Moto Edge Plus

amazon Moto Edge Plus reviews

Motorola’s new flagship phone, the Moto Edge Plus, looks like something out of HBO’s Westworld series. The program describes handsets as meaningless displays largely lacking in identifying features in addition to a sharp, bright screen. They’re not smartphones, really – just smart devices, a cross between a tablet, a phone, and a PC.

The Moto Edge Plus feels like a giant step towards the Westworld novel. It’s almost all-screen, and thanks to its fast Qualcomm processor, 5G support, RAM, and a smooth 90Hz display, it responds to your touch with an unnatural speed. There’s a subtle Motorola logo on the back, but otherwise, it’s sleek and unbranded.

Despite its futuristic design, Motorola is also trying to outdo the competition. The Moto Edge Plus costs just $1,000. That’s a lot, but also less than the flagship flagships from Apple and Samsung. That is a bold phone.

Screen

Motorola’s Moto Edge Plus has a clear, massive headline feature that you’ll stare at every time you pick up the phone. That’s the 6.7-inch display of the End End Edge Edge.

Phones with slick, curved screens aren’t all new (believe it or not, the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is five years old), but the Moto Edge Plus is part of a new generation that takes it to the next level. Edges wrap around the edges a full 90 degrees, all but eliminating side edges when the phone is viewed straight.

Phones like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro embraced this design concept last year, but the Moto Edge Plus has already gone live. Perhaps more importantly, it is widely available in the US, while Huawei and Oppo phones are difficult to find and use in North America. That is a first for your average US smartphone buyer.

The Endless Edge display is a beautiful OLED touchscreen with many features, including FHD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color support, and HDR10+ certification. The uncommon and impressive 21:9 aspect ratio results in a phone that feels tall and narrow. That is an advantage when texting, browsing the web, or reading a book because it increases the content you can see without expanding the phone’s width.

However, it can be a problem when streaming videos or games, as most are produced with the 16:9 aspect ratio in mind. A 21:9 display will display black bars on the sides when viewing 16:9 content, effectively reducing usable screen space. Most videos and games will let you zoom in on the content to take up the entire screen, but this will crop part of the image.

The touch screen can also be difficult to use. It looks appealing and futuristic but makes the phone difficult to handle without triggering touch input when it’s not intended. That wasn’t an issue for me when browsing the web, but it did become an issue when gaming. In Minecraft, I’ve never found a grip that is comfortable and avoids accidental input.

There are two other quirks to show. First, text often ends up on the sides of the phone when viewing web pages or documents. While it’s still readable, it’s an odd look. The extreme curve also distorts colors and brightness at the edges due to odd viewing angles. That is evident when viewing any uniform color gamut on the screen, such as the pure white background of many web pages. I tweaked it, but I call it a flaw.

Your appetite for the Moto Edge Plus, more than anything, will depend on whether you love this display or not. It’s a surprise, and it’s futuristic, but it’s not perfect. Phone enthusiasts will happily adjust to the screen’s quirks and enjoy the eye-catching looks. However, if you care more about function than form, consider a more traditional large-screen phone like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus.

Design

The Moto Edge Plus is a phone designed around its display. Its tall, narrow, blocky body is designed to accommodate the tall, narrow 21:9 aspect ratio.

Despite the rounded edges, the phone feels chunky compared to an Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Official figures put the phone’s diameter at bulky 37 inches. The iPhone 11 Pro Max is 0.32 inches thick, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is 0.31 inches, and the OnePlus 8 Pro is 0.33 inches. That makes the phone harder to hold than its narrow profile would suggest.

It’s slippery. Even the slightest tilt will allow the phone to slide away slowly. It flew off the edge of my desk, my couch, and a few chairs. It always feels ready to escape your grasp.

The phone also feels the heaviest, as it’s tall, and you’ll naturally hold the phone near the bottom. My review unit weighs 7.2 ounces, more than a Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus but less than Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Moto’s entire 2020 lineup is explicitly built to offer classy design at a lower price point, and the Edge Plus succeeds. The classy blue finish of my review unit, combined with the narrow look of the phone, makes for an elegant, professional device. The Moto Edge Plus looks like it belongs in a meeting room or private jet.

