Motorola is not at the top of the bestseller lists. The new Edge 30 Pro smartphone should attract buyers in the 800-euro price range with top technology. But it cannot shine everywhere.
Motorola is actually bringing out the bulk of its smartphones in the mid-range. But with the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, the company presented a new top model at the MWC 2022. In addition to the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the support of 5G and Wifi 6E, the 144 Hz OLED display and the cameras are particularly worth mentioning. But how does the smartphone fare in the test?
With the new Edge 30 Pro for the 2022 model season, Motorola has not splashed out. The top chip Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was ordered from the chip manufacturer Qualcomm. More is currently not possible in the Android family. With its eight CPU cores, the Motorola device is in the top league of a Samsung Galaxy S22.
The usual standard apps can therefore not embarrass the Edge 30 Pro. And there are no bottlenecks when many of them are running at the same time, because Motorola has taken good care of it with 12 GB of RAM. Gamers will love the performance. Because even with the highest graphics settings in the games, the animations remain fluid. However, the device gets quite warm during longer gaming sessions.
The display delivers razor-sharp images
The Motorola even leaves the competition behind when it comes to the display, at least in terms of the technical specifications. The 6.7-inch display of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is able to display up to 144 frames per second (144 Hz). Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and other top smartphones, on the other hand, “only” achieve a refresh rate of 120 Hz. However, despite the increase in the practical test, there was no noticeable difference in the display.
With top smartphones, however, it’s not just the maximum values that count. When there isn’t a lot going on in apps or on websites in the browser, very high refresh rates only waste electricity unnecessarily. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro can switch down to 60 Hz, but unfortunately not any further.
While you may not really see the 144Hz peak, the OLED display is great for watching videos, gaming, and is generally easy on the eye, delivering crisp images with vivid colors .
Also read: A big comparison of Samsung’s three new Galaxy S22 models
Top technology here, a little saving there
While Motorola uses comparatively expensive cutting-edge technology for the main chip and the display, compromises have been made with the main camera system. The previous model Edge 20 Pro still had a main, ultra wide-angle and periscope telephoto lens.
With the Edge 30 Pro, Motorola has replaced the optical telephoto lens with a depth sensor that supports the system, especially when taking portraits. The manufacturer points out that the super-strong Qualcomm chip can virtually replace the missing Tele. That may be true in bright surroundings. With darker subjects, however, a slightly higher color noise was noticeable in the telephoto shots of the Edge 30 Pro.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro with powerful front camera
The images from the main camera turned out to be sharp, bright and with a good dynamic range. The camera is able to recognize different textures and details and the images look vivid without the need for major editing.
The selfie camera was also convincing in the test: With a resolution of 60 megapixels, it not only shoots detailed photos, but also stands out with an extremely useful gimmick. In selfie mode, a white ring lights up on the display around the camera, which magically draws your gaze. As soon as the camera detects several people in the picture, instructions appear on the display on how to pan the camera so that everyone can be seen in the picture afterwards. Motorola calls this “group selfie”.
The battery is not a long-distance runner, the power pack is a sprinter
If you use the Motorola Edge 30 Pro for intensive image processing tasks or for longer gaming sessions, you should have a power supply with you. If you use it heavily, the battery won’t last all day. The battery, which is 300 mAh larger than the predecessor, doesn’t help either.
With a little less ambitious use, the battery lasts for the whole day. While Apple, Samsung and others do without the power supply unit in the box with reference to environmental protection, Motorola includes a high-quality fast charging adapter (68 watts). This means that an empty Edge 30 Pro is filled to the brim with energy again within 45 minutes.
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro supports fast 5G mobile communications and the new WLAN standard WiFi 6. This means that the radio technology will still be up to date in a few years. As with the previous model, you have to make compromises elsewhere. Wireless charging and good water protection: none. Motorola has dispensed with the IP68 protection class and only obtained certification for IP52. This means there is normal dust protection and protection against dripping water.
Conclusion: Many strengths, small weaknesses
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro offers excellent performance with the latest Snapdragon chip and has been equipped with a beautiful 144 Hertz display. The cameras are good, but not outstanding. In practice, the comparatively short battery life under high loads is compensated for by the extremely short battery charging time.
For 800 euros you get a good smartphone with almost uncustomized Android. If you primarily want to take photos with your smartphone, you have strong alternatives to choose from in this price range with the OnePlus 9RT or Samsung Galaxy S21 FE.