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(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)T3 VerdictMotorola succeeds in offering a phone that feels like a Google Pixel alternative. It has a (mostly) clean Android software build, a great camera experience, and a great display too. The design is attractive and feels premium, while the inclusion of that powerful charger in the box is a boost for all your devices. Software support is a little meagre for a phone that’s otherwise impressive.Reasons to buy+Premium design+Massive 1TB storage+125W charger included in the box+3x optical zoom and decent camerasReasons to avoid-Display curves might not be to all tastes-Software support not comparable to rivals-Bloatware is now creeping in
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
T3 VerdictMotorola succeeds in offering a phone that feels like a Google Pixel alternative. It has a (mostly) clean Android software build, a great camera experience, and a great display too. The design is attractive and feels premium, while the inclusion of that powerful charger in the box is a boost for all your devices. Software support is a little meagre for a phone that’s otherwise impressive.Reasons to buy+Premium design+Massive 1TB storage+125W charger included in the box+3x optical zoom and decent camerasReasons to avoid-Display curves might not be to all tastes-Software support not comparable to rivals-Bloatware is now creeping in
T3 VerdictMotorola succeeds in offering a phone that feels like a Google Pixel alternative. It has a (mostly) clean Android software build, a great camera experience, and a great display too. The design is attractive and feels premium, while the inclusion of that powerful charger in the box is a boost for all your devices. Software support is a little meagre for a phone that’s otherwise impressive.
T3 Verdict
Motorola succeeds in offering a phone that feels like a Google Pixel alternative. It has a (mostly) clean Android software build, a great camera experience, and a great display too. The design is attractive and feels premium, while the inclusion of that powerful charger in the box is a boost for all your devices. Software support is a little meagre for a phone that’s otherwise impressive.
Reasons to buy+Premium design+Massive 1TB storage+125W charger included in the box+3x optical zoom and decent camerasReasons to avoid-Display curves might not be to all tastes-Software support not comparable to rivals-Bloatware is now creeping in
Reasons to buy+Premium design+Massive 1TB storage+125W charger included in the box+3x optical zoom and decent cameras
Premium design
Massive 1TB storage
125W charger included in the box
3x optical zoom and decent cameras
Reasons to avoid-Display curves might not be to all tastes-Software support not comparable to rivals-Bloatware is now creeping in
Display curves might not be to all tastes
Software support not comparable to rivals
Bloatware is now creeping in
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Why you can trust T3Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about how we test.
Motorola has delivered an impressive clutch of smartphones over the past couple of years, not only challenging Samsung with its folding Razr devices, but also delivering some solid sub-flagship devices too.
Rather than go head-to-head with Samsung’sGalaxy S24 Ultra, however, the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra on review here takes a step back, delivering a phone that can shout about many of the same highlights, while keeping the price in check. Does that make it one ofthe best Android phonesyou can buy?
The fact that this phone comes in cheaper than flagship rivals elsewhere, but also crams in 1TB of storage puts it somewhere in the category of remarkable. This isn’t Motorola’s first “Ultra” device, but its previous flagship phone was theEdge 40 Pro, so the naming is a little confusing.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Price & Release Date
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra was announced on 16 April 2024, with the device now available to buy. Thelaunch price was £849.99in the UK and there are three colours to choose from, but only one model variant – with 16GB RAM and 1TB of storage. That’s a handsome price all considered.
This phone isn’t available in the US (naming conventions and spec differ there) nor Australia, so the UK is onto a good thing here. In terms of the rest of the market, this feels like it wants to take on theGoogle Pixel 8 Pro, or certainly be an alternative option.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: What’s New?
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
With this Ultra model replacing theMotorola Edge 40 Pro, let’s take a look at what’s changed. Top of the billing here is the deeper partnership with Pantone, with this being a Pantone certified display. It also increases in resolution, while settling in at 144Hz rather than the 165Hz of the previous device.
