Motorola Edge Plus (2023) review: Finally cutting edge

Motorola’s Edge sequence has gone via its justifiable share of modifications all through its quick lifespan. It’s swung from not fairly nailing flagship launches to taking up the mid-range market with its current non-Plus fashions, and now it’s on the lookout for a contented medium between the 2. Possibly that’s the place it ought to have been all alongside. The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) could be the corporate’s most compelling flagship Android telephone in years, however what modifications did Motorola make to get it there? Discover out in our Motorola Edge Plus (2023) overview.

• Motorola Edge Plus (8GB/512GB): $799 / CAD$1,099

Motorola launched its newest premium flagship, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023), alongside a supporting forged of Moto G gadgets in early Might 2023. It picks up a number of upgrades over the Motorola Edge Plus (2022), each inside and outside, and has a way more approachable price ticket.

For starters, the Edge Plus (2023) is all-in on premium supplies. It’s moved from its predecessor’s lower-tier Gorilla Glass and plastic to premium-level Gorilla Glass Victus for the show and rear panel, in addition to aluminum for the body. You’ll discover the facility and quantity buttons on the precise facet of the slim body, stereo audio system on the highest and backside, and a single nano-SIM tray flanking the USB-C 3.2 port. Motorola textured the rear glass, too, almost copying the Sandstone end that OnePlus made well-known so a few years in the past.

The premium bundle additionally upgrades from what Motorola known as a water-repellent design (normally code for IP52) to a full IP68 ranking towards water and mud. Motorola’s new quad-curved show would be the most noticeable change on the machine. It now packs a 165Hz refresh price, Dolby Imaginative and prescient assist, and 1,300 nits of peak brightness. The Full HD+ panel stretches 6.67 inches from nook to nook and homes an optical in-display fingerprint reader.

Spectacular specs proceed when you attain inside Motorola’s premium glass and aluminum bundle. The Edge Plus (2023) is available in a single configuration with 8GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of fastened UFS 4.0 storage. It’s paired with Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and Motorola turned to a 5,100mAh battery to maintain the pixels pumping. On prime of the appreciable cell, the Edge Plus (2023) helps 68W wired TurboPower charging and 15W Qi wi-fi charging, and nonetheless comes with a charger within the field. It’s additionally prepared for Wi-Fi 7 and packs Bluetooth 5.3 LE and an NFC chip for wi-fi funds — and based mostly on my expertise with so many Moto G gadgets, the latter is just not at all times a given on Motorola telephones!

Our Motorola Edge Plus (2023) shipped with Android 13 onboard and the March 1, 2023 safety patch. It packs three years of Android model assist and 4 years of safety protection, carrying the telephone into 2027. Whereas it’s not the perfect replace coverage in the marketplace, it’s an improve from Motorola’s earlier pledge and as

Motorola’s modifications proceed when you attain the extra minor, sq. digicam bump. It nonetheless homes a pair of 50MP shooters — the extensive and ultrawide lenses — however the laughable 2MP depth sensor isn’t any extra. You now get a 12MP 2x telephoto with a shallow f/1.6 aperture, which Motorola says is supposed for portraits. The selfie digicam is carried over from the earlier Edge Plus, so you continue to get a 60MP punch gap entrance shooter.

We’ve already talked about a full 68W TurboPower charger within the field, accompanied by a black USB-C to USB-C cable, primary paperwork, and a SIM ejector device. Motorola additionally swapped its new natural-colored recycled packaging for all-black recycled packaging to match the Edge Plus (2023)’s single Interstellar Black end.

The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) launched for unlocked pre-orders on Might 19, 2023, at Greatest Purchase, Amazon, and Motorola, with open gross sales beginning Might 25. It’s additionally out there on choose carriers, together with Enhance Cellular, Spectrum Cellular, and Client Mobile. The Edge Plus (2023) is offered in Canada as nicely.

The Edge Plus (2023) is proof that someplace, somebody on Motorola’s improvement crew is studying our opinions and taking notes. It checks field after field, righting a number of earlier points I’ve had with Edge sequence flagships and including new enhancements past what even I might have anticipated from the long-standing Android model. This isn’t to say I had low expectations — I fairly like what Motorola normally does — however the Edge Plus (2023) simply got here in and set a brand new bar.

