As is usually the case, any review of Motorola's new flagship smartphone boils down to answering the question: how does it compare to the Google Pixel? Both lines are devices that offer good cameras and many features at a lower price point than their main competitors in the market. But Motorola has one very big problem this year called the Google Pixel 6 . This is the most formidable adversary Moto Edge has ever faced, so it will have to work hard to stand out from its background.
Prices for the new Moto Edge 5G UW 2021 start at $ 750 for the base version with 128GB of internal storage. For the 256GB model, you will have to pay an additional $ 50. Depending on the region, the price tags are roughly the same as the Pixel 6. For the most part, they are higher, but the Edge also offers twice as much memory. There won't be enough extra space to beat something as gorgeous as the Pixel 6, though.
The price segment suggests that the Moto Edge 5G UW is more of a mid-range smartphone than a flagship. But its technical characteristics are quite in line with some of the more expensive competitors. It is equipped with a 144 Hz LCD display (this can only be seen on the rarest and most expensive smartphones), a 108 megapixel camera, 6 GB of RAM and the ability to connect to a large screen for operation via a special "Ready to" mode, similar to Samsung DeX. Everything is fine on paper, but is it really that good? Spoiler: no. This Motorola Moto Edge 5G UW 2021 review will highlight all its flaws, but the biggest is far from the numbers. The main disappointment is that he is too mediocre.
- High refresh rate 144Hz screen
- Decent low-light photos
- High autonomy with moderate use
- No charging included
- The battery does not cope with the "Ready to" mode
- The camera has focus problems
- The battery runs out quickly when you record movies for a long time
Motorola didn’t think about the design of this smartphone and just decided to dunk it entirely in glossy blue paint. Everything - from the buttons to the array of cameras - is made in the same color, which makes the phone itself feel a little plastic. What's more, the glossy lid is excellent at picking up debris and prints.
While the Edge 5G UW is large enough, it's light, thin and rounded to hold it comfortably. The same can be said for one-handed operation, although its height can be a problem for people with short fingers. The 5G UW case is completely plastic, but it weighs the same as the iPhone 13 Pro - 200g.
The frames around the three rear lenses are also similar to Apple's new line of smartphones. They have raised edges that protect the lenses from scratches, but they also prevent the phone from lying normally on the table with the screen facing up. A lot of smartphones today "rock" with protruding cameras, but the new Moto Edge does it more than the rest. Combined with the slippery back cover, this fact constitutes the reason why you would want to buy a case for it.
Similar to the Pixel 6, Motorola's new smartphone lacks a dedicated Google Assistant button and a 3.5mm headphone jack. He also lacks stereo speakers, which is very strange for a phone for that kind of money. There is only one mono speaker on the bottom, which is loud enough and with good bass, but still does not compare to stereo sound.
Motorola's budget G-line smartphones do not have the necessary option like NFC. Edge can boast of this feature, but wireless charging is no longer there. The Moto Edge 5G UW is getting Android 11 out of the box, but Motorola said the phone will get two more major OS versions, as well as two years of monthly security updates. This is far from the most generous offer on the market, but not the worst, it should be admitted.
The fingerprint sensor is located on the side and is fast enough, as is the face unlock. Both methods are good and don't keep you waiting long for you to be able to access your phone. Local "face control" can even be configured in several ways. For example, you can press the power button to make the scanner work, or simply lift the device and face it with the screen facing.
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The main feature of the Moto Edge 5G UW screen is the 144Hz refresh rate, which is almost impossible to find in smartphones today. The display is really fast and fluid, but it's just a 6.8-inch 1080p LCD panel. Therefore, pixels can sometimes still scratch the eyes. Also, the screen is a little dim, so when using it outdoors, you have to crank the brightness to maximum. If you don't do this, you may have some problems viewing content in sunny weather.
Models with 128 and 256 GB of internal memory are no different from each other, except for this parameter. Both Moto Edge 5G UW versions are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G processor with 6GB of RAM. This is the first reason why this phone is just average. The flagship hardware Pixel 6, which is even cheaper, is much more powerful and faster than what Motorola offers.
