Motorola Edge 30 Pro review: Leaps, not edges, over its competition! | Mobile Reviews

Motorola Edge 30 Pro review: Leaps, not edges, over its competition!

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro sets a benchmark for sub- 50,000 Android “flagship killers” to beat. Read on to find more about it.

By: AMRITANSHU MUKHERJEE
| Updated on: Aug 22 2022, 10:25 IST
Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro sells in India at a price of Rs. 49,999. The Edge 30 Pro uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro sells in India at a price of Rs. 49,999. The Edge 30 Pro uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Who thought that Motorola would be the brand beating the dominant Chinese smartphone brands at their own game! After last year's surprising Edge 20 Pro, Motorola is back for 2022 with the Edge 30 Pro – a high-end Android phone that comes with the right specifications at the right time, and with the right price too! At Rs. 49,999, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is unbelievably good value on paper. The value is so good that Xiaomi could now shy from using the tag “honest pricing” on their phones!

And, it is not that Edge 30 Pro is good only on paper! After spending a few days with it, this comes across easily as the best Android flagship killer you can buy in 2022, provided the price stays as it is right now (we all know how Motorola bumps prices secretly). The user experience is second to none in its class and its rivals will need to sit up and take notice, if not copy Motorola's homework.

Is the Motorola Edge 30 Pro so good that you should go straightway and buy it? Hang on and read our review before you do that.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro Design

Motorola has been playing it safe with its smartphone designs this year, keeping a low understated profile across the Moto G and now the Moto Edge series. The Edge 30 Pro doesn't look as enticing as a Oppo Reno 7 Pro but with its clever combination of curves, an oval shaped camera hump that neatly fuses into the body, and a fancy colour gradient, it has an appealing charm. The Gorilla Glass 5 rear with its matte finish has resisted scratches and smudges but loves to stick dust on itself. The glass on front is the older Gorilla Glass 3 and that has stayed scratch-less too despite facing the rough Indian outdoors.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro has a Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the rear. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
Motorola Edge 30 Pro has a Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the rear. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

There is an issue though and it does not relate to the plastic frame. Rather, it is about the volume and power keys. Whether you have got tall hands or short, both the keys are too far away from the fingers' reach. Motorola says this helps in ergonomics but this odd placement of the keys has been irksome on a daily basis., since the fingerprint sensor resides on the lock key.

Other than that, the Edge 30 Pro is one of the more comfortable phones I have used lately.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro Display

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro uses a pOLED panel for its display. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
image caption
Motorola Edge 30 Pro uses a pOLED panel for its display. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

Motorola carries over its headline-grabbing 144Hz OLED display from the Edge 20 Pro as it is. Hence, the viewing experience on this phone is as good as it was on the older model. The 6.7-inch display with its 20:9 aspect ratio is large enough for regular social media sessions, YouTube binging, and occasional web show sessions on OTT apps. I did not notice any tinting issues and under the sunlight, the screen is easily visible to the eyes. I wish Motorola could have gone for a LTPO display, since the Auto refresh rate mode loves to stay on 60Hz more and opting to go full 144Hz all the time has its effects on the battery life.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro Performance

This is where the Edge 30 Pro wins us over! This year's hero chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, is present here and it leaves no stone unturned when it comes to offering raw performance. Demanding games? You ask and the Edge 30 Pro runs them like a Pro! Games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Shadow Fight 4: Arena can keep going at their full graphics settings without heating up like a pan on the cooking stove. Note that this could be due to the cold Winter conditions in Delhi and it remains to be seen how this chip handles the same gaming tasks during the blazing summer. I say this since the phone heated up substantially during video calls spanning 30 minutes.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro comes with Android 12 out of the box (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
image caption
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro comes with Android 12 out of the box (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

When you aren't doing such demanding tasks, the Edge 30 Pro is an absolute breeze to use – thanks to its superb Android experience. Motorola's Android 12 skin, dubbed MyUX 3.0 seems like an exact replica of the Material You theme on the Google Pixel devices. You get to see the same cartoonishly large notification toggles, fancy aesthetics, beautiful icons, and some fancy widgets. You can tweak the UI with custom colour accents, new fonts, icon shapes and few more. The only bit missing here is the ability for the phone to match icon colours to that of the wallpapers – it does so for the system icon accents.

And it is not just the looks. The user experience is sublime, with the phone being an absolute joy to use on a daily basis. The animations are beautiful and there are no jarring lags, stuttering animations. Unlike its rivals, the UI is free of bloatware and adware. Even the pre-loaded apps are limited to Facebook, Google apps, and some Motorola apps. Samsung's One UI looks cluttered in comparison!

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro offers a Google Pixel-like Android experience. (Amritanshu / HT tech)
image caption
Motorola Edge 30 Pro offers a Google Pixel-like Android experience. (Amritanshu / HT tech)

Motorola promises two years of Android OS upgrades, which while not being class-leading, is still decent. Plus, you get to see all the classic Motorola gestures and its smarter version of the Always On Display. Ready For is the big feature Motorola advertises but it is still limited to Miracast supported devices only. I tried the Read For PC feature but I was unable to download the required file for Windows.