There’s no ignoring the truth that the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) is provided with top-tier internals. The 5,100mAh battery is big — bigger than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and Google Pixel 7 Professional. It lasts an eternity, too. That is among the greatest battery life I’ve seen on a flagship shortly. Motorola boasted about two days of battery life when it unveiled the machine to us at a press occasion in Chicago, a typical declare amongst its budget-friendly gadgets. I didn’t anticipate the Edge Plus (2023), with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, huge show, and blistering refresh price, to hit that mark, however it did. I simply make it two days between expenses, leaping via my standard hoops of social media, Spotify streaming, Google Maps navigation, and slightly little bit of gaming. Just a few pals received me into Marvel Snap, which has consumed my free time (and battery life). Thanks, guys. It’s exceptional to open the Battery part of the Settings app and see round in the future, 22 hours remaining after I’m sitting at 69% battery.

When you lastly tick the Edge Plus (2023) right down to nothing, its charging setup is simply as a lot of a deal with. Motorola introduced over the snappy 68W TurboPower charging from the Motorola ThinkPhone, and you continue to get a charger within the field. Filling the beefy battery takes about 50 minutes, which is nothing to complain about. Should you’d fairly set your telephone on a wi-fi pad, the Edge Plus (2023) helps 15W Qi wi-fi charging. It won’t be as quick because the wired clip, however it’s a useful choice should you normally cost whereas sitting at your desk. Additionally, props to Motorola for exhibiting OnePlus that you would be able to ship each speedy wired and wi-fi charging on one machine — and nonetheless make it a USB-C to USB-C charger with Energy Supply assist for different gadgets.

Like most Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 launches we’ve seen up to now, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) comes able to carry out. It breezed via most of our one-shot benchmarks, touchdown proper within the neighborhood of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely and OnePlus 11 when run via Geekbench 6. Motorola’s flagship near-enough matches OnePlus’ flagship blow for blow on the 3DMark Wild Life check, too, touchdown within the mid-12,500 vary for a single run. Stress check efficiency is a special beast, so we’ll come again to that later.

Benchmarking scores apart, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) shines in day-to-day efficiency. I by no means seen any stuttering or lag, not that I might anticipate to, given the premium configuration. Extra importantly, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) by no means ran sizzling, both. It stayed calm and picked up, even when scrolling via Instagram Reels for longer than I most likely ought to. You would possibly discover slightly heat should you’re hammering Google Maps instructions or demanding 3D video games for hours on finish, however the hit to your battery temperatures shouldn’t be too excessive. I’ve not often needed to depend on Battery Saver in my week or so with the telephone, not one thing I can usually say.

Motorola’s My UX pores and skin is commonly a spotlight of the corporate’s budget-friendly Moto G sequence, and it’s even higher on the Edge Plus (2023). Not as a result of it’s any completely different, however the mild, easy pores and skin runs like a well-oiled machine with correct flagship energy behind it. It sticks to Google’s first-party apps for probably the most half, with a number of Motorola requirements like Prepared For (Motorola’s model of Samsung DeX) combined in. My UX additionally filters all the suite of Google apps right into a devoted folder within the app drawer, which helps to scrub up what can rapidly grow to be a cluttered checklist. Motorola’s widgets comply with its mild, easy model, which inserts proper in with my love for a clear residence display.

One in all Motorola’s different key upgrades to the Edge Plus (2023) is that this lastly feels like a premium machine. The earlier Edge Plus opted for Gorilla Glass 5 on the entrance, Gorilla Glass 3 on the again, and a plastic body to drag all of it collectively — fairly weak for a flagship telephone. That’s all gone this time. Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus gives loads of peace of thoughts on either side, and the textured again panel is completely proof against fingerprints. Further sturdiness is an effective factor, too, as a result of the curved edges of the Edge Plus (2023) make for one slippery telephone, and it’s almost come out of my pocket greater than as soon as.

I might most likely do with out the quad-curved show, however the general high quality is top-notch. It’s vibrant and sharp, and the colours are punchy it doesn’t matter what I’m watching or enjoying. The pOLED panel makes probably the most of its 165Hz refresh price, which could be overkill for my wants, however it’s a powerful addition nonetheless.

Motorola’s stereo audio system are wonderful, too, even at peak volumes. Most flagships go for a single down-firing speaker and the earpiece, however the Edge Plus (2023) has a devoted speaker on the highest edge as a substitute. The audio system are tuned with Dolby Atmos, and I recognize that the Dolby Atmos settings open each time you pair a brand new Bluetooth machine so you possibly can select your profile (together with music, podcasts, gaming, and common audio settings). I didn’t discover any distortion or lack of high quality whereas streaming Boygenius’s The Movie at full quantity, even when shifting between rooms in my house. The Edge Plus (2023) won’t take the stereo speaker crown from the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely, however it’s on the rostrum.

Oh, and the kicker to Motorola’s Edge Plus (2023) setup? It’s $200 extra inexpensive than its predecessor. Motorola made a laundry checklist of enhancements after which dropped its premium flagship from $999 at launch to $799. That’s a reasonably stellar worth once you examine it to rival flagships just like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and Apple iPhone 14.

