The box that the Edge 50 Neo comes in is the now-usual for Moto - plastic-free, recyclable buff colour - and it's clear immediately that there's no charger in the box, as it's that smaller, flatter type. 68W charging it is, but bring-your-own-brick! I guess that's a cost-saving measure. The same perfume/fragrance is present during the unboxing, now common with most of Moto's phones and along with a USB-C to USB-C cable, papers and SIM Tray tool, there's a colour-matched case - which a leaflet informs us is made by some Swedish firm called "agood company"! The case is a good-looking 'wrap around' case, all but for the cutouts where they need to be, enveloping the 5 sides/edges that are not screen. Kudos to them for not putting annoying TPU over the volume and power buttons, but leaving them open. Nice one Moto.
The phone itself is, for me, such a lovely size. It's a tad taller and wider than my Pixel 8 (which was not far from being the perfect size itself), giving a bit more screen for viewing at 6.36" (over the Pixel 8's 6.1"). My phone is the Pantone shade of Poinciana (a bold orangey-red) but it's also available in Nautical Blue, Latte (like the drink's colour) and a kind of blue/grey Grisaille. I reckon this red one is the best! The colour is also matched around the frame of the phone, which is plastic-looking-like-aluminium, with slightly chamfered edges, making the slim sides not quite flat all-over.
On the right, we have the volume rocker (looking like buttons) above the power button, clustered two-thirds of the way up the side. At the top we have a microphone beside the Dolby Atmos emblem, on the left there's nothing and on the bottom, SIM Card Tray, main microphone, USB-C port and one of the two stereo speakers. On the back there's a sizeable camera island top-left in portrait, an 'M' logo in the middle and under that, Pantone's badge denoting the device's colour in their range. The camera island slopes up from the bottom and right, now becoming fairly 'signature' for Moto design these days - and on that, four circles, making up the camera-cluster, which we'll come to.
The front is a flat panel with curved corners, the second speaker up the top in the middle between the glass and frame, sitting above the centralised Selfie camera cutout - which is not terribly big or intrusive compared to some. The screen has been rated Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, which is not the best these days, so for those less careful than me, you might want to track down and install a decent screen protector. If you must!
The nanoSIM Card Tray holds just that - one nanoSIM Card with the back blocked where a second could live, so maybe in some regions there's a dual-SIM variant using the same tray, unblocked! There is also eSIM capability in the phone.
The phone is pretty light, as you might expect at this size and with a plastic frame (171g) but they have somehow made it IP6/8 rated for water/dust and, amazingly, MIL-STD-810H compliant! This is a phone which was designed to be rugged, though not perhaps in keeping with the use of the aforementioned Gorilla Glass 3, sadly. But as for out and about, Moto claim that it'll work fine up to 60 degrees centigrade and also down to minus 20. I wonder who might test that!
The phone has the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 (4nm) which also appeared in the Razr 50 (not Ultra), G Power and has also been seen in the likes of the CMF Phone (1) along with a long list of phones originated in the far-east from the likes of RealMe, Vivo, Oppo et al. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and based on early use, the phone seems perfectly responsive for the everyday. During the initial setup you could tell that this was no blazingly fast SnapDragon, copying files over, installing/updating 100+ apps from the Playstore, running the camera software at the same time as YouTube Music, for example - these processor-demanding combinations of tasks will show where the cost-shaving has happened, but for 98% of users, after setup (or even during), they simply won't notice. The 98% won't give a stuff about benchmarks, but just get on and use it.
This particular unit has got 256GB of storage onboard and 8GB RAM. Apparently there is/will be a 512GB/12GB variant out there, too, but from what I've seen in daily use here, the storage is a perfectly good amount for my uses (though more is always better, of course) and juggling open apps, once all set up and running, it seems to dance the merry tune well enough. Plenty (staying) open and I think that if any glitch is noticed, it's more to do with the chipset than RAM frankly - but as I said above, it really is quite a smooth experience all-round. There's no microSD Card slot, as I said. Oh yes, you can also boost the RAM by nicking some from storage, but as reported previously, I wouldn't bother!
The annoying Moto App Manager is pre-installed which means unless you're careful and don't agree to them bombarding you with 'helpful suggested apps' on 'occasional auto-download' that's what'll happen. Usually a bunch of crappy games every few days, fit for 2-year-olds. So head to Settings, Apps and Force Close/Disable that app so it can't! And if you ignore it or say 'no' it'll ask again every few days. Beware also that it might rekindle itself after OS or Security updates. Naughty Moto.
