Motorola Edge 30 Pro review: A step in the right direction
A TEST REPORT from Jacob Kluge 
on November 03, 2022, 8:00 | 2 comments
Motorola smartphones have lost more and more of their importance in the past. The market used to be unimaginable without them, but today they are just a small star in the smartphone sky. With the Edge 30 Pro they have again presented a flagship, which should compete with the competition.
We have tested it extensively over the past few weeks and want to clarify the question of whether the recommended retail price of 899 euros is worth it.
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Design
As soon as you pick it up, you notice how big the Edge 30 is Pro actually is. However, this is mainly due to the fact that Motorola is one of the few manufacturers that relies on a completely flat display. This makes the smartphone a bit wider. Still, Motorola managed to keep the weight under 200 grams. This was made possible by a frame made of plastic. Although this reduces the weight, it also reduces the high quality of the device, which is why the Motorola Edge 30 Pro feels less premium than the comparable competition. Please don't take this the wrong way. The Edge 30 Pro doesn't feel cheap by any means and the matte glass back, available in either blue or white, is pleasantly soft, but most of the competition simply feels higher quality.
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- Picture: TechnikNews
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- Picture: TechnikNews
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- Picture: Techniknews
What actually bothered me a lot more is the button placement. Volume rocker and the power button with integrated fingerprint sensor are on the right. However, these are placed so high that you have the feeling of putting your finger on a stretching bench and reaching them. In addition, the fingerprint sensor is not really reliable.
Display
The Edge 30's OLED display Pro measures 6,7 inches and has a resolution of 2.400 x 1.080 pixels. In everyday life, the resolution is completely sufficient and I could never see individual pixels. In detail, however, it quickly becomes apparent that the display cannot keep up with the best of the best. You notice a difference in sharpness and brightness compared to the competition. The latter in particular bothered me from time to time in everyday life. Motorola also does not use a flexible display here, which means that there is a slight rainbow discoloration when viewed from the side.
Performance
Let's make it short. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro is the smartphone with the best performance that I have tested so far. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flies through all applications and masters even heavy tasks with ease. It is supported by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, as befits a flagship.
Software
Motorola's software is for those who like it minimalistic with nice additional features. The manufacturer relies on pure Android 12 as a basis, as we already know from the Pixel smartphones. So it could well be that non-experts could be confused at first glance, because visually Google's stock Android and Motorola's interface are almost identical. Motorola made the choice. to change something inside and to implement cool, useful features. The flashlight is activated with two hacks and the camera is started with a twist. This is very useful, especially when you only have one hand free, and I caught myself hacking and twisting other smartphones after the test.
Since 2021, Motorola's "Ready For" alternative to Samsung DEX has been available, which turns your smartphone into a PC that you can connect to a monitor and use. Also the Edge 30 Pro is "Ready For" certified and also the only device that supports this both wired and wireless.
But when we talk about the software, we also have to address the elephant in the room. The update support. Motorola promises the Edge 30 Pro two years of OS and three years of security updates, i.e. an update to Android 13 and 14. This means that the last Android update will be released in the coming year. That's not enough for a smartphone that costs just under 1.000 euros.
Camera
In the past, compromises often had to be made in the camera area of Motorola smartphones. At least the hardware has been brought up to the level of the competition this year. Like many other manufacturers, the main camera is based on the Sony IMX766. We know that he can take good pictures. This is supported by a 50 megapixel Samsung JN1, which acts as an ultra wide angle. This sensor is also not unknown. We already know him from the Realme GT2 Pro, OnePlus 10 Pro and Xiaomi 12 Pro. The setup is completed by a 2 megapixel camera for depth of field.
But how is the picture quality? Where is the best place to start? During the day, both the 50 megapixel Sony IMX766 and the Samsung JN1 do a decent job. The images are characterized by a nice sharpness and a high dynamic range. However, the AI intervenes quite strongly with the colors, which means that we do not have a constant color representation here, but a slightly cooler picture and sometimes a slightly warmer one.
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- During the day the Edge makes 30 Pro beautiful, bright and sharp images. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- Only the color rendering seems too inconsistent to me. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- The dynamic range is also really passable. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- The ultra-wide angle also takes decent pictures during the day. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- And here, too, the inconsistency in the color representation occurs. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- However, the field of view is not particularly wide at 114 degrees. (Picture: TechnikNews)
However, when it gets dark, the tide turns. While the main sensor still shoots reasonably usable pictures, the same cannot be said of the ultra-wide-angle camera. Here you are really on a middle class level. Images are noisy, show no details and simply look bad.
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- The main camera still takes decent pictures at night. (Picture: TechnikNews)
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- Unfortunately, this cannot be said of the ultra wide angle. (Picture: TechnikNews)
Battery life
The 4.800 mAh of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro was always enough for me to use it for one day, regardless of whether it was a short or a longer day. If necessary, the battery can also be quickly recharged using 68W fast charging via the USB-C 3.1 port. I'm pleased that - unlike a Chinese competitor - they don't skimp on the charging port and offer the consumer the fastest possible data transfer with Type 3.1. Motorola completes the package by supporting wireless charging with up to 15W and offers a battery experience worthy of a flagship in my opinion.
Other
As is typical for a flagship, Motorola also relies on the Edge 30 Pro on stereo speakers, which I really liked. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the vibration motor. Here you have obviously saved.
Conclusion
Motorola is back and bringing the Edge 30 Pro a smartphone on the market that doesn't have to hide. It's a smartphone with no major weaknesses, but also one without major strengths. A device that unfortunately quickly fell into oblivion for me. Fans of the brand should still get their money's worth here, although the recently released Edge 30 Ultra seems to be the better deal. Still, I'm happy to see Motorola back in the high-end segment and the Edge 30 Pro is definitely a step in the right direction.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro buy
We would like to thank Motorola Germany for providing the test device!
So with my Edge 30 Pro The fingerprint sensor is integrated in the display and also works very reliably.
Then I don't know which Edge 30 Pro You own. In our test device, the fingerprint sensor was definitely in the power button 🙂