For as a lot because the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) will get proper — and it will get so much proper — it comes up quick in only a few locations. The primary is that perhaps it wouldn’t be a real Motorola Edge with out its curved show (although the final Edge Plus had a flat show), however I discover myself making unintentional faucets and presses nearly continuously. Motorola’s four-way curve (sure, the highest and backside are curved, too) means you must be very cautious with the way you place your hand, which will be robust with small arms. I usually find yourself by chance pausing Instagram Reels as a result of I’m urgent on the sting of the show with out realizing it.

Though the picture above would possibly make it seem like I’ve a difficulty with Motorola’s optical fingerprint sensor, I discovered it quick and dependable in my testing. Nevertheless, this picture greatest exemplifies the Edge Plus (2023) curved show and the spots the place I usually run into unintentional touches. One other disadvantage to Motorola’s expansive, curved show is that there isn’t an always-on characteristic. This can be a fairly large omission in 2023, particularly when even Apple has lastly added always-on assist to its iPhone 14 Professional and Professional Max. The Edge Plus (2023) does provide Edge Lights, which mild the curved edges in numerous colours when notifications are available, however it’s not as useful as a real always-on panel.

The Edge Plus (2023) tries to make up for its width and curve with an nearly impossibly skinny physique, which ends up in one other unintended consequence — efficiency beneath load. Whereas the Edge Plus (2023) breezed via most of our one-shot benchmarks, it struggled beneath the strain of the 20-run Wild Life Stress check, plummeting from very respectable early runs above 12,000 to simply over 6,500 by the top. This was the one time I skilled the Edge Plus (2023) run sizzling, too, so perhaps Motorola needed to sacrifice a number of cooling parts to realize its kind issue.

Though the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) escapes among the bloatware that has began to plague some newer members of the Moto G sequence, it’s not fully clear. It nonetheless asks you to dive into some curated choices based mostly in your age and gender. That meant I wound up with the Publishers Clearing Home Plus app and World of Phrases, which I instantly eliminated. Fortunately, you received’t have to fret concerning the leisure, buying, or gaming hubs from our Motorola Moto G Energy 5G overview — these extras seem reserved for probably the most inexpensive Motorola telephones.

One different flaw with Motorola’s software program expertise is its replace dedication. Three years of Android assist and 4 years of safety protection is sweet, however it’s not nice, particularly when Samsung gives an additional 12 months of every on its mid-range Galaxy A gadgets.

Motorola isn’t any stranger to, let’s assume, attention-grabbing digicam selections that bar it from touchdown among the many greatest digicam telephones. It’s stored devoted macro and depth sensors longer than most others, even at measly 2MP resolutions. Nevertheless, because the Edge Plus (2023) has proven in a number of methods, occasions can change. The devoted macro and depth choices are gone, however the performance they supplied stays. The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) as soon as once more carries two 50MP sensors on its again panel — one extensive and one ultrawide — however rather than the earlier depth sensor, you now get a 12MP 2x telephoto to work with. On the entrance, a 60MP selfie digicam is housed in a central punch gap.

Motorola’s digicam app stays easy and easy, with simply sufficient default toggles scattered across the interface. You possibly can faucet into timers, flash settings, and various side ratios on the prime, whereas choices like full-resolution 50MP pictures are tucked away beneath the Extra tab. The Edge Plus (2023) additionally has a devoted tab for Gradual Movement video, ought to you end up itching to check the 960fps body price.

I spent a lot of my time with the 50MP main sensor, which bins to 12.5MP proper out of the field. It delivers an excellent, principally pure colour profile in balanced scenes, although there’s no getting across the intense inexperienced saturation on vibrant, sunny days. As you possibly can see within the picture of the creek, the Edge Plus (2023) likes to show a day stroll right into a scene straight out of the Shire. Fortunately, the Edge Plus is way extra managed in different conditions, just like the file retailer on the precise facet. It completely captured the light tones within the signal and smaller particulars like particular person bricks and spots of rust.

The Edge Plus (2023) handles completely different sky situations fairly nicely, too. It doesn’t wash out the clouds above the inexperienced barn nor flip the sundown into one imprecise orange mess above the railroad tracks. Total, there’s not a lot to complain about from the 50MP main sensor, at the least not in good lighting.

Do not forget that 12MP telephoto lens I discussed above? Portrait mode is the place it shines. It’s not the longest zoom on a smartphone, not by far, however the extraordinarily extensive f/1.6 aperture means you may get spectacular background blur to isolate your topic additional. Motorola’s Portrait tab gives three default focal lengths — 35mm, 5omm, and 85mm. All three work nicely, although it could take some getting used to the truth that you possibly can’t pinch to zoom for different lengths.

