Motorola has released three new budget-friendly phones in Australia, each well under the $1,000 mark and honestly… they’re kind of pretty. Really pretty, actually. Motorola appears to have taken some design tips from Apple.
It’s not often that I praise the aesthetics of a sub-$1,000 phone straight up, but Motorola’s design on these devices look oh so iPhone. Though the operating system may remain quite Androidy (in my opinion, OPPO’s proprietary ColorOS is the current king of Apple-style Android OS variants) the corners of the new Motorola Edge 30, the Moto G82 5G and the Moto e32 appear to draw inspiration from the iPhone 12 and 13, while the back appears to be flat.
Other Android devices go for more bulbous, single-mould plastic designs where the back of the device functionally connects to the sides, but this design from Apple Motorola comes across as unique in a market that’s often flooded with all too similar designs.
The Apple-like designs are similar to what we saw on the Motorola Edge 20 (which released last year) and I think they make all the difference in making your phone look sleek, elegant and powerful compared to other Androids. The addition of fully protruding buttons across all three of these phones, along with the redesign of the camera array on the back, make it look separable from other available Android phones.
But enough gushing about aesthetics and how pretty these phones are. Lets talk specs.
The Motorola Edge 30
Kicking things off for us is the Motorola Edge 30, the flagship device of the Motorola range, sporting the high-end ‘Edge’ name. Motorola says that it’s capable of 32.1 hours of battery life.
- Price: $699
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G
- Screen: 6.5-inch AMOLED display, 144hz refresh rate, 2,400 x 1,080
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Rear Cameras: 50MP wide, 50MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth
- Front camera: 32MP wide
- Battery: 4,020mAh
- Connectivity: 5G
- Weight: 155g
- Colour options: Meteor Grey
A 144hz refresh rate is quite impressive for a sub-$1,000 phone (such phones usually have 90hz refresh rates, 120hz at most). It’s not something you see that often and would make screen animations look a lot slicker.
The Moto g82 5G
Next up is the Moto g82 5G, a member of the G range, a cheaper family of devices under the Motorola umbrella. This phone is a bit nerfed compared to the Motorola Edge 30, however it’s more affordable.
- Price: $499
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G
- Screen: 6.6-inch AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate, 2,400 x 1,800
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB (expandable up to 1TB)
- Rear Cameras: 50MP wide, 8MP wide/depth, 2MP macro
- Front camera: 16MP wide
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Connectivity: 5G
- Weight: 173g
- Colour options: Meteor Grey, White Lily
Note that the screen is bigger and the resolution is greater than on the Motorola Edge 30, as is the battery capacity. However the cameras, CPU and RAM are noticeably less powerful.
The Moto e32
Last on our list is the Moto e32, a device from Motorola’s ‘E’ range, which focuses on budget and affordable devices.
- Price: $229
- CPU: UNISOC T606
- Screen: 6.5-inch LCD display, 90hz refresh rate, 1,600 x 720
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 1TB)
- Rear Cameras: 16MP wide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth
- Front camera: 8MP wide
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Connectivity: 5G
- Weight: 184g
- Colour options: Slate Grey, Misty Silver
This is not a device a power user should consider, however $229 might be a pretty good price for someone who doesn’t use a smartphone often.
Where can I buy Motorola’s new phones?
From today, the Motorola Edge 30 is available at JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W, Mobileciti and the Lenovo online store. Vodafone will also be stocking the phone from June 14.
The Moto g82 5G will be available from June (no exact date yet) at JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W and Mobileciti. The Moto e32 will be available from today at JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks, Big W and Mobile City. Optus will also stock the device from May 30.