Motorola Edge 50 Pro – an excellent upper-mid-range smartphone (review)

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro deserves to sell truckloads. It has a Qualcomm SD7 Gen 3 processor, a 6.7” pOLED 1.7 billion colour screen, and a whopping big 125W 18-minute TurboPower charger inbox.

As we tested the device, we had nothing but praise for its svelte Edge curved screen design, USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 with Alt DP 1.4 (video/audio/data/charge) to an external screen, and we really like the camera setup. The Qualcomm modem has very strong reception for city, suburbs, regional and rural use.

But, and there is always one, the Qualcomm SD7 Gen 3 is an excellent System on a Chip (SoC), but it is only an average performer. At $999, buyers may expect more – at least an SD8 Gen 1 or 2. I kept comparing it with the Motorola ThinkPhone ($999 SD8 Gen 1), which outperformed this. The motoring analogy is that you expect a gutsy V6 but are getting a 4-cylinder turbo.

Does it matter? Not really, as Joe and Jane Average will look at the pretty Moonlight Pearl (real Italian pearl shell) or Luxe Lavender Vegan leather, and the decision will be made. It will only matter to gamers and power users who expect more.

Others in the Edge 50 series

Edge 50 Fusion $599

6.7” 2400 x 1080, 10-bit, 144Hz pOLED, Qualcomm SD7 Gen 2, 12/256GB, 68W TurboPower, 50+13MP rear camera and 32MP selfie. It should have good phone signal strength, and there are few compromises – a value winner.

Edge 50 Ultra $TBA and may not come to Australia

6.7” 2712 x 1220, 10-bit. 144Hz pOLED, Qualcomm SD8 Gen 3, 12/512GB, 125W TurboPower, 50+50+64MP (Telescope) and 50MP selfie. This premium phone will knock the Exynos-powered Samsung S24 and S24+ off their perch.

New review format

We are experimenting with our review format. Where we used to put all the raw data in tables at the end, we will now break them up and briefly comment on the various parts. Why? Readers who want to know more will paw over the tables. Readers who wish to see if it’s a good phone can just read the comments. Of course, we still have CyberShack’s’ View and rating explanation at the end – do make sure you read that.

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.

We are also tightening up on grading. From now on, Pass, for example, means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

Australian Review: Motorola Edge 50 Pro, 12/256GB, Dual SIM, Model XT2403-2

BrandMotorola
ModelMotorola Edge 50 Pro
Model NumberXT2403-2
RAM/Storage Base12/256
Price base$999
Warranty months24-months ACL
 TierUpper mid-range processor with Edge benefits and pOLED screen.
WebsiteProduct Page
FromMotorola online, Harvey Norman, Domayne, JB Hi-Fi, Bing Lee
Country of OriginChina
CompanyIt is 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, with grand plans to become a ‘top five’ smartphone maker.
MoreCyberShack Motorola news and reviews
CyberShack smartphone news and reviews
Test date1-15 May 2024
Ambient temp10-20°
Release45383
Other models not for Australia (Don’t buy)Motorola makes models for various markets that are not for Australian Telco networks nor carry an Australian warranty. Read Don’t buy a grey market smartphone

First Impression – Pass+

Sadistic PR agencies tend to send me basic black – albeit that this uses vegan leather (Read What is vegan leather seen on some smartphones?). This also comes in genuine Italian mother-of-pearl and Luxe Lavender. Far more exciting!

It is a beauty anyway. Gently curved pOLED screen edges, no bezel, grippy vegan leather back that flows over the camera hump. It is nice in hand and has that je ne sais quoi (I know not what, but I like it) appeal.

It may be a black slab, but it has undeniable style.

Screen – Pass+

First, you should ask what the difference is between AMOLED and pOLED. Samsung has a copyright on AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode), which essentially means a touch-enabled OLED screen on a glass or plastic base. pOLED is the same touch-enabled OLED on a plastic base made by LG and other companies. pOLED is used for curved edge screens (like the Motorola Edge 50 Pro) and flip/foldables.

