The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is a compelling contender in the upper mid-range smartphone market, boasting a powerful 144Hz display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, and a clean, near-stock Android experience. But does this impressive hardware translate into a truly enjoyable user experience? And can it hold its own against formidable rivals like the OnePlus 9R and Realme GT 5G? We delved into the heart of the Edge 20 Pro to uncover its strengths and weaknesses, taking a closer look at its design, performance, camera capabilities, and overall value proposition.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro Price in India
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro is priced at Rs. 36,999 in India, offering only a single configuration with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You can choose between Midnight Sky and Iridescent Cloud colour options. We had the Midnight Sky unit for this review.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro design
The Edge 20 Pro carries a design language that echoes the Edge 20 series, making it instantly recognizable. This smartphone is definitely a head-turner. Although not as sleek as the Edge 20, it exudes a more premium feel. The Edge 20 Pro features a large 6.7-inch display with a centered punch-hole camera and slim bezels surrounding it.
Motorola claims the frame is made of aluminum, but a resin coating detracts from that premium feel. The Edge 20 Pro opts for a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, seemingly a strategic move to differentiate itself from competitors utilizing in-display sensors. Buttons are located on the right side, which might feel slightly out of reach for some, particularly the volume buttons. The left side only houses a dedicated button for summoning Google Assistant. The bottom edge is home to the USB Type-C port, primary microphone, loudspeaker, and SIM tray, while the top edge only accommodates the secondary microphone.
The camera module sits in the top left corner of the rear panel, less prominent than the Edge 20’s due to the Edge 20 Pro’s thicker body, accommodating its larger 4,500mAh battery. Motorola has incorporated curved edges along the sides of the back, contributing to a comfortable grip. While slightly heavier and bulkier than the Edge 20, it maintains its IP52 rating for dust and water resistance.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro specifications
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro boasts a substantial 6.7-inch AMOLED display that supports HDR10+. This panel boasts a 144Hz refresh rate – one of the highest within this price range – and a 576Hz peak touch sampling rate. Motorola has implemented Corning Gorilla Glass for protection on both the front and back.
Powering the Edge 20 Pro is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC, also seen in the OnePlus 9R, iQoo 7, and Mi 11X. Motorola offers this smartphone in a single configuration only, packing 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Unfortunately, expandable storage is not an option. However, the smartphone includes a RAM boost feature that leverages 2GB of storage for use as RAM. Many would appreciate a higher-priced variant with 256GB of storage for those willing to spend more.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro supports Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, dual 5G, 4G VoLTE, and six satellite navigation systems. It houses a 4,500mAh battery and comes bundled with a 30W charger. The charger features USB Type-C output, and the box includes a Type-C to Type-C cable.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro performance
For those prioritizing performance, the Edge 20 Pro delivers. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC provides ample power to handle almost any task without a hitch. Coupled with 8GB of RAM, multitasking is seamless. You can effortlessly run multiple apps concurrently while switching between them with ease. The expansive AMOLED display with its high refresh rate enhances the visual experience for content consumption. By default, Motorola sets the refresh rate to Auto, allowing the smartphone to dynamically adjust the rate based on the current activity. However, you have the option to manually switch between 60Hz and 144Hz. The Edge 20 Pro’s display boasts wide viewing angles, and the speaker is loud, albeit slightly tinny. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner proves quick and responsive for unlocking the device.
The Edge 20 Pro excelled in benchmark tests, achieving a score of 701,580 in AnTuTu. It scored 968 and 3,070 points in Geekbench 5’s single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. 3DMark’s Slingshot and Slingshot Extreme tests were maxed out. In comparison, the OnePlus 9R achieved 6,72,556 points in AnTuTu and 965 & 3,075 points in Geekbench 5.
The Edge 20 Pro makes a fantastic gaming device. We tested it with Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI), which defaulted to HD graphics and High frame rate settings. The game ran smoothly without any issues. The smartphone did not show any signs of lagging and maintained a steady frame rate. After a 15-minute gaming session, we observed a three percent drop in battery level. The smartphone remained cool to the touch following gameplay.
