Moto Edge Plus review: overshadowed by giants
"The Moto Edge Plus looks like the future."
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Beautiful "Endless Edge" display
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Sleek, futuristic design
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Sharp 108MP camera
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Good performance
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Massive battery
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Fat and heavy
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The aspect ratio of 21: 9 is cumbersome
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Mediocre front and telephoto
Motorola's new flagship, the Moto Edge Plus, looks like something from the HBO Westworld series. The show shows handheld devices as edgeless displays, which, apart from a sharp, bright screen, largely lack any recognition features. Actually, they are not smartphones – just intelligent devices, a mixture of tablet, phone and PC.
The Moto Edge Plus feels like a big step towards Westworld's fiction. It's almost the entire screen, and thanks to a fast Qualcomm processor, 5G support, lots of RAM, and a smooth 90 Hz display, it responds to your touch with unnatural speed. There is a subtle Motorola logo on the back. Otherwise it is elegant and without branding.
Despite its futuristic design, Motorola also tries to undercut the competition. The Moto Edge Plus costs "only" $ 1,000. This is a lot, but also less than first-class flagships from Apple and Samsung. This is a daring, bold phone.
display
Motorola's Moto Edge Plus has an obvious, massive headline feature that you stare at every time you pick up the phone. This is the 6.7-inch "Endless Edge" display.
Phones with slim, curved-edge displays aren't brand 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 extreme. The edges wrap a full 90 degrees around the sides, with the side panels being practically eliminated when looking directly at the phone.
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Phones like the Huawei Mate 30 Pro adopted this design concept last year, but the Moto Edge Plus is all-in. Perhaps more importantly, it's widespread in the U.S., while Huawei and Oppo phones are hard to find and use in North America. This is practically a first for an average US smartphone buyer.
The Endless Edge display is a beautiful OLED touchscreen with a long list of features, including FHD + resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color support, and HDR10 + certification. The unusual and dramatic aspect ratio of 21: 9 results in a phone that feels large and narrow. This is an advantage when writing SMS, surfing the Internet or reading, because it increases the content that you can see without increasing the width of the phone.
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However, it can be a problem when streaming videos or games, since most are produced with an aspect ratio of 16: 9. A 21: 9 display shows black bars on the sides when 16: 9 content is displayed, effectively reducing the usable screen area. For most videos and some games, you can enlarge the content to take up the entire display. However, this cuts off part of the image.
The touchscreen can also be difficult to use. It looks seductive and futuristic, but it makes it difficult to handle the phone without activating touch when it is not intended to. This was not a problem for me while surfing the Internet, but it did become a problem when playing. I never found a handle in Minecraft that was comfortable and avoided accidental touches.
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The display has two more quirks. First, when viewing a website or document, text is often displayed on both sides of the phone. Although it remains legible, it looks strange. The extreme curve also distorts color and brightness at the edges due to the odd viewing angle. This is obvious when you see a uniform color streak on the display, e.g. B. the pure white background of many websites. I got used to it, but I would certainly call it a mistake.
Your appetite for the Moto Edge Plus mainly depends on whether you fall in love with this screen. It's insane and futuristic, but not flawless. Phone freaks like to adapt to the quirks of the display and enjoy the striking look. However, if you're more interested in function than shape, consider a more traditional large-screen phone like the Galaxy S20 Plus.
design
The Moto Edge Plus is a phone that was developed around the display. Its large, narrow, blocky body is tailored to the high, narrow aspect ratio of 21: 9.
But wow, it's an eye catcher.
Would you like to know what the phone feels like? Get a Hershey chocolate bar. I admit that I didn't have a candy bar to do a side-by-side comparison, but my mind immediately jumped to that comparison.
Despite the rounded edges, the phone feels chunky compared to an Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max or Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. According to official information, the size of the phone is bulky 0.37 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. This makes it more difficult to hold the phone than its slim profile suggests.
