If there was one smartphone card that really surprise me last year , it was the Motorola Edge . Last year’sMotorola EdgeandEdge Plushandsets both stood out as very solid options , with the former being a good mellow - end midrange headphone , while the latter was an excellent full - fledged flagship . Naturally , I ’ve been looking forward to seeing what Motorola will do with the Edge serial publication in 2024 .
The Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) is the first Edge phone to launch in the U.S. this class . It gasconade an impressive specification sheet , an attractive design , and a retail Mary Leontyne Price that ’s $ 50 cheaper than its precursor . Surely , that ’s a recipe for success … right ?
regrettably , not really . In fact , it ’s a pretty unsatisfying regression . Let me explain .
What I like about the Motorola Edge (2024)
Before I dig into the negatives , there are a few things about the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) that I quite like . We ’ll get with the display . It ’s a 6.6 - column inch OLED panel with a 2400 x 1080 solving . And it count great ! Colors are bright and punchy , Negro are decent and inky , and everything is razor - sharp — whether I ’m read an clause or watching a YouTube video .
The Edge ( 2024 ) also has a refresh pace that go up to 144Hz , which you call for to enable in the options app . Otherwise , it go in an Auto mood that goes up to 120Hz . That ’s how I ’ve been using the earphone throughout my review period , and I ’ve never felt the need to bump it up to 144Hz . Scrolling through Twitter ( or X , for you heathens ) , jumping back and forth between apps , and all other tasks have felt loyal and unstable . Still , it ’s nice to have the selection there , especially for a sound at this price .
Speaking of fast and mobile , I ’ve not had any performance issue with the Edge ( 2024 ) . Motorola chose a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip for the phone , and it ’s execute fantastically well . All of my apps have run without any military issue , and the 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM has done a fine business with multitasking .
I played a few rounds ofthe newStar Wars : Huntersgame(a few more than I ’m happy to allow in ) . Running the game at 60 human body per 2nd ( Federal Protective Service ) with high-pitched graphics configurations , it ran cleanly on the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) . I also did n’t mark the speech sound getting ardent at all , something I ca n’t say about theHonor 200 ProI was using before this .
In typical Motorola fashion , the Edge ( 2024 ) delivers great battery life . The phone has a 5,000 mAh barrage fire , and with over three hours of screen door time per day , I ’ve easily squash out two days of use per charge — and that ’s with a passel of YouTube and gaming . Even better , the 68 - watt wired charging signify you could go from zero to 100 % electric battery in a little over 50 minutes .
To wrap thing up , here are a few other slight thing I really like about the Edge ( 2024 ):
That ’s a long tilt of positive , eh ? If the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) gets so much right , what gives when it comes to the 5/10 account ? I ’m glad you asked .
Where the Motorola Edge (2024) falls apart
My complaints with the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) begin with the ironware . The phone has an aluminum frame with a leather back . On paper , it should be dead okay . In praxis , I find out it peculiarly off - putting .
For one matter , the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) islight — almost too light . At 174 grams , it ’s technically a little heavier than theiPhone 15 , but it does n’t fall across that way . It has a empty , almost toylike feel to it . It ’s difficult to excuse , but it ’s undeniable .
I also do n’t care the leather back . It does n’t look near in the single Midnight Blue gloss the phone comes in , and it easily attracts cutis oil and fingerprint smudges — often making the back look really arrant . singular enough , this is n’t a problem at all on the much cheaper Moto thou Stylus 5 G ( 2024 ) I reviewed earlier this yr . The buttons also feel tough . They’rewaytoo bantam and do n’t feel good to press .
Motorola includes a programmable Quick Button on the left over side of the phone , which is essentially an Action Button like you ’d line up on an iPhone 15 Pro . It ’s a good idea , but it ’s not executed well . The double wardrobe is restricted to activity within Motorola ’s Ready For app . you could customize the single mechanical press to unfold any app you ’d like , which would be nerveless if the button put to work faithfully — which it does not . About half the clip I press it , the button just does n’t do anything . It ’s a fun idea , but one that could have used more time in the oven .
A few final computer hardware complaints before I talk about the software . The in - covert fingerprint sensor issloooowww . It ’s accurate , but it takes perceptibly longer to scan your fingermark than it does on almost every other telephone set I ’ve used this year .
There ’s also no always - on display . On a $ 550 smartphone . In 2024 . In fact , even Peek Display seems to have been neuter on this year ’s Edge . Peek Display has been a long - standing Motorola feature that allowed you to see the metre and weather and interact with your notifications without fully rick on the screen . Tapping the covert still register you the fourth dimension , weather , and notification icons , but you could no longer interact with said notification — and there ’s no longer an choice in the setting to conform it .
