Motorola Edge 30 Fusion – a diamond in the rough (smartphone review)

The Motorola Edge 30 Fusion may well be its ‘Goldilocks’ phone sitting above the new Edge 30 Neo and below the Edge 30/Pro/Ultra.

It ticks all the boxes for an $899 phone

• Feature set
• OS and security patch updates
• Camera
• Phone signal strength
• Qualcomm processor and ram
• Screen
• Charge time
• Warranty
• Price

Motorola has doubled its Australian market share since 2021. It started with the Edge 20-series and the new g-series that were more about what users wanted. It is now close to #3 in Australia after Samsung and OPPO.

Like Goldilock’s porridge – It is just right.

Australian review Motorola Edge 30 Fusion 5G,  8/128GB, Dual sim, Model XT2243-1,  Retapac firmware

Website	Product Page
Price:	$899
Colours	Midnight Grey
From*	JB Hi-Fi, Telstra, Optus, Officeworks, Woolworths, Big W
Warranty	24-months ACL
Country of Manufacture:	China
Company	Owned by Lenovo (Est 1984) – a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville, North Carolina. It is the world’s largest PC maker, and it purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
More	Other CyberShack Motorola news and reviews

* Grey market – no Australian warranty, and 5G won’t work

We strongly advise you to buy a genuine model with Australian firmware.

It is easy to identify the Australian version – under Settings, About Phone, and Regulatory Labels, there is an Australian RCM C-tick mark. There is also an RCM C-Tick on the box. They use unique Australian 5G sub-6Ghz and 5G low-band frequencies, requiring local activation first.

Note that Telco-supplied models may have a single SIM.

Deep-Dive review format

It is now in two parts – a summary and a separate 300+ line database-driven spec, including over 70 tests to back up the findings. It also helps us compare different phones and features.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it should be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression – Exceed

Undeniably classy, curvy, thin, and light at 172g. The 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 velvet AG glass back is almost fingerprint proof. It feels excellent in hand.

The front Glass has a curved edge, and Motorola has wisely avoided using an Edge screen (slide out). Instead, it has an edge light – a thin band that glows when you receive a call or notification.

A winner in the looks stakes.

Screen – 6.55″, 2400 x 1080, 10-bit 1.07 billion colour, HDR10+, 144Hz refresh pOLED – Exceed

Here is proof that you can put a 10-bit, 1.07 billion colour screen into a <$1000 phone. pOLED is OLED made by LG (Samsung has trademarked AMOLED but persists in using lesser 8-bit, 16.7m colour screens in most of its Galaxy series).

It is a delight to use – a

colourful, saturated DCI-P3 (or natural sRGB), bright daylight readable screen. It reaches 500 nits for typical use and nearly 1000 for HDR10+ content. It has infinite contrast – pure blacks and whites. Delta E is 1.4 (<4 is excellent).

The screen has L1 Widevine and can play most streaming services’ FHD/HDR content.

A note on Dynamic refresh 144Hz rates

While you can select 60 or 144Hz, all our tests were on Auto. It will AI-range from 48/60/90/120 and 144Hz and, in theory, should not impact too much on battery life. We rarely saw anything other than 60/90Hz screens.

Processor SoC – Qualcomm SD888+ 5G – Exceed

This is quite an AI upgrade to the 2021 SD888. For example, it has 32 TOPS versus 27 (trillion operations per second), which is serious AI processing power. It can process three 4K HDR video streams and a 27MP image at once. Add QC 5.0 charging and reasonably low power draw, and it is a winner.

To keep costs down, it has 8GB/128GB RAM/Storage, but the USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 allows you to mount external SSD storage at 759/240MBps sequential read/write (about half the internal UFS speeds). Videographers and Vloggers will love this, and again something you cannot do in a Samsung Galaxy.

Throttling is there – 19%, but it is not a huge issue as it stabilises after 6 minutes, and there is no overheating.

Comms – Everything – Pass+

It gets a Pass+ because it is advertised with Wi-Fi 6E, but this is not enabled yet. We understand that the upgrade to Android 13 enables it (this is the same for most smartphones with Wi-Fi 6E).

5GHz speeds are excellent, although they drop off a little at 10m.

Ready for – anything – Exceed

We get excited with a phone that has a full USB-C 3.1 Gen 1, 5Gbps alt DP audio/video/data/charge port. So many skimp with a USB-C 2.0, 480Mbps, OTG/charge port.

This means you can mirror your screen to a TV or monitor over a USB-C to HDMI or USB-C to USB-C cable, but there is more.