They are both OLED technologies. pOLED is an attempt by phone manufacturers to get 10-bit/1.07 billion colour at a similar cost to Samsung’s 8-bit/16.7m colours, which it doggedly sticks to as it does not support Dolby Vision on any Samsung products.

This is a big, colour-accurate, daylight-readable screen. Its curved edges are usually fine but can impair edge presses. The good news is that it uses DC Dimming to significantly reduce the Pulse Width Modulation flicker associated with AMOLED.

The screen supports HDR10+ but not Dolby Vision content, which is downmixed to HDR10.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro screen specs

Size6.7″
TypepOLED
Flat, Curve, 2D, 3DBorderless, curved edges with centre o-hole
Resolution3712 x 1220
PPI446
Ratio20:9
Screen to Body %93.8%
Colours bits10-bit/ 1.07 billion colours
Refresh Hz, adaptiveFixed 60/120/144Hz or stepped 60/120/144Hz
Response 120HzTouch rate 360Hz gaming mode
Nits typical, testTest 514 100% screen.
Test 1095 Adaptive Brightness 100% screen
Nits max, testPeak HDR Brightness 2000. Tested to 1500 nits, but the ultimate levels depend on the HDR10+ content.
ContrastInfinite
sRGBClaim 100% (Test 98.8% natural mode)
Natural, Radiant, and Vivid presets, and custom colour temperature adjustment.
DCI-P3Claim 100% (Test 75%). Lower than expected but better than 100% of 16.7 billion colours. A firmware-fixable natural mode preset issue.
Rec.2020 or otherN/A
Delta E (<4 is excellent)1.75
HDR LevelCapable of HDR10+ playback scaled to screen capability.
Dolby Vision scaled to HDR10.
SDR UpscaleNo
Blue Light ControlYes
PWM if knownApprox. 700Hz. Uses DC Dimming, so should not affect PWM-susceptible users.
Daylight readableYes
Always on DisplayPeek Display
Edge displayEdge Lights alert you to calls and notifications when the screen faces down.
AccessibilityAll Android 13 features
DRML1 for FHD SDR playback. Some streaming services (not Netflix) may allow HDR streaming.
Gaming<1m GTG
Up to 360Hz touch
 Snapdragon Elite Gaming features include:
 Variable Rate Shading for faster graphics performance.
 Qualcomm Game Quick Touch increases display responsiveness.
However, most games will not get past 60fps on medium-quality settings.
Screen protectionIt is not specified, but there is some glass protection.
CommentPantone Validated to produce 2161 Pantone colours accurately (more about printed material and not all that relevant to TV/smartphone images) and Skin Tones.
Overall, it is a great screen. The curved edges can lead to incorrect keypresses on edge content.

Processor – Pass

Call me picky, but I expect a Qualcomm SD7 phone to cost a couple of hundred dollars less. At $999, you can get some excellent Qualcomm SD8 phones (like the $999 Motorola ThinkPhone) with far more power and AI processing capability. To use an analogy, you are getting a 4-cylinder turbo for a V6 price. That is why it only gets a Pass instead of a higher rating.

Motorola realises this, so it has upped RAM to 12GB and storage to 256GB, added a three-sensor camera and 32MP selfie camera, and included a whopping 22-minute 125W TurboPower charger inbox. So, it is like the ‘premium’ 4-cylinder turbo car model with all the bells and whistles. Joe and Jane Average will love this; only power users will know the difference.