Even in ordinary light games, the phone starts to slow down after a few minutes, not allowing to play normally. And this is not a budget model for $ 200, but an almost flagship model for 800. In those rare moments when the game runs normally, the 144Hz refresh rate makes itself felt, showing a very smooth picture (on the Pixel 6 at 90Hz it is also smooth, but not by that much). However, if you choose between attractiveness of the image and stable speed of games, everyone will choose the latter.
Motorola's Ready for mode on paper should allow the Moto Edge 5G UW to connect to large screens for a better gaming or work experience, and also be used as a webcam. But in reality, everything is not so good as usual. When the Ready for interface appears on the computer screen, its font becomes too small to be legible. But the worst thing is that there is such a long delay between the click of the mouse on the phone and the reaction of the phone that you want to immediately turn off this function and never turn it on again.
Moreover, its battery melts before our eyes when using this mode. As with too much use. 5000 mAh is a large enough volume for the smartphone to last at least one day when shooting videos, playing games and other complex tasks. The Moto Edge 5G UW only lasts a few hours in these conditions. However, with moderate use, it really lasts the whole day and even a few hours the next.
It is difficult to recommend Moto Edge for purchase when there are many competitors offering the best value for money.
Charging the Moto Edge can be a bit tricky too due to the lack of a charger included. All you have is a cable with USB-C outputs on both sides. The smartphone was charged from an 18 W power supply unit in two hours. And this is still fast. If you don't have an adapter of suitable power at hand, get ready to buy a new one or charge your phone for three to four hours.
On the back of the Edge 5G UW 2021, there are three lenses: a 108MP primary, an 8MP ultra wide-angle with Macro Vision (119 degrees) and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front is a 32MP front-facing camera, and its location is inconvenient, to put it mildly. It is too low, tearing off a significant part of the screen. It's easy to get used to it after a while, but it doesn't stop being weird.
108 megapixels is good, right? Samsung's experience says it's not very good. As usual, everything sounds amazing on paper, but in reality it is far from so rosy. On the one hand, we have an f / 1.9 aperture with a large pixel size. This means that each pixel captures more light, allowing you to take better photos in low light levels. They do turn out to be good, albeit a little noisy. Nobody argued that Moto Edge 5G UW night shots should compete with the iPhone 13, so at its level, everything is very good.
On the other hand, this phone's cameras often have focusing problems. It doesn't matter if you are photographing your Christmas tree or a person in portrait mode. Often times, you need to take a few shots or wait a few seconds for the Edge camera to finally determine which of the entire composition is the subject to capture and which is the background to be blurred. Compared to the Pixel 6, this smartphone lacks sharpness and natural colors. His photographs are often too blue and nondescript.
The Moto Edge 5G UW 2021 is a good phone. It has a 144Hz refresh rate screen, decent battery life (with moderate use), decent low-light photography (if you can get the cameras to focus). But, as you can see, each of its advantages has its own significant disadvantage, or at least a compromise. Therefore, all of its qualities are not enough to be truly competitive. If Motorola doesn't lower the price on it, it will be very difficult to recommend it to anyone if there are enough strong competitors.
For a price similar to the Moto Edge, you can buy the same Google Pixel 6, and there will also be a case. It has a more powerful and energy efficient processor, much better cameras and a battery that does not drain as quickly when shooting video. Edge may offer more storage in its second version, but the Pixel 6 even offers flagship hardware and better software even in the base model - a clean new Android that you'll get before everyone else. This applies not only to Android 12, but also to many future versions.
If the extra $ 100 is not critical for you, then step over that threshold and you get the most flagship Pixel 6 Pro with an even more efficient camera system and more RAM.
If you want to get something similar to the Moto Edge, but for a lower price, you will have that opportunity too. The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G costs even less and has a better 120Hz OLED screen and headphone jack. It does not support the same fast 5G networks as Edge, but this is unlikely to be a big problem for anyone. In addition, the A52 wins in long-term support by offering a full four years of updates.
Perhaps for some, the Moto Edge 2021 will really be a good phone. But this year, the pixel will definitely not envy him.
A phone with a high refresh rate of 144 Hz, about which there is nothing more to say.