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It's weirdly slippery. Even the slightest incline lets the phone slip slowly. It spontaneously threw itself from the edge of my desk, couch, and several chairs. It always feels ready to get out of your grip.
The phone also feels top-heavy because it is large and you naturally hold the phone near its bottom. My test device weighed 7.2 ounces on my kitchen scale. This is more than a Galaxy S20 Plus, but less than Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max. This is a large phone that, like its competition, can be uncomfortable to hold in bed or while lying on a sofa.
But wow, it's an eye catcher. The entire Moto 2020 product line is clearly designed to offer luxury design at lower prices, and the Edge Plus is successful. The noble blue finish of my test device in combination with the slim appearance of the phone results in an elegant, professional device. The Moto Edge Plus seems to belong in a boardroom or private jet.
Optical fingerprint reader
The Moto Edge Plus uses an optical fingerprint reader for secure login. It appears in the lower quarter of the phone and is easy to use.
However, it does not avoid the shortcomings that have caused this technology. While fingerprint recognition usually worked, it often took a moment to recognize my fingerprint. This is sluggish compared to the almost instant login that traditional systems can offer. The system also has major problems with water, lint, or dirt on your hands.
5G, WiFi and ports
The Moto Edge Plus supports both mmWave and Sub-6 Hz 5G networks and, according to Motorola, can reach network speeds of 4 Gbit / s under ideal conditions. I couldn't test this myself because 5G wasn't deployed in my region. Still, it's good to see support for both 5G networks as this should improve connectivity and unlock access to the fastest speeds possible. New Android flagships will offer this feature in 2020, while the iPhone doesn't yet offer 5G support.
The phone is exclusive to Verizon. You must be a Verizon subscriber to use this phone or be ready to switch to the Verizon network.
You will also find support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. I would expect to see the latest wireless connectivity standards in a new flagship phone, but it's good to see that Motorola didn't skip any features to keep the $ 1,000 price tag going.
The wired connectivity includes USB 3.0 Type C and a 3.5 mm audio jack, both of which are located on the bottom lip of the phone.
Camera quality
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The camera is the other heading feature of Motos Edge Plus. The triple lens system features a 108-megapixel main shooter, a 16-megapixel ultrawide lens and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. It also includes optical image stabilization, video stabilization and laser auto focus with a time-of-flight sensor.
Yes, 108MP. As with the Endless Edge display, the phone's 108-megapixel camera isn't a unique feature, but it is up-to-date and somewhat unexpected on a $ 1,000 phone. If you're in the U.S., the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is just a generally available phone with this feature. And it costs $ 1,400.
That's a lot of megapixels. But translated into an excellent camera?
Main camera quality
Although it has a 108MP sensor, pixel binning is enabled by default on the Moto Edge Plus. This technique, called Moto Quad Pixel Technology, combines the light of four pixels into one. This reduces the output to 27 MP, but increases the brightness, contrast and color of the image – at least in theory.
At first glance, the Moto Edge Plus makes a strong impression. When shooting outdoors, the camera vibrates with a lively, saturated appearance, as is common with flagship cell phones. These shots will surely draw your attention and look great on a variety of screens.
However, I feel that the Moto Edge Plus has color problems. My close-up of a flower makes it look almost fluorescent while it was lukewarm in real life. Colors can become so extreme that they destroy details and remove subtle patterns or flaws that would otherwise be visible. It's not bad for Instagram, but sometimes far from reality.
The color was distorted in the opposite direction when I took indoor pictures with moderate to dim lighting. While the pictures looked sharp and bright, the colors appeared. The camera seemed particularly confused by the yellow wall of my kitchen and often leaned towards a faint, dark pastel that is not accurate at all.
Portrait mode solidly improves the appearance of portrait photos and works quite well even in moderate lighting, although it is more grainy than photos taken with a Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus or Apple's iPhone 11 Pro Max. My curly hair is, as always, a mode stress test, and Motorola’s camera is sure to have problems with broken curls, but the slight halo that dances around the edges of my frizz is not uncommon. Every portrait mode I've ever tried had problems coping with my locks.
