Motorola Edge (2024) Review: A safe and boring update to Motorola's mid-range phone
Motorola Edge (2024) Intro
This year Motorola has decided to come out with only one member of its more premium Edge phones, and that is the Motorola Edge (2024). This is unlike last year, when we also got an Edge Plus (2023) that was equipped with higher-tier hardware and had a more flagship price slapped to it.
The Motorola Edge (2024), on the other hand, is a mid-range phone that goes for a price of $549, standing as the direct successor the Motorola Edge from 2023. Sadly, buyers don't have a lot of options to choose from when it comes to colors and storage, as there is only one variant that comes in Midnight Blue and 256GB of storage.
We will go into more detail later, but the gist of it is that we are looking at a slightly improved design with more durability for the display, a new somewhat more capable chipset, and a big jump in terms of battery life. Camera performance is also pretty good this year, albeit with some expected hiccups.
Motorola Edge (2024)
Disclaimer: We use a new review rating system at PhoneArena, which is why the total score of all devices tested under this protocol is lower than you might be used to. We believe it's a better system, covering a number of categories and providing a holistic view of the device, and we encourage you to look at the scores in context, rather than focusing on the number. You can learn more about our PhoneArena Review Score here.
Table of Contents:
Motorola Edge (2024) Specs
Similar specifications to last year with a few tweaks
Before we begin, here's an overview of the Motorola Edge (2024) specs and its predecessor's for context:
| Motorola Edge (2024) | Motorola Edge (2023) |
|---|---|
| Slightly heavier and thicker at 6.28 x 2.83 x 0.32 in and 6.14 oz | 6.24 x 2.83 x 0.30 in, 5.93 oz |
| 144Hz 2400 x 1080 P-OLED display; gets about 200 nits brighter, maxing out at about 1300 nits | Same display but not as bright: maxes out at 1061 nits in our display tests |
| Vegan leather finish, Gorilla Glass 3 display, aluminum frame | Vegan leather finish, Gorilla Glass 3 display, aluminum frame |
| IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
| Slightly more capable Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 (4nm) | MediaTek Dimensity 7030 (6nm) |
| 68W wired, 15W wireless charging | 68W wired, 15W wireless charging |
| Considerably larger 5000mAh battery | 4400mAh battery |
| New and more capable 50MP main camera 13MP ultra-wide 32MP front camera | 50MP main camera Same 13MP ultra-wide Same 32MP front camera |
| 8/256GB RAM and storage combination LPDDR4X memory UFS 2.2 storage | 8/256GB RAM and storage combination LPDDR4X memory UFS 2.2 storage |
Motorola Edge (2024) Design and Display
More durable and brighter display
The vegan leather trend continues (Image by PhoneArena)
Motorola is slowly but surely building a reputation for being one of the more stylish phone manufacturers on the market, spending extra effort to make its phones unique. It does that in several ways, one of which is using different materials for its phone's back panels. The Edge (2024) is no different, which has a soft vegan leather (silicone) back.
There are a few of main advantages to using silicone instead of glass. For starters, you will have a much tougher time breaking or cracking it, as it is soft and more sturdy than glass. Another benefit is that it does not attract fingerprints so it stays looking clean. Lastly, it is more "grippy," meaning less likely to slide away from your pocket or hands.
Something else that helps drop the new Motorola Edge (2024) less than other phones are its slim shape and thin edges. In fact, that is one of the reasons Motorola calls this series "Edge" to begin with.
I found the Edge (2024) extremely comfortable to hold—much like Motorola's other Edge phones—and I felt completely comfortable to handle it without a case.
The customizable button comes in pretty handy for quick access to any feature or app you want (Image by PhoneArena)
The buttons of the new Edge (2024) are satisfyingly clicky and easy to reach even when using the phone one-handed. There's also a customizable button on the top left side of the Edge (2024) that I tended to reach for with the index finger of the same hand I was holding the phone with. It's not the most convenient placement in the world, but it is workable.
Personally, I set the button to open the camera, as I often find myself needing as quick of an access to it as possible. Thankfully, pressing the button opened the camera even when the phone was locked, but for some other functionalities such as opening a Google search, for example, the phone needed to be unlocked. Just some details to keep in mind.
We were happy to see that Motorola has stuck to the same IP68 dust and water resistance. Just don't drop it in salty water or any deeper than 5 feet for over 30 minutes as those are the limits of the phone.
Motorola has not included a charger and additional accessories (Image by PhoneArena)
We were very unpleasantly surprised to learn that Motorola is not as generous as with the rest of its Edge and even Razr phones this year when it comes to the unboxing experience. There are no charger and case inside the box. Instead, all you get is the phone and a USB-C cable.