The person promoting balloons was taken at 85mm, and the Edge Plus (2023) had no downside figuring out the sides of the balloons or the person himself. It did maintain a number of different options in focus, just like the pipe behind him and the cone, however the crowd is properly softened out. My 50mm portrait of the one-man band tells the same story. The digicam precisely picked out most of his gear, although it clipped out a number of cables connecting to the drum on his again.

I’m not the most important person of ultrawide cameras — I favor extensive and telephoto focal lengths — however the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) isn’t any slouch. Like the first digicam, the 50MP ultrawide shooter bins to 12.5MP by default, and its 0.5x magnification shakes out to a 114-degree discipline of view. It’s able to capturing expansive scenes like the 2 of Baltimore’s harbor beneath, although I favor it for attention-grabbing visible results just like the grille of the basic automobile within the heart. It stretches simply sufficient with out distorting the background to offer the automobile an excellent bigger presence.

Try the slider if you wish to see simply how a lot additional the ultrawide lens captures.

The devoted macro lens is lifeless, lengthy stay the devoted macro lens. Truthfully, I’m glad that though Motorola ditched the devoted {hardware}, it put macro images again within the combine as a software program characteristic on the ultrawide digicam. That is the place it must be on flagships, and most mid-rangers price their salt, too. Motorola’s implementation is likely one of the greatest I’ve examined, and it nearly invitations you to maintain getting nearer and nearer to your topic. The shot of the guitar choose was taken a few finger’s width away, and you may simply make out tiny scratches within the plastic and the ridges round every letter. I’m additionally happy with the element within the door deal with, which reveals the scratches and put on you’d anticipate from an vintage entrance door. Macro mode does battle in low mild conditions, however that’s no completely different from the struggles of devoted {hardware}.

The issue with focusing your telephoto efforts on portrait mode is dropping out on zoom capabilities. Whereas the Motorola Edge (2023) can technically punch in as much as 16x, I’m not satisfied by the standard previous about 4x zoom. I used the 2x zoom usually, it’s one of many default settings on the digicam app, however particulars give approach fairly rapidly as soon as you must begin pinching and squeezing. For instance, the ultimate picture of the sailboat and its crew reduces the three folks onboard to little greater than stick figures. Granted, the Edge Plus (2023) has barely higher luck with giant topics like town pier, however a number of letters are noticeably delicate on the edges.

Though zoom high quality tends to endure at longer lengths, Motorola’s photograph stabilization is great. It kicks in from 2x zoom onward and utterly erases any shake from my arms. I might have been prepared to commerce slightly of the stabilization for a bump in zoom high quality, as the present outcomes nonetheless aren’t usable.

Motorola’s implementation of night time mode is a little bit of a combined bag on the Edge Plus (2023). On the one hand, it captured perhaps my favourite picture I took with the telephone, the ultrawide shot of the automobile grille, however alternatively, it may battle mightily should you don’t maintain your telephone completely nonetheless. The Edge Plus (2023) doesn’t provide you with a clear, easy countdown, both — you must look ahead to the small picture preview to seem in your gallery. That mentioned, it’s normally fairly fast, taking solely a second or two, however I’d a lot fairly have a countdown to control.

Tremendous high-resolution selfie cameras ought to most likely comply with devoted macro lenses out the door. As Samsung confirmed off with the Galaxy S23 Extremely, there’s no good purpose for them to exist. Decrease-resolution sensors with bigger megapixels skirt many of the low-light points and don’t have to fret about binning out of the field. Motorola’s 60MP choice is greater than you want, and bins by default. There’s loads of element in my face, and portrait mode edge detection is sweet in the course of the day, however the selfie shooter let me down in low mild.

You possibly can simply see the distinction between the usual and portrait selfies in low mild, and the reason being as a result of screenshot beneath. The Edge Plus (2023) routinely jumps into Auto Evening Imaginative and prescient within the primary selfie digicam, however it doesn’t provide the identical choice in portrait mode. The result’s a selfie that’s comically blown out on my face paired up towards a way more naturally lit selfie that’s extraordinarily delicate upon nearer inspection. Fortunately, you possibly can flip off the Auto Evening Imaginative and prescient as wanted, however it looks like it must be toned down or added to the portrait mode — or perhaps a combination of the 2.

