With its brand new edge 50 Pro, Motorola proves that you can offer premium functions in a mid-range smartphone, much cheaper than the market leaders. Enough to shake up the competition.

With its brand new edge 50 Pro, Motorola proves that you can offer premium functions in a mid-range smartphone, much cheaper than the market leaders. Enough to shake up the competition.

The Chinese-American brand is maintaining its course and its rhythm. For this spring 2024, it is renewing its range of edge smartphones, this year made up of three models: edge 50, Pro and Ultra, a very trendy name currently and which here characterizes the most premium device in the family. The edge 50 branded Pro therefore has the difficult task of embodying the mid-range, a sector highly prized by the competition whereas last year it took on the role of a high-end model. And even if it goes down a notch in the hierarchy, this Pro model is far from being a discount smartphone. We find the know-how of the brand, its good ideas and an attention to detail which does not disappoint, all for a very reasonable price which promises to classify this smartphone among the mobiles with very good value for money. We were able to test the edge 50 Pro for a week. Here is our verdict.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: a sleek design

At Motorola, the edge range represents the manufacturer’s showcase alongside Razr smartphones, its folding mobiles. Last year, the edge 40 Fusion and Pro already won us over with the care taken in their design. This new batch does not disappoint either. The edge 50 Pro that we received for this test ticks all the boxes for a successful design. The device is thus quite thin with its 8.2 mm thickness. The beveled edges provide a pleasant feeling in the hands.

The back is covered in imitation leather (now called vegan leather). It offers a very soft touch and does not retain fingerprints. The model we have in our hands adopts a lavender color but it is also available in black and pearly white. For the latter, the coating used is acetate, a material often found in eyeglass frames.

If the center of the back of the device is flanked by the brand logo, the top inevitably groups the photo sensors. We note, in the way of integrating them into the chassis, a small resemblance to what Oppo offered and its FindX models, where the photo island blended gently into the case. The result remains very elegant.

The general size of the device is appreciable. It has a rather slender appearance with its 161.2 mm high and 72.4 mm wide. It fits easily in small hands which will not displease the fairer sex. The weight also remains contained at 186 g. Finally, we note that the device benefits from IP68 certification to resist dust and immersion in water.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: a very bright Oled screen

Contrary to the current trend which is returning to completely flat screens, for this edge 50 Pro, Motorola is adopting a curved Oled panel. It gives an extra touch of charm to this mobile by eliminating the borders on either side. Here we benefit from a 6.67-inch screen offering a definition of 2712 x 1220 pixels for a slightly increased resolution compared to last year’s Edge 40 Pro at 446 ppi. It is not an LTPO panel but the refresh rate can go up to 144 Hz (with two other levels set at 60 and 120 Hz).

In terms of brightness, the device is eye-catching. Motorola announces a peak at 2000 nits. In reality, we found this panel very responsive with the different light conditions encountered. Under the zenith sun, we had no difficulty reading what was displayed. Furthermore, the anti-reflective treatment, even if it is not at the level of that of a Galaxy S24 Ultra, is quite effective.

Finally, Motorola has worked particularly well on colorimetry. The edge 50 Pro benefits from “Pantone Validated” certification for its screen and its photo module. The color rendering is therefore very well calibrated… provided that you adopt the “Natural Colors” mode, which is much less garish than the “Vibrant Colors” mode activated by default.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: very decent performance

Technical sheet

Unlike last year’s Pro model which was equipped with the current high-end SoC (Snapdragon 8 Gen 2), the edge 50 Pro marks a step back to leave the spotlight to the more high-end model the edge 50 Ultra . The device is powered here by a SoC still from the American Qualcomm but a bit less efficient, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. An octa-core chip (1.8 to 2.63 GHz) engraved in 4 nm. It is supported in its task by 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage space (not expandable in the absence of a microSD card slot). Also, the results of the various benchmarks to which we subjected it are a notch below its predecessor. Nothing dramatic though. The behavior of the edge 50 Pro does not disappoint. The handling of the interface turns out to be very fluid and we did not encounter the slightest slowdown in manipulations.

It is above all at stake that the edge 50 Pro differentiates itself from its predecessor. Graphics performance is less good. But we can still play in correct conditions. With our reference title Genshin Impact, we were able to play at a frame rate of 62 frames per second with a level of detail set to medium. Which remains entirely playable.

