If I were in a Facebook relationship with the latest Motorola Edge, I already know which status I would choose — It’s complicated. The Edge has a vibrant display, sleek design, and even a decent camera. Still, it’s too easy to talk myself into another situationship with a different phone around its price range. Whether it’s theGoogle Pixel 7a, the Nothing Phone 2, or even Motorola’s own ThinkPhone on a decent sale, the competition between mid-range phones is fiercer than ever. Despite how good it is, it’s tough to settle on the Motorola Edge.
Motorola Edge (2023)
The Moto Edge (2023) is a good phone, featuring a gorgeous OLED display refreshing at 144Hz, a premium build quality, and fast charging, but it comes up short when looking at the competition. At $599, it runs into other budget flagships, which top the Moto Edge at almost every turn.
Price and availability
The Motorola Edge (2023) is available through Motorola for $599 — sort of. On release, Moto was selling the Edge for $100 off, but that discount is no longer available. I was hoping that price would stick around, as $599 makes the Edge a much tougher sell, but considering the company’s past, we expect to see that price return frequently. It comes in one configuration — 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage — and in one color: Eclipse Black with an eco-leather finish.
Design and display
A blast from the past with a modern twist
Although I don’t think Motorola meant to make something retro, the Edge reminds me most of the Samsung Galaxy S9 when it’s in my hand. Its design is a throwback to when smartphones were far more slender, with the Edge tipping the scales at a mere 168g — practically weightless compared to the chonky devices of today. Its sand-blasted aluminum finish tapers beautifully to accommodate the steeply curved glass display.
However, despite the high-end appearance, you won’t find any Corning Gorilla Glass protecting the Edge’s screen, an odd omission, given it’s fairly standard in this price range. It’s actually NEG glass made by Nippon Electric Glass, which the company claims is as durable as Gorilla Glass and Dragontrail glass — the proof will be in how it holds up. Still, I didn’t notice any microscratches early on in use.
Motorola uses high-quality vegan leather that is fantastic to the touch. I know it’s not advisable, but I love using the Edge without a case. The faux leather provides enough grip, and I enjoy keeping the phone’s sleek aesthetic. If you’re worried about protecting your phone against the elements, the Edge is IP68 dust and water-resistant.
As for the display, it’s the centerpiece of the Moto Edge experience. It’s a gorgeous 6.6-inch P-OLED display refreshing at 144Hz. I understand it’s only 1080p, but what it lacks in resolution, it makes up for in vibrancy. Colors pop off the screen with excellent contrast. It’s reminiscent of the rich saturation found on Motorola’s Razr+. It’s also plenty bright for a mid-range phone, with 1,200 nits at your disposal, good enough to easily view in daylight.
I like that Motorola treats us like adults, allowing users to select/lock a refresh rate for the phone from 60Hz through 144Hz. If you want to get the best battery life from your Edge, you may leave it on auto, but I appreciate getting the option for those who like taking advantage of higher refresh rate displays. Unsurprisingly at this price range, this isn’t an LTPO display, so it won’t be able to ratchet down to 1Hz to conserve battery.
While recent trends have seen manufacturers shy away from curved displays, Moto leans into the design element for the Edge. It’s a dramatic slope, similar to the early curved Galaxy devices and the Huawei P30. It’s a personal choice, but I think it feels good on the Edge and matches Moto’s theme.
Other hardware and what’s in the box
You’ll find the first of two Dolby-tuned speakers along the device’s bottom edge, with the second behind the earpiece. They aren’t the loudest, but the sound is decent enough, and a stereo speaker setup is always preferred.
Haptics are decent, but nothing I would praise the device for. If anything, they get a little buzz-y and vibration-happy, but unlike other devices with poor haptics, I never turned them off in disgust.
In the box, you’ll find a USB-C to USB-C charging cable and a SIM tray tool — that’s it.
Software and performance
A little slow on the updates
The Motorola Edge runs Android 13 out of the box. Even though Android 14 has been released on Pixel devices, don’t expect to see it anytime soon on your Edge — Moto is notoriously slow with software updates. In addition, the company is only promising three years of support, which comes up a little short in 2023.
As for the software experience, I typically enjoy Motorola’s My UX flavor of Android. It’s clean and smooth, with the added convenience of Moto gestures. All your favorites are still here, from the chop for the flashlight to a twist of the wrist pulling up the camera app.
With more companies making privacy a selling point, Motorola has added security features to its Android software. Moto Secure allows users to have granular control over which apps can access certain areas of the phone. Moreover, you can see which apps have accessed specific systems and information during the last few days. Moto Secure will present that information in a user-friendly interface if a rogue app tries to access your contacts and calendar or uses the microphone when it shouldn’t.
Ready For links your Moto Edge to your PC with arguably more functionality than Samsung DeX. It allows you to stream your phone experience to an external monitor or TV with a streamlined interface. It’s handy for video conferencing, multitasking, or even just streaming TV apps from your phone. And unlike Samsung, Motorola puts it on a wide range of devices, including the Edge at sub-$500 — which should make Galaxy Flip 5 owners nauseous.
