On September 8, 2022, Motorola introduced three smartphones in the Edge 30 lineup. The Edge 30 Neo. The Edge 30 Fusion. And the Edge 30 Ultra. The latter is the first mobile integrating the famous 200-megapixel Samsung HP1 sensor that rumors also announced at Xiaomi. But that’s not the most important thing: it’s the price. At less than 900 euros, the Edge 30 Ultra is one of the most affordable premium models of the year. And it makes virtually no concessions, confirming Motorola’s commercial aggressiveness.
Imagine if we asked you this question: what is the most commercially aggressive brand today? There are two obvious answers. First of all Xiaomi, with the Redmi and Poco ranges. In particular the Redmi Note 11 Pro that we tested. And the brand realmewith its GT range, even if the latter tended to rest on its laurels in the first half of 2022. But there is another one that often escapes consumers and which really deserves to be “again” looked at: c is Motorola.
Yes, Motorola has lost its luster. Yes, Motorola has lost touch with millennials. Yes, Motorla has an aging image. However, the brand offers products with a very aggressive price positioning. As proof of this, we want the Moto G200, released very discreetly at the end of 2021, or the Edge 20 Pro which we tried a lot at the start of 2021 and which left us with a very good impression. This year, the Edge 30 and Edge 30 Pro also caught our attention, but some dealerships hinted that a sequel was coming. And here it is finally.
Motorola Edge 30 Neo: a Moto G that does not want to admit it
Indeed, this evening, Motorola presented three new smartphones in the Edge 30 range. These are the Edge 30 Neo, Edge 30 Fusion and Edge 30 Ultra. We will present them all to you in this article. But, before that, a general remark is essential: if the Edge covered until now the price segments between 500 and 800 euros, it is greatly expanded with the arrival of these three terminals. Both upwards and downwards, thus encroaching on the territory of the Moto G. The Edge 30 Neo, in particular, is offered at 399 euros. The Moto G100 and G200 were launched at a price exceeding 500 euros.
The Edge 30 Neo, successor to the Edge 20 Lite, could also pose as a spiritual successor to the Moto G100. It is a balanced and elegant smartphone, with a rounded polycarbonate shell and an aluminum frame. Everything is protected against splashes (IP52 certification). At the front, you find a screen P-OLED Full HD+ 120Hz of 6.28 inches. It is equipped with a fingerprint reader and a punch where a selfie sensor of 32MP.
On the back is a photo module with two sensors 64MP and 13MP. The first is stabilized and this is good news for this price level. The second takes care of panoramas, macros and distance calculation for portrait mode. And the module is surrounded by LEDs for notifications. It’s a good idea. On the audio side, the Edge 30 Neo has two Dolby Atmos certified speakers. Inside, a Snapdragon 6958 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage (expandable) and a battery of 4020mAh compatible with 68 watt fast charging and wireless charging. It is rather a nice package for less than 400 euros. There will be four colors offered internationally: white, black, green and the one that we think is the most interesting, purple “Very Peri“.
Motorola Edge Fusion: a new power-price ratio expert
Now let’s talk about the Edge 30 Fusion, which is positioned between the Edge 30 and the Edge 30 Pro. It is offered to 699 euros. And it could be considered an improved version of the Moto G200, which was just a good phone for gamers, but not for photographers. It takes over the technical platform, that is to say the still very powerful Snapdragon 888+, associated here with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. It also takes up part of the screen: a slab P-OLED Full HD+ 144Hz. That of the Edge 30 Fusion is smaller (6.55 inches) and it is curved. And it is HDR10+ compatible.
Another difference, it benefits from reinforced photo equipment thanks to a main sensor 50 MP with omnidirectional autofocus and optical stabilizer (which looks a lot like Sony’s IMX766). It comes with a sensor 13MP for panoramas and macros, a sensor 2MP for calculating distances, and a sensor 32MP for selfies. Dual stereo speaker Dolby Atmosfingerprint reader under the screen, battery 4400mAh (fast charge compatible 68 watts), peach-skin effect mineral glass back, sandblasted aluminum frame and IP52 certification complete the package. Three colors, including a blue with vegetable leather. But this one should not arrive in France.
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra: possibly the best high-end deal of 2022
So let’s finish with the Edge 30 Ultra, Motorola’s new flagship. It is the most expensive of the 2022 range, since it is offered at 899 euros. Or 100 euros more than the Edge 30 Pro. But, at this price, it remains one of the most affordable high-end smartphones of the year, along with the ZenFone 9 and the Realme GT 2 Pro. And he has nothing to envy them. Four details lead us to think so. First, the Edge 30 Ultra incorporates a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. This is not a surprise, since the Edge 30 Pro benefits from Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. The SoC is accompanied by 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
Then the Edge 30 Ultra has a screen P-OLED curved Full HD+ 144Hz. Its size is 6.67 inches, to enjoy all content, including games. Moreover, the refresh rate reaches 360 Hz. The panel is also HDR10+ compatible. Third element: the battery. The capacity offered here reaches 4610mAh and the load power is 125 watt. This is the first time that Motorola has offered fast charging above 100 watts. Motorola promises a 50% charge in 7 minutes. In addition, the phone supports wireless charging up to 50 watts.
Last element, the photo. The Edge 30 Ultra is the first official smartphone with the sensor 200MP Samsung HP1. Rumors announced its arrival at Motorola and Xiaomi. It will therefore be the American brand that wins the race. It measures 1.22 inches. It captures images in 12.5 MP by combining 16 adjacent pixels to form a gigantic 2.26 microns. Its aim is stabilized. It is accompanied by two secondary sensors: a model 50 MP with autofocus that takes care of panoramas (angle of 123°) and macros (up to 3 cm) and a model 12MP associated with a telephoto lens (2x zoom) with lens opening at f/1.6. On the front, the selfie sensor is a model 60MP with a relatively bright lens opening at f/2.2.
Let’s complete this technical sheet with the hull, made in Gorilla 5 front and back and aluminum on the edges. The Edge 30 Ultra is compatible with all variants of Ready For (which is not the case with the Neo and Fusion). It has two compatible stereo speakers Dolby Atmos. It will be released under Android 12 and will benefit from three major updates, while the Neo and Fusion will only benefit from two. On the occasion of their commercial launch, the three new Edge 30s will benefit from a discount of 50 to 100 euros depending on the model chosen (until November 13), making them even more interesting. It now remains to test them to confirm this good impression.