Motorola have certainly been expanding their offering here in Australia with their Moto Edge series going from strength to strength.
When I attended a Moto event earlier this year the company did state they were looking at launching a few more devices before the end of the year here and they did that with the Moto Edge 50 Neo, which we have reviewed recently and you can read here, alongside the Moto Edge 50, the sibling which I would say slots in just under the Moto Edge 50 Pro.
Looking at the specs for the Moto Edge 50, it would seem the device is certainly offering some great specs but can it last an Ausdroid review, let’s have a look shall we.
What’s in the box
Motorola has for a little while now started putting its devices in plain packaging and this is no different with the Moto Edge 50.
In the box you get the device, a one metre USB-C to USB-C charging cord, a 68W TurboPower wall charger brick, a polymer plastic case, SIM eject tool and the usual warranty and instruction paperwork.
I do like that Motorola does include chargers and phone covers with their device as it saves having to find or buy additional plugs and covers.
The design
The Motorola Edge 50 is certainly impressive when you take it out of the box. The first thing you notice is the borderless 6.7-inch pOLED display (2712 x 1220 | 1.5K @ 446ppi).
The screen once is very bright and clear which certainly helps during set up which is also a breeze as you can use a QR code to help set up the device from your old android phone. Doing it this way doesn’t require you to either use a cable or do it via wi-fi and signing into your Google account and I have to say I do love setting up devices this way.
You’ll notice once the display turn on the 32MP front facing camera lens which is in a punch hole in the top middle of the display and honestly after a while.
The device is encased in an aluminum frame chassis which you only really notice around the sides, top and bottom of the device.
Speaking of the sides, the right hand side houses one of the microphones for the device along with the power/standby button with the volume rockers which are two separate buttons just above the standby button.
The top and left hand sides don’t house anything whereas the button of the device houses the other microphone along with the SIM card tray located to the left of the USB-C charging port which is located on the middle with the speaker grill located just to the right of the charger port.
Turning over the Moto Edge 50 the rear is more or a textured back instead of leather. it felt more like a rubberised type of material which I did actually prefer over say the vegan leather.
Furthermore, the rear houses the triple rear camera set up made up of a 50MP Sony – LYTIATM 700C main sensor lens, a 13MP Ultrawide angle lens and a 10MP Telephoto lens alongside a single LED flashlight. The housing for the cameras is slightly raised by about 2-3 millimeters so laying this on a flat surface can mean there is some rocking but placing the included phone cover this is slightly minimised.
Lights, Camera, Action!
In terms of cameras, the motorola edge 50 comes with a triple rear camera set up made up of a 50MP Sony – LYTIATM 700C main sensor lens, a 13MP Ultrawide angle lens and a 10MP Telephoto lens. The front facing camera is a 32MP lens.
The feature modes in the camera app include photo, slow motion, video, portrait, pro, scan, spot color, night vision, panorama, ultra-res, dual capture, Photo Booth, tilt shift, timelapse, spot color (video) and dual capture (video).
The camera system and software have moto ai processing embedded into the software ensuring your pictures, especially to aid in capturing scenes at night, pop, along with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and advanced all-pixel focus technology, users of the device will capture a crisp image every time.
Photos taken with the rear camera set up are quite good in bright well lit settings but in low light do struggle with some noise, loss of definitions, grainy and just not vibrant, but none the less the photos did turn out quite good.
The front facing camera sample where quite good but again low light is the achilles heel here.
Software and Performance
So the Motorola Edge 50 runs Android 14 right out of the box, with Motorola saying they will be upgrading the device to Android 15 sometime this year but no eat has been given for this.
The one thing that annoys me a little is that Motorola have stated the Motorola Edge 50 will get two years of OS updates, and three years bi monthly Security updates, which is good but could be a lot better given Google with its Pixel phones, Samsung with its Galaxy and Oppo with their device are offering up to 7 years of upgrades both security and major OS, I would have liked to have seen this expanded to include a possible another 1-2 years if that and I implore Motorola to rethink this for the next iterations.
Furthermore, Motorola did use their own MyUX over the top of Android which is light and there are some preloaded apps which sadly doesn’t look like you can remove but they are somewhat useful.
These apps include:
> Smart Control: allows you to connect to other smart devices like a smart display connect to a webcam, computer to be able to use the device and still be productive when on the go
> Moto Unplugged: Allows you to enter a special mode, allowing each user to tailor a break time to meet their individual needs and have a digital detox away from using your device 24/7.
> Games: Has a selection of Moto preloaded games that you might enjoy
> Family Space: allows you to create a space on your phone where family can play safely, without disrupting your settings and privacy
> Moto Secure: is the go to app for all the vital security and privacy features on your phone. It enables you to manage network security, control app permissions, and even create a secret folder for your most sensitive data.
> Moto App: allows you to personalise your device from wallpapers, gestures, moto secure tips, the display and more.
Performance wise, the Motorola Edge 50 was able to handle the review and then some more both as a backup work device going between multiple apps and my email app, but also going between my Ausdroid emails and apps to personal apps without skipping a beat. The usage of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 which they are calling the accelerated edition, did help a lot alongside the 256GB onboard storage with a 12GB RAM made this a bit of a powerhouse that was able to handle the hectic day.
The Motorola Edge 50 also comes with tri-band Wi-Fi 6E which connected to my home and work Wi-Fi networks quite well alongside Bluetooth version 5.2 enabled me to connect to my Bluetooth earbuds with ease alongside NFC capabilities meaning yes you can tap and go on the go without needing to keep your bank cards nearby.
Battery Life
The Motorola Edge 50 comes with a 5,000mAh battery that can also support Motorola Turbo Charging capabilities with Motorola including a 68W TurboPower wall charger brick in the box, alongside the ability to support 15W wireless charging if your so inclined to this.
Battery power wise, I fif find the device was able to survive a whole day battery wise with medium to some heavy usage which is great as most days I still came home with between 50-60% battery life still left but of course this does vary depending on what you use.
Granted you can also extend your battery life through Motorola battery settings which can give you up to 2-3 days potentially of extra charge but I tend not to use these as they can restrict apps unless you deselect them in the settings.
Should you consider buying one?
Honestly I have to say I am impressed with the Motorola Edge 50. Granted the camera does have some faults mainly with low light or nighttime shots and yes the issue with only including 2 years of major OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates is in my opinion being a little poor, there is a lot to still like about the Motorola Edge 50.
I can easily recommend the Motorola Edge 5o for those needing a great device at a reasonable price without breaking the bank.
The Motorola Edge 50 is available exclusively through at JB Hi-Fi for $799 in either Jungle Green, Koala Grey and Peach Fuzz – which is Pantone colour of the Year colours.