Optical fingerprint reader

Moto Edge Plus uses an optical fingerprint reader for secure login. It appears on the bottom of the phone and is very easy to use.

However, it does not avoid the flaws that have launched this technology. While fingerprint recognition usually works, it usually takes some time to recognize my fingerprint. That’s sluggish compared to the near-instant login traditional systems can offer. The system also has a lot of trouble handling any water or dirt on your hands.

5G, wireless, and gateway

The Moto Edge Plus supports both 5W mmWave and sub-6Hz networks, and according to Motorola, can reach 4Gbps network speeds under ideal conditions. I can’t test this myself as 5G hasn’t been rolled out to my area yet. Still, it’s good to see support for 5G networks, as it will improve connectivity and unlock access at the fastest possible speeds.

The phone is exclusive to Verizon. You will need to be a Verizon subscriber to use this phone or be willing to switch to Verizon’s network.

You’ll also find support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. I’d expect to see the latest wireless connectivity standards in a new flagship phone. Still, it’s good to see Motorola hasn’t omitted any features in an attempt to maintain the $1,000 price point.

Wired connections include USB 3.0 Type-C and a 3.5mm audio jack, both located on the bottom lip of the phone.

Camera quality

The camera is the other headline feature on the Moto Plus Edge Plus. The triple-lens system has a 108-megapixel main camera, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens.

It also includes optical image stabilization, video stabilization, and laser autofocus with a time-of-flight sensor.

Yep, 108MP. As with the Endless Edge display, the phone’s 108MP camera isn’t a unique feature, but it’s very advanced and a bit unexpected on a $1,000 phone.

Main camera quality

Despite having a 108MP sensor, the Moto Edge Plus defaults to pixel binning. This technique, which Moto calls Quad Pixel Technology, combines light from four pixels into one. That reduces the output to 27MP but increases the image’s brightness, contrast, and color – at least in theory.

At first glance, Moto Edge Plus makes a strong impression. The camera appears wobbly in outdoor shots with the vibrant, saturated look common in flagship phones. These photos are sure to catch the eye and look great on multiple screens.

However, I feel the Moto Edge Plus has issues with colors. A close-up of one of my flowers makes it look almost fluorescent, while it’s warmer in real life. Colors can become so extreme that they crush detail, removing visible subtle patterns or blemishes. It’s not bad for Instagram, but sometimes it’s far from reality.

Colors were skewed in the opposite direction when I took pictures indoors with medium to low light. While the photos looked sharp and bright, colors fell sharply. The camera seems to be particularly obscured by the yellow wall in my kitchen and is often skewed towards a weak pastel, which isn’t quite right.

Portrait mode does a solid job of enhancing the look and feels of portraits, and it does quite well even in moderate lighting conditions, although it does show more grain than photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy Apple’s S20 Plus or iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Moto Edge Plus is at its best when taking photos at a moderate distance under moderate to bright light. It can take great photos in these conditions, but the main camera isn’t as versatile as I’d like it to be.

108MP / Telephoto Super Resolution Quality

While the 108MP sensor uses pixel binning by default, you have the option to turn that off and take a full 108MP photo. Do that, however, and you’ll run into some problems. Using 108MP Ultra Ultra res mode significantly increases image processing time. The photos themselves are huge, consuming several times more space than the default 27MP photo.

You will be disappointed if you expect a definite increase. 27MP photo output at 6,016 x 4,512 resolution – already higher than 4K. 108MP photo output at 12,032 x 9,024 resolution. Much higher, but you need a monitor with a higher resolution than 4K to appreciate the difference.

Motorola is not indifferent to this and quickly points out the added versatility of a super-high-resolution photo. Super high-resolution images can enhance digital zoom, as there’s more detail to work within the first place. Still, the Moto Edge Plus also has an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

I decided to compare them side by side by taking pictures of the text at a distance, then cropping the photos to see which showed the most detail.

The telephoto lens delivers outstanding sharpness. That’s not an insult to Ultra-res mode, as the detail here is impressive. These tight crops cover less than 1 percent of the more than 108,576,768 pixels in the 108MP image. However, the crop from the telephoto lens is easier to read.