For the interface, we take advantage of Android 14 on which Motorola applies a very discreet overlay which brings here and there some useful gadgets such as the possibility of using the curved edges for notifications, of shaking the smartphone to trigger the camera , etc. The manufacturer adds its own apps (including Ready For for connection to the PC) but also around ten third-party apps such as games and social networks. Fortunately, it is possible to get rid of it after the first initialization.

However, one point remains disappointing. The device is expected to support only three major Android updates and four years of security patching. It’s a little thin today while the trend is to see further ahead (five or seven years for Samsung and Google for example). We expected better on that front.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: successful photos on almost every level

For the photo aspect, Motorola makes a rather balanced proposal. The device has a 50 Mpx wide-angle module backed by a beautiful aperture (f/1.4), a 13 Mpx ultra-wide-angle (f/2.2) also at work for photography macro and a 10 Mpx x3 telephoto lens (f/2.0). On the front, the selfie camera uses a 50 Mpx sensor (f/1.9). On paper, the whole thing seems coherent enough to succeed in most shots.

The wide-angle module does a very good job. When the light is right, the sharpness is very present and the details numerous. The colors are a bit enhanced by the processing but nothing that excessively distorts the scene either. For the price, the result is very convincing.

The ultra-wide-angle module, for its part, produces surprisingly good results despite its “small” 13 Mpx sensor. The details remain well present and the deformations on the sides are well controlled. However, we sometimes notice a washed out appearance of the colors. The photos tend slightly towards blue.

Portrait mode is undoubtedly the aspect least controlled by the device. The fault is too slow autofocus which struggles to calculate the distance and focus precisely. A problem that we already encountered on last year’s Edge 40 Neo. You therefore often have to try several times to achieve what you want. On the other hand, when it works, the quality is there… even if you have to wait a little before seeing the result displayed on the screen (the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 does what it can).

As for selfies, they are rather successful with a good wealth of details (thanks to the 50 Mpx sensor).

The x3 telephoto lens is a good idea. At this price level, few competitors venture into this field. The photos delivered are of good quality even with the simple 10 Mpx sensor hidden behind the lens. Here we also see a slight dull appearance of the colors and a slight loss of detail. Up to 3x, everything is fine. The photos are still very correct up to x10. After this level, the camera can go up to x30, the stabilization no longer works and the shots become much less usable.

In low light, the wide-angle module of the edge 50 Pro with its large aperture at f/1.4 performs well, managing to capture enough light. The details are there and the clarity is there. However, we can regret a somewhat aggressive treatment which tends to add light where there is none. But the photos remain generally satisfactory. On the other hand, the ultra wide-angle module, as is often the case, does not work miracles. Digital noise invites itself to the party far too often.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: good battery life and great charging

Surprise. While most more expensive or cheaper competing models rely on a 5000 mAh battery, the edge 50 Pro relies on a 4500 mAh battery. However, combined with the relatively energy-efficient Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, the device is doing well to keep up the pace. Our PC Mark benchmark thus displays an autonomy of 13 hours and thirty minutes while still retaining 18% of battery underfoot. This is a very honorable score which translates into a day and a half of use, and even a little more, without going through the recharge box.

For charging, Motorola does not disappoint. For once, the device comes with a charger. And not the least since the block allows recharging at 125 W. Thanks to it and the Boost Charge mode that can be activated in the settings, half an hour is enough to go from 0 to 100% battery when 10 minutes of charge allows you to recover 40% of autonomy. It is very pleasant. And for fans of wireless charging, the device promises up to 50 W via this process.

Motorola edge 50 Pro: should you go for Motorola’s mid-range?

With its Edge 50 Pro, Motorola poses itself as a truly credible challenger in the mid-range smartphone field. The firm offers an elegant and neat design, far from the bulky competing models. We also benefit from a very beautiful Oled screen, bright and well calibrated. The photo shutter is not recessed with good balance and a wide-angle module at ease in all circumstances. We simply regret the lack of liveliness of the autofocus which can sometimes be annoying and all too often prevents rapid capture of photos, particularly portraits. Finally, the autonomy of this model is exemplary and above all, the very fast charging is convincing in this price range. The price is precisely what can end up tipping the scales in its favor. At 700 euros (we can already find it for less than 600 euros in certain online stores), the edge 50 Pro offers very good value for money which allows its small flaws to be erased.