Motorola One Action Brings Welcome Death Knell To Vertical Smartphone Videos

motorola one action 2
Motorola has a history of delivering Android smartphones that are packed with features, but don't break the bank. The latest entry from the company is the Moto One Action, which reserves its most innovative feature for its video recording capabilities.

Like many flagship smartphones available today, the Moto One Action has a triple camera setup on the rear. There is a 12MP primary sensor with phase detection autofocus along with a 5MP depth camera for adding effects like natural blur for portrait shots. But where the magic comes into play is with the addition of a 117-degree ultra-wide-angle action video camera. This ultra-wide-angle camera gives you shots more in line with that you'd see in popular action cams from GoPro, hence its name.

moto one action vertical

Motorola is using what it calls a combination of both hardware and software to allow videos shot in a portrait orientation to playback in landscape mode -- full screen without any bars -- on the 21:9 display. In other words, you don't have to worry about annoying your social media followers the next time you shoot a video when holding the phone naturally in a portrait orientation. Motorola also use what it calls Enhanced Video Stabilization to help smooth out any shaking or jitter when filming with the Moto One Action.

motorola one action 1

While Motorola decided to change things up with the camera system, the other specs of the Moto One Action are right in line with what you'd expect from a value-priced smartphone. The Moto One Action is one of the few smartphones outside of Samsung that includes an Exynos SoC; in this case the Exynos 9609 paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Full HD+ display measures 6.3 inches and has minimal bezels, although you do have to contend with a hole punch cutout for the selfie camera. Finally, there's a 3500 mAh battery that Motorola says will give you a day's worth of runtime.

The Motorola One Action available today in Europe priced at €259, and will launch in the United States and Canada in October.

Brandon Hill

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.