Motorola Edge 50 Pro first impressions

Motorola unveiled the Motorola Edge 50 Pro today at a grand event in New Delhi, India in Black Beauty, Luxe Lavender, and Moonlight Pearl colors. We got to spend some time with the lavender color version, and here are our first impressions of the phone.

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro comes in a plastic-free, eco-friendly retail package made of 80% recycled materials. It includes a charging cable, a SIM ejector tool, a "climate friendly" protective case matching the smartphone"s color, and a power adapter.

Motorola also adds what it calls "Moto Fragrance" to the Edge 50 Pro"s box for a "unique sensorial experience" and "sensorial connect." The fragrance is quite pleasing and impressive, which adds to the unboxing experience. The Edge 50 Pro exudes the same fragrance, but obviously we expect it to wear off in a few days.

The smartphone itself is built around a 6.7" 144Hz 10-bit curved pOLED display of 1,220p resolution. It"s a Pantone Validated True Color Display with 2,000 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ support. The validation allegedly ensures that it correctly renders all sorts of human skin tones."

The Motorola Edge 50 Pro"s screen is protected by Gorilla Glass, but Motorola didn"t reveal the exact version. It has a centered punch-hole for the 50 MP selfie camera with autofocus and an f/1.9 aperture.

Underneath the display is a fingerprint scanner, which we found to be fast and accurate in the short time we spent with the Motorola Edge 50 Pro. However, it"s a bit small for our liking and should"ve been placed slightly higher for a better phone-unlocking experience.

On the other side is the Pantone-validated 50MP "AI Powered Pro-Grade Camera" with OIS and an f/1.4 aperture. It"s joined by a 10MP telephoto camera (OIS, 3x optical, 30x hybrid) and a 13MP ultrawide camera (120° FOV), with the latter also being able to capture macro shots thanks to its autofocusing capabilities.

These cameras support AI-based features and are placed on a squircle-shaped unibody island, which causes the phone to wobble a lot on flat surfaces. Below this island is the signature Motorola logo, which reflects light at different angles.

That said, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro Moonlight Pearl"s rear cover was designed by the Italian design house Mazzucchelli 1849. It has a handmade acetate finish, and Motorola said the pattern will be unique on each Moonlight Pearl models.

On the other hand, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro Luxe Lavender and Black Beauty models" back panels are covered with silicone vegan leather. They provide a nice in-hand feel with a comfortable grip, which is also facilitated by the curved edges of the rear cover. However, the panel doesn"t fit seamlessly with the metal frame, and that"s quite annoying at times.

Even then, we like the overall design of the Luxe Lavender model. It looks cool and is comfortable to hold, making one-hand use easy.

Talking about the ports and controls, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro has the power key and volume buttons on its right-side frame. At the bottom is the USB-C port, flanked by a SIM card slot, microphone, and speaker, and up top is the secondary mic with Dolby Atmos text.

Motorola Edge 50 Pro"s ports and controls

Under the hood, we have the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC with 8 GB/12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. The smartphone boots Android 14 with the new Hello UI on top and is devoid of pre-installed third-party apps, which is appreciated. You get a few apps from Motorola and Dolby Atmos, but those offer different software experiences, so we aren"t complaining.

In case you are wondering about the software support, Motorola has promised three years of Android version upgrades and four years of security updates. The latter will be released quarterly, though, which is a bummer.

Fueling the entire package is a 4,500 mAh battery with 125W TurboPower charging. However, only the 12 GB/256 GB variant will come bundled with a 125W adapter. The 8 GB/128 GB model will be bundled with a 68W adapter as Motorola was looking to trim down the price.

The rest of the Motorola Edge 50 Pro"s highlights include an IP68 rating, 5G connectivity, NFC, stereo speakers, spatial sound, and Hi-Res Audio. It also supports 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wired charging - the reasons why Motorola went with a 4,500 mAh battery instead of 5,000 mAh or more. The brand said this combination offers the best experience.

We"ve begun reviewing the Motorola Edge 50 Pro, so stick around to find out if it"s worth buying.