Motorola One Macro review

Can a focus on the little things lift this Moto above the rest?

Motorola One Macro
(Image: © Future)

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Staking the prowess of your product on one feature alone could never be anything else than a big gamble, yet Motorola was so sure of the phone's macro photography credentials as to put the feature in the name of the product.

It is a shame then that on this point the Motorola One Macro fails, and good that it makes up for this in almost every other way and wholeheartedly.

The One Macro is a charming handset to use, with a worry-free durable design, excellent battery life, a good screen, good enough performance and a likable, unobtrusive software design.

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Who's this for?

The Motorola One Macro is for buyers who want an affordable handset with good battery life and decent specs and performance in most other areas. An all-rounder in other words.

It's one of the best cheap phones, just don't buy this for its photography skills or if you need something high-end.

Should you buy it?

It is again a shame that the camera performance fares so poorly, even against handsets at the budget level from several years past, and indeed Motorola’s other current budget offerings.

If you are the mythical consumer who values macro photography chops over almost everything else, this isn’t the handset for you. But should you be the kind of consumer looking for a dependable, fuss-free handset that provides value and charm in spades, then this should be high on your list of priorities.

First reviewed: November 2019

Sean is a Scottish technology journalist who's written for the likes of T3, Trusted Reviews, TechAdvisor and Expert Reviews.