Motorola Edge 50 Neo Review: A new page turned for Motorola
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Intro
Well, we have yet another Motorola Edge phone, and this time it is called the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. But as you will find out from this review, it is somewhat of a special one in Motorola's lineup, as it marks not one but two firsts for the Edge series.
Not only is the new Neo the first Edge to drop the... edge, i.e. the curved display, but it is also the first to come with 5 whole years of software support. It also comes with amazing battery life that beat even its more pricey Edge 50 Pro counterpart, and Google's latest mid-range phone.
Unfortunately, you won't find the Edge 50 Neo in the U.S. market. You will, however, be able to purchase it in countries such as the U.K. and across the rest of Europe. In the United Kingdom it will cost you £399, and in European countries it goes at approximately €479.
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 50 Neo Specs
A well-balanced menu
Let's start with an overview of the Motorola Edge 50 Neo specs:
| Specs | Motorola Edge 50 Neo |
|---|---|
| Size and Weight | 160.8 x 72.4 x 7.8 mm, 180 g |
| Display | 6.7 inches, P-OLED, 2760 x 1256 pixels, 120Hz, HDR10+ |
| Processor | Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm) |
| Software | Android 14 |
| Cameras | 50MP wide (main) 13MP ultra wide 10MP telephoto |
| Battery Size | 5000 mAh |
| Charging Speeds | 68W wired charge 15W wireless charging |
| Prices | 8/256GB for £399/€479 |
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Design and Display
An Edge without its edge
The Edge 50 Neo comes with a much-needed design refresh. More specifically, we are talking about the camera module at the back, which was a bit outdated on the previous model but has now been improved to be more in the rest of Motorola's Edge lineup.
The phone is also significantly shorter, a bit narrower, but a little thicker. It measures at 154.1 x 71.2 x 8.1 mm and weighs 171g. I am not sure if it is the size, or the more blocky design, but I felt very confident while handling the Edge 50 Neo. It was also very comfortable to hold.
Speaking its blocky shape, the phone now has flat sides with curved edges, much like the latest flagship phones on the market. Unlike the flagship phones though, it comes with a plastic frame, and a plastic or vegan leather back.
The volume and power buttons are easily reachable and feel tactile and satisfyingly clicky, although that's the case for most phones nowadays so we kind of expect that from Motorola at this price range.
Durability is also pretty good, with an IP68 dust and water resistance rating that is the same level you get with the most premium phones. That being said, the display is not as durable, with only Gorilla Glass 3 protecting it. But, to be fair, that is the same protection that the Pixel 8a comes with.
As for the colors, you get to pick from Nautical Blue, Latte, Grisaille, Poinciana: all certified Pantone colors. The names might seem weird to you if you are unfamiliar with Motorola's partnership with Pantone.
For the uninitiated, Pantone is a company renowned for its color matching system. They provide a standardized way to identify, communicate, and control color across various industries, including graphic design, fashion, product design, printing, and manufacturing.
Our unit comes in the Poinciana color, which is a shade of red... a shade of red that we think is not particularly appealing. We would recommend any of the other shades that the Edge 50 Neo comes with.
During the unboxing of the Edge 50 Neo you will find less goodies than one would typically expect from Motorola. While there is a case (a rather unsightly one), there is no screen protector or charger inside. Of course, you do get a USB-C charging cable and the usual documentation.
Unlike the other Motorola phones with the Edge moniker, the Edge 50 Neo does not have a curved display. Instead, it is completely flat, with uniform bezels that are thin enough to not be noticed during use.
The display itself is OLED and has a resolution of 1256 x 2760 pixels. Watching content on it is perfectly enjoyable, especially with the added bonus of zero unintentional inputs and light reflections thanks to the flat display.
The brightness was also enough to keep text readable in moments with strong direct light, although I wouldn't say it was enough for me to enjoy a video without feeling the need to reach for shade.
The Edge 50 Neo performed noticeably better than its predecessor in our display lab tests. 200 nits higher brightness might not sound like much, but it brings the new Neo into what we consider Excellent display brightness. Of course, one of its main competitors, the Pixel 8a, has an even brighter display, but Google's phones are known for excelling in that area anyway.
Biometrics are handled via an optical fingerprint scanner, which is a bit slow if you are unlocking the phone while the display is turned off — it takes about a second and a half. If the display is active, then the speed is acceptable.
Of course, you can also opt for face unlock, but if you want better protection I wouldn't recommend it. It is the quicker way to unlock the Edge 50 Neo though.
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Camera
Surprisingly reliable
The Edge 50 Neo's camera performance is pretty evenly spread out between the three cameras at the back and the selfie camera. That is to say that all of them gave pretty decent results during our PhoneArena Camera Score testing, without any major differences in image quality.
We don't know what algorithms Motorola is using to improve the Edge 50 Neo's image quality, but the photos that come out of each camera are far better than what we expected. There is ample detail across the whole camera system and HDR seems to be handled well with preserved details in the bright and dark areas.
The post processing can be a bit too much at times though, and the color accuracy is not consistent between the three cameras at the back. The main camera seems to lean more towards the warmer tones, while the ultra towards cooler ones.
The selfie camera was somehow one of the more impressive snappers on the Edge 50 Neo, as it handled contrast and color accuracy very well. To top it all off, the level of detail is more than enough to snap a clear image.
Video Quality
Stay tuned for video samples!
