Advantages
- 144MHz AMOLED display
- Thin and light
- Good performance
- Good price
- No bloatware
Defect
- No expandable MicroSD memory
- Moderate battery life
- The camera can perform better in low light
Cost £379.99 in the UK, by Motorola Side 30 is an affordable mid-range phone, although some trade-offs have been made to reach this price point.
In terms of looks, the Moto Edge 30 outweighs its weight. It comes in only one color, which Motorola calls Meteor Grey, although it actually has a bluish tint. The back is plastic rather than glass, but it still tends to pick up fingerprints.
The 6.5-inch display is housed in a slim bezel and the handset measures 159.38 mm high and 74,236 mm wide. That results in a confirmed screen-to-body ratio of 87.6%, even though we calculate it’s at 86.2%. Edge 30 weighs 155g and has an extremely thin profile of only 6.79mm.
Obviously, this means that the rear camera part is significantly protruding, leading to instability on the screen when pressing the screen. Motorola offers a clear plastic case that, although it covers up the Meteor Grey, is both protective and stable. Dust and water ingress is prevented, to some extent, thanks to a IP52 rating (‘dustproof’ and ‘drip-proof’).
The 6.5-inch Motorola Edge 30 has a 144MHz AMOLED display and three rear cameras – 50MP wide-angle, 50MP ultra-wide, and 2MP depth. It runs on Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 778G + 5G chipset with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. There is no MicroSD card slot for memory expansion. Image: Sandra Vogel / ZDNet
The screen is the most impressive feature of this phone. It’s a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080, 20:9, 405ppi), HDR10+ support, and a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz. This can be set to always on, or you can choose 60Hz all the time, or let the phone handle the refresh rate automatically. I found the screen clear and sharp in auto mode. There is an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Unfortunately, the speakers don’t match the screen in terms of quality. They produce a lot of volume, but the sound is quite small and lacks bass. There is no 3.5mm headphone jack.
There are three cameras at the back: 50MP f/1.8 wide-angle with OIS; 50MP f/2.2 super wide angle (118°); and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. You can shoot 4K video at 30fps, 1080p video at 120fps, and 720p video at 960fps. The front camera is a 32MP f/2.25 unit that can record 4K videos at 30fps.
The test shots I took were acceptable for everyday shooting, and the front-facing camera, located in the top center of the screen, takes selfies well enough. My limited nighttime testing showed some weakness, with the light being overexposed and the brighter and darker areas exposed.
Motorola Edge 30 powered by Qualcomm’s mid-range Snapdragon 778G + 5G chipset with 8GB RAM. This platform has become Geekbench 5 CPU score is 819 (single core) and 2843 (multi core). That’s pretty respectable, given that top handset currently scores around 1000 and 3500 respectively. Edge will have two Nano-SIMs, but no MicroSD card support to increase the 111GB of storage when the operating system has taken up its share of the 128GB installed. Motorola offers a refreshing light touch Android 12 install without bloatware.
Edge 30’s 4020mAh battery keeps this phone working for just 7 hours and 22 minutes in conditions PCMark for Android Battery Life Work 3.0 test. The ‘TurboPower 33’ 33W charger doesn’t match the 150W chargers of the top flagship handsets, but you’ll need to keep it handy to recharge during the day if you’re running any demanding workloads. which question.
The Motorola Edge 30 is something of a mixed bag. It’s very thin and light, with the 144MHz AMOLED display being the star of the show, along with decent mid-range performance. It looks smart enough, though the build quality reflects its affordable price. Other trade-offs include the lack of MicroSD memory expansion, moderate battery life, and a similar camera – especially in low light.
Specifications Motorola Edge 30
| Operating system | Android 12 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G + 5G |
| smack | 8GB |
| Warehouse | 128GB |
| Micro SD card slot | are not |
| Display | AMOLED 6.5 inch |
| Resolution | FHD+ (2400 x 1080, 20:9, 405ppi) |
| Color | 1.07 billion (10-bit color) |
| Refresh rate | 144Hz |
| HDR | HDR10+ |
| Colors | DCI-P3 |
| Size | 159.38mm x 74.24mm x 6.79mm (6.28 x 2.92 x 0.27 in) |
| Weight | 155g |
| Dust and water resistant | IP52 |
| Screen-to-body ratio (confirmed) | 87.60% |
| port | USB-C |
| SIM | 2 Nano SIMs |
| Network | 2G GSM, 3G UMTS/HSPA, 4G LTE, 5G (sub-6GHz) |
| WIFI | Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax, 2.4GHz / 5GHz / 6GHz) |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 |
| NFC | Yes |
| Location | GPS, AGPS, LTEPP, SUPL, GLONASS, Galileo |
| Sound | 2x speakers, 2x mic |
| 3.5 mm . headphone jack | are not |
| Rear camera | 50MP wide-angle f/1.8 (OIS) • 50MP f/2.2 ultra-wide angle (118˚) • 2MP f/2.4 depth |
| Front camera | 32MP f/2.25 |
| Battery capacity | 4200mAh |
| Battery life (claimed) | 32.7 hours |
| Charger | TurboPower 33 |
| In the box | Edge 30 phone, TurboPower 33W charger, USB-C cable, instructions, SIM removal tool, protective case |
| Price | £379.99 |
Alternatives to consider
As the cost of living increases, many smartphone buyers are shifting their focus from expensive flagships to mid-range and budget handsets. There are more and more choices at lower prices – here are the top three contenders.
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