However, you will notice a noticeable difference in the look of each shot. Photos from Ultra-res mode have noticeably more colors than those from the 8MP camera. That makes sense, as the 108MP main camera has an f/1.8 aperture, while the telephoto camera has an f/2.4 aperture and, therefore, captures less light.

Overall, these results make me think that skilled smartphone photographers will find a lot to tap. Ultra-res mode and telephoto lenses are both suitable for different situations. On the other hand, less skilled photographers will likely skip the Ultra-res mode and use the telephoto lens when zooming is needed.

Ultrawide and macro

A 16MP ultrawide camera offers a 117-degree field of view for more expansive shots, and it performs well. The impressive shots you can take with the ultrawide lens work well with the Moto Edge Plus’ tendency to oversaturate colors.

Are the results realistic? No – but that’s not the point of ultrawide smartphone cameras. It’s an exciting, versatile option that can deliver a sense of scope and grandeur that is often not possible on a smartphone. I enjoyed using it, and the photos I took were easily among the best I could take during the review.

Your phone’s macro mode has a job to do, but it may be more specific than you expect. It can deliver solid quality when very close to a subject. I’m talking inches away. Otherwise, I find the main camera can take sharper, more colorful photos.

Front camera

The Moto Edge Plus has a 25 MP front camera with Quad Pixel technology like the main camera. It sets 6.2MP images by default.

My isolation haircut doesn’t make me the best subject, but I think the camera is solid. Images from it are vivid, clear, and sharp. The photo shares an oversaturated look from other cameras, but I don’t think that’s a problem for selfies. My skin tone doesn’t glow, but there’s still a bit of warmth here.

However, you will need reasonable lighting to get the most out of the camera. Even with the pixel pitch effect, the front camera can’t avoid a grainy look in dim indoor lighting, never mind a dark environment. There’s no Night Mode, or anything like that, to improve quality in limited light.

Summary of camera quality

The camera on the Moto Edge Plus throws plenty of options at owners hoping that a few will stick. Outdoor shots look great on the main camera, which does best in good light with colorful backgrounds. It’s Instagram-friendly, sacrificing balance and realism for a vibrant, saturated look that stands out on any screen.

I like the 108MP camera. That is not something most owners will use often, but it increases the phone’s versatility. You can take photos with 108MP Ultra-res mode, then crop them down for best results.

It’s a great camera system for sure, but it doesn’t stand out. All modern flagship phones offer excellent picture quality. The Moto Edge Plus can take spectacular photos, but it doesn’t disappoint.

Video quality

The Moto Edge Plus delivers the heat in video specs. It can record video at up to 6K resolution or 1080p video at 60FPS (frames per second). Other features include optical image stabilization, a video portrait mode, and a video capture feature that can pull 20MP still images from video during movie recording.

I have little experience with video recording on smartphones, so I can’t seriously test the video quality. However, I found the video quality to be very strong, with sharp details and vibrant colors.

The performance of the phone is well maintained even when recording 6K videos. I saw no noticeable lag or processing time before or after shooting at 6K.

There’s also a slow-motion mode, which can shoot up to 120FPS in FHD or 240FPS in HD.

Sound

Stereo speakers tuned by Waves, a Grammy-winning audio technology company, give the Moto Edge Plus voice.

At full volume, the phone delivers a powerful, balanced sound that can cope with a wide range of content, from bass-heavy tracks to the heaviest action movies. The phone doesn’t offer the most bass, but it does deliver a crisp, distortion-resistant experience. Dialogue or vocals are still distinguishable even next to the roar of a jet engine or a deep, constant bass beat.

where can you get a Moto Edge Plus online

Motorola Moto Edge Plus (XT2061) – 256GB – Edge+ GSM Unlocked Smartphone Droid – Baltic Gray: Buy it now

Performance

The Qualcomm 865 processor powers the Moto Edge Plus. That is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest offering, serving up to 8 cores. That’s paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage connected via the UFS 3.0 storage standard. Motorola will not offer models with more memory, and SDcard expansion is not an option.

Since most Android phones rely on Qualcomm processors, the Moto Edge Plus won’t have a particular advantage over the competition. However, this is a fast processor. Only Apple’s excellent A13 Bionic will beat it.

