Motorola Edge 50 Pro Review: А mid-range masterpiece
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Intro
Motorola has announced its new lineup of premium phones dubbed the Motorola Edge 50 series. Sitting between the budget Motorola Edge 50 Fusion and the flagship Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, the latter of which we spent some proper time with and want to share our thoughts with you.
At the price of €699, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro comfortably fits in the mid-range segment, and without trying to spoil anything, it might very well be one of the best mid-range phones in 2024. The gist of it is that you get a full and well-balanced package of specs and features, and even some of that AI pazazz that has ignited a new age for the smartphone market.
Sadly, Motorola has not yet mentioned whether the Edge 50 Pro will be coming to the U.S. market anytime soon. Usually, the company releases a counterpart in North America under the name Motorola Edge XX Plus, but until we get an official announcement or any news stating that happening this year, there are no signs that it will.
Disclaimer: We have changed the way we rate phones, and some ratings might seem odd. You can check out our new review scoring system to find out more about our process and where these numbers come from.
Sadly, Motorola has not yet mentioned whether the Edge 50 Pro will be coming to the U.S. market anytime soon. Usually, the company releases a counterpart in North America under the name Motorola Edge XX Plus, but until we get an official announcement or any news stating that happening this year, there are no signs that it will.
Disclaimer: We have changed the way we rate phones, and some ratings might seem odd. You can check out our new review scoring system to find out more about our process and where these numbers come from.
Table of Contents:
- Specs
- Design and Display
- Camera
- Performance
- Software
- Battery and Charging
- Audio Quality and Haptics
- Should you buy it?
Also read:
- Motorola Edge 50 Pro vs iPhone 15 Pro Max: The dark knight rises
- Motorola Edge 50 Pro vs Google Pixel 8 Pro: Neck and neck
- Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Review: Motorola's design team strikes again
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Specs
Mostly specced out, with a few cut corners
Let's start with an overview of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro specs:
Specs | Motorola Edge 50 Pro |
---|---|
Size and Weight | 161.23 x 72.4 x 8.19mm 186 g |
Display | 6.67 inches P-OLED, 1220 x 2712 pixels with 446 PPI, 144Hz variable refresh rate, HDR10+ support, 2500 nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
Processor | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm) |
Software | Android 14 |
Cameras | Main camera: 50 MP (OIS, Autofocus) Second camera: 13 MP (Ultra-wide+Macro) Third camera: 10 MP (3X Telephoto with OIS) Front camera: 50 MP (Laser Autofocus) |
Battery Size | 4500 mAh |
Charging Speeds | 125W wired 50W wireless 10W reverse wireless (PowerShare) |
Prices | 12/512GB for €699 |
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Design and Display
Stylish, thoughtful, and comfortable
The front and back of the Galaxy A55 5G. (Image by PhoneArena)
One thing you definitely cannot deny about the Motorola Edge phones released in the last few years is their good looks and ergonomics. The Motorola Edge 50 Pro solidifies that statement even more, shaped true to its name, with thin edges that don’t dig into your hand and make the phone comfortable to hold and use.
Motorola has managed to make its new Edge 50 Pro slightly smaller in terms of height and girth, and it is even lighter by a few grams (although most of that is probably due to the silicone/acetate).
A design issue I personally had with the last two generations of the Motorola Edge XX Pro were their camera islands at the back, which, to me, looked uninspired and even made the phones look a bit cheap.
Not this year, though; I was happy to see how the area housing the cameras has been redesigned, and now it not only looks good but is also pretty unique. It almost looks as if the whole back of the phone has been covered with a blanket, hiding the camera island and only showing its outlines.
Here at the office we have the Luxe Lavender color variant, which is made out of vegan leather. What I really like about vegan leather as a material is that it is soft and pleasant to the touch, it doesn’t slip out of your pocket or hands as easily as glass, it does not show fingerprints, and all of that while it still allows wireless and reverse-wireless charging.
I especially enjoy how grippy the Edge 50 Pro is thanks to that leather back, as it makes me feel more confident in holding it without putting on a case.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro colors and their corresponding material:
- Luxe Lavender made from vegan leather
- Black Beauty made from vegan leather
- Moonlight Pearl (Special Edition) made from pearl acetate
Just like its predecessor, the Edge 50 Pro comes with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating, which basically means you shouldn’t worry too much about dropping it in water or using it in the rain. Just keep in mind that, as far as water is concerned, the rating has limits: fresh water to a maximum depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro box contents. (Image by PhoneArena)
As usual, Motorola is very generous with the unboxing experience it provides to its customers. Not only do you get almost everything you might need (minus a screen protector), but you are even greeted with the scent of a nice perfume as you open the Edge 50 Pro box.
