Motorola’s new Edge lineup is here, and there’s good news for the US

Summary

• Motorola is releasing the Edge 50 Pro, Edge 50 Ultra, and Edge 50 Fusion in Europe from today, with Android 14 out of the box.
• The Edge 50 Ultra is the most powerful in the lineup, offering a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor and impressive camera features.
• The Edge 50 Pro is a middle model balancing specs and price, while the Edge 50 Fusion is an affordable option with solid features.

Today’s market is saturated with a plethora of budget Android smartphones that offer a compelling hardware and software combination at a competitive price range. Motorola has long ruled the roost at this cheaper price range, but in recent years it’s begun offering premium options like the Edge (2023) and Edge+ (2023) too, and is ready to continue that with a 2024 line of Edge handsets.

According to Motorola, the Edge 50 Pro, Edge 50 Ultra, and Edge 50 Fusion will hit the shelves in Europe and other markets from today, with the Edge 50 Pro arriving first, and the Edge 50 Ultra and Edge 50 Fusion arriving in the coming weeks. All three devices come with Android 14 outside the box.

Motorola has yet to announce availability and price for the US market. The company has only said it’s committed “to expanding the Edge family in North America this year.” Given that the Motorola Edge 40 Pro was rebranded to the Motorola Edge+ (2023) in the US, the firm might follow the same blueprint this year and give its latest devices a new name before releasing them to the US market. That “expanding” even gives hope that more than one of these models could hit US shores. It also remains to be seen if US variants will sport different hardware, as the previous Edge 40 Pro had a slightly bigger battery for US customers.

Edge 50 Pro is the likeliest to land in the US

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro is the middle model that sets the balance between specifications and price, but going by last year it’s the version we’re most confident we’ll see hit North America.

It features a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC to power daily use, multitasking, and some gaming. With 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, you can trust the device to run smoothly in the long run. Additionally, the phone sports a 6.7-inch pOLED display with Super HD resolution and HDR10+ with a 144Hz refresh rate.

The rear camera setup includes a 50MP primary sensor with a wide f/1.4 aperture, a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, and a 13MP ultrawide lens. The front also houses a 50MP selfie camera.

It’s launching in vegan leather and vegan suede finishes, and starts at €700 ($745) in Europe.

Edge 50 Ultra and Edge 50 Fusion cover the extremes

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is a little more powerful. It features a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. The phone also has a 6.67-inch Super HD (1220p) pOLED display, offering 13 percent more resolution than the predecessor.

As for the camera, the Edge 50 Ultra sports a 50MP primary lens, a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP ultrawide lens that doubles as a macro. For the selfie camera, you’ll have a 50MP lens to take shots of yourself. The Edge 50 Ultra camera heavily depends on AI to improve photography, offering features like Adaptive Stabilization and Auto Focus Tracking.

The phone features a 4,500mAh battery with 125W TurboPower charging plus 50W wireless charging capabilities, and is the first Motorola phone to support Ultra Wideband (UWB). The starting price for the Edge 50 Ultra in Europe is €1,000 ($1,064).

Finally, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is here to prove the company’s expertise in making affordable but compelling Android phones. The device features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ display with pOLED technology and 144Hz refresh rate. As for the camera, you’ll have a 50MP main sensor, a 13MP ultrawide sensor, and a 32MP front-facing camera. Also, Edge 50 Fusion comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 processor, 8-12GB of RAM, and 128-512GB of internal storage.

Perhaps most impressively for the price, the Fusion is even IP68-rated, as are both the Pro and Ultra. The phone is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, and priced at €350 ($372) in Europe.

Buds with Bose

In addition to the new Motorola Edge 50 series, the brand has also pulled back the curtain on its new Moto Buds+ and Moto Buds — and the Buds+ are launching in the US today.

The Buds+ are unexpectedly premium earbuds for Motorola, with dual drivers, Dolby head tracking tech, and up to 38 hours of battery including the case, which can even charge wirelessly. Most excitingly, Motorola says that the earbuds’ audio and ANC has been tuned by Bose, which could make these a tempting option for anyone who can’t afford the $299 Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds.

The Buds+ are available from today in Forest Grey and Beach Sand for $130. Europe and some other markets are also getting the much cheaper Moto Buds, which come in a wider range of colors but pack more basic audio tech.

Finally, with the recent launch of the Google Find My Device network, Motorola took today as an excuse to confirm that it will be “one of the first OEMs to bring a compatible tag to market,” with a launch promised “in the coming months” — though we’re not yet sure if that will include the US.