English
We put the Motorola Signature through our rigorous DXOMARK Camera test suite to measure its performance in photo, video, and zoom quality from an end-user perspective. This article breaks down how the device fared in a variety of tests and several common use cases and is intended to highlight the most important results of our testing with an extract of the captured data.
Overview
Key camera specifications:
- Primary: 50MP 1/1.28″ sensor, 1.22µm pixels, 24mm equivalent f/1.68-aperture lens, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 50MP 1/2.76″ sensor, 0.64µm pixels, 12mm equivalent f/2.06-aperture lens
- Tele: 50MP 1/1.953″ sensor, 0.8µm pixels, 71mm equivalent f/2.48-aperture lens, OIS
Scoring
Sub-scores and attributes included in the calculations of the global score.
Motorola Signature
184
180
169
170
186
140
Use cases & Conditions
Use case scores indicate the product performance in specific situations. They are not included in the overall score calculations.
Portrait
Portrait photos of either one person or a group of people
Outdoor
Photos & videos shot in bright light conditions (≥1000 lux)
Indoor
Photos & videos shot in good lighting conditions (≥100lux)
Lowlight
Photos & videos shot in low lighting conditions (<100 lux)
Zoom
Photos and videos captured using zoom (more than 1x)
Pros
- Accurate exposure and wide dynamic range in photo and video
- Neutral white balance and nice color in photo and video
- Very good photos in very low light
- Good depth estimation and nice skin tones in portrait mode
- Fairly high levels of photo and video detail in most conditions
- Very low image noise in photos
Cons
- Occasional slight video exposure instabilities
- Occasional noise in backlit scenes
- Slight loss of fine detail at short tele (before camera switches to tele module)
Thanks to a very decent and well balanced performance in the DXOMARK Camera tests, the Motorola Signature earns itself a spot in the top ten of our ranking and shows that good image quality and camera performance are not incompatible with a very thin smartphone body.
In photo mode the Motorola Signature camera captures very pleasant images with good exposure and a wide dynamic range. White balance is generally neutral, resulting in nice and natural colors. When shooting with the primary camera module, the Motorola maintains an excellent trade-off between detail retention and noise reduction, resulting in clean, noise-free images with high levels of detail. In addition, a face detail recovery algorithm improves detail on background faces in group portrait shots. Overall, image quality is very good across all light levels, from daylight snapping down to very low light scenes. Even night shots are nicely rendered. When taking simulated bokeh pictures in portrait mode, subjects are isolated from the background with great precision.
Image quality and camera performance remain good after zooming in and switching to the Signature’s 3x tele module. Texture and noise remain nicely balanced and tele images offer good subject exposure and colors. Thanks to the very wide field of view and overall good ultra-wide results, the Motorola is also one of the best devices for capturing photos with the ultra-wide camera.
In video mode the Motorola Signature was tested with Dolby Vision, 4K resolution and a 60fps variable frame rate. At these settings the camera delivered overall very good video results, delivering good exposure, a wide dynamic range, pleasant colors and neutral wide balance, as well as good video detail.
In very low light, the Motorola Signature offers a very good photo performance. Subjects are nicely exposed and images show a good dynamic range. Colors are nice, with a neutral white balance. Image processing maintains a good compromise between texture retention and noise reduction, resulting in good detail and very low noise levels.
In video mode the Motorola Signature produces low light clips with good exposure and nice colors. Video noise reduction works quite well but a loss of fine detail is noticeable. Our testers also observed some exposure and/or noise reduction instabilities.
The Motorola Signature offers a very good portrait mode that uses the tele module and its equivalent focal length of 85mm. Subjects are nicely isolated from the background, thanks to good depth estimation across all light conditions. Skin tones are accurate, subject exposure is accurate and fine detail is preserved well.
The Motorola camera also captures nice images when switching to the 3x tele module. Tele images feature good detail and low noise levels. This said, at tele zoom levels between 2 and 3x digital zoom is applied to the primary camera image, resulting in a lack of detail when compared to some competitors.
