Eric Zeman/Android Authority
Motorola today announced the launch of Motorola Edge, which is the follow-up flagship product of the device of the same name in 2020 and a companion to the recently released Moto Edge 20 series. The Edge 20 series is aimed at overseas markets, while the new Moto Edge is specifically aimed at the North American market. After the release, we came into contact with mobile phones within a short period of time. Read on for our initial hands-on impressions.
Motorola said it listened to consumers when designing the Motorola Edge in 2021. It digested the pain points of last year’s mobile phone customers and provided what it believes to be a real advancement in functionality and experience.
Eric Zeman/Android Authority
Motorola Edge is a large device with a long list of ideal features. It stretches hands, although it is relatively light. Motorola reduced weight by using a polymer rear panel designed to mimic glass. This layered composite material can produce a considerable effect when capturing light. The middle frame is also wrapped in polymer, but aluminum forms the central chassis. It is still too early, but I hope Motorola uses more metal and glass, which will give the device a better quality feel.
In addition to the reflective rear panel, the defining visual feature is the large 6.8-inch LCD screen. It has Full HD+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate, and it looks very good. I am satisfied with the overall effect, it managed to become bright enough to beat the afternoon sun. Although it is not an AMOLED panel, it still supports the always-on display function. Motorola said it limits the number of pixels that can be turned on to save power.
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One thing that needs to be pointed out: Motorola got rid of the “edge” of the display. Last year’s mobile phones and the high-end Motorola Edge Plus are equipped with unique curved displays. Motorola abandoned curved glass this year and replaced it with flat panels. This means there are some borders along the side edges of the screen, although they are not bad. This also means that you should not experience the accidental touches that are prone to 2020 Edge phones.
The phone has a series of standard ports, buttons and controls. I like that Motorola chose the fingerprint reader mounted on the side. It took a second to train it, and I found it very fast. The volume switch nearby is a bit plastic. The USB-C port is tucked into the bottom edge, as is the downward-emitting speaker port. However, there is no headphone jack, which is a pity considering that the first-generation Edge series has a 3.5 mm port.
Eric Zeman/Android Authority
The camera module on the rear panel is very important. The three lenses—standard lens, wide-angle lens, and depth lens—are large and protrude a lot from the chassis. The main sensor has 108MP and relies on nona binning to create large photosensitive pixels when taking daily photos. If you want, you can use all 108MP. The ultra-wide angle is an 8MP job with a very wide field of view of 119 degrees. Depth sensors are related to helping people look better. The selfie camera on the front is a hole-punching job that can take 32MP photos, and for most images, the photos can be reduced by 4 to 8MP.
This phone is equipped with Android 11, Motorola said it will get at least two major operating system upgrades and bi-monthly security updates once every two years. As expected, the device includes Motorola’s My UX, which is its elegant add-on kit for Android, designed to improve the experience of using the device. During the time we use the mobile phone, it runs clean and fast.
Complete the specifications and you will find a Snapdragon 778G processor with 6/8GB RAM and 128/256GB non-expandable storage, 5G supporting Sub-6GHz and millimeter wave networks, a 5,000mAh battery and 30W Turbo Power charging.
Eric Zeman/Android Authority
Motorola’s latest model will start pre-sale in the United States on August 23, and will officially go on sale on September 2. Motorola Edge is priced at US$699, but it will be temporarily sold at a price of US$499 when it is released. When we conduct a comprehensive test on the phone, we will share more of our thoughts on the phone. Now, what do you think of Motorola Edge (2021)?