Motorola Edge 30 Pro review: Hello (again) Moto!

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro will soon be available, indicates the brand on its official website. It will be distributed on the official Motorola store as well as at partner distributors at a price of 799 euros.

It will be offered in a single 12/256 GB version and comes in two colors: Cosmos Blue and Stardust White. Its repairability index is 6.8/10.

Between nostalgia and modernity

With the Edge 30 Pro, Motorola is not reinventing the wheel. The manufacturer is even inspired by the design of its first smartphones by opting for rounded lines and a slightly domed back.

We still regret the choice of plastic. Admittedly, the matte coating chases away fingerprints. Admittedly, this material makes it possible not to lug around a smartphone as heavy as a lump of butter (it weighs 196 g). Admittedly the games of reflections are of the most beautiful effect and give the illusion of glass. But for 800 euros, we are entitled to demand choices of more noble materials.

On the back, the designers have redesigned the photo module. Its lines are more rounded than on previous models and therefore bring a certain harmony to the whole. Motorola plays the card of its brand image thoroughly: in addition to the mention “motorola” in its new typography we find the logo “Batwing” in the center. Quite a symbol.

At the front, we would have liked the screen to be surrounded by slightly thinner black bands, but the whole remains very correct. Of course, the dimensions of this Edge 30 Pro will require manipulation with two hands to avoid falls. It may well be IP68 certified (water and dust resistant) and covered with Gorilla Glass protective glass, the Edge 30 Pro is not indestructible.

Imposing but relatively light, the Edge 30 Pro is very pleasant to use on a daily basis. The rounded back makes it pleasant to grip and the rounded curves allow comfortable handling. Motorola therefore does not make artifices but perfectly combines nostalgia and modernity.

144Hz screen!

While most high-end smartphones feature screens with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, Motorola pushes the sliders higher and goes up to 144 Hz. To date, only gaming smartphones like the Asus ROG Phone 5 incorporate this type of panel for obvious reasons of fluidity in the game. Motorola even has the luxury of choosing an adaptive technology oscillating between 60 and 144 Hz. saves energy consumption while enjoying great fluidity in animations and scrolling.

Motorola opts for a 6.7” pOLED panel with Full HD+ definition compatible with HDR10+. We will finally regret that its maximum brightness capping at only 500 nits when most premium models exceed the 1000 nits mark. Concretely, we only perceive the difference in very strong light conditions, especially in direct sunlight. But the brightness remains amply sufficient for good readability even in these extreme conditions.

The calibration of the panel is very correct. For the more fussy it is possible to adjust the parameters according to your tastes. In summary, the screen of the Edge 30 Pro has nothing to envy to those of its direct competitors, with the possible exception of the Galaxy S22+, which is above the rest. Quite the contrary.

Powerful and enduring

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro embeds the latest generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip accompanied by 12 GB of RAM. Reading these two parameters, we could expect the Edge 30 Pro to be a powerhouse. Oh surprise, it is.

Like all smartphones equipped with the latest chip from Qualcomm, the Edge 30 Pro can do everything, very well and very quickly. The problem with all that power this year is that it tends to heat up.

Like other manufacturers, Motorola seems to have difficulty dissipating the heat emitted by the components when they are used at their full potential for too long. Concretely, the Edge 30 Pro gets a bit too hot during prolonged gaming sessionsphoto shoots or too long filming.

Power consumption also seems to be a problem in some situations. If the 4800 mAh battery allows an average day and a half of versatile use (up to two days with a bit of a break), gaming sessions melt the battery like snow in the sun. A problem that an update could possibly correct but which will undoubtedly cool gamers.

The latter will be able to console themselves with the very fast charging system 68W TurboPower able to recover 40% of battery in a quarter of an hour. Motorola communicates on a day of use in 20 minutes of recharging. Within a few minutes, the promise is kept.