An Always On Display! Yay! Again, only present otherwise on a Moto on the Razr 50 Ultra flip-phone, this now baked into ROM here too. There's no choice - it's that hollow-clock design, with day, date and Weather data below it, Notification 'bubbles' if that's your style towards the foot, fingerprint scanner below, sitting on top of the Battery percentage. Well done Moto. It's been an awful long time since we had an AoD on a Moto phone, then preferring their 'Peek' display for some years, then for a while, pretty much nothing other than Lock Screen on move/nudge/lift. This is great! And it seems to follow the brightness of the system-wide setting. So if you put the Brightness on 100% then so will this AoD be so. Choose Adaptive Brightness and it'll follow that and (supposedly) become 'trained' by your use-patterns. Early days, but it looks like it might be doing so!
The stonkin' news from Moto is that, at last, they've responded to market (or tech-press) pressure, following Google, Samsung, Apple and (growingly) others by offering long update support. This is the first Moto phone which offers 5 OS updates (so, arriving on Android 14, it'll get Android 19 following Google's release in Q42028) and Google Security Patches to August 2029. Out of the box in October 2024 here, it updated with September 2024's Google Security patches (and Google also pushed September's Play System update). This is much, much better Moto. Don't let your customers down by squelching on the deal early, pretty please! With no 'folding' screen involved and the military ruggedisation, who knows - the handset might just last that long too!
I can't praise (what we still think is) LG-supplied Moto phone P-OLED screens enough and this is no exception - mid-range or not. Quite stunning. It's a flat panel with minimal bezels and at this pocket/hand-friendly size, is a delight to use. I can reach everywhere on the screen with my relatively large hands, one-handed. Just be careful of micro-scratches over the 5 years of ownership on that GG3! Perhaps a screen protector is a good idea, after all!
The stereo speakers, in keeping generally with the Neo line from Moto, put some of their other models to shame as the sound is loud, good quality and will, again, please the 98% very much. There's good stereo separation even without any of the included Dolby Atmos tools and equalisation, so much so that I have not really felt the need to switch from the default settings. It's not going to pass any audiophile's test, but then very few mobile phones will really, if we're going to get picky. For me, it's not far away from the quality of the Sony Xperia range of phones - and is actually louder. Very happy with this.
The fingerprint scanner is an under-glass optical one and in isolation it's not the best out there. It works fine with a 'linger' rather than instantaneously. I'm surprised that they didn't put a capacitive one in the power button really at this price-point. Don't get me wrong, it's perfectly functional - just not as blazing fast as some, especially ultrasonic ones - but yes, certainly not capacitive. It's quick and easy to set up. Fortunately the double-barrelled approach to getting-in offers Face Unlock too - and this works flawlessly in my tests - even in dubious lighting. So by the time one's finger is on the screen, you're in and open by face anyway. A good duo of options working together well.
The phone is physically smaller than most (these days) so that needs to be taken into account with the size of the battery that can be crammed inside. They've managed to get in a 4,310mAh unit which, lets face it, is only a bit bigger than the Razr 50 Ultra flip-phone! But actually, on initial testing, taking into account the power-efficient chipset (and even AoD), I have been pleasantly surprised with the performance. My 10% Reading Test returned about two and a half to three hours - pretty much up there with the Edge 50 Pro. Similarly, the Average Daily Test for my use, projected up at this early stage, is likely getting me all-but two days between charges. Obviously everyone's usage pattern is going to be different, so YMMV. I guess it's very much about that chipset component optimisation and smart software. No complaints.
More impressively at this price-point is that Wireless Qi Charging being included - and will do so at 15W. I have also been testing this with various bedside trickle-chargers and wake up after 6/7 hours sleep with a full charge, AoD on too (which is more than I can say for the Razr 50 Ultra - see my review). It's very convenient to charge like this overnight, though I do understand that it's not energy-efficient to some degree. Here you have both options and in my testing, I wouldn't worry about needing to buy proprietary chargers like you'd have to with BBK Group phones, for example.
