Motorola Edge 30 Pro review: A step in the right direction

Motorola smartphones have become increasingly less important in the past. They used to be an indispensable part of the market, but today they are just a small star in the smartphone sky. With the Edge 30 Pro, they have once again introduced a flagship that is designed to take on 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.

Design

When you pick it up for the first time, you'll notice how big the Edge 30 Pro actually is. But this is mainly because Motorola is one of the few manufacturers to use a completely flat display. This makes the smartphone a little wider. Despite this, Motorola has managed to keep the weight under 200 grams. This was made possible by a plastic frame. This reduces the weight, but also the quality of the device, and so the Motorola Edge 30 Pro feels less high-quality than comparable competitors. Please don't misunderstand this. The Edge 30 Pro doesn't feel cheap at all and the matte glass back, which is available in either blue or white, is pleasantly soft, but most of the competition simply looks higher quality.

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 OLED display of the Edge 30 Pro measures 6,7 inches and has a resolution of 2.400 x 1.080 pixels. The resolution is perfectly adequate for everyday use and I could never see individual pixels. However, when you look at the details, you quickly notice that the display cannot keep up with the best of the best. You can see a difference in sharpness and brightness compared to the competition. The latter in particular bothered me from time to time in everyday use. Motorola also does not use a flexible display here, which means that a slight rainbow discoloration occurs 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 difficult tasks with ease. It is supported by 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage, just as you would expect from 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 has had "Ready For", an alternative to Samsung DEX that essentially turns your smartphone into a PC that you can connect to a monitor and use. The Edge 30 Pro is also "Ready For" certified and is also the only device that supports this both wired and wirelessly.

But when we talk about the software, we also have to address the elephant in the room: update support. Motorola promises two years of OS and three years of security updates for the Edge 30 Pro, i.e. an update to Android 13 and 14. This means that the last Android update will be released next year. For a smartphone that costs just under 1.000 euros, that's not enough.

camera

In the past, Motorola smartphones often had to make compromises in the camera area. Now, this year, at least the hardware has been brought up to par with the competition. Like many other manufacturers, the main camera is based on the Sony IMX766. We know that this can take good pictures. This is supported by a 50 megapixel Samsung JN1, which functions as an ultra-wide angle. This sensor is also no stranger. We already know it 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. 

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.

Battery life

The 4.800 mAh of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro was always enough for a day of use for me, regardless of whether it was a short or a long day. If necessary, the battery can also be quickly recharged using 68W fast charging via the USB-C 3.1 port. I am pleased that - unlike a Chinese competitor - they have not skimped on the charging port and are offering the consumer the fastest possible data transfer with Type 3.1. By supporting wireless charging with up to 15W, Motorola completes the package and offers, in my opinion, a battery experience worthy of a flagship.

Other

As is typical for a flagship, Motorola has also used stereo speakers on the Edge 30 Pro, which I really liked. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about the vibration motor. They have obviously cut corners here.

Conclusion

Motorola is back and is bringing a smartphone to the market with the Edge 30 Pro that has nothing to hide. It is a smartphone without any major weaknesses, but also one without any major strengths. A device that I unfortunately quickly forgot about. Fans of the brand should still get their money's worth here, although the recently released Edge 30 Ultra even seems to be the better deal. Nevertheless, I am happy to see Motorola back in the high-end segment and the Edge 30 Pro is definitely a step in the right direction.

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We would like to thank Motorola Germany for providing the test device!