Motorola One Vision review

Verdict

The Motorola One Vision is a considerable improvement over 2018’s Motorola One, and does much more to justify its existence alongside the Moto G7 family.

Its display is big, sharp, and pleasant to use, though its unorthodox 21:9 aspect ratio causes the kind of usability and compatibility niggles that makes us question its ultimate worth. Similarly the phone’s camera, while competent, isn’t quite as impressive as Motorola’s bold claims suggest.

In general usage, however, the Motorola One Vision shines. It’s a highly attractive phone that’s an absolute breeze to use, with decent build quality, snappy performance, and that killer Android One OS.

Who’s this for?

If you’re after a budget phone without any of the cheap and tacky elements that often come as part of the package - whether that be a gaudy design or a naff custom UI - then the Motorola One Vision is the ideal pick.

Similarly, if you’re after a cheap phone that doesn’t follow the herd in its choice of components and features, but rather tries something a little bit different, then this is a decent bet. The One Vision’s screen, camera, chipset and OS are atypical but of a decent quality.

Should you buy it?

The Motorola One Vision is a budget phone with the rare confidence to tread its own path and try new things. It largely succeeds in everything it does, with a base level of competence and supreme usability that’s set off by the brilliant Android One OS. A few quirks keep it from being the absolute budget champ, but it’s a definite left-field contender.

First reviewed: May 2019

Still not sold? Take a look at these alternatives:

Sony Xperia 10

The Sony Xperia 10 arguably bears the closest comparison to the Motorola One Vision, with another unorthodox 21:9 display for a similar price tag.

It’s an uglier phone than the One Vision, with a particularly large forehead. On the flip side, that means that you don’t have to put up with the hole-punch camera interfering with your media.

Ultimately, though, the One Vision wins out thanks to superior battery life, a more flexible camera, more storage, better performance and the superior Android One OS.

Read our Sony Xperia 10 review

Moto G7 Plus

The Moto G7 Plus is made by the same manufacturer and retails for exactly the same price. It’s remarkable, then, that the two phones are so different.

We’d say that the Moto G7 Plus is the more orthodox pick, with a more mainstream display and chipset, a more conventionally accomplished camera, and the lightly customized UI we’ve come to expect from Motorola.

It won’t excite or intrigue you as much as the Motorola One Vision, but the Moto G7 Plus is probably the more accomplished, niggle-free all-rounder.

Read our Moto G7 Plus review

Honor 20 Lite

Here’s another budget phone that makes big claims about its camera prowess - this time through an impressive-sounding triple camera setup.

Like the Motorola One Vision, the Honor 20 Lite can’t quite see those photographic claims through, but the Huawei sub-brand arguably gets closer to its goal. That Huawei connection is probably reason enough to choose the Motorola phone first, though.

If not, then the Honor 20 Lite’s ugly EMUI skin should seal your decision. Compared to Android One, it’s like night and day.

Read our Honor 20 Lite review