With the Edge 40 Neo, Motorola has created an affordable smartphone with very good features and finishes worthy of a much more expensive model. Finally a real mid-range mobile that keeps its promises!

With the Edge 40 Neo, Motorola has created an affordable smartphone with very good features and finishes worthy of a much more expensive model. Finally a real mid-range mobile that keeps its promises!

We can’t stop Motorola anymore. The American brand, owned by the Chinese Lenovo, feels itself growing (silver) wings again. It pleasantly surprised us at the beginning of the summer with the Razr 40 Ultra, a very successful folding smartphone which has nothing to envy of the Galaxy Z Flip5 from the giant Samsung (read our test). This fall, it is with a more traditional device that Motorola returns to the scene. The Edge 40 Neo joins the Edge 40 and 40 Pro models released earlier in the year but here displays a rather attractive price, just under the 400 euros mark. For this price, Moto does not deliver a smartphone at a discount and also intends to ride on its renewed notoriety. In a fairly gloomy smartphone market where the renewal rate is falling, the firm could well, with this device, succeed in attracting those who want to replace an aging smartphone at a lower cost. We were able to test the Edge 40 Neo for several weeks. Here is our verdict.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: a slim and light design

For this new edition of the Edge range, Motorola has once again partnered with Pantone and its famous, well-known color chart. The model we had in our hands is the Caneel Bay, a very punchy cyan which has the merit of immediately standing out. The device is available in two other colors, Black Beauty, a more traditional black, and Soothing Sea, which is close to sea green. The back of the device is covered on this model with imitation leather (now called vegan leather) which is very pleasant to the touch with just the right amount of roughness to allow a good grip. The aluminum frame retains the Pantone color but in a glossy version. It’s very successful.

The Edge 40 Neo also impresses with its slim size. If its dimensions in height and width remain classic (159.6 x 71.9 mm), it is above all its narrow line which surprises with only 7.9 mm. We also appreciate its weight of 170 g which seems very light in the current trend where many devices let themselves go a little. So much so that it is very discreet both in the hand and in a jeans pocket. A good point.

Finally, we note that the Edge 40 Neo benefits from IP68 certification and is thus resistant to dust as well as immersion in water at a depth of 1.5 m for 30 minutes. A great asset for the price. The manufacturer also provides in the box a silicone case in a color matching the device. We appreciate.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: a pleasant and well-managed screen

For the display of this Edge 40 Neo, Motorola chose a 6.55-inch pOled panel with curved edges. A surprising choice given that most manufacturers who have been enthusiastic about this principle for several years are starting to return to more classic flat screen panels. Nevertheless, the result is relevant since, in addition to the aesthetic aspect which makes it possible to almost eliminate the borders on the left and right, Motorola was able to take advantage of it by offering a software trick. It allows you to illuminate the edges of the screen when notifications arrive when the device is lying flat on the screen. The idea is not new but still has an effect and proves to be effective and useful.

The Oled panel chosen is very well made. It offers a definition of 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+) for a resolution of 402 ppi. The manufacturer announces a maximum brightness of 1300 nits, which seems fair to us. We are of course far from the peaks of 2000 nits that high-end devices can offer, but at this price, it is more than sufficient. The colorimetry is also managed quite well even if, surprisingly, it is better to go for the Saturated Colors mode rather than Natural Colors to obtain a display closer to reality, the second mode tending to pull a little too far towards the YELLOW.

Small subtlety: the refresh rate is between 60 and 120 Hz and can be manually pushed up to 144 Hz. A somewhat gadgety option, dedicated to gamers but to which we would have preferred an adaptive refresh rate (1-120 Hz) or even the presence of a more useful Always On Display mode (1 Hz).

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: very decent performance for the price

Technical sheet

To animate this mid-range mobile, Motorola did not turn to Qualcomm but to MediaTek. The Edge 40 Neo is therefore equipped with a Dimensity 7030 SoC, a chip well designed for this device which is powerful enough to run it properly without slowing down and even play in satisfactory conditions. It is therefore supported by no less than 12 GB of LPPDR4X RAM, a rather rare configuration at this price level. In terms of storage space, no choice possible. It is limited to 256 GB and unfortunately it is not possible to expand it using a microSD card. The SIM card slot can only accommodate a nano SIM card. Damage.

