Motorola Edge (2022) review: a passing grade

The 2022 Motorola Edge is a premium midrange telephone that excels in extracurriculars, however tends to slack off in its core courses.

It provides a variety of nice-to-have options you don’t all the time discover in an upper-midrange gadget (let’s name that something between $500 and $700), like wi-fi charging, a 144Hz display screen, and an enormous 5,000mAh battery. However it solely will get a passing grade for construct high quality and sturdiness, and whereas its processor is succesful, it’s not within the operating for valedictorian.

Pinning down precisely how a lot this telephone prices is sort of a check in itself. A model offered by T-Cell with 128GB of storage will price $498, whereas the unlocked model Motorola sells contains 256GB of storage and prices $599 — until you seize it on the $499 pre-order value. Oh, and Verizon will promote a model too; that one may have mmWave 5G assist which the others gained’t, however on the time of this writing, I couldn’t get anybody to inform me how a lot it would price. MSRP! What an idea!

For $500, I feel there’s an argument to be made within the Edge’s favor, significantly if you would like the very largest and greatest display screen you may get for that sort of cash. The telephone’s 6.6-inch display screen with a quick 144Hz refresh fee is basically its greatest asset, accompanied by reliable all-day battery life, wi-fi charging, and a promise of three OS model upgrades and 4 years of safety updates.

However within the different column, it’s solely IP52-rated, and the numerous scuff on the nook of my evaluate unit’s plastic body doesn’t encourage a ton of confidence in its long-term sturdiness (or it’s only a good argument for a strong case). And whereas the MediaTek Dimensity 1050 chipset retains up nicely, for essentially the most half, some slowdowns within the digicam app reveal the processor to be not fairly on par with the perfect within the class.

Paying $600 for the Edge simply looks like an excessive amount of, even with 256GB of storage included. I’m not satisfied that it’ll sustain nicely towards the tip of its lifespan, and that’s one thing that its rivals with flagship processors, just like the Pixel 6 and OnePlus 10T, are higher positioned for. Heck, I can’t consider an awesome purpose to select the Edge over the $450 Pixel 6A — its display screen is smaller and restricted to a regular 60Hz refresh fee, however in most different facets it matches or exceeds the Edge’s capabilities.

Let’s begin with that display screen: the Edge’s 6.6-inch show is certifiably large. It’s additionally an excellent, 1080p OLED panel with a prime refresh fee of 144Hz. Within the auto fee choice mode, it doesn’t appear to hit 144Hz usually — principally, I noticed it bounce between 120Hz and 60Hz until I locked it to 144Hz. In any case, 120Hz makes for a really clean scrolling expertise. In direct daylight, the display screen kicks right into a high-brightness mode that makes it comfy to make use of even in very vivid situations. There’s extra excellent news: the in-display fingerprint scanner is fast and correct, which is greater than I can say in regards to the Pixel 6’s.

Additionally within the “pleasant-to-use” class: Motorola’s tackle Android 12. It does a good quantity of handholding to introduce you to totally different options, nevertheless it by no means feels intrusive. The digicam app politely advised that I activate the leveling information to take straighter photographs, and you already know what? That’s simply considerate. I maintain the extent on on a regular basis now.

The Edge will get three OS model updates and 4 years of safety updates — an enchancment over Moto’s coverage with earlier gadgets, and far nearer to matching one thing just like the Pixel 6’s 5 years of safety updates.

The 2022 Edge is slimmer than most Motorola telephones I’ve used just lately, measuring 8mm thick. It makes me rethink the thickness of the Edge Plus (8.8mm) and Motorola’s price range telephones, that are throughout 9mm thick — I by no means thought a lot about it once I was utilizing them, however now they appear too cumbersome. The Edge’s display screen is flat and guarded by a glass panel, and the composite plastic again curves barely on the edges.

The exterior body is plastic, too, and liable to chipping if the telephone occurs to slip out of the pocket of your joggers onto a concrete patio. To that finish, the telephone is rated IP52, which suggests it provides some mud safety and a bit resistance from water droplets falling at a sure angle. I’d be very cautious about utilizing it within the rain, and as a Seattlite, that’s an essential use case for me. That’s not precisely confidence-inspiring, and a far cry from the IP68 ranking that the Pixel 6 carries, permitting for full water submersion for a short interval.

