Motorola’s Edge 50 Ultra is an impressive phone that shouldn’t be overlooked

Brick by stylishly curved brick, Motorola has rebuilt its fame for making prime quality and fascinating flagship telephones.

2023’s Motorola Edge 40 Professional may not have been one of many perfect telephones in its class, but it surely nonetheless made an impression with its interesting design, fast show, and powerful efficiency.

This 12 months brings the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely, which faces raised expectations because of a extra formidable title (Extremely > Professional, proper?) and a £50 worth bump within the UK. Motorola hopes to justify this escalation with a sharper show, a extra superior digital camera, and an excellent sleeker design.

With this form of spec and price ticket, it’s taking up some formidable opposition. Maybe essentially the most direct rival is the OnePlus 12, however you could possibly additionally throw the iPhone 15 Plus into the combination. That’s some stiff opposition.

Design & Construct

• Vegan leather-based or picket end
• Gorilla Glass Victus
• IP68 rated

In a considerably staid smartphone area, Motorola at the very least appears to be keen to attempt one thing completely different. Whereas its curvaceous design language is nothing significantly new, the supply of an precise picket end possibility (referred to as Nordic Wooden) is one thing you don’t see daily.

Sadly this wasn’t the mannequin I acquired to check, so I can’t touch upon the way it seems or feels. The mannequin I did obtain has its personal stealthy attraction, with a Forest Gray vegan leather-based end that lends texture and grip. The brighter Peach Fuzz possibility additionally comes on this similar materials.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Mixed with a sandblasted aluminium body and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the entrance, it additionally implies that the Edge 50 Extremely is a deceptively powerful cellphone. An unintended drop from about 1.5 metres onto a picket ground didn’t a lot as go away a dint on the machine.

This robustness comes despite the truth that the Extremely nonetheless packs a dual-curved show, which is inherently extra uncovered and weak. IP68 certification means it’s as water-proof as they arrive, too.

At 8.6mm, the Extremely isn’t as skinny because the Edge 50 Professional, and it’s additionally heavier at 197g. Even so, it stays the suitable aspect of cumbersome, and I discovered it totally nice to wield daily.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Display screen & Audio system

• Sharp ‘1.5K’ 144Hz pOLED
• 6.7-inch
• Clear stereo audio system

The Motorola Edge 50 Extremely’s show packs broadly related specs to the Edge 50 Professional, in that it’s a 6.7in LTPS pOLED with a refresh price that goes as much as 144Hz.

It’s the latter that makes it stand out from its rivals on paper, which are inclined to prime out at 120Hz, but it surely truly falls a bit of in need of the Edge 40 Professional‘s 165Hz show. Not that it actually issues – 120Hz is lots, and any uptick past that’s difficult to select up on.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Just like the Edge 50 Professional, you get an enhanced 2712 x 1220 or 1.5K decision, which is a bit of sharper than your typical FHD+ panels with out scaling the heights of the OnePlus 12‘s QHD+. For me, the show is the candy spot for me between decision, color accuracy and refresh price, however others will understandably really feel that the sharper the higher.

The important thing distinction between the Professional and Extremely fashions is one in all brightness, with the Edge 50 Extremely attending to 2500 nits (vs 2000 nits) in peak circumstances. That may be so, however turning auto-brightness off yielded a measurement of simply 332 nits, which is means dimmer than the Professional mannequin, and most different flagship telephones for that matter. With auto-brightness energetic, nonetheless, I noticed a prime brightness of round 1250 nits when positioned below vibrant lights.

HDR10+ is supported, and that is additionally described because the world’s first smartphone with a ‘Pantone Validated’ show. This manifests itself in strong color accuracy, with an sRGB gamut protection of 97.5% and a mean Delta E of 1.29 when converted to the Pure color mode. Considerably awkwardly, that is truly inferior to the outcomes I obtained with the Edge 50 Professional, and it falls in need of the easiest available on the market. It’s nonetheless robust on this regard, nonetheless.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

I’m happy to notice that I didn’t expertise the identical false press points with the Extremely’s curved show as I did with the Professional, probably because of that barely thicker body. It meant that my holding hand didn’t contact the edges of the display screen a lot whereas working the cellphone one-handed.

Typically phrases, the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely display screen is sweet, but it surely falls in need of the OnePlus 12 display screen in dimension, brightness, sharpness, and color accuracy.

In the case of audio, Motorola has provided a pair of Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo audio system that may produce pleasingly clear and nuanced stereo sound.

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
• 15GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 1TB storage

Motorola has made an attention-grabbing alternative with the Edge 50 Extremely’s processor. Whereas it has moved to the most recent technology of Qualcomm’s chip household, it has opted for the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 somewhat than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

This chip provides a broadly related stage of efficiency, but it surely’s undoubtedly a step down, with a barely decrease clock velocity for its quick core and an inferior configuration for the remainder of its cores.