Thus equipped, the Edge 40 Neo copes with ease in the majority of daily uses. We didn’t notice any slowdown in browsing (the device comes with Android 13) or in using apps. In gaming, the Edge 40 Neo also does quite well. Our Genshin Impact test title runs correctly at 30 fps with a low level of detail. Another positive point is that the device heats up very little.

For connectivity, the USB-C port is supported on the wireless side by a WiFi 6E module and Bluetooth 5.3.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: nice surprise with night photos

For the photo component, Motorola relies on a fairly minimalist configuration consisting of only two lenses. A 50 Mpx (f/1.8) wide-angle main module and a 13 Mpx (f/2.2) ultra-wide-angle module also allowing macro mode. On the front, a 32 Mpx (f/2.4) camera is used for selfies. A fairly light frame therefore but which delivers, overall, good results, even in low light.

During the day, the wide-angle module is quite up to the task. The shots benefit from a good sharpness. The light is there and correctly managed. The colors remain bright without falling into exaggeration. The rendering is therefore rather relevant. A good point.

In the absence of an optical telephoto lens, a digital zoom takes over if you want to get closer to the subject. No surprises here. Up to 2x, the images remain clean but even if the device offers to go up to 8x, this function is not recommended except for those who like very pixelated images.

We encountered some difficulties with portrait mode. On numerous occasions, an alert message stating that the subject was too far away appeared on the screen… regardless of how far away the camera was (between 1.5m and 3m). The bokeh often struggled to activate. A problem probably attributable to the absence of a sensor specially dedicated to managing depth of field as is often the case now on smartphones. Once the right distance is found and the bokeh is active, the results are generally good. Except with the 50 mm focal length where, even if you try hard for many minutes, the bokeh goes a little in all directions. Motorola will have to rework this aspect.

The ultra wide-angle module, for its part, produces shots that are a little behind. We notice a small accentuation of the colors but above all a pronounced distortion at the edges of the image. This results in a slight deterioration in quality. You should therefore not hesitate to crop the photo.

The ultra wide-angle module is also used for macro mode. As long as the subject or the hand holding the smartphone does not shake too much when shooting, it is possible to take beautiful images. However, we note that the main sensor with a 2x zoom also allows us to take very usable close-up shots.

When the light fades, it’s a nice surprise. The wide-angle module manages to capture enough light to deliver very clean shots. We were pleasantly surprised by the good color management and level of detail for a device in this price range. The smoothing is present and perceptible but does not grossly erase the details. Well seen.

For selfies, the front camera convinces with good sharpness and good color management.

In video, the Edge 40 Neo allows you to shoot sequences up to 4K at 60 fps. Stabilization is there to ensure good fluidity.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: sufficient battery life and fast charging

It’s becoming rare enough to get noticed: Motorola provides a 68 W charger in the smartphone box. While most manufacturers have thrown in the towel on providing this accessory (even with high-end models sold for close to 2000 euros), the firm accompanies this model with an optimized charger. We therefore benefit from rather comfortable fast charging. We thus recovered 50% autonomy in 17 minutes. Not bad. To fill the battery to the end, however, the operation turned out to be a little longer than we had hoped since we had to wait 1 hour 15 minutes in total. On the other hand, we note the absence of wireless charging. Damage. But at this price level, this device is still quite uncommon.

In terms of autonomy, the Edge 40 Neo relies on a 5000 mAh battery. A fairly standard capacity this year which allows the device to last for well over a day and a half without going through the recharge box. With more intensive use, especially in game, you can end the day on the reserve with 12% of autonomy remaining. We appreciate the good energy management of the MediaTek SoC on this point.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo: should you fall for this elegant mid-range?

Motorola has created a well-designed device with the Edge 40 Neo. It is effective for the vast majority of uses, holds up fairly well in photography and is durable enough to last for more than a day and a half without giving in (with reasonable use). We also appreciate the particular care given to the design with a beautiful finesse and a very appreciable featherweight worthy of the finishes of much more premium devices. Above all, Motorola adopts a rather aggressive pricing policy for the Edge 40 Neo. Few models priced less than 400 euros offer such services. And to drive the point home, to accompany the release of the device, Motorola is offering a pair of Bose QC Earbuds II headphones (read our review) until November 12 for the purchase of an Edge 40 Neo. A real good plan.