Note that the Edge 30 Pro is also compatible with wireless charging (up to 15W) and inverted (5W). Motorola therefore does not skimp on the means and provides the complete package. The manufacturer also provides the charger in the box, which most of its competitors proudly brandish their pin’s “I take care of my planet” (but I still release 18 smartphones a week), no longer do.

On the software side, Motorola has long chosen to play it sober. The manufacturer believes that Android 12 in its purest version offers an almost optimal experience. “Almost” because Motorola still includes a small application as discreet as it is complete.

Soberly called Moto, this app allows you to access user tips, customize the interface in more depth (layout of icons, fonts, colors, sounds, theme), optimize the gaming experience or configure more comprehensive navigation gestures.

These last two features are also the most interesting. Motorola offers 8 quick gestures to perform actions in the blink of an eye. For example, you can take a screenshot by shaking the phone, unlock the device by lifting it up or activate a shortcut by pressing the power button twice.

Gametime brings together all the games installed on the smartphone in a sleek Netflix catalog style interface. This is also where players will configure their game settings and find screenshots of their game sessions. Pretty good.

Zoom on the camera (or not)

Forgive us this dubious pun referring to the Edge 30 Pro’s photographic equipment. Motorola indeed makes the odd choice to do not integrate a telephoto lens, optical yet very fashionable in 2022. One could even say that it is difficult to rise among the reference photophones without offering at least one telephoto lens.

Motorola therefore takes this risk and will have to bear the consequences. Yes, the telephoto lens is sorely lacking in this model positioned in this price segment. Yes, the digital zoom offered by the manufacturer will allow you to shoot in 2x zoom with quite correct quality. But for a smartphone at 800 euros, it’s too little.

Too bad because the rest of the photographic equipment combined with the power of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip does great things. The main 50 Mpxl sensor with wide-angle lens (f / 1.8) comes with Ultra Pixel technology which, roughly speaking, allows it (thanks to its larger photosites) to capture more light.

This combination allows the Edge 30 Pro to show off very convincing in good light conditions with a good sharpness and, above all, a very natural rendering. This is also the case with the portrait mode, which is quite successful.

In low light, the main sensor of the Edge 30 Pro does not fail either. If the loss of details is obvious, the shots obtained remain usable. Above all, Motorola does not fall into the trap of luminous halos and other flare problems, which, at this price level, is already very good.

To accompany this main sensor, Motorola relies on another 50 Mpxl sensor, this time accompanied by an ultra wide-angle (f / 2.2) and Quad Pixel technology (same principle but with slightly smaller photosites).

In good light conditions, this ultra wide-angle remains convincing. The digital processing manages to keep the colors fairly close and a very correct general rendering. In low light, however, the loss of sharpness and aggressive image processing are sometimes lacking.

Last but not leastMotorola had the good idea to use this ultra wide-angle to indulge in the joys of macro photography. Again, the results are very good.

In the front, the 60 Mpxl front sensor will delight the most narcissistic among us. On the video side, the Edge 30 Pro can film up to 8K but we advise you to stop at 4K which has better stabilization. Motorola does not pretend to play in the same court as the market references but defends itself with quite original shooting modes.

We will quote the Dual Capture function which allows filming with the rear camera and the front camera at the same time. Video Spot Color mode allows you to film an element in color in an entirely black and white setting. Nice.

Our opinion on the Motorola Edge 30 Pro

After several days of testing this Edge 30 Pro, we understand why Motorola continues to shine across the Atlantic. And we also wonder about the disenchantment of the brand in France. The Edge 30 Pro has almost everything to please. Its design is obre, its screen is of excellent quality, it is ultra efficient, durable, has a very fast charging system and convinces in photos. All for 800 euros.

At this price, we forgive its few small weaknesses, in particular the autonomy which plummets in play or the absence of a telephoto lens. In this price range, the competitors aren’t perfect either. Some of them are even less convincing. We can therefore only recommend this Edge 30 Pro. Hello (again) Motorcycle!

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