Processor specs

Brand, ModelQualcomm SD7 Gen 3  
nm4nm
Cores1 x 2.63GHz & 4 x 2.4GHz & 3 x 1.8GHz
ModemX63 4×4 MIMO (Sub 6Ghz)
AI TOPS>20 (40 is considered the minimum for significant onboard AI processing.
Geekbench 6 Single-core1166
Geekbench 6 multi-core3144
LikeBetween an SD860 and MediaTek Dimensity 8050 or Tensor G2 or Exynos 2100
Benchmarks  
GPUAdreno 720
GPU Test
Open CL3533
LikeBetween SD870 and Tensor G2 (Exynos 2100)
Vulcan4033
RAM, type12GB LPDDR5X (plus virtual RAM Boost). Specs say LPDDR4X.
Storage, free, type256GB UFS 2.2C (210GB free)
micro-SDNo
CPDT internal seq. Read MBps sustained747
Jazz maximum 992
CPDT internal seq. write MBps sustained480
Jazz maximum 552
CPDT microSD read, write MBpsN/A
CPDT external (mountable?) MBps851/300 Mountable is excellent for videographers and vloggers.
CommentThank goodness—a phone with a USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps port that works. This is great for power users, screen mirroring, and Ready For Desktop.
Throttle test
Max GIPS295059
Average GIPS280306
Minimum GIPS244308
% Throttle11%
CPU Temp50°
CommentExcellent thermal management and rock-solid performance. Gamers will appreciate this.

 Comms – Pass

It would have earned a Pass+ if, as it should, connected to Wi-Fi 6E 6Ghz. All our tests are at Wi-Fi 6 AX 5GHz, showing a strong, stable signal to 10m and beyond.

The best part of this phone is its use of a full-spec USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 5Gbps port. This allows it to connect to USB-C or HDMI monitors, TVs, and any display via cable and wirelessly to most smart TVs. And it allows for mountable external storage accessed at fast USB-C speeds.

Motorola has Ready For, which is its equivalent of an Android Desktop (like a Windows desktop), and it keeps getting better with remote access to Microsoft 365 and remote Windows desktops, Google TV and more. The phone acts as a touchpad, but you can also connect it via a dongle that supports a mouse, keyboard, USB flash drive, HDMI (or USB-C) and pass-through power. Read Dockcase USB-C 10-in-1 hub Explorer Edition – a must for travellers.

To be clear, this can act as a PC while travelling, and once you are hooked on Ready For (like Samsung DeX), you won’t want to lose it.

Comms specs

Wi-Fi Type, modelWi-Fi 6E AXE 2.4/5/6GHz but could not connect to 6GHz (our test software confirms this band is available). We expect a firmware update to correct that.
Test 2m -dBm, Rx/Tx Mbps-33/2017/2302 – on spec
Test 5m-46/2241/2161 – on spec
Test 10m-50/1857/1729 – on spec
BT Type5.4
GPSDual 3m accuracy
USB typeUSB-C 3.1 5Gbps Display Port 1.4. It appears only to support 5V/1A/5W.
ALT DP, DeX, Ready ForDP 1.4 for Miracast audio, video screen mirror, Moto ReadyFor – wireless and wired. You may need to provide external pass-through power for the phone.
NFCYes
Ultra-widebandNo
Sensors
   AccelerometerYes combo
   GyroYes combo
   e-CompassYes
   Barometer
   Gravity
   Pedometer
   Ambient lightNo, but we assume the 3-in-1 sensor does this.
   Hall sensor
   ProximityYes
   Other3-in-1 Exposure, auto white balance and flicker
ToF (Time of Flight)
SAR
CommentExcellent 5GHz speeds but would not connect to 6GHz band.

LTE and 5G – Exceed

As you will see in our Telstra Blue Tick series, Telstra’s gong for regional and rural use is more of a marketing tool than a reliable measurement. Let’s say that we have redoubled our testing regimens to ensure accurate city, suburban, regional, or rural use recommendations.

This has some of the highest and strongest phone reception strengths we have seen. It also finds the nearest four towers for fast handoff and uses Carrier Aggregation (DSDA). In fact, it even received a weak 5G signal, which we have never seen at the test location before. Look at the image – 20 picowatts is amazing, and the next tower at 5pW is impressive.

Motorola also had dual SIM (including an eSIM) and dual ring tones (incredibly useful for travellers). DSDA means both SIM and eSIM are active at the same time.