With a 13mm equivalent focal length, the Motorola Signature’s ultra-wide camera offers a wide field of view. Ultra-wide images are good, with accurate white balance and good subject exposure. Detail is nicely preserved while noise levels are kept very low, especially when shooting in daylight.
Test summary
About DXOMARK Camera tests: DXOMARK’s camera evaluations take place in laboratories and real-world situations using a wide variety of use-cases. The scores rely on objective tests for which the results are calculated directly using measurement software in our laboratory setups, and on perceptual tests where a sophisticated set of metrics allow a panel of image experts to compare aspects of image quality that require human judgment. Testing a smartphone involves a team of engineers and technicians for about a week. Photo and Video quality are scored separately and then combined into an overall score for comparison among the cameras in different devices. For more information about the DXOMARK Camera protocol, click here. More details on smartphone camera scores are available here. The following section gathers key elements of DXOMARK’s exhaustive tests and analyses. Full performance evaluations are available upon request. Please contact us on how to receive a full report.
Photo
Motorola Signature
180
For scoring and analysis, DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate more than 3,800 test images in controlled lab environments as well as outdoor, indoor and low-light natural scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The photo protocol is designed to take into account the main use cases and is based on typical shooting scenarios, such as portraits, landscape and zoom photography. The evaluation is performed by visually inspecting images against a reference of natural scenes, and by running objective measurements on images of charts captured in the lab under different lighting conditions from 0.1 to 10,000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Main
Motorola Signature
184
The Motorola Signature captures very nice images in photo mode. Images are exposed nicely, with a wide dynamic range keeping shadow and highlight clipping to a minimum. Subject contrast is mostly nice but our testers noticed a slight lack of contrast in some backlit scenes. The camera produces natural skin tones and neutral white balance across all test conditions. Textures are nicely rendered and noise levels are kept very low, resulting in a very good texture/noise trade-off. Thanks to its detail recovery algorithm, the Motorola Signature is capable of offering a wide depth of field in group shots, with subjects at different shooting distances rendered sharp. Image artifacts are mostly well under control, but some ghosting on moving subjects and ringing can occasionally be noticeable.
Close-Up
The Motorola Signature switches automatically to macro mode, which uses the ultra-wide camera module, when getting close to a subject. In this mode the camera manages to capture good detail at the center of the frame, but a loss of detail is noticeable closer to the edges. Exposure and color are good.
Exposure
Motorola Signature
134
Exposure is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The main attribute evaluated is the brightness level of the main subject through various use cases such as landscape, portrait, or still life. Other factors evaluated are the global contrast and the ability to render the dynamic range of the scene (ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas). When the camera provides Photo HDR format, the images are analyzed with a visualization on an HDR reference monitor, under reference conditions specified in the ISO-22028-5 standard. Repeatability is also important because it demonstrates the camera's ability to provide the same rendering when shooting several images of the same scene.
Photo exposure is good across all conditions and a wide dynamic range ensures good highlight and shadow detail. Contrast on subjects in generally good, but can be lacking in some backlit scenes.
Color
Motorola Signature
133
Color is one of the key attributes for technically good pictures. The image quality attributes analyzed are skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, and repeatability. For color and skin tone rendering, we penalize unnatural colors according to results gathered in various studies and consumer insights while respecting the manufacturer's choice of color signature.
Motorola Signature images offer a neutral white balance across all light conditions, making for pleasantly natural skin tones in portrait shots.
Sharpness & Timing
Motorola Signature
135
Sharpness & Timing tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus repeatability, shooting time delay, and depth of field. Shooting delay is the difference between the time the user presses the capture button and the time the image is actually taken. It includes focusing speed and the capability of the device to capture images at the right time, what is called 'zero shutter lag' capability. Even if a shallow depth of field can be pleasant for a single subject portrait or close-up shot, it can also be a problem in some specific conditions such as group portraits; Both situations are tested. Focus accuracy is also evaluated in all the real-life images taken, from infinity to close-up objects and in low light to outdoor conditions.
