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Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G Ace
Motorola One 5G Ace
...


7.1/10
Informr score
The Motorola One 5G Ace currently has an Informr score of 7.1 out of 10. This score is based on our evaluation of 13 sources including reviews from users and the web's most trusted critics.

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.”


Android
Operating system
Operating system
Android
2.2 GHz
Processor
Processor
2.2 GHz
6.7"
Screen Size
Screen Size
6.7"
48+ MP, f/1.7
Camera
Camera
48+ MP, f/1.7
5000 mAh
Battery


What the Critics Are Saying...


Android Headlines
Android Headlines

The biggest caveats here are fairly important ones. But nearly all of those could be mitigated via a software update. An update that Motorola has still said is coming. In fact, it will eventually get Android 12 and that should come with some significant improvements beyond the OS too. That’s if Moto...

- Daniel Golightly, Android Headlines
Android Police
Android Police

The 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...

- Corbin Davenport, Android Police
Cnet
Cnet

In 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...

- Patrick Holland, Cnet
TechRadar
TechRadar

The 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.

- Mark Knapp, TechRadar
GeekSpin
GeekSpin

Ultimately, 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...

- Helena Stone, GeekSpin


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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Quick view

Screen Size
6.7"

The Motorola One 5G Ace's screen size is 6.7 inches with 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution.

Processor
2.2 GHz

There is a Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm) Octa-core 2.2 GHz processor (CPU).

OS

The phone runs on the Android 10 operating system (OS).

Camera
48+ MP

You can take photos or capture video with the phone's onboard 48+ MP, f/1.7 camera.

There is also a secondary front facing camera with 16+ megapixels resolution.

Storage
64/128 GB

Internal memory is 64/128 GB. An external, MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 1000 GB) expansion slot is available for increased storage capacity.

Battery
5000mAh

The phone is powered by a Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol), 5000 mAh battery.

One 5G Ace Specs

Overview
Release Date January 13, 2021
Regions Available USA, Canada
Operating System Android 10

Compare Android Smartphones

Processor Qualcomm SM7225 Snapdragon 750G 5G (8 nm) Octa-core 2.2 GHz
Internal Storage 64/128 GB
RAM 4/6 GB
Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
TTY/TDD Yes
Noise Cancellation Yes
SAR Unknown
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year
Accessories Included USB Power Adapter, Manual, Headset, Data Cable
Cellular
Networks
GPRS, EDGE, HSUPA, HSPA+, LTE, 5G
Mobile / Cellular Data
5G, 4G/LTE
Push-to-talk (PTT) No
Wi-Fi Calling Yes
Voice over LTE (VoLTE) Yes
SIM card size
Nano-SIM
Dual SIM No
Connectivity
USB USB Type-C
USB OTG Support Yes
GPS Type A-GPS
Infrared No
Bluetooth 5.1
Bluetooth Profiles A2DP, AVRCP, OPP/FTP, HID, HFP, HSP, PAN
Bluetooth Audio Codecs SBC
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/ac
Mobile Hotspot Yes
Memory Expansion Slot Yes
Expansion Slot Info MicroSD, MicroSDHC, microSDXC (up to 1000 GB)
NFC Yes
Data Tethering Compatibility Yes
Camera
Main Camera
Resolution / Aperture
48+ Megapixels, f/1.7
Zoom
Yes
Flash
Yes (LED)
Additional Rear Camera Info
Auto focus, Effects, Face detection, Geotagging, Multi-shot, Night mode, Panorama, Self-timer, 2nd camera feature (8 MP, F2.2, Ultrawide), 3rd camera feature (2 MP, F2.4, Macro), HDR, Time lapse mode, Slow motion recording
Video Recording Formats
MPEG-4
Video Recording Parameters
Ultra HD (3840 x 2160 pixels), 30 fps
Front Camera
Resolution / Aperture
16+ Megapixels
Additional Front Camera Info
Aperture F2.2
Video Recording Parameters
Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels), 30 fps
Display / Screen
Type Color
Technology LCD (IPS)
Colors 16.7 million
Resolution 1080 x 2400 pixels
Pixel Density 394 pixels
Size 6.7 inches
Secondary Display No
Sensors Ambient Light, Proximity, Motion / Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Digital Compass
Multi-Touch Yes
Fingerprint-Resistant Coating No
Additional Display Features Capacitive touchscreen
Power & Battery
Battery Type Lithium Polymer (Li-Pol)
Battery Capacity 5000 mAh
Removable Battery No
Wireless Charging No
Fast Charging Yes
Video Playback Time Unknown
Internet Use (Wi-Fi) Unknown
Internet Use (Cellular) Unknown
Talk Time Unknown
Standby Time Unknown
Mixed Usage
Physical Characteristics
Design Type Bar
Material Plastic
Colors Frosted Silver, Volcanic Gray
Dimensions [H x W x D] 16.61 x 7.61 x 0.99 cm (6.5 x 3 x 0.4 in)
Weight 212 grams
Water Resistant / Waterproof Water Resistant
Rugged design No
IP Rating IP 52
Headset Jack 3.5mm
External Speakers Yes
Input / Navigation
Sleep / Wake Key Yes
Home Key No
Input / Keyboard Type Touchscreen
Navigation Type Touchscreen
External Volume Control Yes
Fingerprint Sensor Yes
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Additional Information Other Names (AKA):
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