The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
The Motorola One 5G Ace worked well and for a lesser price than other 5G capable phones on the market. In order to achieve such a fair price, sacrifices were made -- including camera quality and screen resolution. However, reviewers felt the One 5G Ace pulls its own weight while looking stylish.What's good
- Affordable access to 5G
- Excellent battery life
- Bright display
What's bad
- Weak low-light camera performance
- Only one guaranteed software upgrade
- Bulky and heavy
The Motorola One 5G Ace is an attractive-looking device and affordable for a 5G-compatible phone. It looks premium too, but are there any surprises hiding under the hood of this new smartphone?
Design
From the outside, the Motorola One 5G Ace looks very stylish and expensive. The backplate is made from a nicely textured plastic that allows for good grip. It’s big and bulky, but that’s where many smartphones tend to be right now, with phones getting bigger and bigger each generation.
Display
On the other side of the fancy plastic is a 6.7-inch display. Reviewers said that the display was plenty bright. However, most recommended enabling saturated mode to make the screen look its best. They agreed that contrast and richness were lacking in normal mode.
While the 6.7-inch display has nearly zero bezels, reviewers questioned whether the resolution was high enough for the size. So it won’t be the sharpest screen you’ll find, but it’s good enough for daily use.
Performance
The chipset in the Motorola One 5G Ace is behind the times, and reviews indicate that this shows. Reviewers said that while the customizable interface was lovely, they preferred some aspects of the Motorola One better.
But those types of issues are common with budget phones -- there is always a compromise. As long as you understand it won’t chart benchmarks, reviewers felt it still managed to perform well without for day-to-day use and common tasks.
Software & Storage
The phone ships with Android 10, which is odd for a phone in 2021. Motorola promises only one upgrade to Android 11 and 2 years of security updates after that. 128GB of storage comes onboard with about 110GB free after all the pre-installed apps factor in. If that’s not enough space, you can add up to 1 TB of space with a MicroSD card.
Cameras
Reviewers were very clear that cameras were the most prominent way the Motorola One 5G Ace fell flat. In particular, its inability to make low light even workable and the lack of contrast and color made it look weak when compared to other smartphones in its class. While it’s possible to get a perfect shot sometimes, reviewers stated that it’s a shame that it has four different lenses and rarely performs up to par.
Battery Life
In contrast, battery life was a big win. Reviewers said that few phones would compete with the multi-day batteries used in most of Motorola’s 2021 lineup. That is a big draw for busy people who don’t want to fuss with charging their phones all the time.
Audio
With only one speaker located at the bottom of the phone, sound quality is average. Reviewers noted holding the phone in landscape mode often muffled sounds as well.
Specs at a Glance
- Plastic chassis
- 6.7-inch display
- Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G processor
- 4/6 GB of RAM
- Android 10
- 64/128GB of storage with MicroSD expansion option
- 48MP main lens
- 5,000mAh battery
Bottom Line
There’s a lot of competition in today’s budget phone market. While it’s not without drawbacks, the Motorola One 5G Ace worked well and for a lesser price than other 5G capable phones on the market. In order to achieve such a fair price, sacrifices were made -- including camera quality and screen resolution. However, reviewers felt the One 5G Ace pulls its own weight while looking stylish.
The Verge states, “It makes a great first impression, but once you look closer, you start to see where it lacks the polish of a high midrange or flagship phone. Its processor stumbles with heavy tasks, that big screen lacks the resolution or faster refresh rate commonly found on high-end devices, and its cameras can’t compete with the best. As is so often the case, you get what you pay for.”
PC Magazine says, “The Motorola One 5G Ace handles most basic tasks well, but its low-quality cameras and outdated OS mean the Google Pixel 4a 5G is a better value.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Corbin Davenport, Android PoliceThe Motorola One 5G Ace is the latest in a long line of phones, including the Nokia 8 V 5G UW and OnePlus Nord N10 5G, that prioritize 5G support over more important features. As much as carriers would like you to think otherwise, 5G just isn't that important right now, and it shouldn't be the main...
- Patrick Holland, CnetIn my time with the Ace, it worked well. I didn't experience any hiccups or lag time throughout day-to-day tasks. In benchmark testing, it was on par with last year's One 5G sometimes scoring better and sometimes scoring lower. The Ace performed much better than the OnePlus Nord N10 5G and last year...
- Mark Knapp, TechRadarThe Motorola One 5G Ace adds yet another budget 5G phone to the market, and though it doesn’t offer anything too exciting, it has well-rounded features and performance that are easy to get behind.
- Helena Stone, GeekSpinUltimately, the Motorola One 5G Ace is indeed a solid affordable 5G handset but its biggest issues are that its design is dull and that its camera is middling. Nowadays the mid-range smartphone market is very competitive and full of more exciting and compelling options, and that includes options lik...
- Steven Winkelman, PC MagazineThe Motorola One 5G Ace performs like a champ and delivers impressive battery life, but its middling cameras, underwhelming software upgrade policy, and missing IP rating hold it back from our full recommendation. The Google Pixel 4a 5G may have a higher list price (though it always seems to be on s...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
The One 5G Ace price will vary depending on retailer, age, special offers and whether or not it's purchased with a service plan. If purchased with a 2 year service contract for example, you would likely pay much less for the phone itself up front. You can compare Motorola One 5G Ace prices from around the web here on The Informr.
Motorola backs up the One 5G Ace with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your One 5G Ace has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Motorola support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Motorola's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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