Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: REVIEW based comparison; which is better?

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE: More like a battle of two generations but is it as easy to choose as it looks? Read on to find out.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Even before this comparison begins, the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G is at a massive disadvantage. Unlike the Motorola Edge 30 Pro that is currently Motorola's latest and greatest from its smartphone lineup, the Galaxy S21 FE should ideally have launched last year. Its Exynos 2100 chip is a whole generation older than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 on the Motorola. But chipsets don't dictate the user experience, since the Galaxy S21 FE left us impressed a month ago with what it offers as a package.

But so does the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, which is seems like a genuine flagship-grade attempt from Motorola to take on the busy Rs. 50,000 smartphone space. That Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is itself a solid reason to consider it. Look beyond that and you have a phone that is pleasant to live with, has a good battery life, and a nice display. At a lower price than the Galaxy S21 FE, it also scores high on the value.

Hence, if you have Rs. 50,000 to spend on a new Android phone, which of these should you consider?

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Design, Build

Neither the Edge 30 Pro nor the Galaxy S21 FE have mesmerising designs as most 2022 flagship killers. While both have plain design with no fancy bits, it is the Motorola Edge 30 Pro that wins with its matte glass rear and an overall slim profile. The Galaxy S21 FE looks too watered-down and its plastic rear isn't as nice to touch. However, Motorola uses a plastic frame while Samsung uses a sturdy metal frame, thereby imparting a more durable build on the Galaxy S21 FE. The Galaxy S21 FE is also IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, while Motorola only offers an IP52 certification.

Display

Another area where the Galaxy S21 FE wins despite having only a 120Hz AMOLED 6.5-inch display! The Samsung's screen looks livelier and brighter. The 6.7-inch pOLED display is nice to look at too and its 144Hz refresh rate is a tad smoother but the colours don't pop-out as much as the Samsung's AMOLED display. Both displays support HDR10+ colours, although only Samsung offers an in-display fingerprint scanner.

Performance

This is where the Motorola Edge 30 Pro has a massive “edge” over the Galaxy S21 FE with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. The new-gen chip can handle every app and game with absolute ease, and still has enough performance left to run a few more. Samsung's Exynos 2100 is no slouch too as it can do gaming and multitasking as easily but the chip shows occasional hesitations while gaming for long hours.

OS

This depends on personal preference. Motorola offers its near-stock Android 12 with MyUX 3 customisation options that resembles more like the Google Pixel 6's Material You theme. Samsung's One UI 4 experience on Android 12 is equally polished and tries to offer a well-sorted Android experience. 

One UI isn't as clean MyUX 3 but Samsung offers hundreds of customisation options that the Motorola Edge 30 Pro interface lacks. We like the MyUX 3 interface for its aesthetics but Samsung's One UI 4 is easier to live with on a daily basis. Motorola promises two Android OS updates while Samsung promises four Android OS updates and five years of security updates.

Audio

Both phones feature stereo speaker setup but it is the Samsung's speakers that are tuned better. Both offer Dolby Atmos output for wireless devices.

Cameras

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Motorola Edge 30 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE wins by a mega margin. It's 12MP main + 12MP ultra-wide + 8MP 3X telephoto camera system takes the best-looking photos in this class with great colours, superb details, and great night photography. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro's 50MP main + 50MP ultra-wide + 2MP camera system is good too but it cannot produce the same levels of details and colour science. The same stands for the selfie cameras, wherein the 10MP camera on the Galaxy S21 FE outperforms the 60MP camera on the Edge 30 Pro in terms of colour science and details.

Battery

Despite having the more powerful chip and a 144Hz display, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro can easily last an entire day with heavy use cases. The Galaxy S21 FE's smaller 4500mAh battery makes it to the day's end but you always need to have the charger in hand in case you do some gaming or photography.

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro also wins with its 68W faster charging system that takes only 40 minutes to do a full charge. The Galaxy S21 FE's 25W system takes almost 1.5 hours to do the same full recharge. Both phones feature 15W wireless charging and both of them can do reverse wireless charging as well.

Prices

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro comes in only a single variant of 8GB + 128GB, costing Rs. 49,999. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE starts at a price of Rs. 54,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant.

Conclusion

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro is an easy winner here for value conscious buyers, considering you pay Rs. 5,000 less and still get 2022's greatest chipset for Android phones, faster charging speeds and better battery life, and a superb user experience.

The Galaxy S21 FE seems too expensive for what it offers but don't count it out yet – the camera performance is proper flagship grade on this one, and Samsung's superior software support for four Android OS updates is worth the Rs. 5,000 premium you pay over the Motorola.