SIMSingle Sim and eSim
   ActiveDSDA – Dual SIM, Dual Active (see diagram)
Ring tone single, dualDual ring tones – excellent
VoLTECarrier dependent
Wi-Fi callingCarrier dependent
4G BandsB1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/18/19/20/26/28/32/38/39/40/41/42/43/48/66
CommentAll Australian and most world bands
5G sub-6Ghzn1/2/3/5/7/8/20/26/28/38/40/41/66/77/78
CommentAll Australian 5G sub-6 and low bands
mmWaveNo
Test Boost Mobile, Telstra
  DL/UL, ms38.9/19.4/37ms – above average
   Tower 1 -dBm, fW or pWfrom -77 to -85 and 2 to 20pW – exceptional
   Tower 2-83/5pW – exceptional
   Tower 3-85/1pW – exceptional
   Tower 4-87/2pW – exceptional
CommentIt has nine antennas and has excellent signal strength in all four towers. We even got a vague 5G signal (unheard of). This should be an exceptional city, suburbs, regional, and rural phone. Dual ringtones are a real bonus.

Battery – Exceed

The rating is more for the 22-minute 125W TurboPower charger inbox but also for its delivery of some of the longest video loop, PC Mark, and Accubattery test times. That is mainly due to the 4nm SD7 Gen 3 SoC and pOLED screen, which use low energy at idle and under load. It is a one-and-a-half to two-day phone.

Battery Spec

mAh4500mAh 125W TurboPower
Charger, type, supplied125W (can be used as a standard charger as well)
5V/3A/15W, 9V/3A/27W. 15V/3A/45W
20V/6.25A/130 (125 max) or PPS 5-20V/6.25A
Must enable Charge Boost in the Battery setting
 PD, QC levelPD 3 and QC 5
Qi, wattage50W with optional Motorola 50W air cooled charger and requires 20V/3.5A/70W (or larger) wall charger to power it.
The default wireless charge is 15W.
Reverse Qi or cable10W reverse wireless for watch or buds charging
Test (60Hz or adaptive screen)Adaptive
   Charge % 30minsN/A
   Charge 0-100%22 minutes Charge Boost
27 minutes Anker 737 120W charger
   Charge Qi, W
Using Belkin Boost Charge 15W fast wireless charge
Approx 5 hours at 15W.
Could not test 50W as it is not available here.
   Charge 5V, 2AApprox 4 hours
   Video loop 50%, aeroplane21 hours 26 minutes
   PC Mark 3 battery14 hours 59 minutes
Accubattery 17 hours 49 minutes
   GFX Bench Manhattan batteryDid not run
   GFX Bench T-Rex369.7 minutes (6.15 hours) 6481 frames
   Drain 100-0% full load screen on3 hours 54 minutes
Accubattery 4 hours 57 minutes
   mA full load1350-1400
   mA Watt idle Screen on230-250mA
   Estimate loss at max refreshTested on adaptive
   Estimate typical useMotorola advertises over 30 hours. Actual battery performance will vary and depend on many factors, including signal strength, network and device settings, temperature, battery condition, and usage patterns.
CommentThis phone is for power users. It can be recharged in 22 minutes (with the 125W adapter) or charged in Qi.

Sound – Pass+

The rating is not for speaker sound quality—see the next section. It is for the full suite of Qualcomm Bluetooth 5.4 Codecs and 24-bit DAC. Listening to this with headphones is a pleasure—great left/right separation and an almost perfect neutral sound signature. It’s pretty good for hands-free despite only having two mics (one for voice and the other for noise cancelling), as it uses AI ClearTalk to remove extraneous noise.

When used with Dolby Atmos or other spatial sound (you need to set the preset manually), it offers a wider sound stage, good 3D height, and surround sound object placement.