Motorola has ‘Ready For’, which is kind of an Android desktop that turns your screen into a computer – it even runs Microsoft Office 365. We will look closer at Ready For in another article. For now, accept that it is something only some high-end Samsung Galaxy phones do with DeX – desktop experience.

LTE and 5G – Pass+

It uses a Qualcomm X60 modem – a small step under the flagship X65 in the SD8 Gen 1.

It covers all Australian 4G and 5G/low bands and most world bands. You must buy a genuine Australian model (no grey market) as the IMEI is initially locked to Australian Telcos.

4G reception strength is excellent, finding the four closest towers at very strong signal strengths. It is suitable for city/ suburbs/ regional and rural use. Dual ring tones are a bonus.

Battery – Exceed

Motorola claims up to 30 hours (Wi-Fi/GPS/BT/4G/5G off), but our video loop (50% brightness/sound, Wi-Fi off) gave 17 hours of screen-on use. PC Mark 3 indicates typical screen-on use at 12 hours and 6 minutes. Heavy users need a daily top-up, and regular users may get two days.

Where it earns the ‘Exceed’ mark is Motorola’s inclusion of a 65W charger, which fills 0-100% in just 37 minutes – excellent.

Sound – Pass

It is a straight Qualcomm WSA8835 setup with Qualcomm’s new Class-D stereo amp outputting up to 7.3W (2 x 3.65W) at reasonably low total harmonic distortion. It also includes a bridge to use USB-C earphones without a DAC cable. It processes Dolby Atmos (DA) and downmixes to 2.0 speakers.

The pity is that this powers a mismatched forward-firing earpiece and bottom-firing speaker – the latter is appreciably stronger, skewing the sound stage. The maximum volume is 82dB.

Sound signature-wise, it is Bright Vocal – good for clear voice, but some music genres can sound harsh. But there is a hint of mid-and-high-bass that helps.

Bluetooth 5.2 has SBC, AAC, most aptX and LDAC codecs. BT headphones had excellent left-right separation, and DA makes quite a difference with DA content.

Hands-free is excellent, with dual mics offering some noise cancellation.

Build – Exceed

It is a very nice phone – desirable even. The build is excellent with Gorilla Glass 5 front and back and an alloy frame. Motorola has upped the warranty to 2-years now, which is retrospective for all 2022 Edge models.

IP52 is a joke for a wannabe flagship, but Motorola persists with it to keep costs in check.

The box includes a 68W charger, USB-C earphones/mic, and a bumper cover.

Android  12 – Exceed

Motorola has just upped the Edge 30 series to three OS upgrades and three years of security patches. It is close to pure Android, and the MY UX adds things like a camera app and Moto gestures.

Missing – no deal breakers

• No microSD, but fast USB-C data transfer rates compensate
• A better IP rating would make this a killer device
• 3.5mm jack – no deal breaker, and it has an inbuilt USB-C headphone bridge

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion camera – Pass+

It is a 50 (wide bins to 12.6MP) +13 (ultra-wide) +2MP(depth) setup. This is a common setup, and the Qualcomm AI post-processing power produces excellent point-and-shoot images.

• 1X Day Primary sensor: the colours are excellent with good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights.
• 2X Day Primary sensor: natural colours and good detail
• 4X Day Primary sensor: Good colour and details – particularly good background with little noise
• 10X Day: Primary sensor: Pushing its limits with a noisy background – still pretty good
• Ultra-wide: 13MP sensor: Slightly muted colour and details. You can tell it is a different sensor from the primary.
• Macro 13MP UW sensor: excellent details and colours and not as critical about 4cm focus distance.
• Indoor office light: Excellent colours, details, and sharpness.
• Bokeh Depth: A 2MP sensor helps for bokeh shots. Excellent foreground colour, detail and sharpness and bokeh background.
• Dark <40 lumens: The standard mode (not night mode) is quite decent details, although there is quite a lot of noise.
• Night mode: Amazing – saturates the colour and removes much noise but over-sharpens the image.
• Selfie: The 32MP (bins to 8l1MP) has natural skin tones, good detail and a range of filters to enhance any image.
• Video (we are not video experts):
  • Primary sensor: You can shoot at 8K@30fps (no stabilisation), 4K@60/30fps with OIS and the day/office light results are very good.
  • Ultrawide sensor: You can shoot 4K@30fps no OIS and 1080p@60/30fps with EIS.
  • Selfie: 4K@30fps no OIS or EIS. Best at 1080p@30fps.

CyberShack’s view – Motorola Edge 30 Fusion is a diamond in the rough

Every so often, you come across a glass slab that is a real gem – it delights and restores your faith that some companies are trying to make a difference. I would be happy to own one as a daily drive. At $899, it offers everything you need, punching well above its weight.

