The One Action has another twist: it's a very rare US phone with a Samsung Exynos processor. Not even Samsung phones in the US have Samsung Exynos processors! The Exynos 9609 processor in here appears to benchmark similarly to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 in the Google Pixel 3a. In this case, it just seemed to be a processor Motorola could afford with performance it liked.

The other specs are respectably midrange: 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage with a MicroSD card, a 21:9, 6.3-inch 1080p LCD screen, 3500mAh battery, slow Cat 6 LTE (which would work on all four US networks except Sprint), and a 12-megapixel front-facing camera.

Confusingly given the phone's name, the One Action won't run Google's Android One OS. Motorola said the phone will run Android One outside the US, but not on the US model because Motorola doesn't want to adhere to Google's monthly security update policy. Android One isn't a "strong purchase driver" for the phone, and Motorola will continue to offer a very Google-y Android experience, including updates to Android Q and R, Motorola reps said.

"We've decided to test how Motorola One Action performs without Android One and re-invest taking into consideration our consumer's needs. We will continue our strategic partnership with Google to deliver a clean Android experience and reinforce Google's helpful innovations such as Assistant, Lens, Photos, and Digital Wellbeing," Motorola said.

The One Action will come to the US unlocked in October. Motorola didn't announce a price, but it costs $287 in Europe.