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Performance & Benchmarks
Not the highest performer, but it won't leave you disappointed
The Edge 50 Neo comes with the Dimensity 7300 processor (4nm). It is the same chip that the company uses for its budget foldable, the Motorola Razr 50 that's also known as Razr (2024) in the U.S. Depending on where you get it from, you can have 8GB or 12GB of RAM. Our unit is the latter version.
Frankly, we were caught a bit off guard with how well the Edge 50 Neo performed during gaming sessions. Even with games that were more demanding such as Genshin Impact. I also had no trouble keeping a high score in League of Legends Wild Rift, even with the graphics at higher settings.
It wasn't all rainbows and sunshine though. We did experience the occasional hiccup in the camera app, and some other apps were loading rather slowly at times. But these were rare occasions no deal-breaker.
Performance Benchmarks:
While the Edge 50 Neo matches its predecessor in terms of single-core performance, the Dimensity 7300 chip delivers higher multi-core speeds, as well as higher 3D Graphics performance. The Tensor G4 of the slightly more expensive Pixel 8a, however, demolishes it on all fronts.
Storage-wise, depending on where you are buying the Edge 50 Neo from, you can get it either in a 8/256GB configuration, or 12/512GB. In the UK it is currently only available in 8/256GB, where as in Spain it is only available in 12/512GB. Sadly, there is no microSD card slot, so what you get is what you have as far as storage goes.
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Software
The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is somewhat of a special phone for the company. Why? Well, because it is the first to come with 5 years of software support. That includes major Android updates as well as security patches. Up until now, the company's phones were infamous for their rather short software support window, but it appears the latest Neo model will serve as a turning point when it comes to that topic.
Something that spoils the good news, however, is the fact that the Edge 50 Neo comes with Android 14 out of the box, and not the latest Android 15 update. In other words, the last Android update that the phone will get is Android 19 in 2028.
As for the user experience, it is pretty much vanilla Android. Of course, all of the Motorola features that come with its Android skin are here, such as the gestures to quickly launch the camera and flashlight, which I have always been a fan of. I am also very happy to see that there is no bloatware, unlike some other phones in this price range like the Galaxy A55.
Motorola also offers the Moto app, which allows you to quickly and easily personalise your new Motorola phone. This eliminates the need to manually sift through settings to adjust everything to your liking.
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Battery
A total champ
The battery on the Edge 50 Neo is considerably smaller compared to the Edge 40 Neo, dropping from 5000 mAh to 4310 mAh. However, that is very similar to one of its rivals, the Pixel 8a, which comes with a 4492 mAh battery.
As you will see from our battery life test results below, despite its smaller battery the Edge 50 Neo outshines last year's model and the Pixel 8a from Google. Personally, I was also left with the impression that the battery life is superb, as the phone lasted me almost two full days on a single charge.
Needless to say, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is one of the most reliable phones you can buy if you want one that lasts your throughout the day and further into the next. It beats its predecessor, its more expensive variant, and one of its most fierce competitors in each one of our battery life tests.
Motorola already enables some pretty fast charging speeds, even for its lower mid-rangers such as the Edge 50 Neo, which comes with 68W of wired charging. That was more than enough for me to top it off in a pinch, although there was only one instance when I needed to do that.
A very welcome upgrade that differentiates the new Neo from its predecessor is that it comes with 15W of wireless charging.
Now, the Edge 50 Neo has the same wired charging speed as its predecessor, but since it comes with a smaller battery it takes it less time to go from 1-100% in our charging tests. The more expensive Edge 50 Pro has 120W charging speeds (nearly double), and manages to charge much quicker thanks to this.
If you prefer wireless charging, the new Neo now supports 15W if you have an appropriate charger. That is something that wasn't available with the previous model.
Motorola Edge 50 Neo Audio Quality and Haptics
The audio quality coming out of this budget Android phone took us a bit by surprise. We expected some distortion or a "tinny" sound to appear at higher volumes, but no matter what volume level you use with the Edge 50 Neo it sounds pretty good. The middle frequencies sound full and clear, the higher range comes through nicely, and as most other phones the lower frequencies (the bass) is barely there.
Podcasts and talking head videos on YouTube were a joy to listen to. Even music was more than enjoyable, despite the somewhat weak bass of the two speakers. What was also a nice surprise was the fact that the audio volume was more evenly spread out between the lower and upper speakers, which is not something you can say about a lot of phones in this price range.
Haptic feedback is not exactly great, but it is not so bad to make you want to turn it off either. I am one of those users that like to leave this feature turned on if it is good enough, and the Edge 50 Neo haptics were good enough for me.
Lastly, you need to use Bluetooth headphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm audio jack adapter, as the phone does not come with such a port.
Should you buy it?
If you manage to overlook the plastic build there's actually quite a lot to love about the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. For the price Motorola is asking, this is absolutely a well rounded mid-range Android, with a great combination of display and audio quality to satiate your media enjoyment.
You also have a surprisingly capable chipset on board that can handle more demanding games. The phone is also pretty good at preserving the battery life, lasting for longer than some of its main competition and more expensive models.
The camera system, which is important for many users nowadays, has not only become more versatile with the addition of a telephoto lens, but it also does pretty well across the board.
What truly makes this a great buy if you are in this price range is the fact that Motorola finally offers long software support, 5 years to be exact, so you can easily keep this phone for years to come and still get new features and UI changes with future Android updates.
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