Thanks to a combination of a wide optical depth of field and clever software processing, the Motorola Signature manages to keep multiple subjects in group shots in focus most of the time, even when they are placed at different distances from the camera. Compared to some competitors with similar software features, detail recovery often looks more natural because detail is not only enhanced on the background subject’s face, but also on the body. When this is not done, the difference in detail between face and body can be quite noticeable.
Texture
Motorola Signature
132
Texture tests analyze the level of details and the texture of subjects in the images taken in the lab as well as in real-life scenarios. For natural shots, particular attention is paid to the level of details in the bright and dark areas of the image. Objective measurements are performed on chart images taken in various lighting conditions from 0.1 to 10,000+ lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The charts used are the proprietary DXOMARK chart (DMC), and the Dead Leaves chart. We also have an AI based metric for the level of details on our realistic mannequins Eugene and Diana.
The Motorola Signature captures naturally rendered fine detail in most test conditions. In low light some loss of fine detail is noticeable, but this is true for pretty much any phone camera. This said, when shooting in very low light, the Motorola Signature manages to maintain better levels of detail than many of its direct competitors.
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure on real-life images as well as images of charts taken in the lab. For natural images, particular attention is paid to the noise on faces, landscapes, but also on dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Noise on moving objects is also evaluated on natural images. Objective measurements are performed on images of charts taken in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux and different kinds of dynamic range conditions. The chart used is the Dead Leaves chart and the standardized measurement such as Visual Noise derived from ISO 15739.
Thanks to very good noise reduction, noise levels are close to zero across all light conditions, making the Motorola Signature one of the best devices in our photo noise ranking.
Artifacts
Motorola Signature
81
The artifacts evaluation looks at flare, lens shading, chromatic aberrations, geometrical distortion, edges ringing, halos, ghosting, quantization, unexpected color hue shifts, among others type of possible unnatural effects on photos. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction on the score. The main artifacts observed and corresponding point loss are listed below.
Bokeh
Motorola Signature
180
Bokeh is tested in one dedicated mode, usually portrait or aperture mode, and analyzed by visually inspecting all the images captured in the lab and in natural conditions. The goal is to reproduce portrait photography comparable to one taken with a DLSR and a wide aperture. The main image quality attributes paid attention to are depth estimation, artifacts, blur gradient, and the shape of the bokeh blur spotlights. Portrait image quality attributes (exposure, color, texture) are also taken into account.
In its portrait mode, the Motorola Signature delivers highly accurate depth estimation, making subject separation from the background very precise and isolating even individual hairs. Portrait Mode uses the 85mm equivalent tele camera, providing a natural background blur with nicely shaped and contrasted spotlights. Like in standard photo mode, images come with good fine detail and nice skin tones, making for overall excellent portrait images.
Tele
Motorola Signature
170
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 40 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and detail. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life images.
When shooting with the 3x tele zoom camera module, the Motorola Signature delivers good detail and low noise levels. Up to a 3x tele ratio, the camera applies digital zoom to the primary camera image output, which results in a slight loss of detail. After the tele module takes over at 3x, fine detail is preserved well, target exposure is accurate and colors are nice, with a neutral white balance across all zoom settings.
UltraWide
Motorola Signature
169
These tests analyze the performance of the ultra-wide camera at several focal lengths from 12 mm to 20 mm. All image quality attributes are evaluated, with particular attention paid to such artifacts as chromatic aberrations, lens softness, and distortion. Pictures below are an extract of tested scenes.
The Motorola Signature’s ultra-wide camera module offers a very wide 13mm equivalent focal length. Like on the primary module, exposure is good and colors are nice. Some slight color fringing can sometimes be noticeable, though.
Video
Motorola Signature
172
DXOMARK engineers capture and evaluate almost 3 hours of video in controlled lab environments and in natural low-light, indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. The evaluation consists of visually inspecting natural videos taken in various conditions and running objective measurements on videos of charts recorded in the lab under different conditions from 0.1 to 10000+ lux and color temperatures from 2,300K to 6,500K.
