Motorola Edge 40 Pro review

Motorola misplaced its rep for flagship telephones a couple of years again, however in latest months the corporate – now owned by Chinese language pc large Lenovo – has come again swinging.  

The Motorola Edge 40 Professional continues that pattern. In each specs and worth it’s nearer to final 12 months’s Edge 30 Extremely than to its Professional predecessor, and the £799 telephone is a real flagship that may go toe-to-toe with high-end handsets from Samsung, Apple, and others. 

Because of a super-fast 165Hz refresh price show and the most recent Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, this may very well be an particularly tempting possibility for players on the go who don’t love the look of correct gaming telephones, however don’t wish to skimp on specs. 

Design & construct 

• Smooth, minimalist design 
• Gorilla Glass Victus 
• IP68 score 

Motorola has set up a agency, albeit easy, design language during the last 12 months or two, and the Edge 40 Professional doesn’t stray too removed from it.

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Out there in a black or blue end, this can be a smooth slab of curved glass. At 8.6mm thick and 199g that is comparatively slim and light-weight for its measurement, although there are lighter and extra compact flagships round if that’s your precedence. 

With a small ‘M’ brand and a compact digicam module on the rear that is an understated design, splendid for individuals who don’t want their telephone to be snazzy or actively choose an expert aesthetic.  

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The matt glass is easy and satin-y to the contact, and with Gorilla Glass Victus on each the back and front this needs to be robust sufficient to outlive falls and keep away from scratches. It’s not immune, in fact – I’ve already picked up one scratch in my week with the telephone – and it’s possible you’ll wish to spend money on a display protector, as unusually there isn’t one included within the field (although a easy clear protecting case is). 

Motorola has additionally invested in an IP68 score, which verifies that the telephone needs to be secure from each mud and water – one other sensible attraction. 

Display screen & audio system 

• Unusually quick 165Hz refresh price 
• 6.67in quad-curved OLED show 
• Muted colors 

The show is among the key appeals of the Edge 40 Professional, and on paper its standout characteristic, although in observe it may not make a distinction to most customers. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

At Full HD+ it’s not particularly excessive decision, and neither is the 1300 nits peak brightness about to set any data. However with a 165Hz refresh price, that is the quickest show you’ll discover exterior of a gaming telephone – and sooner even than loads of these. 

Which means the Edge 40 Professional can drive silky easy animations and quick body charges, as long as the content material can sustain. I’ll be frank although: in case you’re not a gamer, you’re unlikely to have the ability to inform the distinction from the 120Hz panels widespread in different flagships. And even if you’re a gamer, few cell video games run quick sufficient to make the most of the show spec anyway. 

My greater frustration with the show is absolutely all the way down to the software program facet. Out of the field I discovered colors unusually muted and bland, however past this ‘Pure’ color profile the one different possibility is an aggressive ‘Saturated’ palette that goes too far within the different course. Neither appears to be like fairly proper, and I want Motorola offered extra choices to assist customers tune the display to swimsuit their style. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

To finish on a optimistic notice, I do love the quad-curvature of the glass. Steeper curves to the left and proper are matched by a extra delicate impact on the highest and backside. The general impact is a telephone that feels slick, appears to be like nice, and is at all times snug to swipe on and maintain, with nary a pointy edge in sight. 

Lastly, a fast notice on audio: the telephone packs stereo audio system bolstered by Dolby Atmos assist. At full quantity these are unexpectedly punchy, if a bit of skinny and tinny, and among the many higher telephone audio system I’ve examined just lately. 

Specs & efficiency 

• High-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip 
• 12GB RAM and many storage 

Motorola has kitted the Edge 40 Professional out with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Proper now that’s essentially the most highly effective chip you will get in an Android telephone, so it’s secure to say that the telephone is fairly succesful. 

It’s paired with a beneficiant default allowance of 12GB RAM, together with 256GB of storage in my UK evaluate unit – although in some markets it’ll ship with 512GB as a substitute. 

