Motorola has two new phones with military-grade durability

Alex Angove-Plumb - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 30 August 2024

Motorola just announced two new mid-range smartphones: the Edge 50 for $799 and Edge 50 Neo for $699. Each phone is rated IP68 for water and dust resistance, but the more interesting detail is the US military’s MIL-STD-810H standard for surviving in extreme environmental conditions.

MIL-STD-810H testing includes shock, high and low temperature, humidity, vibration and more. It doesn't mean a product is appropriate for military use, nor are these phones intended to be "rugged". But it should hopefully mean they can stand up to a bit more punishment than your average oops-it-cracked handset.

We're also keen to test out these phones, given they're the siblings to this year’s Morotola Edge 50 Fusion, which took the 2024 WhistleOut Award for Best Value Phone of the Year.

Aside from their resistance certifications, there are several other features common to both phones.

The cameras in particular appear to be identical. Both phones have a 50MP main rear camera with optical image stabilisation. They also have a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 30x “superzoom”, a 13MP ultrawide lens for wider shots, and utilise Sony’s catchily named LYTIATM sensor, relying on the company’s Moto AI for image processing and video recording enhancements.

Despite their bona fides for sturdiness, they’re both slender and lightweight. The Motorola Edge 50 boasts a thin 7.8mm profile and 180g weight, while the Edge 50 Neo has an 8.1mm profile and is a flyweight at 171g.

Motorola promises all day battery and super fast charging, thanks to a 68W charger that comes in the box.

Motorola Edge 50

Of the two, the Edge 50 is the more premium model, a price tag of $799 is still firmly within the mid-range category, facing off against the likes of the Google Pixel 8a and the Oppo Reno 12.

It has 256GB of storage (very nice for the price), a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor, eSIM support, and 12GB of RAM, which can be boosted by another 12GB when needed, using the phone's storage drive.

The 6.7-inch pOLED borderless display has a 120Hz refresh rate, 2712 x 1220 resolution, and supports HDR10+. It might struggle in direct sunlight thanks to its max brightness of 1,600 nits (for reference, the recently released Pixel 9 has 2,700 nits), but we’ll know more once we get our hands on one.

The Edge 50 will be available in Australia on September 2, exclusively from JB HiFi. It will be available in Koala Grey, Jungle Green and Peach Fuzz colours.

Motorola Edge 50 Neo

The Edge 50 Neo is the cheaper of these two already-affordable phones. Its $699 starting price tag is toward the bottom of what might be considered mid-range, putting it in competition with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A55 and Nothing Phone 2a, meaning it has some stiff competition.

It’s smaller than the Edge 50, thanks to a 6.4-inch pOLED display, but it has a similar resolution of 2670 x 1220, and the same HDR10+ support.

As for what’s under the hood, it’s a less-flashy MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, but still has eSIM, 12GB RAM, and 256GB of storage.

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo will be available from September 12 at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Mobileciti, Amazon, and Motorola.com.au. The available colours are Grisaille (dark grey), Latte (beige), and Poinciana (red).

Need a new mobile plan?

These are the most popular mobile phone plans on our website right now with at least 15GB of data, sourced from our database of 28 mobile providers:

#1	SpinTel Editor's Pick	SpinTel Editor's Pick $23 Mobile Plan 25GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas with 5G devices ex. NT WhistleOut Special: Enjoy $11 off for the first 6 months for new customers - $12/mth for first 6 months, then $23/mth $12.00/mth Min. cost $12 Go to Site	$12.00/mth Min. cost $12	Go to Site
#2	Boost Mobile	Boost Mobile $39 Prepaid 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Telstra 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Grab a $39 SIM for $13 – save $26. Hurry! Offer ends 05.10.26. Terms Apply $39.00 Per 28 Day Renewal Go to Site	$39.00 Per 28 Day Renewal	Go to Site
#3	Dodo Editor's Pick	Dodo Editor's Pick Medium Mobile Plan 40GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: 50% off for first 4 mths! Get the Medium Mobile Plan for $15/mth for first 4 mths. New and returning mobile customers only. Ends 27.10 $30.00/mth Min. cost $15 Go to Site	$30.00/mth Min. cost $15	Go to Site
#4	TPG Editor's Pick	TPG Editor's Pick 30GB Small Plan 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: 50% off - $15/mth for first 6 months, then $30/mth ongoing. Available until withdrawn. T&Cs apply. $15.00 Per 1 Month Renewal Link not supplied	$15.00 Per 1 Month Renewal	Link not supplied
#5	Tangerine Telecom	Tangerine Telecom 30GB 5G Mobile SIM 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Uses parts of Telstra’s 5G and 4G mobile networks Deal: 50% off plan fees for 4 months - $15/mth for 4 months then $30/mth. Offer available until withdrawn. $30.00/mth Min. cost $15 Go to Site	$30.00/mth Min. cost $15	Go to Site
#6	Yomojo	Yomojo Starter 29GB Plan 29GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps On the Optus 4G Plus Mobile Network $24.90 Per 30 Day Renewal Link not supplied	$24.90 Per 30 Day Renewal	Link not supplied
#7	Pivotel	Pivotel 25GB Mobile Swift Plan 25GB data On the Vodafone 4G Mobile Network Deal: Incl. 50% off - $11.45/mth for first 6 months, then $22.90/mth ongoing. Offer ends 31.10.2026. T&Cs apply. $11.45/mth Min. cost $11.45 Go to Site	$11.45/mth Min. cost $11.45	Go to Site
#8	TPG	TPG 100GB Large Plan 100GB data at download speeds up to 250Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: 50% off - $22.50/mth for first 6 months, then $45/mth ongoing. Available until withdrawn. T&Cs apply. $22.50 Per 1 Month Renewal Link not supplied	$22.50 Per 1 Month Renewal	Link not supplied
#9	Swoop	Swoop 30GB SIM Only 5G 30GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Vodafone 5G Network in selected areas with 5G devices Deal: Includes $11 off for first 6 months - $14/mth for first 6 months then $25/mth after that. Offer ends 30.06.27 $14.00/mth Min. cost $14 Go to Site	$14.00/mth Min. cost $14	Go to Site
#10	Dodo	Dodo Large Mobile Plan 80GB data at download speeds up to 150Mbps Optus 5G in selected areas (exc NT) with a 5G device Deal: 50% off for first 4 mths! Get the Large Mobile Plan for $20/mth for first 4 mths. New and returning mobile customers only. Ends 27.10 $40.00/mth Min. cost $20 Go to Site	$40.00/mth Min. cost $20	Go to Site

Alex Angove-Plumb

Digital Content Editor

Alex Angove-Plumb is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut and an award-winning journalist. He's been in the tech publishing industry since 2010, putting him a few short years away from the title of Grizzled Ancient in his chosen profession. He was an original WhistleOut-er before running NBN Co's corporate blog for two years, then moving on to a lengthy stint at CHOICE. Now he's come home.

Read full bio