Competition is almost non-existent in this price bracket. Go to $999, and you have

• Samsung S21 FE 128GB – Advantage IP67
• Google Pixel 6 Pro 128GB – Advantage IP67
• Motorola Edge 30 Pro 128GB Qualcomm SD8 Gen 1
• OPPO Reno8 256GB (review soon)

CyberShack Smartphone comparison v 1.1 (E&OE)

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion

Brand	Motorola
Model	Moto Edge 30 Fusion
Model Number	XT2243-1
Price Base	8/128
Price base	$899
Price 3
Price 4
Warranty months	24-months ACL
Tier	Upper-mid-range budget flagship
Website	https://www.motorola.com.au/smartphone-edge-30-fusion/p
From	JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W, and Lenovo.com from 27 September 2022
Country of Manufacture	China
Company	Owned by Lenovo (Est 1984) – a multinational technology company with its primary operational headquarters in Beijing and Morrisville/ North Carolina. It is the world’s largest PC maker. It purchased Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014. Most of Lenovo’s smartphone business is now under the Motorola brand/ and it has grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
Test date	2-25/09/22
Ambient temp	15-20°
Release	September 2022
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)	Different ram/storage/colour variants

Screen

Size	6.55
Type	pOLED
Flat/ Curve/ 2D/ 3D	Curved – endless edge
Resolution	2400 x 1080
PPI	402
Ratio	20:9
Screen to Body %	91.89%
Colours bits	10-bit 1.07 billion colours
Refresh Hz/ adaptive	144Hz (48/60/90/120/144)
Response 120Hz	N/A
Nits typical/ test	500 (515)
Nits max/ test	1100 (950)
Contrast	Infinite
sRGB	100+%
DCI-P3	Yes
Rec.2020 or other	Yes
Delta E (<4 is excellent)	1.4
HDR Level	HDR10+
SDR Upscale	No
Blue light control	Yes
PWM if known	Yes 350Hz
Daylight readable	Yes
Always on Display	Yes
Edge display	No, but Edge Lights replace the notification LED.
Accessibility	All Android 12 features
DRM	L1 HD HDR playback
Gaming	Up to 360Hz touch  Snapdragon Elite Gaming features including  Variable Rate Shading for faster graphics performance  Qualcomm Game Quick Touch increases display responsiveness.  Updatable drivers deliver the latest graphics and performance improvements in real time.
Screen protection	Gorilla Glass 5
Comment	Excellent 10-bit/ 1.07 billion colour screen with greater subtleties in colour than Samsung S22/ +. Adaptive stepping usually sits at 60/120Hz.

Processor (Soc)

Brand/ Model	Qualcomm SD 888+ 5G https://www.qualcomm.com/products/application/smartphones/snapdragon-8-series-mobile-platforms/snapdragon-888-plus-5g-mobile-platform
nm	5
Cores	1 x 2.99GHz + 3 x 2.42GHz + 4 x 1.80GHz
Modem	X60
AI TOPS	32
Geekbench 5 Single-core	1178
Geekbench 5 multi-core	3617
Like	Similar to SD8 Gen 1
GPU	Adreno 660
GPU Test
Open CL	4826
Like	Exynos 990
Vulcan	5391
RAM/ type	8GB LPDDR5
Storage/ free/ type	128GB UFS 3.1 Free 95GB
micro-SD	No
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps	1300
CPDT internal seq. write MBps	501
CPDT microSD read/ write MBps	N/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps	Samsung T7 Shield 2TB 759/240 mountable
Comment	Fast internal storage plus mountable external SSD – what’s not to love?
Throttle test
Max GIPS (power/battery)	217,926
Average GIPS	190,031
Minimum GIPS	176,520
% Throttle	19%
CPU Temp	50°
Comment	It throttled after 6 minutes and stabilised. It is reasonable for the SoC’s speed and power needs.

Comms

Wi-Fi Type/ model	QCS6490 Wi-Fi 6E but not yet enabled in firmware
Test 2m -dBm/ Mbps	-28/2401
Test 5m	-43/1729
Test 10m	-51/1729 (15m -63/1729)
BT Type	5.2
GPS single/ dual	Dual
USB type	USB-C 3.1
ALT DP/ DeX/ Ready For	Yes
NFC	Yes
Ultra-wide-band	No
Sensors
Accelerometer	Yes combo
Gyro	Yes combo
e-Compass	Yes combo
Barometer
Gravity
Pedometer
Ambient light	Yes
Hall sensor
Proximity	Yes
Other	SAR sensor
Comment	Excellent USB-C 3,1 full implementation. Wi-Fi 6E is not enabled yet. Ready For enabled.