The Moto Edge Plus is best suited for taking photos at a moderate distance with moderate to bright lighting. Breathtaking pictures can be taken in these conditions, but the main camera is not as versatile as I hoped.
108MP Ultra-Res / Tele quality
While the 108MP sensor uses pixel binning by default, you can disable this mode and take full 108MP photos. However, if you do this, you will encounter some problems. Using the 108MP Ultra-Res mode significantly extends photo processing time. The photos themselves are huge and take up a lot more space than the standard photos with 27 MP.
You will be disappointed if you expect an obvious improvement in clarity. The 27MP photos are output with a resolution of 6,016 x 4,512 – already well above 4K. The 108MP photos are output with a resolution of 12.032 x 9.024. This is much higher, but you need a display with a resolution well above 4K to see the difference.
Motorola does not know this problem and quickly points out the additional versatility of a high-resolution photo. A high-resolution image can improve the digital zoom because, first of all, more details have to be edited. However, the Moto Edge Plus also has an 8 megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.
I decided to compare them side by side by taking photos of text from a distance and then cropping them to see which ones showed the most detailed.
108MP ultra-res mode
3x telephoto camera
108MP ultra-res mode
3x telephoto camera
The results are fascinating.
The telephoto lens clearly delivers superior sharpness. This is not an insult to Ultra Res mode because the detail here is impressive. These narrow crops contain less than 1 percent of the over 108,576,768 pixels in the 108MP photo. Nevertheless, the crop of the telephoto lens is easier to read.
However, you will notice a clear difference in the appearance of each shot. Photos from Ultra Res mode are significantly more colorful than those from the 8MP camera. This makes sense since the 108MP main camera has an aperture of 1: 1.8, while the telephoto camera has an aperture of 1: 2.4 and therefore captures less light.
Overall, these results lead to the assumption that experienced smartphone photographers will find a lot to discover. The ultra-res mode and the telephoto lens are each suitable for different situations. On the other hand, less experienced photographers (like me) are likely to ignore Ultra Res mode and use the telephoto lens when zoom is required.
Ultrawide and macro quality
A 16 megapixel ultrawide camera offers a field of view of 117 degrees for more expansive shots and works well. The dramatic photos you're likely to take with an Ultrawide lens go well with the Moto Edge Plus' tendency to oversaturate colors.
Are the results realistic? No – but that's not what an ultra-wide smartphone camera is about. It's a fun, versatile option that gives a sense of scale and size that is normally not possible on a smartphone. I enjoyed it and the photos I took are easily some of the best I could take during my review.
The phone's macro mode has a job to do, but this job is probably more specific than expected. It can deliver solid quality if it comes very, very close to a subject. I speak at most a few inches away. Otherwise, I found that the main camera could take sharper, more colorful photos.
Front camera
The Moto Edge Plus has a 25-megapixel front camera that, like the main camera, has quad-pixel technology. 6.2MP images are output as standard.
My quarantine haircut doesn't make me the best subject, but I think the camera is solid. Photos of it are vivid, clear and crisp. The photo shows the overly saturated appearance of other cameras, but I think this is less of a problem for selfies. My skin tone certainly doesn't "glow", but here is a hint of warmth.
However, you need adequate lighting to get the most out of the camera. Even if pixel binning is activated, the front-facing camera cannot avoid a grainy appearance even with poor interior lighting, not to mention a really dark environment. There is no night mode or the like to improve quality with limited lighting.
Summary of camera quality
The Moto Edge Plus camera offers owners many options in the hope that some will stay. Some do it. Outdoor shots look great on the main camera, which does its best in good lighting with colorful landscapes. It's Instagram-friendly and sacrifices balance and realism for a lively, saturated look that stands out on every display.
