The razor-thin and extra-durable Motorola Edge 50 is way cheaper than expected
Formally unveiled and almost fully detailed exactly a week ago, the latest addition to the already expansive and impressive Motorola Edge 50 lineup might the most remarkable member of said Android handset family around the world.
Dubbed simply and yet somewhat confusingly the Motorola Edge 50, this new inexpensive mid-ranger aims to turn heads with its undeniably stylish design, blow your socks off with an unusually robust construction (for such a slim and lightweight device), and perhaps most importantly, wow many bargain hunters with what looks like a virtually unbeatable value proposition.
Motorola Edge 50 release date and price point
The biggest piece that was missing from the "standard" Edge 50 puzzle last week has finally fallen into place earlier today, and it's... breathtaking. Rumored at one point to cost as much as €600 in Europe, the "world's slimmest IP68 MIL-810H military grade certified" smartphone is officially priced at Rs. 25,999 in India.
Always choose the bold move with the #MotorolaEdge50!
— Motorola India (@motorolaindia) August 1, 2024
Engineered to withstand the toughest challenges as it meets MIL-810H Military Grade standards.
Launched with 8+256GB at ₹25,999/-, sale starts 8 Aug @Flipkart, https://t.co/YA8qpSXba4 & leading stores.#CraftedForTheBold
Believe it or not, that equates to just $310 or around €290, which... doesn't necessarily mean that the Edge 50's recommended price point on the old continent will actually circle the €300 mark. But even by the typical standards of a traditionally budget-focused market like India, that's phenomenally affordable, putting the Motorola Edge 50 below Samsung's Galaxy A35 5G or the hot new OnePlus Nord 4.
What's even crazier is that the ultra-low-cost Edge 50 mid-ranger comes with a hefty 256 gigs of internal storage and an equally generous 8GB RAM count. At least for the time being, that's the only configuration scheduled for an imminent commercial debut in decidedly eye-catching Jungle Green, Peach Fuzz, and Koala Grey colorways.
The official release is set for next Thursday, August 8 in India, with no words (yet) on European availability and pricing and a US expansion feeling highly unlikely at this point. That's because the Motorola Edge (2024) is already up for grabs stateside, and it's unclear how that model could cohabit with the Edge 50 without causing user confusion and market cannibalization.
Edge 50 specs - can budget-friendly mid-rangers get any better than this?
- 6.67-inch p-OLED Endless Edge display with 2712 x 1220 pixel resolution, 120Hz refresh rate technology, and 1600 nits HDR peak brightness;
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition processor;
- 50 + 13 + 10MP triple rear-facing camera system;
- 5,000mAh battery with 68W TurboPower wired and 15W wireless charging support;
- Android 14;
- Two guaranteed OS updates + three years of security patches;
- 160.8 x 72.4 x 7.79mm dimensions;
- 180 grams weight;
- Metal frame, vegan leather back, Gorilla Glass 5 screen protection;
- Dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology;
- AI features: Auto Smile Capture, Google Lens integration, Smart Composition, Shot Optimization, Auto Night Vision.
Be honest, you can't think of a budget 5G phone with a superior or even similar spec sheet to this bad boy. Not in the sub-$400 segment, at least, and that's before considering the unusual durability promises made by Motorola for the Edge 50.
Ready for anything with MIL-STD 810H durability#MotorolaEdge50 offers style in Jungle Green & Peach Fuzz in vegan leather & Koala Grey in vegan suede
— Motorola India (@motorolaindia) August 1, 2024
Launched with 8+256GB at ₹25,999/-, sale starts 8 Aug @Flipkart, https://t.co/YA8qpSXba4 & leading stores#CraftedForTheBold
The handset is, according to its manufacturer, resistant to not only water immersion and dust, but extreme temperatures, pressure changes, salt fog, "high-vibration" situations, and even "sudden" impacts and drops as well. With a gorgeous vegan leather finish, aggressively curved display, and sub-8mm waist, the Motorola Edge 50 certainly doesn't look like your regular rugged phone, which is why you may not want to rely on the company's marketing claims too much and get yourself a good old fashioned case and screen protector anyway.
Still, we can definitely expect the "vanilla" Edge 50 to prove at least slightly more durable and robust than the Edge 50 Pro, Edge (2024), and Edge 50 Ultra, which makes its bang for buck absolutely unrivaled... in the affordable Android space.
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