It’s no secret that Motorola has been struggling to keep up with the competition for the past few decades. With its 90% market share in the 90s shrunk down to a mere 8% in 2022, the company has had to come up with new and inventive ways to scrap back its former glory.
Their latest release, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, might do just that. Released only a few days ago, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro boasts an impressive list of hardware specs, and software supports, putting it into the top 10% of phones available out there right now.
Yet, all of this comes without the brand cost of Samsung or Apple, which see the prices of their phones almost 30% higher than the Motorola Edge 30 Pro.
With this new release, and Motorola’s eagerness to win back their spot in the phone market, we knew it was important to dive deep into what the Motorola Edge 30 Pro offers, and see if it’s truly worth your money.
2022 Motorola Edge 30 Pro – Variant Breakdown, Model Design, Price Point
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro provides a sleek chassis minted deep blue. However, multiple color options are available for those looking for slight customization. The model designs mirror the previous Pro lineup of Motorola phones, reminiscent of the Samsung design.
The screen design takes maximum advantage of the design, with only a very thin plastic trim around the outside. Providing users with an impressive screen resolution for a phone this size.
The price point, the most interesting feature of this phone, is set at roughly $649USD, putting it firmly in the mid-range for cost. Despite this, the phone still provides many cutting-edge hardware choices that we will explore down below.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro – Specification Breakdown
Let’s break down the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S22+, and see what exactly is inside.
The specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S22+ include:
Model Specs
Brand: Motorola
Model: Edge 30 Pro
Released: 24th February 2022
Battery capacity (mAh): 4800
Weight: 196g
Dims: 163.06 x 75.95 x 8.79cm
Display Specs
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Screen size: 6.70 inch
Touchscreen: Yes
Resolution: 1080x2400px OLED
Hardware Specs
Processor: 1.8GHz octa-core (1x3GHz + 3×2.5GHz + 4×1.8GHz)
Processor Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8GB
Internal storage: 128GB
Camera Specs
Rear Camera: 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 2-megapixel
No. of Rear Cameras: 3
Front Camera: 60 megapixels
No. of Front Cameras: 1
Auto-Focus: Yes
Software Specs
Operating System: Android 12
Connectivity & Auxiliary Specs
Wi-Fi: Yes
Wi-Fi Supported Standard: 802.11 AX
5G Support: Yes
GPS: Yes
SIM Type: Nano-SIM
Bluetooth: Yes
USB Type-C: Yes
Fingerprint Scanner: Yes
Compass: Yes
Accelerometer: Yes
Gyroscope: Yes
Motorola Edge 30 Pro – Expansion Options
This is where the Motorola Edge 30 Pro begins to struggle, as when we researched the expansion options for the device, we came to a quick conclusion.
Outside of your typical after-market mods, or case options, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro offers very little in the way of manufacturer-sourced expansion options. This means it is capped at 128GB of internal memory (outside of a micro-SD card).
There is also the reality of limited case design options, as the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is not a hugely popular phone. For users who enjoy customizing their device’s look and feel could be an issue.
Its access to future software updates, including the Android 13 beta, is also limited. Motorola hasn’t announced any future access to its users. Whilst the phone has Android 12, which is the current version of Android, it leaves us wondering if future updates will be available.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro – Market Comparisons
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro has an impressive price point, and it’s clear already based on the hardware specs that it sits in a comfortable middle-ground with many high-end models.
Because of this, we want to break down how it compared to phones in the $700-1100 range, as it has already proven to be significantly more impressive than any other option in the $600-700 range.
Let’s compare the Motorola Edge 30 Pro down below:
Motorola Edge 30 Pro VS Vivo iQ00 9 Pro
Display
The iQ009 Pro boasts a slightly larger display than the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, with 6.78inch, compared to Motorola’s 6.70inch display. An almost irrelevant difference.
Processor
Both the Vivo iQ00 9 Pro and Motorola Edge 30 Pro share the same processor, however, the clock speeds of both are slightly different. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro wins here, with a 1.8GHz clock speed through its octa-core.
Camera
Front Camera: The Vive iQ00 9 Pro hardly compares here, with only a 16-megapixel camera, compared to Motorola Edge 30 Pro’s 60-megapixel front camera. Very impressive.
Rear Camera: The Vivo iQ009 Pro pulls ahead just slightly here, with the same 50-megapixel cameras as the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, however, the third camera is a 16-megapixel model, compared to the Edge’s 2-megapixel model.
RAM
Both the Vivo and Motorola models here share the same amount of RAM, at 8GB.
Storage
The Vivo iQ00 9 Pro has double the storage capacity of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, at 256GB.
Battery
Both models come close, with the Vivo sporting a 4700mAh battery, and the Motorola Edge 30 Pro just inching ahead with a 4800mAh battery.
Operating System
Both models share the Android 12 operating system.
Resolution
The Vivo iQ009 Pro is a clear winner here, with a resolution of 1440×3200, compared to Motorola Edge 30 Pro’s 1080x2400px OLED.
Price
It’s difficult to compare here, as the Vivo iQ00 9 Pro is almost $200USD more expensive than the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, yet only marginally pulls ahead in certain areas.
In terms of value, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is the clear winner here.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro VS Samsung Galaxy S22+
Display
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro beats the Samsung Galaxy S22+ here, with a 6.70inch display, compared to Samsung’s 6.60inch display.
Processor
Both models here share the same processor, however, Motorola’s snapdragon has been clocked slightly higher than Samsung’s own. This isn’t a clear win, as there are several reasons for this, but it’s worth noting.
Camera
Front Camera: The Motorola Edge 30 Pro simply cannot be beaten here, with a 60-megapixel camera, compared to Samsung’s 10-megapixel camera.
Rear Camera: Unsurprisingly, Samsung has the slightly better rear camera options here, sporting an impressive 50-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel + 10-megapixel rear camera setup.
This dwarfs the Motorola Edge 30 Pro’s 50-megapixel + 50-megapixel + 2-megapixel lineup.
RAM
Both Motorola and Samsung support the same amount of effective RAM in each of their phones, at 8GB.
Storage
Without a doubt the weak point of the Motorola model, Samsung sports double the supported storage, at 256GB.
Battery
The Motorola Edge 30 Pro has a significantly better battery, at 4800mAh, compared to Samsung’s 4500mAh.
Operating System
To nobody’s surprise, whilst both phones share the same operating system, Samsung will have the better support. As it is they that create the Android OS.
Resolution
Both phones come very close to each other’s resolution, with only pixels to spare here. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro sports a 1080x2400px OLED display, and Samsung sports a 1080x2340px OLED display.
Price
With the Samsung Galaxy S22+ sitting at almost double the price of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, you can’t deny the sheer value of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro.
Samsung relies heavily on its brand loyalty, and that does come with much better support. However, is it worth paying 90% more for a comparable phone? You decide.
Motorola Edge 30 Pro – Is It Worthy of a Buy?
Based on the comparisons listed out above, and unpacking the hardware and software capabilities of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, it’s hard not to recommend this phone.
Motorola is selling this phone either at cost or very close to it, without any brand value added on top. Because of this, you can expect to get your hands on a cutting-edge phone, for mid-range prices.
Unless you’re committed to sticking within the Samsung or Apple bubble, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is one of the best value phones currently on the market, and will likely stay that way for some time.
