Motorola just tried to innovate the smartphones sector by releasing the One Action: a phone with an integrated action camera. But innovation is not everything, especially for a midrange device like this. There are a lot of factors which determine the success of a smartphone and the power of the competition is one of the most important ones. That is why we always compare the newly-announced smartphones with their most valid rivals. To compete with the Motorola One Action, we chose the new Xiaomi Mi A3 and the best-selling Samsung Galaxy A50. Through this in-depth specs comparison, we will try to establish whether the Motorola One Action will stand a chance against them in the global market.

 

Motorola One Action vs Xiaomi Mi A3 vs Samsung Galaxy A50

Motorola One Action Samsung Galaxy A50 Xiaomi Mi A3
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 160.1 x 71.2 x 9.2 mm, 176 grams 158.5 x 74.7 x 7.7 mm, 166 grams 153.5 x 71.9 x 8.5 mm, 173.8 grams
DISPLAY 6.3 inches, 1080 x 2520p (HD+), 432 ppi, LTPS IPS LCD 6.4 inches, 1080 x 2340p (Full HD+), 403 ppi, Super AMOLED 6.01 inches, 720 x 1560p (HD+), 286 ppi, Super AMOLED
PROCESSOR Samsung Exynos 9609, octa-core 2.2 GHz Samsung Exynos 9610, octa-core 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 665, octa-core 2 GHz
MEMORY 4 GB RAM, 128 GB  – micro SD slot 4 GB RAM, 64 GB  – 4 GB RAM, 128 GB – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD dedicated slot 4 GB RAM, 64 GB   – 6 GB RAM, 128 GB – micro SD slot
SOFTWARE Android 9 Pie, Android One Android 9 Pie, One UI Android 9 Pie, Android One
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS  Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS
CAMERA Triple 12 + 16 + 5 MP f/1.8 and f/2.2
12 MP f/2.0 front camera		 Triple 25 + 8 + 5 MP f/1.7, f/2.2 and f/2.2
25 MP f/2.0 front camera		 Triple 24 + 8 + 2 MP f/1.8, f/2.2 and f/2.4
32 MP f/2.0 front camera
BATTERY 3500 mAh, fast charging 10W 4000 mAh, fast charging 15W 4030 mAh, fast charging 10W
ADDITIONAL FEATURES Hybrid Dual SIM slot Dual SIM slot Hybrid Dual SIM slot

Design

Despite the Motorola One Action has a way more attractive punch-hole design, the Xiaomi Mi A3 is undoubtedly the most beautiful and suggestive smartphone if we talk about the design. Indeed, unlike its rivals, it has a premium design with a glass back and an aluminum frame just like flagship phones. Both Motorola One Action and Samsung Galaxy A50 are made of plastic, even though the former is splash resistant with the IPX2 certification. Further, Xiaomi Mi A3 is much more compact due to its smaller display and its narrow bezels. If we exclude the Xiaomi Mi A3, I would go for the Motorola One Action due to its punch-hole design and its splash resistant body, despite it does not feature an in-display fingerprint reader (it is rear-mounted on the Motorola logo).

 

Display

Xiaomi Mi A3 loses the comparison because despite being equipped with an AMOLED panel, it has just a 720p resolution, so it does not provide a high level of detail. Motorola One Action has a very attractive punch-hole display as stated above, but it is an LCD panel. The most convincing one is the Samsung Galaxy A50 which boasts a Super AMOLED display with a high Full HD+ resolution and an in-display fingerprint reader, as well as a bigger display size that is more suitable for multimedia, productivity users and gamers.

 

Specs & Software

If we consider the most expensive memory configurations, Samsung Galaxy A50 dominates the hardware comparison. On the paper, Samsung Exynos 9610 looks more powerful than the Snapdragon 665 found on the Xiaomi Mi A3, even though there is to consider that the Galaxy A50 is not part of the Android program and it does not have a lightweight user interface. But the Samsung Galaxy A50 is the only to be equipped with up to 6 GB of RAM which means better performance in multi-tasking scenarios.

 

Camera

If we only consider rear cameras, Motorola One Action is the very game changer here. The phone boasts an ultrawide sensor which works independently from the others and comes with some action camera-like features. It is able to record 1080p videos at 60 fps with electronic stabilization and it records landscape videos even if the phone is held vertically, in order to make mounting the phone easier on external supports just like action cameras. The ultrawide sensor does not shoot photos: for that, the Motorola One Action relies on a 12 MP sensor which also records 4K videos. While Motorola One Action has the most interesting rear cameras, Xiaomi Mi A3 is better at selfies with its 32 MP snapper. Samsung Galaxy A50 is still a great camera phone, but it sits behind Xiaomi Mi A3 and Motorola One Action.

 

Battery

The battery life champion is the Xiaomi Mi A3 not only because it has a bigger battery, but also because it has to manage a more efficient display with a smaller size and a 720p resolution. Xiaomi Mi A3 also comes with the fastest charging technology (18W power and Quick Charge 3 support). At the second place, there is Samsung Galaxy A50 with its 4000 mAh battery, but despite having just 30 mAh less than Xiaomi Mi A3 it lasts a lot less due to its more demanding display.

 

Price

Motorola One Action just hitten the European market with a €289 listing price for the 4/128 GB configuration, Samsung Galaxy A50 starts from €250 for the 4/64 GB variant, and Xiaomi Mi A3 carries a €220 price tag for the 4/64 GB configuration. Despite it is not part of the Android One program, I think Samsung Galaxy A50 is a more complete device for a lot of people due to its big battery, an advanced display, good performance, and an overall well-balanced specs sheet. But if you do not care so much about the battery life, then Motorola One Action may be a better option due to its amazing camera. If you like compact phones and beautiful designs, then you would better go for the Xiaomi Mi A3. In each case, you get an amazing mid-ranger with just marginal differences compared to its competitors.

 

Motorola One Action vs Xiaomi Mi A3 vs Samsung Galaxy A50: PROs and CONS

Samsung Galaxy A50

PROs

  • Good hardware
  • Big battery
  • Micro SD dedicated slot
  • Better display

CONS

  • Cheap design

 

Xiaomi Mi A3

PROs

  • Good design and build quality
  • Android One
  • Amazing selfie camera
  • Long battery life
  • More compact

CONS

  • HD display

 

Motorola One Action

PROs

  • Innovative cameras
  • Splash resistant
  • Punch-hole design
  • Android One

CONS

  • Smaller battery

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