Much more notable is the truth that the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3’s GPU is a slight step down from final 12 months’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, not to mention the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. Which means that the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely is technically inferior to the Motorola Edge 40 Professional in relation to graphical efficiency.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Positive sufficient, the Edge 50 Extremely pulls up in need of the Edge 40 Professional in our GPU benchmark checks – although it ought to be famous that the Extremely is operating a sharper and thus extra resource-intensive show. Certainly, it broadly ties with the OnePlus 12 in a number of of our GPU benchmarks, which is a rival cellphone that has its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offset by an excellent sharper QHD+ display screen.

Motorola Edge 50 Extremely benchmarks

Comparisons apart, the precise sensible expertise of utilizing the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely is great. I didn’t decide up on any trace of lag or stutter while multitasking, the digital camera app boots up shortly, and 3D video games run fluidly on maxed out settings. I did discover that cellphone heated up somewhat shortly when taking part in such superior video games, nonetheless.

The cellphone’s efficiency is aided by a massively beneficiant 16GB of speedy LPDDR5X RAM, which is a reasonably notable inclusion even in an £850 cellphone. Speaking of unusually capacious reminiscence, Motorola has laid on 1TB of inside storage as commonplace.,

Cameras

• Foremost 50Mp f/1.6 sensor
• 50Mp ultra-wide
• 64Mp 3x telephoto
• 50Mp selfie cam

Motorola seems to have place plenty of assets into bettering its digital camera system – the triple rear cameras on the Edge 50 Extremely genuinely impressed me. The principle sensor is a big 1/1.3″ OmniVision OV50H, which is similar sensor that wowed us within the Honor Magic 6 Professional.

Right here, aided by speedy multi-directional PDAF and OIS, it’s able to capturing wealthy photographs with ample readability and depth. Its f/1.6 aperture may not be as giant because the Honor’s f/1.4, but it surely nonetheless lets loads of mild in and creates a pleasant pure depth of area impact on close-up topics.

Like the remainder of the Edge 50 household, there are two fundamental capturing modes straight out of the gate. The default mode is Pure, which shoots in a daily style, whereas Auto-enhance (AE) applies Google-like picture processing.

The latter leads to bolder, brighter photographs, and there’s little discernible lag by means of a commerce off both. It might turn out to be useful while you’re capturing in significantly difficult eventualities, akin to in low-lit indoors environments with vibrant daylight within the background, wherein case AE will increase the lighting of your topic on the expense of a barely overexposed background.

Nevertheless, AE photographs undoubtedly tackle a barely synthetic look in comparison with the default Pure mode, with notably boosted colors. It’s largely a matter of desire, although I did recognize the increase it gave to the marginally extra restricted ultra-wide and selfie cameras. AE is energetic within the left-hand selfie under.

There’s good and unhealthy information in relation to night time photographs. Capturing aspect by aspect with the iPhone 15 Professional and the Pixel 8, it broadly held its personal with the Pixel and wasn’t disgraced by the iPhone. The truth is, in a single explicit shot, it was the one one of many three to correctly seize the ‘Texaco’ signal on a storage.

One factor that lets the Motorola’s low mild prowess down, nonetheless, is its tendency to seize a distracting quantity of sunshine flare from brighter parts. I used to be typically in a position to reframe barely to compensate, however that’s not one thing you’re at all times going to be keen or in a position to do.

The opposite cameras don’t let the aspect down right here, with the 64Mp 3x specifically capturing respectable zoomed photographs. Even at 6x, I used to be left impressed with the extent of element and dynamic vary, and the color tone was broadly in keeping with the primary sensor.

A 50Mp ultra-wide completes the rear set-up, and it’s the weakest of the three, however nonetheless manages to take care of a constant color tone.

Motorola seems to be utilizing the identical sensor for the selfie digital camera, which produces robust, detailed photographs in a large or barely zoomed in capability – the latter by means of cropping. Autofocus is a welcome provision right here, locking onto the topic and serving to them/you to pop towards the background.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Battery Life & Charging

• 4500mAh battery a bit of small
• Tremendous-fast 125W charger included
• 50W wi-fi charging

The Motorola Edge 50 Extremely has a considerably undersized 4500mAh battery operating the present. That’s the identical dimension because the Edge 50 Professional, however a bit of smaller than its predecessor.

With a PCMark Work 3.0 battery check rating of 10 hours 5 minutes, the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely lasted round half an hour longer than the Edge 50 Professional, however falls about 50 minutes in need of final 12 months’s Edge 40 Professional. By way of modern flagships, it’s positively in direction of the underside of the pack, albeit nonetheless forward of the Pixel 8 Professional by round half-hour.

Typically phrases, I discovered that I used to be in a position to get by means of a 16 hour day of reasonable utilization, with the show ramped as much as both a set 144Hz or 120Hz, and be left with round 40 to 45%. On a few extra intensive days with a few hour of Slay the Spire being performed, that will drop to 30 to 35%.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

That’s a strong end result somewhat than a spectacular one, as the most effective full-sized flagships are typically good for 50% or extra on the finish of a daily day.

Whereas battery life is nothing to jot down dwelling about right here, Motorola’s charging provision most definitely is. It bundles in a 125W charger which – with quick charging switched on within the Settings menu – obtained me from empty to 91% in simply quarter-hour. A full cost took me simply 18 minutes.