Benchmark outcomes replicate the pedigree. Within the CPU-heavy Geekbench 5 check the telephone will get robust marks, although curiously lags barely behind different 8 Gen 2 telephones such because the OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 (which admittedly advantages from some unique overclocking). 

Within the graphics-based GFXBench checks this hole falls away nevertheless, and certainly the Edge 40 Professional outpaces its rivals in its skill to drive super-high body charges in much less demanding checks – the perk of that 165Hz display. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Exterior core specs, you’ll be able to count on 5G assist, Bluetooth 5.3, and Wi-Fi 6E – with assist in-built for the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 commonplace. NFC can also be included for contactless funds, although it’s value noting I’ve discovered the NFC detection barely unreliable, and on one event it failed for me totally. 

Biometrics embrace a fairly snappy fingerprint sensor constructed into the display itself, plus an possibility for face unlock utilizing the common selfie digicam. 

Digital camera & video 

• Triple rear digicam 
• 2x telephoto, however no lengthy zoom 
• Tremendous high-res 60Mp selfie 

The Edge 40 Professional packs a robust – however not market-leading – digicam setup. 

Let’s begin on the again. Right here you’ll discover three cameras: a fundamental digicam and ultrawide, each 50Mp, plus a 12Mp telephoto. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The principle digicam is the one one of many three to boast optical picture stabilisation (OIS) and regardless of the matching decision it makes use of a distinct sensor to the ultrawide lens – although Motorola hasn’t named both. 

Outcomes are usually spectacular, with sharp element and brilliant colors – albeit maybe a bit of over-saturated. Low-light photographs aren’t dangerous, however you’ll be able to positively get higher at this worth by shopping for a Google, Samsung, or Apple telephone. 

The ultrawide gives a really slight drop in high quality, however not by a lot. Colors are tuned pleasingly equally to the primary digicam, and in good gentle the lenses are a detailed match – it’s solely within the particulars and the darkish spots that you just’ll discover the ultrawide lagging behind. This lens additionally doubles as a macro digicam, with respectable if not distinctive outcomes.

Then there’s the telephoto. At 12Mp that is a lot decrease decision than the others, and shoots at 2x zoom. Which means this isn’t a lens designed for extremely zoomed in photographs of distant buildings, however as a substitute gives a snug body for portraits and comparable photographs.  

Colors are a bit of extra washed out from the telephoto digicam, and at occasions there’s a smeary softness to photographs. It isn’t a nasty digicam by any means, and it’s ok for the ‘Gram, however you’ll once more have the ability to discover higher elsewhere. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

If something it’s the selfie digicam that does essentially the most to suggest the Edge 40 Professional over rival telephones. This 60Mp front-facing digicam is unusually detailed, and is able to some actually pleasing photographs whether or not utilizing commonplace settings or the Portrait mode. 

As for video, you’ll be able to shoot at as much as 8K high quality in 30fps on the rear cameras or 4K at a better 60fps, with the OIS on the primary lens contributing to secure and easy footage. Regardless of the upper decision, the front-facing digicam is capped at 4K and 30fps. 

Battery & charging 

• All-day battery life 
• Quick wired & gradual wi-fi charging 
• Cable issues 

With a 4600mAh battery inside, it’s no shock that the Edge 40 Professional has comfortably lasted all day throughout my testing, and normally with a bit of to spare. 

This positively isn’t a two-day telephone until you’re an particularly gentle consumer, however most individuals ought to have the ability to use the telephone from alarm clock to bedtime with out undue issues about attending to a charger. 

And while you do have to get to a charger, issues needs to be quick – in idea. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

The Edge 40 Professional is provided with 125W wired charging, which may cost the telephone to full in simply 23 minutes. I say ‘may’ as a result of I haven’t been capable of check it myself. 

My evaluate unit shipped with a faulty charging cable, which received’t cost the telephone in any respect. That’s a little bit of a fear for high quality management, although hopefully the difficulty isn’t widespread. 