Everything inside the box:
- Phone
- USB Type-C cable
- SIM tool
- User manual
The screen looks vibrant but has distracting reflections due to the curved edges (Image by PhoneArena)
The new Edge (2024) comes with the same 6.6-inch display size that the predecessor has, but now it gets slightly brighter, which helps with outdoor visibility. Motorola claims a 1,300 nits of peak brightness, and that is about what we got during our own display tests here at PhoneArena. Unfortunately, still no Dolby Vision support, but at least you have HDR10+.
The overall image looks great with vibrant colors and an FHD+ (2400 x 1080) resolution. The phone can also switch between 60Hz, 120Hz, and a maximum of 144Hz refresh rate, so animations and navigation look super smooth. No complaints from us as far as image quality goes!
We are looking at an approximately 200 nits brighter display compared to last year's model. The new Motorola Edge (2024) also manages to beat the OnePlus 12R in our display tests, although the Pixel 8a smashes it with almost 1500 nits of peak brightness. Still, we have one of the best displays in this class here as far as brightness goes.
Motorola Edge (2024) Camera
Some bad and some good
One wide and one ultra-wide lens, but no telephoto (Image by PhoneArena)
Just like its predecessor, the Motorola Edge (2024) has two cameras at the back. You get a 50MP main camera and a 13MP ultra-wide. If you are looking for a phone with good zooming capabilities this wouldn't be the one to go for, as it does not feature a telephoto camera.
The main camera scored very well on our PhoneArena Camera Score, which is also visible in the sample photos you will see below. It provides a good amount of detail and pleasing colors. The dynamic range of the main camera is sufficiently wide, which helps show more detail in the shadows and highlights with in scenes with lots of contrast.
Despite the lower resolution of the 13MP ultra-wide camera, it also manages to perform well in our Camera Score, and we were left quite happy with the images that come out of it.
Main Camera
You see vibrant colors of photos captured in good daylight. There is ample amount of detail and HDR performance is good. The camera does tend to lean towards the warmer tones, though, making the photo appear more yellow than it should. This is likely what Motorola intended and more a matter of personal taste.
You also have the option to shoot portraits, which turn out pretty good considering this is a mid-range phone going for around $500. We don't have any major complaints about the Portrait Mode on the new Edge (2024).
Ultra-wide
The only issue we have with these photos from the ultra-wide camera is that they crush the blacks too much. That means the darker areas with shadows become too dark and therefore lose detail. This makes the image look worse than it should, and Motorola can easily fix that issue with a bit of tweaking on the software side with an update.
Zoom Quality
Given that there is no telephoto camera, it is not surprising to see how bad the Edge (2024) takes images at 5X and 10X magnification. That said, the 2X crop is not too bad, with the text clearly readable. Still, not exactly upload-worthy material, even if you have a more pretty scene then the one in our examples.
Selfies
Selfies with the front camera turn out like the one above, which is a bit soft for our liking. However, if you turn off the "Smart Adjust" mode from the camera app's settings things get better as far as sharpness goes.
Video Quality
As for video, the new Edge can shoot up 4K at 30FPS, or 1080P 60FPS. There is also a Slow Motion mode available in which the phone records at 1080P 240/120FPS. There is also support for HDR video, which is not turned on by default.
Much of what makes up the image quality in photos is the same during video recording. What we love is that the stabilization appears to be buttery smooth with no jitter as you move around.
One thing to note here is that swapping between the main and ultra-wide camera while recording is possible, but the transition is a bit jarring and not seamless at all.
Well, not that we expected a lot from a mid-range phone when it comes to video in low-light, but the Edge (2024) has a lot of difficulty in this area. The exposure constantly changes, making the whole footage distracting, and the darker areas are completely void of any detail. There's also lots of noise. The overall quality is usable, though, just not pretty.
With the ultra-wide camera, however, things lean more towards being unusable, as all of the downsides persist but at a much lower resolution and level of detail.
Motorola Edge (2024) Performance
More RAM and storage
A slight boost in performance (Image by PhoneArena)
Powering the new Edge (2024) from Motorola is the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, which was released the same year as the MediaTek Dimensity 7030 that came with the predecessor.
The 7s Gen 2 processor is not among the best performing ones out there, but it is built on a newer 4nm process compared to the 6nm one of the Dimensity 7030.
In our experience, the Edge (2024) showed no signs of slowing down or lag during use. Swiping through the UI and using applications remained smooth and without any hurdles. We were even able to play some games at 90Hz, like League of Legends Wild Rift, and the phone didn't even overheat despite the app warning us these settings might be too much for this device.