LTE and 5G

SIM	2 Nano SIMs, 5G + 5G
Active	Both 5G capable/ both active except when one is in use
Ring tone single/ dual	Dual
VoLTE	Carrier dependent
Wi-Fi calling	Carrier dependent
4G Bands	4G: B1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/25/26/28/32/38/39/40/41/42/43/66
Comment	All Australian and most world bands
5G sub-6Ghz	n1/3/5/7/8/20/28/38/40/41/66/77/78
Comment	All Australian 5G sub-6 and low bands
mmWave	No
Test Boost Mobile/ Telstra
UL/ DL/ ms	27/27/31
Tower 1 -dBm/ fW or pW	79/5-16pW – excellent
Tower 2	-84/3-6pW
Tower 3	-83/1-3pW
Tower 4	N/A
Comment	Good strong reception and found three of four towers – suitable for city/ suburbs/ regional and rural use. Dual ring tones are a bonus.

Battery

mAh	4400 – claim up to 30 hours
Charger/ type/ supplied	68W 5V/3A/15W, 9V/3A/27W, 15V/3A/45W, 20V/3.4A/68W and 11/6.2A/68.2W with 5W cable.
PD/ QC level	PD 3.0/QC 5.0
Qi/ wattage	N/A
Reverse Qi or cable	N/A
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)
Charge % 30mins
Charge 0-100%	Typically charged at 9V/5A/45W but would go to 60W. 37 minutes
Charge Qi/ W	N/A
Charge 5V/ 2A	Approx 6 hours
Video loop 50%/ aeroplane	17 hours Accubattery 17 hours 38 minutes
PC Mark 3 battery (typical use)	12 hours 6 minutes
GFX Bench Manhattan battery	Would not run
GFX Bench T-Rex	373.2 mins (6.05 hours) 6315 frames
Drain 100-0% full load screen on	5 hours 36 minutes
Watt full load	1250-1300mA
Watt idle Screen on	250-300mA
Estimate loss at max refresh	Probably about 20% less battery at 144Hz
Estimate typical use	Heavy users will need a daily top-up. Typical users may get two days.
Comment	The SoC and AMOLED screen are efficient; if we had selected 60Hz instead of Auto, we might have seen a few more hours.

Sound

Speakers	Top forward/ up-firing and bottom down-firing stereo.
Tuning
AMP	WSA8835, Qualcomm Aqstic
Dolby Atmos decode	Dolby Atmos decode to 2.0 speakers.
Hi-Res	No
3.5mm	No
BT Codecs	SBC/ AAC/ aptX (HD/ Adaptive/ TWS/ LDAC/ LDHC (V1/ 2/ 3)
Multipoint	Can connect to two devices
Dolby Atmos (DA)	Yes – auto/ movie/ music/ voice and games mode
EQ	No – just DA pre-sets
Mics	2 top/bottom with noise cancelling
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
Volume max	82
Media (music)	76
Ring	82
Alarm	80
Notifications	78
Earpiece	60
Hands-free	Dual mics and some noise-cancelling with adequate volume.
BT headphones	Excellent left-right separation and DA makes quite a difference with DA content.

Sound quality

Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	Building from 70Hz to 100Hz
High Bass 100-200Hz	Building to 200Hz
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Still building to 400Hz.
Mid 400-1000Hz	Flat
High-Mid 1-2kHz	Flat
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Flat
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Flat
High Treble 6-10kHz	Steep decline to 8kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Flat to 15kHz
Sound Signature type	Bright Vocal (bass recessed, mid/treble boosted) – for vocal tracks and string instruments, but can make them harsh. In saying so, a hint of bass makes music more listenable. At first, we suspected Moto’s Crystal Talk AI was influencing the sound quality, but it was similar with that feature off.
Soundstage	Only as wide as the phone, and DA settings don’t add any wider sound stage. There is a distinct bottom speaker bias.
Comment	The sound signature is average, helped with a little mid/ high-bass.

Build

Size (H X W x D)	158.48 x 71.99 x 7.45mm
Weight grams	175
Front Glass	3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with anti-fingerprint coating
Rear material	3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5; velvet AG glass
Frame	Metal
IP rating	52
Colours	Cosmic Grey Solar Gold
Pen/ Stylus support	No
In the box
Charger	68W
USB cable	Yes
Buds	Yes – USB-C
Bumper cover	Yes
Comment	Has Charger and buds inbox. Very well made and so thin.