HelloUI is Moto's latest Android 'skin' and present here. Unlike some, it's a minimalist skin but brings a fairly feature-rich experience, whilst retaining what's good about a Vanilla Android experience too. It's a smart mix which most don't get right. So often over the top, sometimes dumbed-down. Motorola has included lots of ways in which to change and personalise many elements of the UI including fonts, icon shapes, colours, themes, Lock Screen (now customisable), smart volume controls and more. It's nothing like the Samsung playground open to developers, culminating in a marketplace, but there's still lots of tweaks. Some new, some old.
Moto have also gone all-in on device and accounts security, in addition to what Android itself now offers, since it was all baked into the ThinkPhone for corporations. ThinkShield, MotoSecure and MotoAI working together to protect the user with various scanning/notification/fixing tools for stuff like phishing detection. The whole front-end looks and feels like it's well thought out, implemented and designed for the benefit of users rather than just money-spinning by the firm, or third parties.
Almost all recent Moto phones have Smart Connect (previously Ready For) functionality which means that sat in front of a PC with Smart Connect Windows software installed, the user can either wirelessly or with a cable (yes, even if there's no HDMI-Out functionality via USB-C) hook up the phone and computer to enjoy a range of interrelated functions. Phone on PC echoes your phone's screen at the side of the Windows PC's screen with a tag on the side to pop it in and out of the way as needed. You can use the phone via the PC's keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, stylus, whatever control you have available, as-if it's in your hand and you're using the phone. This includes audio and video pass-through and connected via network/Bluetooth, in my tests here, there's near zero latency.
The TV/monitor experience is similarly big-button-driven, making it easy-access for casual users to use their phone as a servant, screen as a monitor, or those who want to use a TV to dive into Desktop Mode and get to work. Anyway, that was rather a long spiel depicting the good stuff that Moto have been working on and appear to be taking seriously with Smart Connect. With recent announcements from Google working in partnership now with Moto, it can only look better going forward.
Connectivity using the phone seems positive so far. I've tested both the 4G and 5G cellular with voice and data without issue in various locations, GPS seems good with swift locking/tracking in various apps, NFC I have tested with reliable results for hooking up equipment (like Bluetooth headphones) and at shop checkouts using Google Wallet for payments. Pickup range is good and reliable. WiFi has been tested on 3 networks and seems to be good at each, so no problem - and Bluetooth range seems reliable and far-reaching compared to some. It seems that Motorola have continued to use good aerials/components for even mid-range phones like this one and not just flagships.
General consensus from those who know much more about digital photography than me is that photos shot in good light are pretty pleasing and that even when it gets a bit darker the software goes to work in order to create perfectly acceptable, for most uses, results. The zoom shots come out well, again, better in decent light than not - though the camera's Night Vision doesn't do too bad a job. There's a Pro mode for those who want to tinker manually, the usual Moto 'toys' like Spot Colour and Photo Booth - and also the ability to shoot at full 50MP resolution rather than the quad-bayer chopdown to 12MP. The Portrait function allows for different virtual focal lengths (equiv. 35mm) and there's even an 'f stop' slider to emulate bokeh on-the-fly. The AF in the wide-angle creates very nice so-called 'macro' shots - very close indeed - and not via a dreadful 2MP 'macro lens' like on so many others, even in this price-range. When GSMArena do their full review of the camera with more samples and verdicts, I'll come back here and link to their page. In the meantime, as always, I'd suggest that you scour YouTube for some reviews from proper photographers, not me, to gain a more informed opinion!
What a cracking little phone, though. It might just be my new favourite! I'm a sucker for anything Moto, as many people reading this will know. Hopefully that doesn't jade my view and opinion too much. I hope that even through that I can be objective and tell it like it is, not completely through rose-tinted glasses! The Neo line has always held fascination for us here at Phones Show Chat and always seems to offer excellent value-for-money in terms of features and performance. The speakers are usually good, Qi charging included (though they skipped it with last year's 40 Neo sadly), a dinky little size, much like the 30 Neo, great P-OLED screen and this year with HelloUI they've pushed the boat out with an Always on Display, IP6/8 with Military Grade protection and that 5 OS update schedule and long security commitment. I picked this up for £339 but even at full price £399 it feels like a bargain. And, as we know, prices of Moto phones come down pretty quickly as they and their partners get aggressive on pricing to get a Moto into as many hands as possible. As you may have gathered by now, I recommend it enormously!
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