There’s no shortage of smartphones on the market but Motorola’s new Edge series may introduce a more affordable mid-range option.
Motorola has announced four new handsets that are all 5G-compatible. The main focus of the new phones appears to be an improved set of cameras and an enhanced 144Hz refresh rate for better gaming and streaming capabilities.
Here’s a breakdown of each of Motorola’s new smartphones.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro
The highlight of the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is its camera.
The phone features a trio of lenses, one of which is a 108MP main camera and another is a periscope-style telephoto lens. It also has a 50x Super Zoom and can capture video in 8K resolution. It’s a pretty big step up from the camera on Motorola’s previous Edge phones.
The handset will come in Midnight Sky and Indigo Vegan Leather colour options.
Here are some other major specs:
- OS: Android 11
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870
- Memory: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Display: 6.7-inches, OLED, FHD+ (2400 x 1080), 144Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colour
- Cameras: 108MP (main), 8MP 5X Telephoto, 16MP ultra-wide angle, 32MP (front)
- Battery: 4500mAh
- Water-resistance: IP52
Australian pricing and availability
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro will retail for $899 in Australia.
It will be available from September 2021 at JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Mobileciti, Motorola and Lenovo online.
Motorola Edge 20
Named exactly the same as the 2020 model is the Motorola Edge 20. This new model has an updated camera, enhanced refresh rate and it’s thin at just 6.99mm.
Here are the other major specs:
- OS: Android 11
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G
- Memory: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Display: 6.7-inches, OLED, FHD+ (2400 x 1080), 144Hz refresh rate, 10-bit colour
- Cameras: 108MP (main), 8MP 3X Telephoto, 16MP ultra-wide angle, 32MP (front)
- Battery: 4000mAh
- Water-resistance: IP52
Australian Pricing and availability
The Motorola Edge 20 is far more affordable this year at $699 and will be released alongside the Edge Pro in September 2021.
It will be available for purchase in the Frosted Onyx colour from JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, Mobileciti, Motorola and Lenovo Online.
Motorola Edge 20 Fusion
On the budget end of the new Edge series is the Edge 20 Fusion. The main difference here is a lower refresh rate of just 90Hz and no Telephoto camera, but it does have the largest battery of the lot at 5000mAh.
The processor also takes a hit on the Fusion with a MediaTek Dimensity 5G-B instead of the Snapdragon units on the other Edge phones.
Here are the specs laid out for you:
- OS: Android 11
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 5G-B
- Memory: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Display: 6.7-inches, OLED, FHD+ (2400 x 1080), 90Hz refresh rate
- Cameras: 108MP (main), 8MP ultra-wide angle, 2MP depth camera, 32MP (front)
- Battery: 5000mAh
- Water-resistance: IP52
Australian pricing and availability
The Motorola Edge 20 Fusion retails for $499 and will be available this week from the 26th of August in Electric Graphite and Cyber Teal variations.
You can pick one up at JB Hi-Fi, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, Big W (online), Mobileciti, Motorola and Lenovo Online. It will also be available at Vodafone in September.
Motorola g50 5G
Rounding out the list is the Motorola g50 5G.
This handset is less focused on the camera and display quality and more focused on giving consumers fast 5G compatibility at an affordable price.
Here’s a rundown of the specs:
- OS: Android 11
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 700
- Storage: 128GB
- Memory: 5GB
- Display: 6.5-inches, IPS, HD+ (1600 x 720), 90Hz refresh rate
- Battery: 5000mAh
- Cameras: 48MP (main), 2MP Macro vision, 2MP depth camera, 13MP (front)
Australian pricing and availability
The Motorola g50 5G will hit retailers from August 26 and costs $399. It will be available in meteorite grey at JB Hi-FI, Officeworks, The Good Guys, Big W, Mobileciti, Motorola and Lenovo Online and at Vodafone by September.
While the new Motorola Edge series offers an affordable price for premium cameras and 5G connectivity, the handsets do lack wireless charging capabilities and could use a higher degree of water resistance.
How Motola’s new Ready For program works across the devices will be interesting to see. It claims to allow seamless wireless connectivity between a PC and the Motorola Edge 20 and 20 Pro devices, allowing users to access their files on both desktop and phone simultaneously.
It’s definitely a nice additional feature for the current work from home market but how well it works remains to be seen.
If you’re keen, you’ll be able to grab the Motorola g50 and Edge Fusion this week with the Edge 20 and Edge 20 Pro coming later in September.