- Solid value
- Insanely fast charging
- Premium, light design
- Curved display won't be to everyone's liking
- Not the best option for gaming
- Software lifespan not as good as competition
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro is a quiet achiever. It's not the best in class, but it doesn't have any real weaknesses either. Some decisions might not be everyone's liking, but in general, the phone ticks the right boxes for its price category.
Let's start with the potentially divisive features. The two main variants of the Edge 50 Pro have a "vegan leather" finish. It's effectively a high-end, soft matte plastic, and I'm a fan. It's nice in the hand, and omitting glass on the back is one less thing to break.
At the same time, vegan leather has historically been one of those features that some people love and others don't. Most manufacturers who've sold vegan leather phones have typically offered a more traditional alternative, but the two main Edge 50 Pro variants - black and purple - both use the material. There's also a pearl acetate variant available which feels a little more like a "normal" phone, but this is a limited edition, so there's no telling how long it will be around.
Of course, if you're really not a fan of vegan leather, you can always put the Edge 50 Pro in a case. You even get a colour-matched silicon case in the box.
The feature that might be a little harder to reckon with is the Edge 50 Pro's curved display. While curved displays used to be the mark of a high-end Android phone, Samsung and Google have entirely removed them from their product lines.
There's a definite sleekness to a curved display, and it does make bezels look smaller, but I'm not a fan of how the edges distort colour. Curved displays can also be more expensive to repair if you break your phone, which is also worth considering if you're on the clumsier side.
Curves aside, the Edge 50 Pro display is lovely. It's bright, vivid, has a high refresh rate, and runs at a slightly higher resolution than competing phones (1220p+ rather than 1080p+), making everything that little bit sharper. That's especially welcome given the 6.7-inch screen size.
It's also worth calling out weight. The Edge 50 Pro is just over 180 grams, which makes it very light for a phone of its size. The iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs in at 221 grams, for example, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra is even heftier at 232 grams.
The Edge 50 Pro has all the trimmings you'd expect from a phone veering into premium territory. There's IP68 water resistance, wireless charging, and eSIM. All the kind of nice-to-haves that are now all but standard on devices in the $1,000 and up category.
What's a little less premium is Motorola's software support policy. Motorola is promising three years of major operating system updates, and four years of bi-monthly security updates. While that's not bad, we've seen other Android manufacturers up their commitments.
Samsung promises four years of software updates and five years of security, while Google is touting seven years of both for the latest Pixels. Even if it's unlikely you'll keep your phone that long, longer support live can always help with resale value.
When it comes to more conventional specs, fast charging is a standout feature. When you use the included 125W charger, Motorola says you can take the Edge 50 Pro from flat to full in as quick as 18 minutes. In my testing, 18 minutes took the phone to around 80%, and the full charge was finished in under 23. While that's a little slower than promised, it's still very impressive.
These speeds do rely on the bundled charger, which is pretty bulky. You're not going to get the same kind of quick boost from any old wall plug, but at least Motorola is still including one in the box, when omitting them has become all but standard.
In terms of battery usage itself, the Edge 50 Pro should get you around five hours of screen time per charge. That's about a day of moderate usage with a buffer at the end. It's not outstanding, but certainly not bad, and only the heaviest of users should find themselves in need of a charge throughout the day.
The Edge 50 Pro has a solid camera setup, packing a 50MP primary lens, 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP 3x zoom lens. The zoom lens is a nice addition, and one you won't always find in this price bracket.
Results from the primary camera are consistently strong, even in adverse conditions. I was able to get great shots in most situations. The one caveat is motion; while the Edge 50 Pro did a decent job with live music, images of my dog often had a slight blur to them.
The ultra-wide lens and zoom lens are unsurprisingly a step down from the primary lens, but still deliver solid images for the price point. The downgrade is more noticeable on the zoom lens, with images lacking detail compared to both the primary and ultra-wide - especially if you're shooting in even slightly dark environments.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the Edge 50 Pro. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
Lastly, the Edge 50 Pro is powered by a mid-tier Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset, which is a little underpowered for the price point. Phones in a similar price bracket like the Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy S23 FE both have faster chips under the hood. This isn't to say what's on offer with the Motorola is bad, by any measure. Day-to-day performance is silky smooth, but the Edge 50 Pro won't be the best choice for more demanding mobile games.
Motorola Edge 50 Pro - Final Thoughts
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro doesn't have any real surprises - good or bad -, but is a solid all-round phone that's worth the asking price. It represents a nice sweet spot between more affordable mid-tier phones and increasingly expensive flagship phones.
Of course, the Edge 50 Pro isn't your only option in this price bracket. You could look at the Galaxy S23 FE and the Pixel 8a or Pixel 8, for example. These alternatives all have better software longevity than the Edge 50 Pro, and a little more processing power for the gamers in the room.
The Edge 50 Pro camera beats out the Galaxy S23 FE, however, and also has a longer battery. This is much of a muchness when compared to the Pixels, but the Edge 50 Pro does have a much larger 6.7-inch display. And personally, the Edge 50 Pro does a better job of "feeling" premium.
It's a flagship phone in vibe, even if some of its specs aren't.
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Alex Choros
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