The Motorola Edge 50 Pro: A Flagship-Like Experience at a Mid-Range Price?
Motorola’s Edge series has consistently offered compelling features at competitive price points, and the Edge 50 Pro appears to follow that trend. This new iteration boasts some truly impressive specifications and design elements, challenging expectations at a starting price of Rs. 31,999. As a quick first look before our full review, the Edge 50 Pro seems like a strong contender for the mid-range market, but does it live up to the hype? Let’s dive in.
Design and Display: A Feast for the Senses
The Edge 50 Pro immediately captures attention with its luxurious design. It features a curved display with slim, uniform bezels that provide a truly immersive viewing experience. The aluminum frame gives it a solid feel, while the leather finish on the rear panel adds a touch of sophistication.
The 6.7-inch pOLED curved display, which Motorola touts as the world’s first Pantone-validated display, is a spectacle in itself. It boasts 1.5K resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, 2,000 nits peak brightness, DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 10-bit colour support. In short, the display is exceptionally vibrant and responsive, making it perfect for multimedia consumption and gaming.
The Luxe Lavender color option, available in our review unit, is certainly eye-catching and sets it apart from other devices. The vegan leather finish adds a soft, premium feel. Other color options include Black Beauty (same vegan leather finish) and Moon Light Pearl, which uses a handcrafted acetate finish from Italy.
Photography: Enhanced by AI and Pantone Validation
The Edge 50 Pro packs a triple-camera system on the back, headlined by a 50-megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.4 aperture, supposedly the widest in its segment. This sensor also benefits from optical image stabilization for sharper images in low light. The setup is rounded out by a 10-megapixel telephoto unit with 3x optical zoom and a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera that doubles as a macro lens.
On the front, a 50-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus sits within a hole-punch cutout. While initial impressions are positive, the photos appear slightly oversaturated, despite the Pantone validation for color accuracy and natural skin tones. The inclusion of AI enhancements promises further improvements, which will be thoroughly tested in our full review.
Performance and Software: A Smooth and Stock-Like Experience
Powering the Edge 50 Pro is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. In our initial hands-on experience, the phone showcased a smooth and lag-free performance. However, we’ll subject it to rigorous benchmarks and gaming tests to gauge its performance under demanding conditions.
Motorola’s introduction of the Hello UI on the Edge 50 Pro is a welcome change. The phone runs a near-stock Android 14 with minimal bloatware, offering a clean and uncluttered user experience. Motorola promises 3 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates, ensuring long-term software support.
Battery and Charging: Fast, Efficient, and Wireless
The Edge 50 Pro houses a 4,500mAh battery, with the 12GB RAM variant boasting a 125W TurboCharger in the box. The 8GB RAM variant receives a slightly slower 68W charger. This rapid charging technology allows for incredibly fast top-ups, and the phone also supports 50W wireless charging.
Conclusion: An Early Promise of Greatness?
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro emerges as a strong contender in the mid-range market, offering a compelling blend of high-end features at a competitive price. Its premium design, exceptional display, capable camera system, and impressive performance leave a lasting impression. The stock-like Android experience and generous software support further enhance its appeal.
While our initial impressions are positive, a comprehensive review will be necessary to delve deeper into the phone’s performance, camera capabilities, and overall user experience. However, based on this early look, the Edge 50 Pro seems like a highly promising device that threatens to disrupt the mid-range smartphone landscape. Stay tuned for our in-depth review to learn more!