There’s an enormous 5,000mAh battery on board, and Motorola claims you may get via two days on a single cost. My expertise was extra like a strong day of reasonable use with round 4 hours of screen-on time, however not way more if you happen to allow battery-draining options just like the quickest display screen refresh fee and watch a variety of movies. Should you’re good about your settings, I might see getting via two days, nevertheless it wasn’t my expertise. The Edge helps 30W wired charging (no charger within the field, per normal lately). There’s additionally quick 15W wi-fi charging. Not each telephone on this value bracket provides wi-fi charging at any velocity, so it’s nice to have right here. There’s additionally wi-fi energy sharing to cost up different Qi-compatible equipment and telephones on the fly.

There’s lots on the floor to love in regards to the Edge, and the MediaTek Dimensity 1050 processor is succesful sufficient to maintain up with each day duties — and even taxing assignments, like taking part in Genshin Affect. However the variations between an excellent processor and an awesome one usually emerge within the digicam app, and that’s the place the 1050 comes up a bit brief. Firing off portrait mode photographs in pretty fast succession, I begin to see some vital lag within the picture preview. It’s pronounced sufficient that it makes it onerous to maintain a topic that’s shifting a bit within the body the place I would like it. That’s not an issue on the Pixel 6, the place I can seize rapid-fire portrait mode photographs and not using a noticeable drop in body fee.

The Dimensity 1050 helps each sub-6GHz 5G and the super-fast, hard-to-find mmWave selection. Nevertheless, solely the Edge mannequin offered by Verizon will assist mmWave — all others are sub-6 solely. And that’s tremendous! mmWave 5G is extremely range-limited, so it may be onerous to discover a sign even in an space the place it exists. Sub-6GHz 5G is bettering shortly within the US because it contains the all-important C-band spectrum. The unlocked Edge will assist Verizon and T-Cell 5G from the time it goes on sale, however in keeping with Motorola spokesperson Stephanie Stiltz, AT&T 5G shall be approaching board afterward “within the coming months.”

The Edge provides a 50-megapixel f/1.8 fundamental rear digicam with optical stabilization that makes use of pixel-binning to spit out 12-megapixel photographs. There’s a 13-megapixel ultrawide with autofocus that doubles as a macro digicam. There’s a 32-megapixel selfie digicam round entrance that produces 8-megapixel photographs, plus a depth sensor on the again that doesn’t appear to do a lot of something.

Grid View

The photographs from the Edge are principally simply okay, although they sometimes get all the way in which to excellent. The digicam will get into bother overdoing the HDR impact infrequently, and neither the ultrawide nor selfie cameras are very goo d in low mild. The principle digicam does surprisingly nicely with very dim situations — between the assistance from stabilization, evening mode, and pixel binning, it holds on to tremendous particulars nicely in low mild. I just like the digicam’s total tendency towards hotter colours, and portrait mode photographs are satisfactory.

The Motorola Edge can be a standout in its class if it weren’t for the Pixel 6 standing proper over its shoulder. The Pixel 6 is identical value because the 256GB Edge at $599, albeit with much less storage, nevertheless it covers the core competencies a bit higher. It contains Google’s flagship chipset, Tensor, and it’s IP68 rated, slated for 5 years of safety updates, and comes with a extra succesful digicam.

The Edge does have a much bigger display screen, which lots of people want (I don’t), with a quicker prime refresh fee than the 6’s 90Hz panel. For my cash, the Pixel 6 looks like a safer guess. You would even save a bit cash and go for the Pixel 6A, which additionally contains Tensor, a strong IP67 ranking, and the identical five-year software program assist because the Pixel 6 for $450. Its display screen is way smaller at 6.1 inches,

The OnePlus 10T can be within the combine. It’s a bit pricier at $649, nevertheless it will get you one of many best chipsets you’ll discover on an Android telephone: the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. There’s additionally extraordinarily quick 125W wired charging, which is likely to be value the additional cash for individuals who have to recharge shortly throughout the day.

As a complete bundle, this gadget makes extra sense than Motorola’s pricier Edge Plus. The Plus simply can’t dangle with the high-end Android flagships, however the Edge slots into the (sparsely populated) upper-midrange class extra comfortably. Supplied you discover the precise price ticket to match, it’s worthy of a passing grade.

Pictures by Allison Johnson / The Verge