The Edge 30 Pro also impresses with its audio performance. There is a set of stereo speakers, which while not being as lively as the Xiaomi 11T Pro's speakers, are loud enough to do the job just fine. The Dolby Atmos tuning for output makes music listening experiences great. Audio via Bluetooth speakers and earbuds sounds way better than they do on the iQOO 9 Pro; a more expensive phone.

Taking calls on the Edge 30 Pro is a pleasant experience too, with Motorola's signature sidetone feature to make it comfortable to speak and hear simultaneously. I did not face any connectivity issues on my Jio 4G connection and Wi-Fi network at home either. Network performance has been rock solid.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro Cameras

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro has two 50MP cameras on its back! (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
image caption
Motorola Edge 30 Pro has two 50MP cameras on its back! (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

This is where the Edge 30 Pro falls slightly. Motorola has gone for a Oppo-like approach for its camera tuning – oversaturated colours and higher contrasts. Whether it is day or night, the camera love to bump up the saturation to a point where it feels slight unnatural. For example, the photo of the Chicken noodles bowl looks more orange than its natural “brown” hues in the restaurant. The same goes for daylight photos where the colours are always boosted. However, exposures are done nicely and if you are into brightened-up photos, you will like the Edge 30 Pro's still photos.

Both the 50MP main and 50 MP ultra-wide camera have slightly varying colour profiles but end results are pleasing enough for your social media needs. Pixel-peeping peeps (get the pun?) could be unhappy with the “un-flagship-like” detail smudging; both on all the rear cameras, and the front camera as well. The 60MP selfie camera is fine with facial details but has cooler colour tones and a narrow focal plane – not ideal for group selfies. The macro mode is decent and in the Ultra-Res 50MP mode, you can gain some details at the cost of more shadows in daylight.

Check out some sample images here

Video recording is good but not great by Android's standards. The same contrasty and saturated look is present on the 4K and 1080p videos. There's 8K video recording too and it looks decent in daylight only.

Motorola Edge 30 Pro Battery

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Motorola Edge 30 Pro gets wireless charging, a rarity in this price segment. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
image caption
Motorola Edge 30 Pro gets wireless charging, a rarity in this price segment. (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

A 144Hz display and a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip don't raise concerns for the 4800mAh battery. However, I was impressed to see the Edge 30 Pro spending an entire weekday's torture and still leaving 30 percent battery on most days. Note that this torture included 2 hours worth of talktime, 2 hours' worth of social media browsing, and several other regular phone stuff – excluding gaming. With an hour of gaming thrown into the mix, you might need to charge up the phone by evening.

Luckily, Motorola has upgraded its charging system to a modern-day acceptable 68W solution and it takes around 40 minutes to do a full charge from less than 10 percent battery. You get this 68W charger in the box. You also get to see 15W wireless charging support and 5W revere wireless charging support as well. Very few phones offer such kind of versatility for charging at this price.

Verdict

Motorola Edge 30 Pro
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro comes in Cosmos Blue and StarDust White colours.  (Amritanshu / HT Tech)
image caption
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro comes in Cosmos Blue and StarDust White colours.  (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

If you have Rs. 50,000 to spend on a smartphone right now, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is easily the best 2022 flagship killer you can get right now. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip is faster than any other phone selling at its price, and the user experience is second to none if you value a no-nonsense clean Android experience. Battery life has been good too and that 144Hz display is another draw for Netflix lovers. The 68W fast charging along with the wireless charging is another boon.

The Edge 30 Pro, however, has its fair share of drawbacks too; hence we call it a flagship killer, not a proper flagship. The camera performance is on par with more affordable midrange phones, and this seems to be a hardware-related restriction. Motorola has been too conservative with the design too, considering what Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus and iQOO are doing with their phones.

Hence, if cameras are your priority at this price range, the cheaper Oppo Reno 7 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro could be good options for you. The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is another well-rounded package at this price with great cameras, a beautiful display, and a solid user experience. The Xiaomi 11T Pro and iQOO 9 are two options to consider if you value faster charging speeds.

However, it is the Motorola Edge 30 Pro that grabs our attention for its overall performance and user experience; thereby nabbing the title of our top recommendation at/under Rs. 50,000.

Rating
4 out of 5
Price
INR 49,999/-
Product Name
Motorola Edge 30 Pro
Brand Name
Motorola
Pros
  • Superb Android experience
  • Stellar performance
  • Good battery life
Cons
  • Average cameras
Specifications
  • Display
    6.7-inch FHD+ pOLED 144Hz
  • Chipset
    Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
  • Rear Cameras
    50MP + 50MP + 2 MP
  • Front Camera
    60MP
  • OS
    Android 12 with MyUX 3
  • Battery
    4800mAh
  • Charging
    68W wired, 15W wireless

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First Published Date: 26 Feb, 12:18 IST
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