Like its competitors, the Motorola Signature offers a fairly wide range of video settings and modes. For our tests we used the 4K resolution with a 60fps adaptive frame rate and Dolby Vision 10-bit HDR, which delivered the overall best results. Video clips recorded with the device offer accurate target exposure and generally a wide dynamic range. White balance is pleasant and stable while color rendering remains natural across most light conditions. Detail levels are high and, thanks to a fast frame rate and effective stabilization, footage appears smooth and steady, even when moving during recording. However, our experts observed some slight exposure instabilities in various conditions. Noise can also be noticeable, even when recording in daylight, but particularly in backlit scenes. In some very rare cases, we also saw some minor autofocus inaccuracies.
Main
Motorola Signature
186
Exposure
Motorola Signature
133
Exposure tests evaluate the brightness level of the main subject, the global contrast and the ability to render the dynamic range of the scene (ability to render visible details in both bright and dark areas). When the camera provides Video HDR format, the videos are analyzed with a visualization on an HDR reference monitor, under reference conditions specified in the metadata. Stability and temporal adaption of the exposure are also analyzed.
The Motorola Signature’s video mode offers a wide dynamic range and accurate target exposure in most test conditions. However, our testers also noticed some slight exposure adaptation issues in some scenes.
Color
Motorola Signature
131
Image-quality color analysis looks at color rendering, skin-tone rendering, white balance, color shading, stability of the white balance and its adaption when light is changing.
Motorola Signature video clips come with a neutral and pleasant white balance. Color rendering is accurate, with natural skin tones.
Sharpness & Timing
Motorola Signature
124
For video, autofocus tests concentrate on focus accuracy, focus stability and analysis of convergence regarding speed and smoothness.
Video autofocus performance is quite good. The autofocus is smooth and accurate in most situations, with reliable subject tracking, even in scenes with multiple subjects. This said, our experts observed some slight focus inaccuracies in some scenes.
Texture
Motorola Signature
118
Texture tests analyze the level of details and texture of the real-life videos as well as the videos of charts recorded in the lab. Natural videos recordings are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the level of details in the bright and areas as well as in the dark. Objective measurements are performed of images of charts taken in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The charts used are the DXOMARK chart (DMC) and Dead Leaves chart.
In video mode the Motorola Signature is capable of maintaining fairly high levels of detail, as well as natural detail rendering, especially when recording in daylight or under typical indoor lighting. In low light, very fine detail can be lost, but this is also the case for most of the competition.
Noise
Motorola Signature
129
Noise tests analyze various attributes of noise such as intensity, chromaticity, grain, structure, temporal aspects on real-life video recording as well as videos of charts taken in the lab. Natural videos are visually evaluated, with particular attention paid to the noise in the dark areas and high dynamic range conditions. Objective measurements are performed on the videos of charts recorded in various conditions from 0.1 to 10000 lux. The chart used is the DXOMARK visual noise chart.
Video noise is managed well in static scenes, but in low light or with motion in the scene, it can become more intrusive.
Stabilization
Motorola Signature
124
Stabilization evaluation tests the ability of the device to stabilize footage thanks to software or hardware technologies such as OIS, EIS, or any others means. The evaluation looks at residual motion, smoothness, jello artifacts and residual motion blur on walk and run use cases in various lighting conditions. The video below is an extract from one of the tested scenes.
The Motorola’s video stabilization does a good job at producing smooth video footage. However, compared to the best in class, such as the Apple iPhone 18 Pro, some camera shake remains noticeable.
Artifacts
Motorola Signature
89
Artifacts are evaluated with MTF and ringing measurements on the SFR chart in the lab as well as frame-rate measurements using the LED Universal Timer. Natural videos are visually evaluated by paying particular attention to artifacts such as aliasing, quantization, blocking, and hue shift, among others. The more severe and the more frequent the artifact, the higher the point deduction from the score. The main artifacts and corresponding point loss are listed below.
All image quality attributes are evaluated at focal lengths from approximately 12 mm to 300 mm, with particular attention paid to texture and smoothness of the zooming effect. The score is derived from a number of objective measurements in the lab and perceptual analysis of real-life video recordings.
Tele
Motorola Signature
140
Like for stills, the Motorola Signature’s ultra-wide camera module offers a very wide field of view in video mode. Target exposure is accurate and colors are nice in most recording conditions.