Benchmarks show the Snapdragon 7s Gen w performs about on par and maybe even a bit slower in single-core tasks than the Dimensity 7030 on the Edge from 2023.
Even with the rather low 8GB of LPDDR4X (not the fastest type at the moment) memory, the Edge (2024) performed admirably and we had a pleasant user experience during our time with it.
Sadly, you only get one storage variant, 256GB, and since there is no option to expand via a microSD card you better be sure that will be enough for your needs.
As it is obvious from the benchmark scores, if you want more performance you would be better off with the OnePlus 12R or Pixel 8a.
Motorola Edge (2024) Software
The Edge (2024) comes with Android 14 when you first boot it up and with Motorola's clean skin on top, featuring beloved features like the twist gesture to turn on the camera or the chop gesture to turn on the flashlight.
This year Motorola also adds some of the AI magic with generative wallpapers. It allows you to generate a wallpaper based on a photo of your outfit, matching them to complete your look. It is a bit gimmicky, but I found it more creative than what the competition offers.
We were also quite fond of the additional customizable button mentioned earlier. It's nice having quick access to your most used feature or application via a physical button. Here's how the settings menu for that button looks:
You can even have an action that corresponds to a double press and a long press, although the former is rather limited while the latter disables any other functionality when turned on.
When it comes to software updates, though, the Edge (2024) will only get 2 years of major Android updates (so until Android 16), and 3 years of security patches. That is much less than even some other manufacturers that offer short software support like OnePlus.
Motorola Edge (2024) Battery
Faster charging
This new Motorola Edge (2024) gets a 12% bigger battery than before, as it has a 5,000mAh vs 4,400mAh on the previous model.
PhoneArena Battery Test Results:
Alongside the new chipset that presumably allows for better power efficiency, the new Edge lasted significantly longer during our battery life tests compared to the predecessor. It even managed to beat its main competitors in our Web Browsing battery test.
Coming in at number 13 in our best battery life ranking list for phones released in the past couple of years, the Edge (2024) has an overall impressive battery life, only beaten by the OnePlus 12R when it comes to the alternatives.
Coming in at number 13 in our best battery life ranking list for phones released in the past couple of years, the Edge (2024) has an overall impressive battery life, only beaten by the OnePlus 12R when it comes to the alternatives.
A USB-C port for charging the new Motola Edge 2024 (Image by PhoneArena)
This generation of the Motorola Edge comes with the same 68W of wired and 15W of wireless charging, making it second only to the king of charging itself: OnePlus.
We measured a full 1 to 100% charge took just 39 minutes, which is very fast for a phone with 5,000mAh battery. It beat the Pixel 8a and the older Edge (2023), and was only surpassed by the OnePlus 12R.
Motorola Edge (2024) Audio Quality and Haptics
The sound coming out of the Motorola Edge (2024) is generally alright in terms of quality and volume. Even turned up to the maximum the speakers did not start to produce any annoying distortion.
However, we noticed that there is a great difference in volume between the main speaker at the bottom of the phone's frame and the secondary one that sits at the top of the display. A difference between the volume is to be expected, but it usually is not as stark as we found it to be on this year's Motorola Edge.
Motorola has improved the haptics this year. They are sharper, cleaner, and the vibration feedback feels satisfying and more premium than before. That makes it great for typing and notifications, which is why we recommend leaving vibration on with this phone.
Should you buy it?
A look that makes the Edge stand out from the competition (Image by PhoneArena)
The 2024 version of the Motorola Edge is a great all-rounder and we were left happy with it for the most part. That being said, it does not offer that much more than its predecessor besides incremental improvements to the performance, a brighter display, and a much longer battery life.
It would be much easier to recommend the new Edge if it came with at least 3 years of major OS updates, but 2 years is almost shameful for a phone that costs a little over $500. And there's also the fact that you have some great alternatives to the Edge (2024) that offer just as much if not more for a similar or even slightly lower price tag.
For example, you have something like the OnePlus 12R, which beats the Motorola Edge (2024) in terms of charging and battery life by no small margin. It is also extremely more capable as far as chipset performance goes, rocking flagship-level silicon.
The Pixel 8a is also a great option you can go for, and for $499 you will get a much better processor, arguably better cameras, 7 years of software updates, and an even brighter display.
As it stands, the best quality of the Motorola Edge (2024) is its creative design and slim form factor. If you like the edged display and the vegan leather back enough, than you might enjoy the phone, at least until it stops getting software and security updates after 3 years.
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