SoundDA Smart Audio and Spatial Sound enabled
SpeakersTop forward, up-firing and bottom down-firing stereo.
TuningDA and Dolby Head tracking with Moto buds+
AMPQualcomm Snapdragon sound
2 x AW882 x 2W (THD 1% at maximum volume)
Dolby Atmos decodeYes, to 2.0. It is really more effective with headphones
Hi-Res24-bit/48000Hz
3.5mmNo
BT CodecsSBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, LDAC, LHDCV2/3/5. This is the full suite of Qualcomm genuine codecs for maximum device compatibility.
MultipointYes
Dolby Atmos (DA)Decode to 2.0 and earphones
EQThe new DA EQ includes Spatial Audio. The remainder are 2.0 only: Smart Audio, Music, Movies, Games, Podcasts, and Custom.
Mics2 – one for noise cancelling and use with CrystalTalk AI NR.
Test dB – all on EQ flat DA off
   Volume max84
   Media (music)75
   Ring80
   Alarm75
   Notifications70
   Earpiece60
   Hands-freeDecent noise reduction and volume levels were quite good and clear.
   BT headphonesExcellent left-right separation and DA makes quite a difference with DA content.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro Sound quality – Pass

Small smartphone speakers have a limit—the majority cannot reproduce low, mid, and high bass and high treble. This is no different. The speakers are for clear voice, not for music.

Deep Bass 20-40HzNil
Middle Bass 40-100HzStarting at 90Hz and building linearly to 200Hz so has little benefit.
High Bass 100-200HzBuilding
Low Mid 200-400HzFlattening
Mid 400-1000HzFlattening
High-Mid 1-2kHzFlat
Low Treble 2-4kHzFlat
Mid Treble 4-6kHzFlat
High Treble 6-10kHzLineal decline to 20kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHzLineal decline to 20kHz
Sound Signature typeThis is a mid-signature (bass recessed, mid-boosted, treble recessed) for a clear voice. However, it is not easy listening as it lacks bass (low notes are muddy or absent), and the high treble is choppy and harsh.
   SoundstageA well-balanced earpiece and bottom speaker provide good left/right separation. DA content (you must select the Spatial Audio preset) widens the sound stage by about 10cm and gives it some 3D height so you can hear sound object movement.
CommentThe sound signature is average, helped with a little high bass. Use headphones

Build – Pass+

It is svelte and light, with a good in-hand feel. It has minimal bezels, and the vegan leather back resists fingerprints. Add a 2-year warranty, and this is a keeper. The Italian Mother of Pearl version will certainly appeal to the fashion- and trend-conscious.

The only issue is that it does not declare if the screen has toughened glass protection. For the longest life, I would buy some TPU screen protectors and use the bumper case.

Size (H X W x D)161.23 x 72.4 x 8.19mm
Weight grams186
Front glassCurved 3D glass with anti-fingerprint coating
Rear materialCurved vegan leather or pearl polymer finish
FrameSandblasted aluminium colour-matched
IP rating68 – Liquid damage not covered under warranty
30 minutes at 1.5m
ColoursBlack Beauty Vegan
Moonlight Pearl – real pearl shell
Luxe Lavender Vegan
Pen, Stylus supportNo
In the box
   Charger125W TurboPower
   USB cableUSB-C to USB-C 5W cable
   BudsNo
   Bumper coverYes
CommentIt comes with a charger in the box (Samsung does not) and a clear bumper cover. It is well-made.

OS – Pass+

This is excellent. It includes Android 14 and three OS upgrades to 17, four years of quarterly security updates, and a two-year warranty.

Motorola has swapped from its My UX overlay on Android to a Hello UX (Hello Moto adds value to Android) and separate Moto Apps that can be easily updated. Otherwise, it is a light touch over Android.

AndroidAndroid 14
Security patch date1 March 2024
UINow Hello UX.
OS upgrade policy3
Security patch policyQuarterly for four years
BloatwarePure Android – all Google Apps. You can uninstall Facebook.
OtherGoogle Photos is now the default, meaning AI tools such as Magic Editor (10 free monthly uses), Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur and more.
CommentMy UX seems to have gone but the functionality lives on.
Moto Apps now manages most Moto features and enables simple updates.
Family Space, Games, Moto Connect, Moto Secure, Moto Unplugged, Moto Ready For.
Display: Peek Display, Attentive Display
Gestures: Quick capture, Fast flashlight, Three-finger screenshot, Lift to unlock, Flip for DND, Pick up to silence, Swipe to split
Security
Fingerprint sensor location, typeOptical
Face IDYes 2D only
OtherLenovo ThinkShield is more for enterprise use.
CommentMoto Secure –  Manage network security, control app permissions, and even create a secret folder for your most sensitive data.

