With Moto Edge and Moto Edge+, Motorola Returns to Flagship Smartphones
After years of establishing its G-series as the pre-eminent budget
phone, Motorola is ready to make waves in the 5G market with the Moto Edge+, the world’s first global 5G smartphone. It marks the company’s return to the flagship market along with the upcoming Moto Edge.
Moto Edge+
First up is the Moto Edge+, a gorgeous all-glass flagship that
competes with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. It’s the first global 5G phone to hit the market and features a 6.7-inch
OLED display with 90-degree curved edges. It’s certified HDR10+ and has a variable
90Hz refresh rate. Powerful stereo speakers, tuned by Wave Audio, are also on
board for immersive streaming and gaming.
The Edge+ features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset with global 5G support. In the US, Verizon owners will get dual-band 5G thanks to 260/n261 mmWave band support along extensive sub-6GHz coverage on bands n2/n5/n41/n66/n71/n77/n78. While that’s great for Verizon customers in the US, it also means they’ll have 5G access throughout most of the world.
The flagship ships with 256GB of UFS 3.0 storage and 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. With
a 5,000mAh capacity battery, Motorola says the Edge+ should be able to go two
days between charges even when using millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G. If you do find yourself needing a
boost, the phone supports Motorola’s 15W TurboPower charging as well Qi
wireless charging. There’s also 5W PowerShare on board to top off wireless
accessories.
Moto Edge+ with Endless Edge display
In addition to powerful hardware, the Edge+ sports a solid
camera stack. There’s a 108MP shooter with optical image stabilization (OIS) and quad-binning along with a 12MP lens
with 3x high-resolution zoom and OIS. A 16MP ultra-wide and macro lens and time
of flight (TOF) sensor rounds out the stack.
Moto Edge
Although the Moto Edge looks similar to the Edge+, there are
a few differences. Instead of sporting an all-glass body, the Edge features a
plastic back and lacks wireless charging. And while it has a similar 90Hz
display, HDR10+ has been replaced with HDR10.
In terms of hardware, the Edge features a Qualcomm Snapdragon
765 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Instead of dual-band 5G, only
sub-6GHz is supported. The primary lens also gets a downgrade from 108MP to
64MP. A smaller 4,500mAh battery powers the phone.
Both the Moto Edge+ and Moto Edge will ship with Android 10
and an updated skin called My UX. In addition to offering more customization options
for the user, MY UX also adds a few features to complement the curved display. There’s
an option to map two gaming keys on the display edge as well as a feature
called Edge Lights, which uses multi-colored light strips for discreet notifications
and as a charging indicator.
Availability
Moto Edge+ in gray
The Moto Edge+ is a Verizon-exclusive that goes on sale May 14 in gray and burgundy, starting at $999.99. The Moto Edge will be available in black and magenta
later this year. Motorola did not announce pricing and availability, but it’ll likely be available on multiple carriers.