I like the 108MP camera. This is not often used by most owners, but it increases the versatility of the phone. You can take pictures in 108MP Ultra-Res mode and crop them later for best results.
It's a great camera system, but it's not noticeable. All modern flagship phones offer excellent picture quality. The Moto Edge Plus can take spectacular photos, but it didn't blow me away.
Video quality
The Moto Edge Plus brings the warmth to the video specs. It can record videos with a resolution of up to 6K or 1080p videos with up to 60 frames per second (frames per second). Other features include optical image stabilization, video portrait mode, and a video snapshot function that can be used to retrieve 20 megapixel still images from the video while filming.
I have little experience with video recording on smartphones, so I cannot seriously test the video quality. Still, I found the video quality strong, with sharp details and vivid colors.
The phone continued to perform well when recording 6K video. I did not notice any significant delay or processing time before or after recording with 6K.
There is also a slow motion mode that captures up to 120 fps at FHD resolution or 240 fps at HD resolution.
Audio
Stereo speakers tuned by Waves, a Grammy award-winning audio technology company, give the Moto Edge Plus its voice. And, boy, does it really scream?
At full volume, the phone delivers a strong, balanced sound that can handle a wide range of content, from bass-heavy tracks to the most hectic action films. The phone doesn't deliver most of the bass, but it does offer a clear, distortion-resistant experience. Dialogues or vocals can also be distinguished from the roar of a jet engine or a constant, deep bass beat.
performance
A Qualcomm 865 processor supplies the Moto Edge Plus with power. This is the latest and best offer from Qualcomm, which serves eight cores. This is paired with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage connected via the UFS 3.0 storage standard. Motorola does not offer models with more storage space, and SD card expansion is not an option.
Since most Android phones are based on Qualcomm processors, the Moto Edge Plus has no particular advantage over the competition. Still, this is a fast processor. Only Apple's excellent A13 Bionic will defeat him.
- Geekbench 5 single core: 910
- Geekbench 5 multi-core: 3,297
- 3DMark Sling Shot: 9,415
I noticed in previous reviews that smartphone performance has reached the point where most phones are "good enough". Still, you will feel the difference between a flagship like the Moto Edge Plus and any phone with a mid-range Qualcomm 600 processor.
The Moto Edge Plus flies through content and rarely hesitates even when you scroll through large lists of high-resolution images or videos. It's not flawless, but it's close. Combine this with the 90 Hz screen, which is more responsive than the 60 Hz screens that used to dominate flagship phones, for a pleasant experience.
The Moto Edge Plus flies through content.
I mentioned that Apple's A13 Bionic is faster, which you can see from benchmarks. For example, the iPhone SE from Apple scored 1,324 points for Geekbench single-core and 3,192 points for Geekbench multi-core. This means that the $ 400 Apple phone is significantly faster than the Moto Edge Plus in terms of per-core processor performance. The iPhone SE is also competitive in the multi-core area. But do you see this speed in practice?
I only noticed it when using the camera. For example, if you take a lot of pictures in succession, I noticed that current-generation iPhones can take multiple photos quickly and feel a little more responsive. I also notice a more responsive feeling in multitasking applications (despite the RAM memory in the Moto Edge Plus).
Nevertheless, "good enough" remains in force. Does a modern iPhone feel more responsive? Yes. Is it really important with 99% of usage? No, it doesn't.
Qualcomm's 865 has a built-in Adreno 650 GPU and can handle any game Android can give you. After all, this is Qualcomm's current top tier component. There is no superior chip for an Android game developer. Games fly, run with high frame rates and excellent quality settings.
I don't have an iPhone 11 Pro Max for direct comparison, but 3DMark's benchmark results make me believe that the iPhone 11 Pro Max and Moto Edge Plus offer an approximately equivalent experience. And since many other Android flagships have the same Qualcomm 865 part with the same Adreno GPU, you probably won't notice a big difference between them either.
As I said earlier, I have some complaints about how the design of the phone can make playing games more difficult when I rely on touchscreen controls, but I can not degrade performance in any way.
