Motorola enters the flagship scene for 2020 with the Moto Edge+ boasting of specs to rival current premium smartphones. Featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865, 5,000 mAh battery, and a 108MP sensor, it’s Motorola’s most powerful phone yet. Alongside this release is the Moto Edge, a cheaper alternative between the two.
Motorola took a step back recently by only producing entry-level and mid-range smartphones. It’s been years since their last truly premium smartphones were released. By now, Motorola is a subsidiary of Lenovo. From what we’ve seen, this change is one to welcome with how exciting the Moto Edge and Edge+ is.
Motorola introduced two smartphones, the Moto Edge and Edge+. To start off on a clear note, both smartphones has Motorola’s biggest display of 6.7” OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio at 90Hz refresh rates. The Moto Edge+ is ultimately the superior phone in most, if not all significant aspects given it’s almost double the price of the Moto Edge.
We’ll be seeing a lot of novelties present in the Moto Edge+ that target consumers’ complaints starting from the curved screen’s specifications. Another one that hits quite the spot is the availability of a 3.5mm headphone jack. This spec isn’t quite revolutionary per say or a deal-maker/breaker but it sure is pretty bold and rare. Motorola has been branded as a nostalgia brand and it definitely does the job well.
One of the most interesting components on the Moto Edge+ is its display. Motorola took its design a step further by having an “endless edge display” design with almost 90- degrees curved screens. With this, it’s a little bit thicker than what we’re used to but reviewers say it’s not that heavy.
It’s a highlight of this smartphone with how intuitive the display design is. The curved display proves more useful during gaming modes as the curves can be used to allocate gaming controls. If you’re not into gaming, the curves can be used for widget, notifications, and other apps. If you’re not into the curved gimmick, Motorola says you can scrap the whole functions of the curve altogether in its settings.
The 6.7” inch OLED panel with Full HD+ Resolution is with standard novel Motorola features and all the things a curved screen should do. However, it maintains a 90Hz refresh rate, not 120Hz unlike other flagships. This 90Hz refresh rate also adjusts based on the content however there’s also settings to keep the screen locked on 90Hz.
An impressive feature on the Moto Edge+ not many expected is its triple camera setup. The triple camera seems to hold up well for the smartphone’s price. The main sensor is a whopping 108MP sensor that’s with a 16MP ultra-wide sensor, 8MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom, and a time-of-flight sensor. The 16MP ultra-wide sensor doubles as a macro. It can also record 6K videos with 20MP photo shots while recording.
Moreover, it’s front camera is 25MP. These sensors use ‘pixel binning’ which lightens the megapixel load but makes each pixel slightly bigger to add in more light. It’s a somewhat effective technology, but it does produce less sharp images. Still, on paper, this is pretty trailblazing for Motorola compared to its previous camera specs.
The Moto Edge+ is also packed with the latest-and-biggest Snapdragon 865 with 5G. Just by the chipset, the Moto Edge+ promises absolutely powerful performance. It offers 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of storage (1TB explandable via micro SD card) and supports Android 10. Altogether, it promises seamless, immersive performance with the Moto Edge+.
The Moto Edge+ has charging capabilities maxing out at 15W and has wireless and reverse wireless charging as well. A downgrade compared to other flagships but what it does have however, is 5,000 mAh of battery. Motorola says just by its battery it can last up to two days. Though that sounds pretty sketchy given the display and 5G. The 5G within the Moto Edge+ supports 5G mmwave & sub-6GHz giving flexibility on available regional 5G networks but it sure does drain battery.
The Moto Edge+ specs are pretty good but comes quite the hefty price that truly competes with other flagships. It will cost approximately PHP 50,000 ($999) with availability unclear for the PH. It comes in two colors: Thunder Grey and pinkish Smoky Sangria.
That’s why right beside the Moto Edge+ is the Moto Edge. The Moto Edge is the mid-range variant that is marketed as the budget version of the Moto Edge+. The Edge costs about PHP 32,500 (about $650). It’s a big drop from it’s premium counterpart so it will be missing out on the spec- travaganza the Moto Edge+ has.
First off, the Edge also has 6.7” OLED display (21:9 aspect ratio) and a 90Hz refresh rate. It’s somewhat an equal in display. The Moto Edge also supports 5G though it’s only for the sub-6GHz. It’s fueled by the slightly sub par Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor. This is paired 4GB RAM (North American Units) or 6GB RAM (global units) and 128GB of storage (expandable to 1TB via microSD card). It will also come on Android 10.
Besides that, the camera fixes at a 64MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, 8MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom and time-of-flight sensor. The 8MP telephoto doubles as a macro as well. It’s front camera is at 25MP. The camera’s software took a huge hit with the downgrade in chipset so we’ll see how this camera combination plays out in reviews. Once listed however, it doesn’t sound bad. In fact, it’s pretty good since 64MP is still a current standard for mid-range phones.
The Edge only charges up to 15W and has a fairly-sized 4,500 mAh. Overall, what’s interesting about the Moto Edge is the distinctive Motorola features unique to the brand. This includes “My UX” and Moto actions. It’s hard to describe, but these software features promise a unique Motorola experience.
We’re yet to see how these Motorola smartphones will play out for 2020 but it’s off to a great start! We’ll get back to you soon once Motorola releases PH prices and availability.
Featured image from Motorola