Geekbench 5 single core: 910

Geekbench 5 Multi-core: 3,297

3DMark shot: 9,415

I have commented in previous reviews that the smartphone’s performance has reached a point where most phones are good enough. However, you’ll feel the difference between a flagship like the Moto Edge Plus and any phone with a mid-range Qualcomm 600-series processor.

The Moto Edge Plus flies through content, rarely hesitating even when scrolling through large lists of high-resolution images or videos. It’s not perfect, but it’s close. Combined with the 90Hz display, it’s more responsive than the 60Hz screens used to dominate in flagship phones, and it makes for an enjoyable experience.

Moto Edge Plus flies over the content.

I mentioned that Apple’s A13 Bionic is faster; you can see the benchmark. Apple’s iPhone SE, for example, scored 1.24 in single-core Geekbench and 3,192 in multi-core Geekbench. That’s not to say that Apple’s $400 phone is significantly faster per-core performance than the Moto Edge Plus. The Apple iPhone SE is also multi-core competitive. But do you see that speed in actual use?

I noticed it only when using the camera. For example, if you take a lot of photos in quick succession, I’ve found that current-generation iPhones can take multiple shots quickly and feel a bit more responsive while doing so. I also found it to be more responsive when multitasking (despite the RAM in the Moto Edge Plus).

However, still good enough, still valid. Would a modern iPhone feel more responsive? Correct. Does it matter in 99% usage?

Qualcomm’s 865 includes an integrated Adreno 650 GPU, and it can handle any game Android will throw at you. After all, this is Qualcomm’s current flagship component; there’s no out-of-the-box chip for Android game developers to target. The game flies runs at a high frame rate and great quality settings.

I don’t have the iPhone 11 Pro Max available for direct comparison. Still, the benchmark results from 3DMark make me think that the iPhone 11 Pro Max and Moto Edge Plus offer comparable experiences. Since many other Android flagships will have the same Qualcomm 865 part with the same Adreno GPU, you won’t see a huge difference between them either.

As I said before, I have some complaints about how the phone’s design can make games difficult to play when relying on the touchscreen controls, but I certainly can’t fault its performance.

Battery life

A large 5000mAh battery powers the Moto Edge Plus. A battery of this size isn’t unusual in 2020, but it still puts Edge Plus ahead of most competition. The OnePlus 8 Pro has a 4,510mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has a 4,500mAh battery, and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3,969mAh battery.

I would expect most people to end the day with 30 to 50 percent battery left.

Motorola quotes battery life at two days, and this is true in my experience. You can extend it up to three days if you turn your phone on or use it all up in a day if you play the game hard. I would expect most people to end the day with 30 to 50 percent battery left.

The phone supports either an 18-watt fast charger included in the box or a 15-watt wireless charger. It also supports wireless power-sharing up to 5 watts. These numbers aren’t impressive for a flagship phone, as the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus can charge up to 25 watts, and the OnePlus 8 Pro supports 30 watts. However, I don’t think the mediocre charging speed is cause for concern with such long battery life.

Software

Motorola ships the Moto Edge Plus with a relatively outdated version of Android 10. Much of the bloatware on my device comes from Verizon, not Motorola, but even that clutter is minimal. Apps like My Verizon can be largely ignored if you don’t care about looking at them.

The Moto Edge Plus doesn’t have Moto Actions, a distinct bonus found in all Motorola phones. These gesture-based shortcuts provide quick access to several common features. For example, a quick double-cut action opens the flashlight, or you can quickly twist your wrist twice to open the camera.

I’m a longtime Moto fan, hopping on the Moto G3 for the first time, and the Moto Action is the main reason for my preference. They are simple, reliable, and impactful features that you will use every day.

The camera app is my biggest complaint. Its rudimentary look isn’t unusual among Android phones, but it seems uncomplicated. It’s not as appealing as the iOS camera app or the one you’ll find on Google’s Pixel phones, and the tendency to rely on small icons and menus of options can be far from intuitive. It’s usable, but it’s not as user-friendly as some of its competitors.

Motorola told me that the Endless Edge screen would be used for notifications during my phone briefing, and I noticed it lit up. However, I didn’t gain any value from the light show. That hardly surprises me. Every phone to offer a curved edge screen in some way claims it provides useful notifications, and it never shows any real-world widgets for me.