Nothing frustrates me more on modern Motorola devices than excluding an always-on display. Peek display — Moto’s AOD alternative — has made some strides, as users can add various widgets and apps to the home screen. That’s great, but when the calendar tells me I’m still living in 2023, I’d at least like the option to have the display on. If I’m not within reach of the device, I have no way of knowing which notifications I’ve missed. I’ve always loved Moto lock screens. With a thumb press, I can see the notification and choose an action. It’s fantastic — I just wish it was available in an always-on display.
The heart of the Moto Edge (2023) is its MediaTek Dimensity 7030, a 6nm chipset that is reasonably efficient but lacking in horsepower. Benchmarks rarely tell the whole story, but it ranks near the Exynos 1380 that powers the Galaxy A54. Even though I think the Edge runs better, Motorola doesn’t exactly get to run around the ring after barely beating out a fighter from a lesser weight class — the A54 can typically be found for almost $200 less. It’s one of the weird quirks of the Edge, and it makes the phone difficult to recommend when significantly more powerful processors can be had for roughly the same price on other devices.
As everyone knows (sarcasm intensifies), the true measure of a smartphone is how well it runs Genshin Impact. It’s playable, but expect only to run at low settings with a low framerate. Other games like Call of Duty Mobile are acceptable experiences but expect slowdowns and stutters when displaying a lot of action.
I don’t want to give anyone the wrong impression. The Dimensity 7030 is perfectly serviceable. It’s able to drive the 144Hz display without issue, and daily tasks are a breeze with minimal hiccups in performance. However, you will notice slowdowns when you multitask or call for more power — Scotty won’t have anything left for you in the engine room. The Moto Edge is by no means a bad performer; it’s just not where it should be for the price.
An okay camera
Motorola cameras usually come in just above a potato for picture quality. The images are soft and drab, with little detail or depth to the photos. Then came the Razr+. Its cameras showed a level of saturation I hadn’t seen on a Moto phone before. I was hoping the Edge would go even further, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Images from the phone’s main 50MP sensor are impressive for this price range. The depth of field still isn’t the best, but the photos are crisp with excellent color. Even though no one will confuse it for Night Sight, the Moto Edge does a respectable job of pulling in more light. I never noticed the Edge blowing out a photo in bright light, and the images didn’t get as noisy in low light as I had been used to on Moto phones.
Technically, the Moto Edge has a two-camera system, but the 13MP ultrawide lens is nothing to write home about. It’s a noticeable stepdown in image quality, and even in decent lighting, images are dark and soft.
A 32MP front camera handles selfie duties with respectable results. Portrait mode works well with decent edge detection. All told, it’s a significantly better camera system than we are used to from Motorola.
Battery life
Super-fast charging
Even with only a 4,400mAh battery, the Moto Edge can hold its own. It consistently achieved over 6.5 hours of screen-on time. I noticed a little more mobile network drain than I would have liked, but if you’re in an area with a strong signal or spend your days on Wi-Fi, I expect over 7 hours of SoT.
When it’s time to recharge, it’s tough to beat the Moto Edge for speed. Motorola fitted this device with TurboPower, allowing the Edge to recharge at a speedy 68W. Unfortunately, while Moto doesn’t keep up with the times for software updates, it does with cost-cutting — you won’t find a 68W charger in the box, which is disappointing given Moto has included chargers with other recent devices.
A full charge will take around 40 to 50 minutes, and it’s able to reach 80 percent in only 30. It’s a relief if you wake up and realize you forgot to plug in your phone. you’re able to place it down while you get ready in the morning and still have enough power to last the day.
The Edge also features 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging — a surprisingly premium, if not marginal, feature at this price point.
Competition
A simple choice depending on what you want
The OnePlus 11 offers faster performance, more RAM, and a higher display resolution, all for the same $600 Motorola will charge for the Edge. While I’m not overly confident in modern OxygenOS, it’s not like Motorola software support is exactly ol’ reliable either. If you do a lot of gaming or photo editing on your phone, the OnePlus 11 is worth a look —especially for the same price.
The Google Pixel 7a was given a $100 price increase over its predecessor, but the specs were upped to match. The 7a now comes with 8GB of RAM, and the Tensor G2 is powerful enough to trump the Dimensity 7030 found in the Edge. If you’re a shutterbug, the Pixel 7a is the clear choice, with the Pixel camera consistently providing a higher-quality image. Its build quality is also nothing to sneeze at, with the Pixel 7a sporting an aluminum frame and a Gorilla Glass front.
Should you buy it?
I don’t think anyone who buys the Motorola Edge will walk away disappointed. There was never a point in testing where I wanted to run back into the arms of a flagship device. But these phones don’t exist in a vacuum. The Moto Edge can be a reasonable effort and still not be the right choice for many people — they aren’t mutually exclusive.
If you’re a fan of stock Android but turn your nose up at Pixel phones, the Moto Edge is worth a look. It has solid performance, good battery life, a decent camera, and a sleek design — but it’s missing features that would make it a slam dunk at $600 or even $500. When it’s so easy to talk yourself into another relationship, is it really worth settling?
