Motorola has been making waves in the smartphone market for years, with a legacy dating back to the early days of mobile phones. The Motorola Edge series has consistently aimed to blend premium features with affordability, catering to users who want high-end specifications without breaking the bank. The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is the latest addition to this lineup, and it promises to offer a lot of bang for your buck. This detailed review will explore every aspect of the device, from its design and display to its performance, camera capabilities, software experience, battery life, and overall value for money.
Design and Build Quality
Sleek and Modern Aesthetics
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo continues the brand’s tradition of creating visually appealing devices. It features a sleek and modern design, with a focus on minimalism and elegance. The device’s chassis is made from a combination of glass and aluminum, giving it a premium feel in hand. The edges are slightly curved, enhancing grip and contributing to a more ergonomic design, making it comfortable to hold for extended periods.
The back of the device is adorned with a glossy finish, which looks stunning but is prone to fingerprint smudges. Motorola offers the Edge 50 Neo in several color options, including a striking “Mystic Green” and a more subdued “Granite Black.” The phone’s rear houses a vertically aligned camera module that doesn’t protrude excessively, allowing the phone to lay relatively flat on a surface.
Build Quality and Durability
In terms of build quality, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo feels solid and well-constructed. The aluminum frame adds durability, while the Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back offers a decent level of protection against scratches and minor drops. The phone is also IP68 rated, meaning it is dust-tight and can withstand submersion in water up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. This level of water resistance is not always found in mid-range devices, making the Edge 50 Neo stand out.
Ergonomics and Usability
One of the standout features of the Edge 50 Neo is its slim profile, measuring just 7.5mm in thickness and weighing 172g. This makes it one of the lighter and thinner smartphones in its category, which is a significant plus for users who prefer a more compact and portable device. The placement of buttons and ports is intuitive, with the power button and volume rocker located on the right side, easily accessible with one hand. The in-display fingerprint sensor is fast and reliable, ensuring quick access to the device.
Display
AMOLED Excellence
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo boasts a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, translating to a pixel density of approximately 402 PPI. The use of AMOLED technology ensures vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast levels, making the display one of the highlights of this device. Whether you’re watching videos, playing games, or simply browsing the web, the display offers an immersive experience.
High Refresh Rate
A significant upgrade in the Edge 50 Neo is the 144Hz refresh rate, which is becoming increasingly popular in smartphones. This high refresh rate makes scrolling through content smoother and more responsive. Gamers will particularly appreciate this feature, as it enhances the overall gaming experience by reducing motion blur and improving touch responsiveness. The display also supports HDR10+, providing a more dynamic range of colors and better contrast when viewing compatible content.
Brightness and Outdoor Visibility
With a peak brightness of 1000 nits, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo’s display is easily readable even under direct sunlight. The adaptive brightness feature works well, adjusting the screen’s brightness based on ambient light conditions to ensure optimal visibility without draining the battery unnecessarily.
Performance
Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 Power
Under the hood, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 chipset. This processor is designed to deliver a balance of performance and efficiency, making it ideal for a mid-range device. The chipset is paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, ensuring smooth multitasking and fast data access.
In day-to-day use, the Edge 50 Neo handles tasks with ease. Apps launch quickly, and switching between multiple apps is smooth and lag-free. The device also excels in gaming, with the Adreno 660 GPU providing ample power for graphically demanding games. Titles like “Call of Duty: Mobile” and “Genshin Impact” run smoothly at high settings, showcasing the device’s gaming capabilities.
Benchmarks and Real-World Performance
In benchmark tests, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 performs admirably, scoring well in both single-core and multi-core tests. While it may not reach the heights of flagship processors like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it offers more than enough power for the average user. In real-world scenarios, the Edge 50 Neo handles everything from web browsing and social media to video streaming and gaming without breaking a sweat.
Thermal Management
Another area where the Motorola Edge 50 Neo impresses is thermal management. The device remains cool under extended usage, even when performing resource-intensive tasks. Motorola has employed an advanced cooling system that includes a vapor chamber and multiple layers of graphite, effectively dissipating heat and preventing thermal throttling.
Camera System
Versatile Triple Camera Setup
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo features a versatile triple-camera setup on the rear, consisting of a 50MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and an 8MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. This combination allows users to capture a wide range of shots, from expansive landscapes to detailed close-ups.
- Primary Camera: The 50MP primary sensor is the star of the show, delivering sharp and vibrant images in a variety of lighting conditions. The large f/1.8 aperture and 1.0µm pixel size help in capturing more light, resulting in better low-light performance. The camera also supports Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), which reduces blur and helps in taking steady shots, especially in low light.
- Ultra-Wide-Angle Camera: The 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens offers a 120-degree field of view, making it perfect for capturing group shots, architecture, and expansive landscapes. The color reproduction is consistent with the primary camera, and there’s minimal distortion at the edges, thanks to lens correction software.
- Telephoto Camera: The 8MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom is a welcome addition, providing the ability to get closer to the subject without sacrificing image quality. While 2x optical zoom may seem modest compared to some high-end smartphones, it still adds versatility to the camera system, allowing for better portrait shots and close-ups.
Camera Software and Features
Motorola’s camera app is intuitive and easy to use, offering a range of shooting modes and features. Night mode, portrait mode, and pro mode are all present, giving users the flexibility to experiment with their photography. The night mode, in particular, does a great job of enhancing low-light images, bringing out more detail and reducing noise.
The Edge 50 Neo also supports 4K video recording at 30fps, with the option to record in 1080p at 60fps for smoother motion. The video quality is impressive, with good dynamic range, accurate colors, and stable footage, thanks to the combination of OIS and electronic image stabilization (EIS).
Front Camera
On the front, the Edge 50 Neo sports a 32MP selfie camera housed in a punch-hole cutout. The front camera delivers sharp and well-exposed selfies, with natural skin tones and a good level of detail. Portrait mode works well, with decent edge detection and background blur, making it a great choice for selfie enthusiasts.
Software Experience
Near-Stock Android with Useful Additions
Motorola has a reputation for delivering a near-stock Android experience, and the Edge 50 Neo is no exception. The device runs on Android 14 out of the box, with minimal bloatware and a clean user interface. Motorola has added a few useful features, such as Moto Actions and Moto Display, which enhance the overall user experience without overwhelming the user with unnecessary apps and customizations.
- Moto Actions: This feature allows users to perform specific actions with simple gestures. For example, you can twist your wrist to quickly launch the camera or make a chopping motion to turn on the flashlight. These gestures are not only intuitive but also save time, making the phone more convenient to use.
- Moto Display: Moto Display is another standout feature, offering an always-on display that shows notifications, time, and other essential information without fully waking up the screen. This helps conserve battery life while keeping users informed at a glance.
Software Updates and Security
Motorola has committed to providing at least two major Android updates and three years of security patches for the Edge 50 Neo. While this may not match the update policies of some competitors, it’s still a decent level of support for a mid-range device. The company has also been consistent in rolling out updates in a timely manner, ensuring that users have access to the latest features and security enhancements.
Battery Life
All-Day Power
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is equipped with a 4500mAh battery, which, when combined with the power-efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 chipset and software optimizations, delivers impressive battery life. In typical usage scenarios, including web browsing, social media, video streaming, and light gaming, the device easily lasts a full day on a single charge.
Charging Capabilities
When it’s time to recharge, the Edge 50 Neo supports 68W TurboPower fast charging, which can take the battery from 0% to 50% in just 20 minutes. This is