Motorola Edge 50 Pro vs Motorola Edge 40 Pro: Similar names, but with different set of skills
Intro
This year Motorola is making some changes to its premium phone lineup. Just like with the Motorola Edge 30 series, the Motorola Edge 50 lineup consists of three models in total: the Edge 50 Fusion (budget), Edge 50 Ultra (flagship) and sitting snugly between them is the Motorola Edge 50 Pro.
Now, why are we explaining this to you? Well, the thing is that even though this year's Edge Pro is Motorola's mid-range phone, last year the company used the same moniker for its flagship model, the Motorola Edge 40 Pro.
So, suffice it to say, you can expect some changes that, at first glance, might seem peculiar, but just keep in mind that we are essentially comparing a 2024 mid-ranger that costs €699 to a 2023 flagship that went for $799 on launch day. What the price for the Edge 50 Pro would be in US dollars is unclear, but our rough estimate would be between $599-$699.
Another important piece of information we need to mention before we start comparing these two phones is that, unlike the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is currently not available in the US. What's more, we are not quite sure whether Motorola will release a counterpart for the US this year, and which one/s of the three it would consider launching.
Sidenote: The Motorola Edge XX Pro series is called Motorola Edge+ in the US.
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Motorola Edge 50 Pro vs Motorola Edge 40 Pro differences explained:
| Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Motorola Edge 40 Pro |
|---|---|
| Silicone (vegan leather) or pearl acetate back panel | Gorilla Glass Victus back panel |
| Slightly lower display refresh rate (144Hz), but much higher peak brightness (2000 nits) | 165Hz display refresh rate and 1300 nits of peak brightness |
| Only goes up to 4K 30FPS video recording | Can go up to 4K 60FPS and even 8K 24FPS |
| Slower LPDDR4X RAM and UFS 2.2 storage | LPDDR5 RAM and much faster UFS 4.0 storage |
| Equal native storage of 512GB | 512GB of storage in here as well |
| Smaller 4,500 mAh battery | Similar 4,600 mAh battery |
| 50W wireless and 10W reverse-wireless charging | 15W wireless and 5W reverse-wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Display Quality
Similar displays, but the Edge 50 Pro has a much better design
The two phones come in a similar shape, with a thin form factor and a curved display that overflows into the aluminum frame. The Edge 50 Pro is slightly thinner and lighter, which is probably because it is rocking a silicon/acetate back panel instead of a glass one like the Edge 40 Pro.
Both phones are sporting the same durability, with Gorilla Glass Victus protecting the displays, and IP68 rating for water and dust resistance (can be submerged up to a meter of fresh water for about 30 minutes).
As far as looks go, even though it is a lower-tier phone, the Edge 50 Pro looks arguably better, mostly thanks to the fact that Motorola has altered the design of the camera island, which now looks quite more appealing compared to that on the Edge 40 Pro.
The display of the Edge 50 Pro is a bit higher in resolution, making the image more crisp to look at. It is also much brighter than that of the Edge 40 Pro, maxing out at 2000 nits compared to the 1300 nits on the 2023 flagship. Motorola has also collaborated with Pantone (a leader in color science), to guarantee accurate color reproduction on this year's mid-ranger, which is something missing from the Edge 40 Pro.
One small difference that almost nobody will notice is that the Edge 50 Pro comes with a 144Hz display refresh rate compared to the 165Hz on the Edge 40 Pro. In all honesty, when there are that high, these numbers barely result in a difference during real-world use of the phone, so we wouldn't sweat over the details in this case.
Our display lab tests showed us that the difference in display brightness is not as staggering as the official peak brightness levels given by Motorola (which is usually the case with all phones). What was more exciting to see is the fact that the Pantone color calibration must have had a positive effect, as the Edge 50 Pro proved to be more color accurate in comparison.
Performance and Software
Can't beat that flagship performance
This is one of the areas where the flagship status of last year's Motorola Edge 40 Pro shines the most, with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which, for all intents and purposes, massively overpowers the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 inside the Edge 50 Pro. Yes, last year's flagship Qualcomm chipsets is still much more powerful than this year's best mid-range one.
Thankfully, the RAM in both is 12GB, which is welcome shared characteristic between the two. The Edge 40 Pro does have the faster LPDDR5 type vs the LPDDR4X inside this year's Edge mid-ranger, but the difference between these two generations is not too noticeable.
Performance Benchmarks:
The performance benchmarks only proved what we already firmly suspected, and that is the incredible difference in performance between these two Motorolas. When it comes to processing power the Edge 40 Pro comfortably beats the Edge 50 Pro, but the results are even more staggering when we take a look at the graphical performance, which is more than doubled with last year's flagship.
As for storage, you can get both phones with 512GB, although the Edge 50 Pro has UFS 2.2 storage, which is two generations older compared to the UFS 4.0 storage on the Edge 40 Pro. You mostly won't notice too much of a difference in terms of loading speeds and real-life use, but the real benefit here is that UFS 4.0 storage is much more power efficient, so it saves more battery.
As for software, both have 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security patches. The difference is that the Motorola Edge 40 Pro is one year older, so the Edge 50 Pro will technically go further into the future of software updates.
Another difference is that the Edge 50 Pro comes with a new AI engine, which mostly affects the camera performance, but also enables cool features like wallpaper generation. Usually these AI wallpapers are quite boring, but Motorola has added its own unique (and fun) twist to it, allowing users to style their wallpaper based on the outfit they are wearing. The feature works pretty well and genuinely feels like something people could use.