My final computer hardware complaint is about the television camera . It ’s not unspoiled . The Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) provides a 50 - megapixel main camera , a 13MP ultrawide camera , and a 32MP selfie television camera . I ’ve taken a smattering of pic that look moderately decent , but more often than not , the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) produce images that arewaytoo undimmed , far too saturated , and much too acute . It also does n’t perform well in lowlight options .
Photos from the ultrawide television camera lack considerable detail , and selfies often look like I crank up the acuity spirit level up to 11 . When phones like the Pixel 8a offer substantially better photographic camera experiences for less money , the Motorola Edge ’s television camera shortcoming are difficult to neglect .
Motorola’s ongoing software issues
Software used to be a strong suit for Motorola phones . Recently , though , that ’s not been the case . I’ve aired my grievances about Motorola ’s ongoing computer software troubles , and unluckily , they ’re all present once more on the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) .
It starts with the bloatware . There are four types of bloat on the Edge ( 2024 ):
As I ’ve statedin old Motorola reviewsthis year , you could uninstall / remove all of these things . As I ’ve also stated , the steps for doing that are n’t immediately clear . Further , as plaguey as this hooey is on a $ 200 to $ 400 Moto G sound , the fact that it ’s all just as prevalent on a $ 550 Motorola Edge makes it finger even worse . When you ’re spending this variety of money on a smartphone , it should n’t have to be subsidized with ads and bloat — full stop .
I ’ve also noticed a quite a little of bugs on the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) , which I did n’t find on other Moto phone this class . When modify the theme / idiom color , it sometimes takeshoursbefore the new color applies to the Quick preferences . The back gesture , which is one of the most canonic navigations in Android , has been oddly discrepant . When I purloin down to see a presentment on the ignition lock silver screen , the notification often recoil up and does n’t expand so I can read its contents . It all create the Edge feel inexpensive and bare in a way that Motorola devices never used to find .
Software used to be a strong suit for Motorola phones .
And , of course , there ’s the offspring of software update . The Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) will get just two old age of O update and three years of bimestrial security patches . That ’s an embarrassing tier of software support for a speech sound this expensive in 2024 , and it ’s something I ’ll continue to harp on Motorola about for as long as it stay .
Motorola Edge (2024) price and availability
The Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) is useable now from Amazon , Best Buy , and Motorola ’s website . It come in just one color ( Midnight Blue ) and can be yours for $ 550 . after this twelvemonth , we ’ll see the phone head to numerous U.S. carriers — let in T - Mobile , Spectrum , Consumer Cellular , Visible , and others .
At $ 550 , the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) finds itself in an awkward position . TheGoogle Pixel 8ais $ 50 cheaper and has a much nicer camera , vastly adept software system , and lots of fun AI tricks , too . You have to put up with one - day battery life and slower charge speeds , but you also get a phone that ’s promisedseven yearsof updates and does n’t have any vexatious bloatware .
You could also get theOnePlus 12R. It ’s the best $ 500 smartphone I ’ve ever used and one of the proficient phones you could buy in 2024 overall . It has an implausibly squeamish design , an outstanding display , even better operation , similarly enceinte battery sprightliness , and even faster charge . If you may live without wireless charging , it ’s a much better purchase .
snake pit , even Motorola ’s ownMoto G Stylus 5 GB ( 2024)is a good buy than the Edge ( 2024 ) . It comes with a few sacrifice , yes , but it partake many of the Edge ’s strengths . Plus , it sum a earpiece labourer , expandable storage , and a build up - in stylus — all for just $ 400 .
Should you buy the Motorola Edge (2024)?
I ’m not go to perplex around the bush with this one . I do n’t think you should buy the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) . It ’s a blunt answer , and it ’s also a frustrating one for me to give .
After reviewing the Moto G Power earlier this year and see Digital Trends staff writer Christine Romero - Chan ’s review ofthe novel Moto G 5 G , I started to get a big feeling . Had Motorola recede its spot ? After launching so many solid smartphones in 2023 , had the company suddenly fallen into a economic crisis ? Then this yr ’s Moto G Stylus came along , and I was thoroughly impressed ; Motorola intelligibly still had some magic in it .
But now that I ’ve reviewed the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) , I ’m not indisputable what to imagine . Motorola nail the fundamentals with this one — a tone display , right execution , longsighted battery life history , and tight charging — but it altogether dropped the globe with everything else .
The hardware feels loud and not pleasing to utilize . The cameras are very unsatisfying for a phone at this price . The software system is buggy , ruined with bloatware , and plagued by Motorola ’s poor update policy . If I were reviewing a cheaper Moto G , I ’d be uncoerced to allow some of these things slip . But on a $ 550 smartphone in the Edge series — which is guess to be Motorola ’s flagship smartphone lineup — I ca n’t do that .
I do n’t conceive you should bribe the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) .
There are thing to like about the Motorola Edge ( 2024 ) . But its positives are weigh down by far too many shortcomings . There could have been a secure earpiece here , but due to a mix of ironware and software failures , it end up being one you should probably ignore .
