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Motorola Edge leaks out as cheaper version of upcoming Edge+ flagship

Published: Mar 14, 2020, 3:03 PM

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Motorola is just months away from returning to the flagship smartphone segment after several years away. The device in question is called the Motorola Edge+ and, as revealed by XDA Developers today, it will be joined by a cheaper version marketed as the Motorola Edge.

A 90Hz display and high-resolution cameras

As indicated by the name and much like the Plus-branded variant, the Motorola Edge features a so-called waterfall display complete with sharply curved edges on either side and a small punch hole in the top-left corner for the selfie camera.

The panel supports a Full-HD+ (2340x1080p) resolution and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. The latter can be downgraded to 60Hz to save some battery or set to “auto” mode which uses “AI to always show the optimal refresh rate.”

It measures in at a hefty 6.7-inches. But thanks to impressively thin bezels both above and below the display in addition to the curved edges, it should feel relatively compact in the hand.

Turning the Motorola Edge over reveals a long, vertical camera module that houses several sensors including a 64-megapixel shooter that could be identical to the one used on the Motorola One Hyper. It makes use of 4-in-1 pixel binning technology to produce superior 16-megapixel shots.

A 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle snapper joins the main camera alongside an 8-megapixel telephoto alternative that could support either 2x or 3x optical zoom. Accompanying the triple-camera setup is a laser autofocus system and a dual-LED flash.

For those of you interested in the selfie camera, Motorola has reportedly included a 25-megapixel sensor.

The Snapdragon 765, a big battery, and a headphone jack

Motorola has fitted the Edge with the relatively new Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 that could be used inside the Google Pixel 5 later this year. It isn’t a flagship chipset like the Snapdragon 865 but it should still provide an extremely snappy experience for customers.

Helping ensure things run as smoothly as possible will reportedly be 6GB of RAM coupled with 128GB of internal storage. There’s no word on whether other variants are in the works, but the storage count should be expandable via a microSD card slot anyway.

Like any other 2019 smartphone, the Motorola Edge will ship with Android 10 straight out of the box. In this particular case the Chicago-based brand’s near-stock experience is likely because the company seems to have abandoned the Android One program.

Keeping the lights on should be a 4,500mAh battery that supports some sort of fast wired charging, although wireless charging isn’t supported. Other features include an in-screen fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm headphone jack for loyal fans.

The Motorola Edge alsos include the Snapdragon X52 modem which supports 5G networks as standard. But whether Motorola is planning to disable the connectivity remains to be seen at this stage.

Motorola Edge announcement schedule

Motorola was originally expected to announce its upcoming smartphone at MWC 2020 in late February. The event was ultimately canceled, forcing Motorola to shelve its own plans, but the company hasn’t yet announced a new date.

The official unveiling shouldn’t be too far down the line but it probably won’t happen this month because of the gradual global shutdown over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Instead, Motorola will probably wait until demand picks up again.

The Motorola Edge will be joined by the flagship Motorola Edge+. This model will look virtually identical to the standard version but should boast the Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G connectivity, a 108-megapixel main camera, and a larger 5,000mAh battery.