This is what you get inside the Motorola Edge 50 Pro box:
- The Motorola Edge 50 Pro
- 125W charger
- Protective case
- A USB-C to USB-C cable
- Documentation
- SIM tool
One of the most striking and immediately noticeable features of the Edge 50 Pro is its edge to edge display. Now, the debate whether flat screens are better than curved ones is a passionate one, no doubt. That said, even though most of us nowadays seem to agree flat is better, the edge display simply feels as an integral part of, well, the Motorola Edge series.
You also get a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which makes it absolutely satisfying to scroll and even more so when playing games that support that kind of refresh rate (especially with the 360Hz touch rate when in gaming mode). The default is set at 90Hz, though, so you have to go into settings and manually bump that up to 144Hz.
Protecting this center-piece of a display is Gorilla Glass Victus, which should do an alright job to prevent scratches. That said, it is probably still a good idea to put on a screen protector, especially with that curved display being so exposed.
I can safely say that you will enjoy anything you want to watch on the Edge 50 Pro’s display. The only issue some might find are the aforementioned light reflections you can get at the edges, but those didn’t bother or ruin my time with the phone.
Display Measurements:
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro's display managed to even beat the Galaxy S23 FE, and we all know Samsung is among the best when it comes to display quality. The Edge 50 Pro showcased higher brightness levels and even scored better color accuracy.
Face recognition also seemed decently quick, although I wouldn’t go that route if I was conscious of any security risks.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Camera
Deserving of a middleweight gold medal
Motorola Edge 50 Pro cameras. (Image by PhoneArena)
Here’s a quick summary of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro camera specs:
- Main camera (wide): 50 MP, f/1.4 aperture, OIS
- Ultra-wide camera: 13 MP, f/2.2 aperture, Macro mode
- Telephoto camera: 10 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 3X optical zoom, 30X digital zoom, OIS
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro musters up some of the best photo quality I have seen from a phone of this caliber. The images are crisp, with vivid colors that, for the most part, don't appear overly saturated. Pantone's color science is also visible, as the colors are quite accurate.
As a small side note here, though, our unit came with the “Vivid” color setting for the display, which takes away from the accuracy of the colors. If you want the best color accuracy throughout your experience you have to go into settings and manually change to the “Natural” color setting.
Of course, a large part to play in the capabilities of the Edge 50 Pro’s camera system is the new AI prowess working in the background, which powers features such as the Photo Enhancement Engine and Shot Optimization.
In terms of video shooting capabilities, I was a bit disappointed that you cannot shoot at 4K 60FPS with the Edge 50 Pro. Thankfully, however, the 4K 30FPS is one of the better ones out there, with great image quality and impressive stabilization, even when shooting with the telephoto camera.
Now let’s take a look at some samples and see what we are dealing with here!
Now let’s take a look at some samples and see what we are dealing with here!
Dynamic range and color consistency are simply superb throughout all of the cameras on the Motorola Edge 50 Pro. I was impressed with how good the ultra-wide camera is, as this is usually the one that clearly lacks a bit in a phone's camera system.
The 3X telephoto is also really good, offering plenty of detail, and even at a 5X digital zoom objects are clear enough to make out small numbers and letters like you see on the licence plates of the cars.
The main camera's performance in low light is also impressive, delivering a well-balanced image in terms of color representation and lighting. As a bonus the camera is also quite good at avoiding light reflections.
Video Quality
The great color accuracy and great dynamic range are also present while recording video. That also stands true for the level of detail and sharpness for all cameras. Here you will also notice that the video stabilization is also pretty awesome, even when our camera man is running.
The high level of camera performance I noticed with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro while using it was also reflected in our camera score tests. The only real downfall is the zoom capabilities, but, for a phone of its caliber, it did very well on that front too! You will definitely be left happy from the cameras on this phone if you decide to buy it.
You can find more about our camera score and how we test each phone's camera system in our PhoneArena Camera Score benchmark explainer.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Performance & Benchmarks
All you will need; AI on board
Motorola Edge 50 Pro performance. (Image by PhoneArena)
Motorola has equipped its 2024 mid-ranger with the latest and greatest of mid-range chipsets, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 (4nm). Even though this silicon is not Qualcomm’s flagship processor, it still comes with impressive performance, power-efficiency, and even the company’s AI engine.