On paper, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) must be a video celebrity. It’s able to as much as 8K recording at 30fps from the first digicam, 4K recording at both 30 or 60fps, and 1080p recording from 30fps as much as 960fps sluggish movement. It additionally gives stabilization and horizon lock, however that is the place the standard breaks down. Motorola’s digital video stabilization isn’t almost pretty much as good as its optical photograph stabilization, leading to movies which may be sharp but in addition present each little shake of your arms. Stabilization can be inactive by default, however the enchancment once you activate it isn’t spectacular. Horizon lock is a cool characteristic — it permits you to rotate the Edge Plus (2023) a full 360 levels whereas sustaining a stage image, however the stabilization brings the standard again right down to earth.

If you wish to try full-resolution variations of the samples above (and extra that we didn’t embrace), try this Google Drive folder.

I’ve mentioned it a couple of times (or perhaps even 3 times), however the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) is the corporate’s greatest flagship in a really very long time. It not solely fixes a number of of our principal points with earlier Edge fashions, like construct supplies and general digicam high quality, but in addition mixes in enhancements that we didn’t anticipate — like a premium 165Hz refresh price and 68W wired charging that runs circles round Google, Apple, and Samsung. The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) makes exactly the precise modifications, and it does so whereas getting a value lower within the course of. The final Edge Plus felt overpriced at $999, however the brand new mannequin is a downright steal at $799 — particularly with 512GB of storage.

Motorola’s mild, easy Android pores and skin has lengthy been considered one of our favorites, and it feels completely matched to the remainder of the high-end design. It retains bloatware to a minimal, although we want the dedication to software program updates lasted longer. We additionally want the telephone itself have been maybe a bit thicker — because it stands, that is one slim, slippery flagship. Even nonetheless, the laundry checklist of enhancements on the Motorola Edge Plus does greater than sufficient to justify its asking value and brings severe punch again to one of many longest-standing Android manufacturers.

Do you have to resolve that the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) isn’t for you, the flagship market is wealthy with choices. On the MSRP value, it’s stacked towards Samsung’s Galaxy S23 ($799.99 at Samsung) and Galaxy S23 Plus ($969.99 at Amazon), providing specs to match the latter and a value that matches the previous. Sure, Samsung will give you extra software program updates, has a large product ecosystem to assist the telephone, and a extra developed digicam expertise, however Motorola’s mild, easy software program is considered one of our favorites, and it simply wins the charging battle. Motorola received’t upcharge you for ample space for storing, both, since 512GB is its solely configuration.

Apple’s iPhone 14 ($799 at Greatest Purchase) is one other competitor on the similar value level however doesn’t prime the Edge Plus (2023) in significant methods. Its two cameras provide much less flexibility than Motorola’s up to date setup, and Apple’s flagship gives a significantly smaller notched show. To Apple’s credit score, some would possibly favor the flat panel to the Edge Plus (2023) with its curves, however the 60Hz refresh price continues falling additional behind the Android competitors. The iPhone 14 can be the software program replace king, carrying assist for so long as Apple sees match — normally upwards of six years. Should you actually need a competing iPhone, you need the iPhone 14 Professional ($999.99 at Greatest Purchase), however that’ll value you additional.

The place the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) faces its stiffest competitors is maybe the inexpensive flagship phase. It’s dearer than the Google Pixel 7 ($599 at Amazon) or the OnePlus 11 ($699 at Amazon), main on some specs whereas lagging on others. Though Motorola’s digicam setup is extra versatile than the Pixel’s, it’s arduous to argue towards Google’s picture processing energy. The Pixel 7 additionally stands as much as the Edge Plus (2023) by way of premium supplies, and thicker facet rails imply it’s simpler to maintain a grip on, too. As for the OnePlus 11, it’s the one telephone on this checklist that beats Motorola’s 68W wired charging. It tops out at 80W within the US, although you’ll have to surrender wi-fi charging and use the included USB-A block for the perfect speeds. We additionally favor My UX to Oxygen OS proper now, particularly because the latter inches nearer to OPPO’s Shade OS.

One closing rival for the Edge Plus (2023) to deal with is Google’s Pixel 7 Professional ($799 at Amazon). In actual fact, the Edge Plus (2023) might be nearer to the premium Pixel than it’s to the vanilla mannequin. Each telephones share almost 6.7-inch shows, although the Edge Plus has the quicker refresh price whereas the Pixel 7 Professional gives a sharper decision. Each telephones are equally slippery in my expertise, although I’m a fan of Motorola’s fingerprint-proof textured end over Google’s high-gloss design. Whilst you get a large, ultrawide, and telephoto trio on each gadgets, the Pixel 7 Professional is a transparent winner by way of zoom functionality and image-processing energy, you’ll simply need to stay with out the in-depth guide controls that Motorola gives.