OS

Android	12 – almost pure Android
Security patch date	1-Aug-22
UI	Personalise: Styles, Wallpapers, Layout Display: Peek Display, Attentive Display, Edge lights Gestures: Quick Capture, Fast Flashlight, Three-finger screenshot, Pick up to silence, Screenshot toolkit, Media controls. Play: Gametime
OS upgrade policy	Three upgrades, including 12
Security patch policy	Regular security patches for at least three years
Bloatware	Pure Android – all Google Apps. You can uninstall Facebook.
Other
Comment	My UX 3.0 adds value to pure Android, and Moto’s new policy of three OS and three years of updates is excellent.
Security
Fingerprint sensor location/ type	Under Glass optical
Face ID	Yes 2D only
Other	ThinkShield for mobile
Comment

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion rear camera

Rear Primary	Wide
MP	50MP bins to 12.6MP
Sensor	OmniVision OV50a
Focus	PDAF Omni-directional
f-stop	1.8
um	1 bins to 2
FOV° (stated/ actual)	73.4-86°
Stabilisation	OIS
Zoom	8x digital
Rear 2	Ultra Wide and Macro
MP	13MP
Sensor	Hynix HI336
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.2
um	1.12
FOV (stated/ actual)	120
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Rear 3	Depth
MP	2MP
Sensor	GalaxyCore GC02
Focus	Fixed
f-stop	2.4
um	1.75
FOV (stated/ actual)	N/A
Stabilisation	No
Zoom	No
Video max	8K@30fps
Flash	LED
Auto-HDR	Yes
Features	Shooting modes: Ultra-Res Pro (w/ Long Exposure) 360° Panorama AR Stickers Live Photo Filters Live Video Filters Dual Capture Night Vision Portrait (w/ HDR) Scan Spot Colour Cutout Artificial intelligence: Auto Smile Capture Google LensTM integration (not available in PRC) Smart Composition Shot Optimisation Auto Night Vision Other features: Burst shot Timer Assistive Grid Watermark Leveler RAW photo output Barcode scanner HDR Active photos
QR code reader	Via Google Lens
Night mode	AI and very effective

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion Front camera

Front	Selfie
MP	32MP bins to 8.1MP
Sensor	Samsung SK5GD2
Focus
f-stop	2.4
um	.8 bins to 1.6
FOV (stated/ actual)	71.6-84.1°
Stabilisation	No
Flash	Screen fill
Zoom	8X digital
Video max	4K@30fps
Features	Shooting modes: Dual Capture Timelapse (w/ Hyperlapse) Spot Colour Other features: Video Stabilisation Face Beauty Video Snapshot

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion Camera summary

Comment

• 1X Day Primary sensor: the colours are excellent with good dynamic range. Good details in the background, shadows, and highlights. • 2X Day Primary sensor: natural colours and good detail • 4X Day Primary sensor: Good colour and details – particularly good background with little noise • 10X Day: Primary sensor: Pushing its limits with a noisy background – still pretty good • Ultra-wide: 13MP sensor: Slightly muted colour and details. You can tell it is a different sensor from the primary. • Macro 13MP UW sensor: excellent details and colours and not as critical about 4cm focus distance. • Indoor office light: Excellent colours, details and sharpness. • Bokeh Depth: A 2MP sensor helps for bokeh shots. Excellent foreground colour, detail and sharpness and bokeh background. • Dark <40 lumens: The standard mode (not night mode) is quite decent details, although there is quite a lot of noise. • Night mode: Amazing – saturates the colour and removes much noise but over-sharpens the image. • Selfie: The 32MP (bins to 8l1MP) has natural skin tones, good detail and a range of filters to enhance any image. • Video (we are not video experts): o Primary sensor: You can shoot at 8K@30fps (no stabilisation), 4K@60/30fps with OIS and the day/office light results are very good. o Ultrawide sensor: You can shoot 4K@30fps with no OIS and 1080p@60/30fps with EIS. o Selfie: 4K@30fps no OIS or EIS. Best at 1080p@30fps.

Ratings explanation – Motorola Edge 30 Fusion

Features	8.5
	It has everything you need (bar Qi wireless charge) plus Ready For with full USB-C 3.1 implementation.
Value	9.5
	Excellent price, especially as it is class-leading
Performance	9
	Good gaming SoC and reasonably low throttling. Excellent phone signal strength. Mountable SSD as live storage.
Ease of Use	9
	New three OS upgrades, three years of security patches and a 24-month warranty make this hard to beat.
Design	9
	It may be a glass slab, but it’s a sexy, svelte one with an interesting edge light.
Rating out of 10	9
Final comment	I like it. It is perfect in hand, has every feature you could want, a great camera, and a warranty/OS upgrade — unreserved buy recommendation.

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