Battery life is a strong point of the Edge 20 Pro, benefiting from a slightly larger battery compared to the Edge 20. It can comfortably last for a day and a half without needing to be plugged in. In our HD video loop test, the Edge 20 Pro lasted 15 hours and 2 minutes, slightly lower than the 15 hours, 49 minutes recorded by the OnePlus 9R, though it’s worth noting that the Edge 20 Pro’s screen had its refresh rate set to Auto. Charging is quick but not leading edge. The included 30W charger took the Edge 20 Pro from zero to 58 percent in 30 minutes, and to 93 percent after an hour.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro cameras
Motorola has equipped the Edge 20 Pro, as well as the Edge 20 Fusion and Edge 20, with the same primary camera sensor. This 108-megapixel primary camera boasts an f/1.9 aperture and saves 12-megapixel pixel-binned shots. The secondary camera features a 16-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with a 119-degree field of view, capable of capturing macro shots. This is a more versatile option compared to a dedicated 2-megapixel macro camera. Rounding out the camera setup is a 5X telephoto camera with optical image stabilisation, capable of up to 50X digital zoom. For selfies, a 32-megapixel camera is housed within the display’s punch-hole. The Edge 20 Pro’s camera app is user-friendly, conveniently remembering the last mode used, making it quicker to shoot multiple photos in similar conditions.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro swiftly detected scenes and even suggested different shooting modes based on the composition and subject matter. It consistently locked focus rapidly and metered scenes accurately. Daylight photos were impressive, capturing good detail. Objects at a distance remained recognizable, though the phone could have provided better detail in shadows. The ultra-wide-angle camera provides a much broader field of view, but a noticeable drop in image quality is evident. Objects in the distance lack the same sharpness and detail as the primary camera.
Motorola’s 5X telephoto setup makes capturing distant objects a breeze. Detail levels are adequate, but maintaining a steady hand during shooting is crucial, as any movement will result in blur in the output. A small viewfinder assists with framing while zoomed in, but it can still feel awkward. We experienced a slight lag, leading to multiple attempts to frame specific objects when shooting at high zoom levels. At the 50X digital zoom, even the slightest movement causes blur. Using a tripod is recommended for such shots.
Close-up shots turned out well, featuring great object detail. The Edge 20 Pro effectively achieved a soft background blur. Portrait shots were crisp with accurate edge detection, but the AI tended to aggressively boost color levels. We could get close enough to objects to achieve clear macro shots, characterized by exceptional detail and captured at 16 megapixels, allowing for cropping and magnification if desired.
Low-light camera performance mirrored that of the Motorola Edge 20. Night photos taken using the regular photo mode lacked optimal detail. Night mode did contribute to an improvement in quality, but the results did not meet our expectations.
Selfies captured in both daylight and low light fared well. These photos are 8 megapixels in resolution, pixel binned from the 32-megapixel shooter. Portraits exhibited decent edge detection, and the phone allowed us to adjust the intensity of background blur before taking the shot. However, the output had boosted contrast and appeared a bit artificial.
Video recording tops out at 8K for the primary camera and 4K for the selfie shooter. The Edge 20 Pro also includes a dual capture mode that enables simultaneous video recording from any two cameras on the device. You can utilize the selfie camera alongside the rear-facing primary camera or choose any two cameras at the back for recording. Sunlight videos captured at 1080p and 4K were well-stabilized. However, the EIS did not perform as well in low light conditions, leading to a shimmer effect in footage.
Verdict
Motorola’s Edge 20 series directly targets the Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 40,000 market segment. While the Edge 20 Fusion and Edge 20 cater to the lower half of this range, the Edge 20 Pro takes center stage at the higher end. This device boasts impressive hardware, and the software is devoid of bloatware.
While battery life has improved over the Edge 20, the camera performance feels somewhat underwhelming compared to some competitors. With the potential shift away from OxygenOS for purists, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro finds itself going head-to-head with the OnePlus 9R. It delivers a compelling combination of performance and a near-stock Android experience, making it a worthy choice for tech enthusiasts who value both power and clean software.