As for raw power, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is no slouch at all. It powered through all the features that the Edge 50 comes with, and I didn’t notice any lag or hiccups throughout my time with the phone. The only time I noticed it was a bit slow was during the AI wallpaper generation.
The chipset’s power was also very noticeable when I tried out some mobile games like Minecraft and Super Samurai Rampage, both of which are games that support 144Hz display refresh rate, which you know I had to go for. Even at that high refresh rate, I had a smooth experience.
With 12GB of super fast LPDDR4X RAM (the type usually used in flagship phones), the phone was also super snappy in day to day use, both when browsing and when using applications.
Performance Benchmarks:
Unfortunately, even though the Edge 50 comes with lots of storage, 512GB to be exact, it is not the fastest out there. We are talking UFS 2.2 storage, which is one or two generations older then what is currently used in most mid-range and flagship phones. What this means is that larger files and applications load longer, it is also less powerf-efficient than the UFS 3.0 and 4.0 storage types, but none of this is a deal breaker in my book.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Software
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro comes with a very vanilla-like version of Android 14, and you get 3 years of Android updates with 4 years of security patches. This is true even if you upgrade to the Edge 50 Ultra, though.
The good news is that the Edge 50 Pro also shares the same AI capabilities as those of the more expensive Ultra model, which definitely helps it stay ahead, even though the AI is mostly used for the camera performance.
Like many other manufacturers, Motorola has also used AI to create a wallpaper generator feature, but I was pleasantly surprised with the way they have applied it.
In essence, you can generate a wallpaper for your Motorola Edge 50 Pro that will match the outfit you are rocking. You either take a photo of yourself on the spot, or choose from one in your gallery. The phone then generates a few pattern options for you to choose from. For me, there was always at least one that I really liked. Also, you don’t have to be too accurate with the photo you feed to the AI, it can be a quick snapshot with the selfie camera and it still works.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Battery
Fast and reliable
The battery capacity is 4,500 mAh, which is not the 5,000 mAh we got with the Edge 40 Pro last year, but was still plenty to last me a full day of use. That included using the camera a ton, albeit mostly for photos (but also some videos), browsing online, and gaming for about an hour or two. At the end of the day I was left with about 20-30% of battery.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
When it comes to gaming and video streaming in particular, the Edge 50 Pro will last longer than some of its main competition like the Galaxy S23 FE.
PhoneArena Charging Test Results:
Motorola Edge 50 Pro charging port (Image by PhoneArena)
The good news is that even if you forget to charge the Edge 50 Pro at the end of the day, you can juice it up in no time with that 125W charger that comes inside the box, which is the same wattage the phone supports.
Do you have a 50W wireless charger lying around? Well, you can use that to its full potential, as the Edge 50 Pro maxes out at 50W wireless charging too. You can even use reverse wireless charging with a maximum speed of 10W, so it is perfect for charging the new Moto Buds+ that were announced alongside the Edge 50 series.
Do you have a 50W wireless charger lying around? Well, you can use that to its full potential, as the Edge 50 Pro maxes out at 50W wireless charging too. You can even use reverse wireless charging with a maximum speed of 10W, so it is perfect for charging the new Moto Buds+ that were announced alongside the Edge 50 series.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro Audio Quality and Haptics
While haptic feedback is rather mediocre on the Edge 50 Pro—feeling a bit mushy—the audio quality is great, which paired up neatly with the stellar display quality. YouTube sessions before going to bed sounded rich and satisfying, and although not the best out there, I was also okay with listening to a few tracks while getting ready in the morning thanks to the high volume.
Should you buy it?
Motorola Edge 50 Pro conclusion. (Image by PhoneArena)
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro is a great phone and, given the user experience and specs, what you get matches well to the €699 price tag. This is about what you can expect from a high-tier mid-range phone in 2024.
The only major issue we have with the Edge 50 Pro is that it comes with only 3 years of Android updates. Most phone manufacturers now offer at least 4 years, which is what the Galaxy S23 FE from Samsung comes with.
Speaking of the Galaxy S23 FE, it is probably the best competition to the Edge 50 Pro, with a chipset that is even more capable (despite being two generations old by now), also rocking a triple camera system at the back, and the ability to shoot at 4K 60fps. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 inside the Motorola, however, prevails in many gaming-related cases. Also, there’s the 125W wired and 50W wireless charging with the Edge 50 Pro vs the 25/15W on the Galaxy.
Alternatives aside, you won’t go wrong with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, and we are pretty confident that most users will be left happy with their purchase, as the phone offers almost everything you would need from a handset of its class.
Things that are NOT allowed: