C microUSB microUSB
Operating System Android One Oreo 8.1 Android Oreo 8.1 overlaid with MIUI Android Oreo 8.1
Price 4GB+64GB Rs 15,999 6GB+64GB Rs 14,999;
4GB+64GB, Rs 12,999;
3GB+32GB, Rs 10,999
6GB+64GB Rs 16,999; 
4GB+64GB Rs 14,999

Verdict

Motorola One Power looks well balanced phone with respect to price and feature when compared to its competitors. 

I am still wondering why Motorola has come so late to the party with nothing considerable to offer.

If you haven't already bought the Xiaomi or the Asus, you may consider Moto's One Power for its notch display, better upgrades and battery-life.

Motorola One Power will be available in stores October 5, 12 pm onward.

 

Ashish Narsale