Battery life
A massive 5000 mAh battery powers the Moto Edge Plus. Batteries of this size are not uncommon in 2020, but this still gives the Edge Plus a capacity advantage over most of its competitors. The OnePlus 8 Pro has a 4,510 mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has a 4,500 mAh battery and the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 3,969 mAh battery.
I assume that most people will end the day with 30 to 50 percent of the remaining battery.
Motorola gives the battery life after two days, and in my experience, that was the case. You can extend it to three days if you make little calls, or use it in a single day if you do everything you can to play games. I assume that most people will end the day with 30 to 50 percent of the remaining battery.
The phone supports an included 18-watt quick charger or 15-watt wireless charging. It also supports wireless power distribution up to 5 watts. These numbers aren't impressive for a flagship phone because the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus can charge up to 25 watts and the OnePlus 8 Pro supports 30 watts. However, given the long battery life, I don't think mediocre charging is worth worrying about.
software
Motorola ships the Moto Edge Plus with a relatively flawless version of Android 10. Much of the bloatware on my device came from Verizon, not Motorola, but even this mess was minimal. Apps like My Verizon can be largely ignored if you don't want to watch them.
The Moto Edge Plus has Moto promotions, a special bonus that can be found in all Motorola phones. These gesture-based shortcuts provide quick access to some common functions. For example, a quick double-chop process opens the flashlight, or you can quickly twist your wrist twice to open the camera.
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I've been a Moto fan for many years after jumping on board the Moto G3 for the first time, and Moto promotions are a major reason for my preference. I love her. They are simple, reliable and affect functions that you use every day.
The camera app is my biggest complaint. The rudimentary look is not uncommon on Android phones, but it looks unaffected. It's not as attractive as the iOS camera app or the one you find on Google's pixel phones, and the tendency to rely on small icons and option lists can be anything but intuitive. It's usable, but not as user-friendly as some of its competitors.
Motorola informed me that the Endless Edge display is being used for notifications during my briefing over the phone, and I noticed that it was lighting up. However, I have not gained any value from the light show. I was hardly surprised. Any phone that offers a curved edge display has in some way claimed to provide helpful notifications, and it has never shown me a real utility.
Our opinion
Motorola's Moto Edge Plus is solid, but struggles to stand out from a crowded field. Apple, Samsung, LG, OnePlus, Oppo and Huawei offer their own flagships. In most cases, these companies offer several. They all have huge screens and lots of functions. You can opt for the Moto Edge because of the 108-megapixel camera or the extreme display, but these features aren't a must for most buyers.
Is there a better alternative?
Yes. That is the problem with the Moto Edge Plus.
It's a nice phone, but there's a lot to choose from. Most buyers in this price range will likely opt for the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, a reliable choice with a stunning yet functional design. There is also the OnePlus 8 Pro, which loses some ground in the camera specifications, but makes up for it with a larger 120 Hz screen.
If you want a flagship experience on a budget, Google Pixel 4 XL is a great choice. You can also wait for the Moto Edge to come later this year. It's a stripped-down version of the Moto Edge Plus that retains the screen, but is downgraded to a 64-megapixel camera, among other things. However, Motorola has not announced its price.
The iPhone Pro Max from Apple is another top choice. Here, too, the iPhone offers a design that better combines form and function. It outperforms the Edge Plus and, in my opinion, offers superior camera quality overall. However, since it is an iPhone, Android users need to consider changing the operating system in their decision.
Do you want more options? Check out our favorite 2020 smartphones.
How long it will take?
The Moto Edge Plus is a fast, full-featured phone that runs the latest version of Android. Therefore, it should perform well in the coming years. Support for new Android operating system versions will stop working after a few years, a problem that is common with Android smartphones.
Should you buy it
No. The Moto Edge Plus is a good phone that doesn't stand out in the impressive lineup of Android flagships from 2020.
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