Camera
The Edge 50 Pro seems to be better equipped in some areas
Both phones come with triple camera systems at the back, rocking a main (wide) camera, an ultra-wide, and a telephoto one. Here's a quick overview of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro and Edge 40 Pro camera specs:
| Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Motorola Edge 40 Pro |
|---|---|
| 50 MP main camera, f/1.4, Laser AF, OIS | 50 MP main camera, f/1.4, OIS |
| 13 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2, Macro mode, Autofocus | 50 MP ultra-wide, f/2.2, Macro mode, Autofocus |
| 10 MP 3X zoom, f/2.0, OIS | 12 MP 2X zoom, f/1.6 |
| 50 MP front, f/1.9, Autofocus | 60 MP front, f/2.2 |
The Edge 50 Pro might initially seem like it has a somewhat worse camera system compared to the Edge 40 Pro, but don't be fooled by the difference in megapixel numbers.
The 13MP ultra-wide might not be as high resolution as the 50MP on the 2023 flagship, but it has larger pixels in comparison, which lets it capture more light and therefore perform better in darker conditions. The Edge 50 Pro also comes with an AI Photo Enhancement Engine and Shot Optimization, which helps it produce stellar image quality in photos, and even in video recording.
The telephoto camera on the Edge 50 Pro is 3X zoom vs the 2X zoom on the Edge 40 Pro, which is generally more convenient in most use cases. But the even more important difference is that it comes with optical image stabilization (OIS), which vastly improves the numbers of shots that are in focus and when taking videos using that camera.
Speaking of video, one thing that the Edge 40 Pro has over the 2023 Motorola premium mid-ranger is that it can shoot in 4K 60FPS, whereas the Edge 50 Pro only goes up to 4K 30FPS. Thankfully, like you will be able to see in our Motorola Edge 50 Pro review, that 4K 30FPS footage looks superb.
Audio Quality and Haptics
Both phones are rocking respectable dual speakers that produce above average audio quality, so listening to podcasts and YouTube videos can be an enjoyable experience. They also go loud enough to be used for somewhat effective portable speaker, but some with more sensitive ears might be left wanting more in terms of a wider audio profile with more richness and bass.
Haptics are not on the level of something like OnePlus phones, for example. The Edge 40 Pro is slightly better, with sufficient accuracy and "tightness," but the Edge 50 Pro can feel a bit mushy.
Battery Life and Charging
Faster charging and more battery life on the Edge 50 Pro
The two phones come with fairly the same battery capacity. The Edge 50 Pro has 4,500 mAh while the Edge 40 Pro has 4,600 mAh. That said, because of the massive difference in horsepower that the chipsets inside come with, the results are quite different when we take a look at the battery life.
Both phones are rocking 125W wired charging, although the Edge 50 Pro beats its flagship predecessor with 50W wireless and 10W reverse-wireless vs 15/5W on the Edge 40 Pro.
The Edge 40 Pro will undoubtedly give you a much better gaming experience in comparison, but, truth be told, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 can cover most of that to a pretty good level, all while preserving much more battery, as it is clearly visible in our 3D gaming battery test.
Video streaming, on the other hand, proved to take much longer on the Edge 40 Pro vs the Edge 50 Pro, with a massive 5h difference.
We are not quite sure why the Edge 50 Pro charged that much more quickly here. Of course, its battery is 100 mAh smaller, but that seems too insignificant to be getting 9 minutes faster charging times. Nevertheless, the Edge 50 Pro wins the race on this front.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick look at the Motorola Edge 50 Pro vs Motorola Edge 40 Pro specs:
| Specs | Motorola Edge 50 Pro | Motorola Edge 40 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 161.23 x 72.4 x 8.19 mm | 161.2 x 74 x 8.6 mm |
| Weight | 186 g | 199 g |
| Screen | 6.7-inch P-OLED 144Hz | 6.7-inch P-OLED 165Hz |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM, Storage and Price | 12/512GB for €699 | 12/512GB for €699 |
| Cameras | 50MP main, f/1.4 13MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 10MP 3X zoom, f/2.0 50MP front, f/1.9 | 50MP main, f/1.8 50MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 12MP 2X zoom, f/2.4 60MP front, f/2.2 |
| Battery Size | 4,500 mAh | 4,600 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 125W wired 50W wireless 10W reverse-wireless | 125W wired 15W wireless 5W reverse-wireless |
Which one should you buy?
Well, this is quite a tricky question in this case, as the Edge 50 Pro is simply not available in the US as of this moment. Motorola has refrained from saying anything about a US release of its newest high-end mid-ranger, so waiting for it might prove to be a waste of time.
The Motorola Edge 40 Pro, on the other hand, offers a somewhat similar experience the the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, and is still available at Motorola's website. Not to mention that it is often massively discounted, so it would definitely not be a bad purchase provided what you get in return.
That said, since it has been one year since the Edge 40 Pro was released, you will only be looking at two more years before the Android updates come to an end, so you might still want to wait two or three months to see if Motorola will release the Edge 50 Pro under the Motorola Edge+ (2024) moniker.
If you already own an Edge 40 Pro and live in a region where the Edge 50 Pro is available, then the question is whether you need the slightly better camera performance and the longer battery life. If that is the case, than maybe making that change would be beneficial. That said, we don't think sacrificing the flagship aspects of the Edge 40 Pro for the several superficial upgrades of the Edge 50 Pro are worth it.
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