Editor's note: This review features comparisons to phones that were released around the time of the Motorola One Vision's release. Newer devices have since been released.
Verdict
The Motorola One Vision is a good option for Android fans who want a feature-rich camera and huge screen without any software bloat. Android One is as close to Google you can get without buying a Google Pixel. The screen is huge, but with the Pixel 4 just around the corner and a cheaper price on the Pixel 3 it's hard to justify the full price.
The Canadian retail price is $599. There's strong competition in that price range including Google's Pixel 3, but it is absolutely worth a look if priced under $500. Koodo has it for $455 outright and $360 over two years on qualifying plans which makes the Motorola One Vision the cheapest option for a pure Android experience in Canada.
What we love
- Huge screen with small camera hole punch
- Monthly security updates
- Good price on monthly plans
- Beautiful exterior and display
What could be improved
- Photos too bright and washed out in blazing sunlight
- Long 21:9 screen can be difficult to use
- Retail price isn't competitive with Pixel 3, except at Koodo
70/100
What's the Motorola One Vision?
The Motorola One Vision uses the premium camera from Motorola's flagship moto z4, scales back the hardware to lower costs and uses Android One to eliminate almost all branding bloatware. Motorola's customization includes Moto Actions for quick access to features like your camera and flashlight.
The camera features an impressive 48 megapixel (MP) camera chip and 25 MP selfie camera, but scales back most other hardware to bring a powerful camera and sleek OS to the midrange smartphone market. Don't just buy anywhere, because your prices range from $360 on two-year plans (awesome price) up to $599 (not awesome price). Use the WhistleOut search tool to find the best plan.
Motorola One Vision vs. Google Pixel 3
While the processing power in the Motorola One Vision is comparable to the discount Pixel 3a, I'm going to compare it to the full-power Google Pixel 3. There's two reasons for that:
- Both were launched promoting incredible and intelligent camera technology
- The Pixel 3 is on a heavy discount right now so both phones have a retail price of $599 outright
Both phones can be bought on their respective manufacturer's websites, or bought on monthly plans at select Canadian wireless carriers.
Both phones run a pure Android experience and will work on any carrier's network across the country.
How The Motorola One Vision and Pixel 3 Are The Same
The key similarity between the Motorola One Vision and Google Pixel 3 is the pure Android experience. The Pixel runs Google's stock Android, while the One Vision uses Android One.
The Android One program was created to get basic versions of the Android operating systems on cheaper hardware, and today functions to give consumers more choice when buying smartphones without a bunch of bloatware. Anyone who's owned a Samsung, LG or HUAWEI smartphone has found a lot of custom apps branded by the phone's manufacturer. You may use them, you may not. Either way, there's usually no way to uninstall them. Android One smartphones like the Motorola One Vision feature no unwanted software out of the box, just like the Google Pixel 3.
Android One's lean operating system also means you'll get more updates and get them faster. Android 10 was just released earlier this month on the Pixel 3, and should soon be downloadable for the Motorola One Vision. In fact, you're assured to get the Android 11 update next year too. Altogether you'll receive three years of security updates making either phone a secure option for years to come.
While both phones are similar from a software standpoint, slight differences in hardware make a big difference in experience.
How the Motorola One Vision is Different
Both phones have 4GB of RAM, and that's fine for a phone without a bunch of bloat. But that's about where the similarities stop.
Storage: The Motorola One Vision comes with 128GB baked in and features expandable storage through a microSD slot. The Pixel 3 has only 64GB, but 128GB is available for about $120 extra.
Winner: Motorola One Vision
Display: With a humongous 6.3" screen, extra-wide 21:9 display ratio and HD+ resolution, the Motorola One Vision easily beats the Pixel 3 in size, but the Pixel 3 has better colour reproduction in its 5.5" OLED with HDR. The larger Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3" OLED display with QuadHD+ display, but features the ugliest "notch" on any smartphone. The screen on the One Vision doesn't have the resolution of the Pixel 3 XL, but it does feature a simple holepunch where the front-facing camera can be found.
Winner: Motorola One Vision for display size. Colour is pretty good even when compared to the Pixel 3.
Performance: Motorola chose to go with a mid-range Exynos CPU, while Pixel 3 runs last year's flagship Snapdragon 845. 3D gaming graphics are also far better on the Pixel 3 than the Motorola One Vision. Both use 4GB of RAM which is small compared to other flagship phones, but more than enough for smartphones running a clean Android OS.
Winner: Google Pixel 3
Power: A large-format phone like this leaves room for a big battery, and Motorola put a 3,500 mAh battery in this one. That just about matches the Pixel 3 XL and is 20% larger than the battery found in a Pixel 3. Both phones charge fast on a power cable but the Pixel 3 smartphones also feature wireless charging.
Winner: Google Pixel 3.
Audio: Motorola has been doing their best to keep smartphone users happy who aren't ready to give up the past. The One Vision features a headphone jack in an era when most have disappeared. It even has built-in FM radio and supports Dolby Audio. Bluetooth 5.0 is supported, but aptX HD support for CD-quality sound seems to be missing. The Pixel 3 doesn't support analog headphones, but in the box you'll find a headphone-to-USB-C adapter. You just won't be able to charge your phone while using it.
Winner: I'm going to give the edge to Motorola One Vision. My favourite headset uses an analog jack. If your favourite headphones or earbuds are Bluetooth then look to the Pixel 3.
Camera: Here's the most important difference since both smartphones were launched with a "focus" on their camera capabilities.
Motorola One Vision:
- 48 MP f/1.7 wide OIS (but photos are saved as 12 MP)
- 5 MP f/2.2 depth-sensor for effects
- 25 MP f/2.0 selfie camera
Motorola uses a 48 MP sensor to capture more light and more detail, then process a sharp and colour-accurate 12 MP photo. Pulling in all that extra light has its value, as I've found the Night Vision photos can be comparable to the industry-leading Pixel 3's "Night Sight", but take the shot much faster. However, bright midday photos are far too bright and have colours washed out.
Google Pixel 3:
- 12.2 MP f/1.8 wide OIS
- 8 MP f/1.8 wide selfie camera
- 8 MP f/2.2 ultrawide selfie camera
Even after the launch of Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Note10 lineup, the software inside a Pixel 3 makes up for lower camera hardware specs making it the Android camera to beat. Even the newest iPhone 11 with a three-camera system and intelligent software can give the Pixel 3 a run for its money.
Winner: Google Pixel 3.
In Conclusion
The Motorola One Vision features midrange specs, but huge screen. The camera has a lot of thought put into it, but has a hard time competing with Google's flagship Pixel 3 lineup. Power users will appreciate the headphone jack and expandable storage, not to mention the 128GB built-in.
While just launching in Canada, the Motorola One Vision has been on the market in other countries since May. It's currently priced £269.99 in the UK which is about $440 here, or about $160 cheaper than the Canadian retail price. Motorola did the same price hike with the moto z4. There is a large discrepancy between the price in Canada as compared to other countries. And just like my review of the moto z4, I'd have no trouble recommending the phone based on that international price. However, the $599.99 MSRP that Motorola has set on the One Vision is far too high.
Cheaper prices are found through wireless carriers.
Lucky for us, there are carriers who will let you buy it for cheaper:
- Bell and Virgin Mobile sell the phone for $549.99 outright (a $50 savings)
- Koodo has the cheapest price at $455
The $455 price at Koodo makes the
Motorola One Vision the cheapest smartphone
in Canada with a pure Android experience
Putting it on a plan saves you even more:
- $15/month Tab Medium at Koodo ($360 over two years)
- $15/month Gold Plan at Virgin Mobile (360 over two years)
- $20/month on top of Bell Smartphone plans which is $480 over two years, but you can get unlimited data for as little as $95/month all-in
Now that Koodo has come out with pricing for the Motorola One Vision under $500, this is the cheapest way to get a pure Android experience in Canada while still powering a pretty good camera.
What's Good About The Motorola One Vision?
Security:
Every Android One device will receive two major version updates, and monthly security updates for three years. That means the Motorola One Vision will get Android 10 shortly, Android 11 next year, and software patches for any vulnerabilities until at least 2022. The fingerprint scanner is accurate and fast (much faster than the in-screen fingerprint scanner on the moto z4), and face unlock makes accessing your phone invisibly simple yet challenging for anyone who's unauthorized.
Camera:
A 48 MP camera sensor seems unnecessary, but just like the flagship moto z4 the Quad-Pixel photos taken are processed to create brighter and more accurate photos than a standard 12 MP sensor can do. When four pixels are combined, the total sensor size is larger than that in the Pixel 3. The second rear-facing camera helps with real-time effects.
The selfie camera features a 25 MP sensor that can optionally use Quad Pixel to create bright and sharp 6 MP photos.
Screen:
While 6.3" sounds like a lot, the extra-long 21:9 display ratio still fits easily in your hand as the screen stretches from edge-to-edge. There's only a holepunch visible for the selfie camera. That extra length can cause issues on phone calls, as holding it to your ear might put it too far from your mouth. The display is LCD, but still has great colour reproduction and is bright enough for inside use. Outdoors might need a bit of cover.
Exterior:
Normally I don't say much about the exterior design of a smartphone. After all, most of us just hide it under a protective case. The back is a beautiful metallic blue on the model sold by Koodo and a clear protective case is included with purchase to show off that bold colour. The model you'll find at Virgin Mobile and Bell is a metallic brown which is... nice... but not as futuristic.
What's not so good about the Motorola One Vision?
Hardware Compromises:
This hardware is good enough for the mid-range market, and certainly powerful enough to be running the lean Android One operating system. The bottom-facing loudspeaker is powerful and lyrics (or voice calls) are clear, but bass is weak and treble is tinny making it less than perfect for music playback.
The processor is mid-range which is okay for many uses, but gamers won't be able to take full advantage of the screen. 3D performance isn't up to the standards set by more premium smartphones. There's a lot of juice in the battery, and it turbo-charges on cable but there's no wireless charging.
Camera Is Almost There:
For a mid-range smartphone, this is an above-average camera. However, the Motorola One Vision promotes the camera technology as its primary feature. It's not quite good enough to unseat the competition in this price range though. Even the cheaper Google Pixel 3a can pull off better photos.
Price:
Motorola has some of the best balance between performance and price of any major Android brand in the world. Why their pricing doesn't come to Canada is a mystery. Both the flagship moto z4 and new One Vision are priced more than $150 higher than prices found in other countries. That doesn't sound like much, but in the mid-range smartphone market that puts it in a different weight class for competition. Just using the £269.99 price from the United Kingdom would translate to around $440 CAN and make it cheaper than a Pixel 3a.
Camera Samples
What Else Can I Buy? Motorola One Vision Competition
Google Pixel 3
This phone should be competing with the mid-range spec'ed Pixel 3a, but at $599 it's comparable to the full powered Pixel 3. You can upgrade storage to 128GB and even get a 6.3" screen for about $120 more each. You'll get flagship performance and the best Android camera on the market; even better than the Motorola One Vision.
Apple iPhone 8
While it's considered a budget phone, the Apple iPhone 8 is still one of the fastest and most capable smartphones on the market. If you are okay switching over to iOS from Android, Apple will send regular version upgrades and security updates to your phone on the day they're released.
Motorola moto z4
If you love that 48 MP camera but want Motorola's unique moto mods, then look for a moto z4. The only carrier offering the moto z4 in Canada right now is Quebec-based Videotron, but you can pick it up on the Motorola web store for $799 CAN.
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