Over the last couple of years, Motorola has staged a bold comeback. From sleek flip-phones to classic candy bar models in fun, eye-catching colours, the company has not only made a mark with its new hardware but also enhanced the user experience. The Moto Edge 50 is one of those appealing options aimed at the mid-range market, and here’s how it fares.
Design
The Moto Edge 50 is a remarkably sleek phone, featuring a modern edge-to-edge display on a metal body with fine curves. The colour variant I received was Jungle Green, a deep but vibrant shade, that lends the device a premium look, further accentuated by the vegan leather finish. This material not only looks stylish but also offers superb grip.
The smartphone features an IP68 certification making it resilient against water and dust. It can handle a light drizzle and is also built to withstand occasional drops. Weighing 180 grams, the phone feels well-balanced in the hand and feels light in the pocket.
Additionally, the button and port placements are thoughtfully positioned, allowing for easy access while maintaining the sleek aesthetic of the device.
Display
The Moto Edge 50 sports a 6.7-inch pOLED “Endless Edge” display with a resolution of 2712x1220 pixels. Watching movies and shows, such as re-runs of Monk on Netflix in HD, was a delight on the 20:9 aspect ratio screen. The device is overall great for media consumption.
Out of the box, the display offers vibrant colours, allowing viewers to enjoy deeper blacks and enhanced contrast. The visuals in Mad Max: Fury Road on Amazon Prime, with the Vivid colour profile set as the default, really made the already iconic cinematography appear even more striking. Skin tones look natural, with a crisp contrast between the characters and the scenery in the movie. Those who prefer a more subdued look can choose the Natural colour profile instead.
The display’s touch rejection around the edges is impressive, effectively distinguishing between intended interactions and accidental touches.
Sound
The audio from the stereo speakers is impressive, allowing me to enjoy tracks like Tritonal & EMME’s Out of the Dark on Spotify. The audio is well-rounded, delivering clear vocals and bass even at higher volumes with minimal distortion. With Dolby Atmos tuning, the speakers shine, elevating enhancing the immersive experience while watching House MD on Netflix.
Camera
The primary camera system includes a 50 MP main rear camera (f/1.8, OIS), a 13 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10 MP telephoto camera. Daytime images feature cool skin tones while retaining a fair amount of detail and sharpness. The telephoto camera retained details up to 3x and 5x while zooming in, after which the image started becoming grainy. It was able to manage to stay true to the natural colour tones. The 32 MP front camera performs well for selfies, though edge detection in portrait mode could use some refinement.
Performance
The Moto Edge 50 features a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition octa-core processor with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage, which offers solid performance for a mid-range device.
The Moto Edge 50 achieves an AnTuTu score of 6,70,516, placing it competitively between the HONOR 90 and the iQOO Z9s. I played Battlegrounds Mobile India at ultra-high settings with around 50 fps and experienced no dropped frames or stuttering. The smartphone runs on Android 14 with Hello UI. While the UI is clean and closely resembles stock Android, the presence of various Moto apps for personalisation, such as Moto Secure, can feel cumbersome. Having said that, it still keeps away incessant notifications, which is typical of bloatware. The smartphone also includes basic AI features like Magic Canvas for generating wallpapers using prompts. While effective, the AI features remain quite basic.
Battery
The Moto Edge 50 lasts approximately 1 to 1.5 days with low to medium usage, offering around 7 hours of screen-on time, including a few hours of calls, video watching, and photography. It is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery and supports Turbo charging up to 68W, as well as 15W wireless charging. When using a standard 25W fast charger, it takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes to fully charge.
Verdict
At ₹26,999, the Moto Edge 50 offers a solid design, excellent display, and decent camera capabilities. However, its battery life is average, and the promise of only two major software updates may limit its long-term usability. While it faces competition from the likes of the POCO X6 Pro and the Nothing 2a, the Moto Edge 50 is still a commendable choice for those seeking a mid-range flagship experience.