The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is a mid-range smartphone that aims to provide a balanced experience with its sleek design, solid performance, and decent camera capabilities. Here’s a full review of the device:
Design & Build Quality:
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo features a modern and stylish design, with a slim profile and curved edges that give it a premium feel. The back panel is made of glass with a matte finish, which reduces fingerprint smudges and adds to the overall aesthetics. The device is also lightweight, making it comfortable to hold and use for extended periods.
The phone comes in a variety of colors, with options that cater to both subtle and bold preferences. The build quality is impressive for a mid-range device, with a sturdy frame that gives it a durable feel. The device is also IP52-rated, which means it’s resistant to dust and splashes, though it’s not fully waterproof.
Display:
The Edge 50 Neo sports a 6.55-inch OLED display with a 2400 x 1080 pixels resolution. The display is one of the highlights of the phone, offering vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast ratios. With a 120Hz refresh rate, scrolling through apps, browsing the web, and gaming feels smooth and responsive.
The brightness levels are sufficient for outdoor use, and the HDR10+ support ensures that streaming content looks great on platforms like Netflix and YouTube. The display also has an under-display fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable.
Performance:
Under the hood, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset, coupled with 8GB or 12GB of RAM depending on the variant. This combination provides a smooth and lag-free experience in daily tasks, including multitasking, app switching, and moderate gaming.
For gaming, the device can handle most games at medium to high settings, though it may struggle with more demanding titles at max settings. The Adreno 642L GPU ensures decent graphical performance, and the device’s thermal management is adequate, with minimal heating during extended gaming sessions.
Software:
The Edge 50 Neo runs on Android 14 with Motorola’s My UX skin on top. Motorola’s approach to software is close to stock Android, with minimal bloatware and a clean user interface. The My UX skin adds some useful features, such as customizable gestures, edge lighting, and a gaming mode, without overwhelming the user experience.
Motorola also promises timely updates, with at least two years of major OS updates and three years of security patches, which is a positive for those who plan to keep their device for a longer time.
Camera:
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is equipped with a versatile camera setup:
- Main Camera: 50MP with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
- Ultra-Wide Camera: 16MP with a 118-degree field of view
- Macro Camera: 5MP
- Front Camera: 32MP
The main camera performs well in good lighting conditions, capturing detailed and vibrant photos. The OIS helps in low-light situations, but the quality drops slightly in darker environments, with some noise and reduced sharpness. The ultra-wide camera is good for capturing landscapes and group shots, though it suffers from some distortion at the edges.
The macro camera is decent for close-up shots but is more of a novelty feature. The front camera is excellent for selfies, offering a good balance of detail and skin tones. Video recording is supported at up to 4K resolution, with decent stabilization and dynamic range.
Battery Life:
The device houses a 4,500mAh battery, which provides all-day battery life with moderate use. With heavy use, such as gaming or extensive media consumption, the battery might need a top-up towards the end of the day. The Edge 50 Neo supports 68W fast charging, which can charge the device from 0 to 50% in just 20 minutes, and a full charge takes around 45 minutes. Wireless charging is also supported, albeit at a slower 15W rate.
Connectivity & Extras:
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo comes with 5G support, ensuring fast data speeds where available. It also has dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and a USB-C port. The phone retains a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is a plus for users who prefer wired audio. The stereo speakers offer good sound quality, with clear mids and highs, though the bass is somewhat lacking.
Verdict:
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is a solid mid-range smartphone that excels in areas like display quality, design, and software experience. It offers good performance for its price range, and the camera setup is versatile enough for most users’ needs. While it may not be the best choice for hardcore gamers or those needing top-tier camera performance, it provides excellent value for anyone looking for a well-rounded device.
If you’re in the market for a stylish and reliable smartphone with a clean Android experience, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is definitely worth considering.
Specifications:
General:
- Model: Motorola Edge 50 Neo
- Release Date: 2024
- Dimensions: 159.9 x 74.4 x 7.6 mm
- Weight: 170 grams
- Build: Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
- SIM: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
- Water Resistance: IP52, dust and splash resistant
Display:
- Type: OLED, 1 billion colors, HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate
- Size: 6.55 inches
- Resolution: 2400 x 1080 pixels (FHD+), 20:9 aspect ratio
- Pixel Density: ~402 ppi
- Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass
Performance:
- Operating System: Android 14 with My UX
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (6 nm)
- CPU: Octa-core (1×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78, 3×2.4 GHz Cortex-A78, 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
- GPU: Adreno 642L
- RAM: 8GB / 12GB
- Internal Storage: 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1
- Expandable Storage: No
Camera:
- Main Camera:
- Primary Sensor: 50MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS
- Ultra-Wide: 16MP, f/2.2, 118-degree field of view
- Macro: 5MP, f/2.4
- Features: Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR, panorama
- Video Recording: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
- Front Camera:
- Sensor: 32MP, f/2.2, wide
- Features: HDR
- Video Recording: 1080p@30fps
Battery:
- Capacity: 4,500mAh
- Type: Non-removable Li-Po
- Charging:
- Wired: 68W fast charging (50% in 20 minutes)
- Wireless: 15W
Connectivity:
- 5G: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- Bluetooth: 5.3, A2DP, LE
- GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS
- NFC: Yes
- USB: USB Type-C 2.0, OTG
Sensors:
- Fingerprint Sensor: Under-display, optical
- Accelerometer: Yes
- Gyroscope: Yes
- Proximity Sensor: Yes
- Compass: Yes
Audio:
- Speakers: Stereo speakers
- 3.5mm Jack: Yes
- Audio Features: 24-bit/192kHz audio
Other Features:
- Colors: Multiple color options available
- Motorola Experience: Customizable gestures, edge lighting, Ready For (desktop mode)
These specifications position the Motorola Edge 50 Neo as a competitive option in the mid-range market, offering a blend of modern features and solid performance.