Privacy – Passable

The 11,710-word policies are at the end, and we remind you that these are in addition to Google Android policies – read, Can you trust Google? Yes, but it depends on your definition. If you are privacy conscious, we advise using Google Apps where possible and avoiding Motorola sign-on and experiences.

You can still use the phone without signing up to Motorola and adjust privacy settings, so we will classify the privacy policy and terms and conditions as benign.

In addition, you can turn off advertising and other data-gathering tools.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro rear camera

The star of the show. It is a useful tri-camera setup with a 50MP primary OIS (bins to 12.6MP), 13MP Ultra-wide angle and macro, and a 10MP OIS 3X optical, 30X Digital zoom (not a periscope as in the Edge 50 Ultra). The three sensors also work together to enhance the 30X SuperZoom (although we think 20X is more the limit).

It does not have a depth sensor (2MP) but uses a more sophisticated Time of Flight (ToF) laser sensor to measure distance to about 3-6 metres.

In terms of image quality, it is ahead of its class competitors. It has fast auto-focus, a bright F/1.4 aperture, excellent colour, a good screen preview colour match, good depth of field, substantial HDR details in shadow and highlights, excellent OIS, and superb low-light performance. This is largely due to the AI Photo Enhancement Engine, which uses post-processing and binning, making this an excellent point-and-shoot camera with no expertise required.

Video is also good, and you can shoot 4K@30fps with OIS. Again, we had better results with 1080p@30 or 60fps and both IOIS and Qualcomm EIS.

We don’t publish Selfies due to the increased possibility of ID Theft. Selfies are excellent because they have auto-focus (most selfies are fixed-focus) and a good depth of field.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro photo samples

Motorola Edge 50 Pro Rear camera specs

Rear 1Primary
  MP50.3MP bins to 12.6MP
   SensorOmnivision OV50E
   FocusPDAF Omni Directional
   f-stop1.4
   um1 bins to 2
  FOV° (stated, actual)70.2 (H) x 82.7 (D)
   StabilisationOIS
   ZoomUp to 20x digital crop factor 4.2
Rear 2Ultra-wide and Macro
   MP13MP
   SensorHynix HI1336
   FocusAF/Fixed Macro from 3-5cm
   f-stop2.2
   um1.12
  FOV (stated, actual)120
   StabilisationNo
   ZoomNo
Rear 3Telephoto
   MP10MP
   SensorSamsung S5K3K1
   FocusAF
   f-stop2
   um1
  FOV (stated, actual)
   StabilisationOIS
   Zoom3X Optical and 30X hybrid
Laser autofocus (time-of-flight);
3-in-1 Sensor (exposure, auto white balance, flicker)
SpecialArtificial intelligence:
Photo Enhancement Engine
Auto Smile Capture
Gesture Capture
Google Lens™ integration
Shot Optimisation
Smart high resolution
Style Sync
   Video max4K@30fps
   FlashYes
   Auto-HDRYes
VIDEO Software
Shooting modes:
Slow Motion
Night Vision
Timelapse (w/ Hyperlapse)
Dual Capture
Macro
Spot Colour

Other features:
Adaptive Stabilisation
Horizon Lock
Auto Focus Tracking
Digital Zoom: 20x
Video Snapshot
HDR
Audio Zoom
Selfie Stick Support
External Microphone Support
   QR code readerVia Google Lens
   Night modeAI

