Introduction and specifications
The Motorola Edge 30 range came in two parts this year. From March to May, the company introduced the Edge 30 and Edge 30 Pro, while the Edge 30 Neo, Fusion and Ultra arrived in the second half of the year with slightly different designs and brought something more to the table.
The subject of this review is the Edge 30 Neo, which is the most affordable of the bunch, but aside from the Snapdragon 695 SoC, the device presents itself as an all-round device, arriving in a relatively unsaturated market segment. Sure, there are some alternatives in terms of price, but the size of the Edge 30 Neo makes it somewhat unique.
Motorola Edge 30 Neo Specifications Overview:
- Body: 152.9×71.2×7.8mm, 155g; glass front, plastic body; Splash and dust resistant.
- Screen: 6.28 “P-OLED, 120Hz, 1080x2400px resolution, 20: 9 aspect ratio, 419ppi.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G (6 nm): Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold and 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver); Adreno 619.
- Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM.
- Operating system / software: Android 12.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 64 MP, f / 1.8, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f / 2.2, 120˚, 1.12µm, AF.
- Front camera: 32 MP, f / 2.4, (wide), 0.7 µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 1080p @ 30/60/120 fps; Front camera: 1080p @ 30fps.
- Battery: 4020 mAh; 68W fast charging, wireless charging.
- Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; stereo speakers.
There aren’t many compact phones to choose from, especially in the mid-range class, so the Neo is something of a breath of fresh air. And it’s also running quite capable hardware. The 6.28-inch 120 Hz OLED display is not only fast but also bright. Memory configurations start at 6GB / 128GB, the main camera is 64MP with OIS, and the ultrawide secondary camera uses a popular 13MP sensor instead of the overused and disappointing 8MP one.
There’s also a pair of stereo speakers, an under-display fingerprint reader, and a respectable 4,020mAh battery that supports not only 68W fast charging but wireless charging as well. To some, the 4,020mAh capacity may not seem like much, but as is the case with compact smartphones, some trade-offs are required and battery capacity is often the first to go.
In addition to the rare features in the budget class described above, the Edge 30 Neo is one of the few devices with a clean Android operating system. This has always been a key selling point for Motorola phones, so you can add it to the list of benefits as well.
It is clear that the Edge 30 Neo wants to stand out from the crowd with more than a couple of quirky features. On paper, the Neo should appeal to anyone looking for a compact phone with pure Android. However, Motorola’s competitor has several key hardware advantages over its rivals, and we delve deeper into the next few pages to see if it’s worth the hard-earned money.
Unboxing the Motorola Edge 30 Neo
The Motorola Edge 30 Neo is available in an eco-friendly packaging with apparently recycled paper. Contains the usual set of user manuals, a 68W wall charger and a USB-C to USB-C cable for data transfer and charging.
There is also a clear hard case instead of the regular soft silicone cases that OEMs usually ship with their phones.
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