It’s been a while since there was any news on a Motorola flagship. It’s last big flagship was the MotoMods touting Moto Z4. Since then, the company has been invested in their mid-range offerings with the Moto G series, which got a stylus in one of the more recent releases; and it’s Motorola One series. The last Motorola branded smartphone to reach Malaysia was the Motorola One Power which was sold through online shopping platform, Shopee.
This year, the now Lenovo owned Motorola Mobility looks to be reentering the flagship race with a new contender: the Motorola Edge+. If you’re asking where’s the “Moto” brand, it seems like the new flagship will be leaving the moniker behind. However, it’s also taking specs and features more seriously than any other Motorola flagship in recent years.
Built to Impress: The Motorola Edge+
The new Motorola Edge+ doesn’t hold back when it comes to specifications. It packs the cutting edge Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with 12GB of DDR5 RAM and 256GB of internal storage. They’re using the UFS3.0 for internal memory. The combination makes the Motorola Edge one of the most powerful flagship devices on the market. Coming equipped with 5G connectivity, the Edge+ is Motorola’s first 5G smartphone.
The display on the Edge+ comes with a curved, 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a Full HD+ resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. It has a 21:9 aspect ratio and a refresh rate of 90Hz. The display is also HDR10+ certified. Their Endless Edge display wraps nearly 90-degrees around the long sides of the device. Their display is also one of the cornerstones of the their new MyUX experience which allows users to customize how they are able to interact with their phones. From gestures to pull down the notification shade by swiping and even lighting up for notifications, Motorola is looking to make a large device more functional with one hand.
A Camera Experience That Makes Sense
The Motorola Edge+ comes with the same camera 108-megapixel module that we’ve seen in recent flagships including the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and the Xiaomi Mi 10. It has the quad pixel technology that we’ve been hearing about. In essence, this technology combines 4 pixels to increase the amount of light being captured. This is complemented with an 8-megapixel sensor with a telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom; a 16-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide lens with a 117° field of view; and a time of flight sensor.
Cameras on the Motorola Edge+ will be able to shoot 6K video video footage. Users will also be able to take 20-megapixel pictures while shooting video. The camera array also has dual OIS on the main and telephoto lenses to minimise shaking. Motorola is touting that the Edge+ comes with the most advanced stabilisation which combines OIS and EIS for superior video stabilization. The front camera is a 25-megapixel sensor with an aperture of f/2.0.
Motorola is looking to give one of the most well rounded experiences on a smartphone with the Edge+. To that end, the company has said that it has equipped the smartphone with the loudest, most powerful dual speaker setup and a 3.5mm jack. The sound experience on the Edge+ also calibrated by GRAMMY Award winning company, Waves.
The Edge+ comes with Bluetooth 5.1 LE, NFC and WiFi 6 connectivity. Also along for the ride is a USB Type C (3.1) connection. It is equipped with an on-screen fingerprint sensor. It is also touting a 5000mAh battery which has support for 18W fast charging, 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse charging. The Edge+ is also rated IP68 for dust and water resistance.
Scaled Back for Affordability: the Motorola Edge
Along with the Motorola Edge+, the company announced a scaled back version called the Motorola Edge. While the phone keeps the ethos of the new flagship device, the company has scaled specifications back a little bit to keep the price more affordable.
The Motorola Edge will be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor paired with 6GB of DDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS2.1 on-board storage. It also has a smaller battery at 4,500mAh which has support for 15W fast charging. However, it will not support wireless and reverse charging.
The camera module on the Edge is a triple sensor setup with a smaller 64-megapixel sensor. It also lacks the time of flight sensor from the Edge+. The phone also doesn’t support WiFi 6. Instead, it supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. It also comes with a USB Type C (2.0) instead and is only rated IP54 for dust and water resistance.
However, both versions will be coming equipped with Android 10 with Motorola’s near stock experience.
Pricing & Availability
The Motorola Edge will be available in Europe starting in May, 2020 for €699 (USD$767/MYR3,298). It will be making its way to markets in Latin America, Asia Pacific and the United States shortly after. It will be available in Solar Black and Midnight Magenta.
The Motorola Edge+ will be heading to the U.S. on May 14, 2020. It will be retailing at USD$999 (MYR4,354). The Edge+ will be available in Thunder Grey and Smoky Sangria. It is confirmed to be heading to India and select Latin American markets.
No news just yet on the Edge and Edge+ coming to Malaysia.