You additionally get help for 50W wi-fi charging, supplied you will have the suitable accent, in addition to 10W reverse wi-fi charging – although given the cellphone’s unspectacular stamina, I wouldn’t advocate doing rather more than a fast prime up of some earphones.

Software program & Updates

• Clear Android 14 UI
• Intelligent Motorola enhancements
• 3 OS updates, 4 years safety updates

Motorola doesn’t mess with Android 14 an excessive amount of, which is why it’s among the finest variations within the enterprise. The menus, icons, and notification screens are all very a lot as Google meant them to be.

The place Motorola goes off script, it does so with sound judgement. Most of its enhancements are neatly rounded up within the Moto app, which provides basic ideas and entry to customized wallpapers.

Motorola’s Gestures system will also be discovered right here, which helps you to do issues like opening the digital camera app with a double twist of the handset, or the torch with a double chop movement.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

You too can handle the Edge 50 Professional’s Edge lights system, which sees these curved display screen edges put to make use of with notifications should you’re a screen-down type of particular person. Media settings will also be discovered right here.

I’m unsure why Motorola hasn’t featured an At all times-on show possibility right here, but it surely may need one thing to do with that smaller battery mixed with the elevated refresh price. As somebody who makes use of both a Pixel 8 or an iPhone 15 Professional – each of which have even smaller batteries than the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely – in between evaluations, it’s a characteristic that was sorely missed.

Sadly, the Edge 50 Extremely hasn’t been exempted from the bloatware that has began to encroach on the sequence. The Opera browser is pre-installed and prominently positioned, regardless of the presence of Chrome. TikTok, Fb, LinkedIn, and Reserving.com are 4 extra unwelcome third-party app inclusions.

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Jon Mundy / Foundry

Did I ask for the Bingo Blitz, Block Blast, and Woodoku video games to be preinstalled? I can’t say I’d even heard of them earlier than booting up a Motorola Edge 50 cellphone, however right here they’re nonetheless.

Motorola has improved its software program help promise from the Edge 40 vary, providing the assure of three main OS upgrades and 4 years of safety patches. That falls nicely in need of Samsung and Google’s seven-year flagship promise, but it surely’s about par for the course in 2024.

Worth & Availability

The Motorola Edge 50 Extremely prices £849.99 while you purchase it direct from the Motorola web site. The corporate is providing a free set of Moto Buds+ (value £129.99) on the time of writing.

Amazon isn’t providing up any free earphones with the Extremely, however it’s presently promoting the cellphone at a barely discounted £829.

The Edge 50 Extremely isn’t out there on contract within the UK, so that you’ll have to purchase it outright and pair with a SIM-only deal. Use the widget under to seek out an possibility that fits you:

That RRP positions the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely straight towards some fairly scorching opposition, together with the OnePlus 12 (£849) and the iPhone 15 Plus (£899).

These are the 2 apparent full-sized flagship rivals occupying the same space of the market. In any other case you’re compact flagships just like the Samsung Galaxy S24 (from £859) and the Xiaomi 14 (£849).

Maybe extra problematic than any of these is the Google Pixel 8 Professional. Whereas it has a £999 RRP, it has been available on the market a bit of longer than a few of the different telephones on this round-up, so can routinely be had for a whole lot much less.

The Motorola Edge 50 Extremely doesn’t look like heading for the US, the place the Motorola Edge 2024 appears to be nearer to the mid-range Motorola Edge 50 Professional. It’s a disgrace, as it will have been a welcome various to the same old Samsung, Apple, and Google crowd.

Do you have to purchase the Motorola Edge 50 Extremely?

The Motorola Edge 50 is one other achieved flagship cellphone from the resurgent model, although it’s not an enormous improve over the Motorola Edge 40 Professional earlier than it, regardless of costing £50 extra.

Its design is modern but strong, whereas its 1.5K 144Hz pOLED show is interesting, if not best-in-class. The selection to go together with a contemporary however barely lower than prime tier processor is an attention-grabbing one, providing a silky expertise however barely inferior graphical efficiency.

The selection of a smaller battery looks like an even bigger mistake right here, and you may get higher stamina from rival handsets. With that stated, Motorola’s provision of a speedy 125W charger and 50W wi-fi charging is without doubt one of the greatest round.

That is additionally the most effective digital camera system that Motorola has ever put collectively, with a triple set-up that may take nice photographs in all lighting circumstances – albeit with some troublesome mild flare in Evening mode. In the meantime, Motorola’s software program continues to be among the finest within the enterprise.

Specs

• Android 14
• 6.7in, 1.5K, pOLED, 144Hz, flat show
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3
• 16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 1TB storage
• 50Mp, f/1.6 fundamental digital camera
• 50Mp ultra-wide macro digital camera
• 64Mp telephoto digital camera
• As much as 4K @ 60fps rear video
• 50Mp front-facing digital camera
• Dolby Atmos stereo audio system
• Twin-SIM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Bluetooth 5.4
• 4500mAh battery
• 125W charging
• 50W wi-fi charging
• 161.09x 72.38 x 8.59 mm
• 197g
• Launch colors: Forest Gray, Nordic Wooden, Peach Fuzz