I’ve been capable of cost the telephone utilizing a USB-C-to-C cable from one other producer, however with out the official cable the total 125W speeds received’t set off, which means I’ve solely been having fun with comparatively slower charging – returning simply 45% of the battery in half an hour. Which means I can’t confirm simply how briskly the Edge 40 Professional actually expenses, or whether or not you may undergo the identical cable issues that I’ve. 

The excellent news is that the telephone additionally helps wi-fi charging. That is a lot slower at simply 15W, however that’s as quick as most third-party Qi chargers go in any case. 

Software program & updates 

• Clear and easy Android pores and skin 
• Just a few pre-installed bits of bloatware 
• Three main OS updates promised 

The Edge 40 Professional ships with Android 13, the most recent model of Google’s cell working system. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Motorola runs a comparatively stripped-back model of Android, including much less guff on prime than another producers do. 

Most of these additions are welcome, reminiscent of interactive notification icons on the always-on show, or the corporate’s long-standing array of intelligent gesture controls (among the many few on the market that actually are value utilizing). 

There are downsides. The default system font is ugly and inserts itself throughout apps together with WhatsApp; at occasions the OS is unusually rigid, reminiscent of having no possibility for greater than 4 app columns on the house display; and bloatware is growing, with an array of unwelcome Motorola apps and even a spammy wanting recreation known as Phrase Journey pre-installed. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

Motorola has a minimum of improved its promise on software program assist. The Edge 40 Professional will apparently obtain three main OS updates – which means Android 14, 15, and 16 – with 4 years of safety patches. That’s nonetheless much less assist than Samsung and another rivals promise, but it surely a minimum of means you’ll be able to really feel assured utilizing the telephone for a couple of years. 

Worth & availability 

The Edge 40 Professional is out now within the UK and Europe, the place it prices £799/€899. For the second, there are not any confirmed plans for a US launch. 

Within the UK you’ll be able to choose it up direct from Motorola or seize it from Amazon. It’s nonetheless unclear which, if any, networks will vary it. 

Dominic Preston / Foundry

That worth places the Professional firmly in flagship territory. It’s greater than final 12 months’s Edge 30 Professional price, and actually nearer to the £749/€899 Edge 30 Extremely.  

Shut rivals embrace the usual Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14, the OnePlus 11, or the Google Pixel 7 Professional. The Motorola beats all of these on its show specs and quick charging, although realistically lags behind all of them on photographic prowess. 

Try our full rating of the perfect telephones and greatest Android telephones for extra comparisons, or our devoted information to the perfect Motorola telephones to see the way it stacks up in opposition to the model’s different choices. 

Verdict 

The Motorola Edge 40 Professional is a wonderful possibility within the flagship house for these whose focus is on energy and efficiency – but it surely’s more likely to be much less interesting to the remainder of us. 

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, beneficiant 12GB RAM, and lightning-fast 165Hz show make this a surprisingly compelling possibility for players and energy customers, particularly since all that energy is available in a svelte, light-weight bundle. 

The digicam is the largest downside. Not as a result of it’s dangerous – removed from it – however as a result of at this worth level its competitors is glorious. When you’re focussed on pictures this received’t be the telephone for you, however in case you simply want your digicam to be ok for Instagram then this matches the invoice. 

Specs 

• 6.7in, FHD+, 165Hz pOLED show 
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 
• 12GB RAM 
• 256/512GB storage 
• 4600mAh battery 
• 125W wired charging 
• 15W wi-fi charging 
• Cameras: 
  • 50Mp, f/1.8 OIS fundamental digicam 
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digicam 
  • 12Mp, f/1.6 2x telephoto digicam 
  • 60Mp, f/2.2 selfie digicam 
• Gorilla Glass Victus 
• IP68 
• 161.2 x 74 x 8.6mm 
• 199g 
• Android 13