Motorola Edge 50 Pro Selfie spec

FrontSelfie
  MP50MP bins to 12.5MP
   SensorSamsung S5KJNS
   FocusPDAF Autofocus – most selfie cameras are fixed focus
   f-stop1.9
   um.64 bins to 1.28
  FOV (stated, actual)78 (H) x 90.7 (D)
   StabilisationEIS
   FlashScreen fill
   ZoomNo
   Video max4K@30fps
    FeaturesShooting modes:
Portrait (w/ Group Selfie & Smart Adjustments)
Photo Booth
Pro
Dual Capture
Spot Colour

Artificial intelligence:
Photo Enhancement Engine
Auto Smile Capture
Gesture Capture
Google Photos Auto Enhance

Other features:
Burst Shot
Timer
Assistive Grid
Leveller
Metering Mode
Watermark
Live Filters
Selfie Photo Mirror
Selfie Stick Support
RAW Photo Output
HDR
Quick Capture (twist-twist)
CommentExcellent point-and-shoot camera, producing above-average results in this class.

CyberShack’s view – Motorola Edge 50 Pro is an excellent upper-mid-range smartphone

As I stated at the beginning, Motorola should sell truckloads of these. Price may be an issue, so keep your eyes peeled for some Black Friday specials—around $800 it would be the best.

I have not seen the Edge 50 Fusion yet, but it also looks like an excellent smartphone with few compromises. I hope the Edge 50 Ultra comes here, as it will be the only serious competitor to the Samsung S24 and S24+ with the Exynos SoC.

Motorola’s competition is from its excellent $999 ThinkPhone, which is more powerful, has an Aramid rugged case (think Kevlar) and has a pretty good camera. It was my pick as the best of 2023.

Ratings

Ratings70+ is a Pass Mark.
Features85
It has every feature you could need and some AI as well.
Value85
At $999, it is a reasonable value, but the Motorola ThinkPhone and Nothing Phone 2 have an SD8 Gen 1 and good cameras. The Samsung S23 FE has an Exynos processor and inferior phone signal strength. Similarly, the Google Pixel 8a has a Tensor G3 (Exynos 2400) with lower signal strength.
Performance85
The SD7 Gen 3 is not as powerful as expected, but it is more than fit for purpose. You notice the difference if you are using an SD8 series phone.
Ease of Use85
2+2+3 warranty/OS/security patch and excellent Hello UX overlay adds useful features to pure Android.
Design85
Curved-edge screens have lost popularity and can lead to edge press errors. No screen protection is specified, which is unusual as it is specified for the Edge 50 Fusion and Ultra.
Rating out of 1085
Final commentIt’s one of the best all-rounders. I don’t like to comment on the price, but it’s a tad over the mark for an SD7 Gen 3.
Pro
1Best pOLED screen in class
2Excellent battery life, 125W/22-minute charge, and Qi wireless charge.
3Excellent camera, only lacking the Periscope of the Edge 50 Ultra.
4Very well made, IP68, USB-C 3.1 with Alt DP and comes with a charger.
5Excellent 2-2+3 warranty/OS upgrades/security patches
Con
1The jury is out on vegan leather durability, so use the clear bumper cover.
2Would not connect to 6GHz Wi-Fi.
3No micro-SD (no flagship has this anyway).
4Speaker sound could be improved.
5

Motorola Edge 50 Pro Privacy and Terms and Conditons

Motorola Edge 50 Pro, 12/256GB, Dual SIM, Model XT2403-2

$999
8.5

Features

8.5/10

Value

8.5/10

Performance

8.5/10

Ease of Use

8.5/10

Design

8.5/10

Pros

  • Best pOLED screen in class
  • Excellent battery life, 125W/22-minute charge, and Qi wireless charge.
  • Excellent camera, only lacking the Periscope of the Edge 50 Ultra.
  • Very well made, IP68, USB-C 3.1 with Alt DP and comes with a charger.
  • Excellent 2-2+3 warranty/OS upgrades/security patches

Cons

  • The jury is out on vegan leather durability, so use the clear bumper cover.
  • Would not connect to 6GHz Wi-Fi.
  • No micro-SD (no flagship has this anyway).
  • Speaker sound could be improved.