To top it all off, there’s a 50-megapixel front camera that’s solid for selfies. It’s an impressive camera system for a mid-range phone. But what almost ruined the camera for me was the slow performance. Post-shot processing sometimes takes about a second, preventing you from capturing multiple shots in quick succession.
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro has a 4500 mAh battery and is enough to get you through a normal day. I once had to charge before going to bed after taking several photos and videos. Charging is another surprising highlight, because you can use the 125-watt charger included in the box to fill the battery in less than 20 minutes, although it does get hot. The Edge 50 Pro also supports wireless charging (up to 50 watts with the right charger).
While the Edge 50 Pro looks like stock Android 14, there is a bit of bloatware (Facebook, TikTok, bingo bombing They are all pre-installed). But I like Motorola’s extra features, like karate-chopping the phone to turn on the flashlight or flipping it to launch the camera. It’s also easy to connect the phone to your Windows PC or laptop to share files wirelessly or function as a webcam. Family Space is a useful option for parents with young children, allowing them to lock part of their phone before handing it over.
Competition crisis
Ultimately, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro is a good phone, and with a better processor and a longer commitment to software support, it could have been great. With Google offering seven years of software support and Samsung matching, Motorola’s three years of Android updates and four years of security updates seem paltry. I would love to see seven years become the standard.
The Edge 50 Pro’s most obvious competition comes from Google. Pixel 8A is £100 lessand you can buy the regular Pixel 8 for around £600 now. Both are better than the Edge 50 Pro. If you’re not a Google fan, you can find other options, like the OnePlus 12R, in our guide to the best Android phones. Even last year’s compact Samsung Galaxy S23 isn’t much more than the current Edge 50 Pro, and has a surprisingly similar spec sheet but more processing power.