Elsewhere, the Moto Edge 50 Ultra moves to Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 – slightly below the top-tier Snapdragon hardware – while the storage jumps to 1TB, which is up from 256GB on the older model. That’s quite the change.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: Design
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
In terms of design, Motorola isn’t just plopping out glass phones. The Edge 50 Ultra comes in a choice of Nordic Wood (that’s real wood), Forest Grey or the Pantone Peach Fuzz (both of the latter are a vegan leather). Those finishes make the Edge 50 Ultra feel like a phone that doesn’t want to be hidden in a case – although there is one in the box.
Motorola has also retained the curves that many brands have dropped. With a squared design being on trend since theiPhone 12 in 2020, Motorola keeps the curves, so gripping this big phone is pretty easy. It doesn’t cut into your hand, while the faux leather finish is nicely tactile too. It’s actually a great phone to hold.
The whole package isIP68 rated for protectionand there’s a premium feeling to the proceedings. There’s no end of square-edged and glass-backed phones these days and Motorola stands out as something different.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: Display
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
There’s a 6.7-inch display and this curves towards the edges. That’s great from a design point of view, but it does have a minor downside from a usability point of view: the edges can be less responsive, so some taps right on the curves might not register so well. That only really impacts gamers, as for most other content I find that the edges don’t really impact on what you see or interact with too much.
Motorola has stepped back from the 165Hz refresh rate it previously offered and how now settled back at 144Hz maximum. While that will chime with gamers, most phones stop at 120Hz and I can’t honestly say that the additional 24Hz makes a noticeable difference. There’s an “auto” setting for refresh rate, but you don’t get an adaptive refresh rate like some rivals.
Motorola has boosted the resolution to 2712 x 1220 pixels (446ppi), which is nice and sharp, while there’s great 2800 nits peak brightness on the display. Put the numbers to one side, though, because what really matters is that this display looks fantastic. It’s filled with rich and vibrant colours and it’s great for sitting back and consumingcontent on Netflix.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: Performance & Battery
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Powering the Edge 50 Ultra is the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. This isn’t Qualcomm’s top hardware, it’s a step down – and the same hardware powering the newRazr 50 Ultratoo. It’s basically the same, but a little more affordable and in many day-to-day tasks, you’ll never notice the difference.
I also found that it ran games perfectly smoothly, so unless you’re looking for the absolute best, there’s very little to complain about. Add to that 16GB RAM and that huge 1TB of storage, and you’re laughing. Motorola also includes ultra wideband in this phone, which is a technology you might need for digital car keys, but also supporting theMoto Tag, the company’s answer to theApple AirTag.
I found that long gaming sessions ran smoothly. There’s some warming of the phone but not to a concerning degree, only really those occasional edge taps getting in the way of a top performance.
There’s a 4500mAh battery in the Edge 50 Ultra, which is actually a mite smaller than the previous phone. That minor change won’t make a huge difference and one of the most attractive things about Motorola phones is the fast charging rate. Here you get 125W wired charging and there’s a 125W charger in the box. That’s a real bonus, because that powerful charger can bring fast-charging rates to other devices too.
The stamina of the Edge 50 Ultra is great too – I’ve had no problem getting this phone through the day. A couple of times I’ve forgotten to charge it overnight, but a very quick session on that 125W charger and you’ll be back up to full before some phones have pretty much even realised they are charging.
On the software support side you get 3 years of Android OS updates and 4 years of security patches. Given that the gold standard is now 7 years for both (from Google and Samsung), Motorola falls a little short here.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: Cameras
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
There’s been quite a reshuffle across the cameras on the Edge 50 Ultra. The main camera has a 50-megapixel resolution, with the aperture moving to a larger f/1.6 opening, plus the pixels are larger than before – so it’s better positioned for low-light shooting all in all.
The ultrawide camera is also 50-megaxpixels, now with a wider field of view – while also powering the macro skills of this camera. Then you have the new telephoto, which is a periscope-type, 64-megapixel camera offering 3x optical zoom, including stabilisation. It’s a comprehensive set of hardware.
Starting with the telephoto, the best images it offers come close to the 3x native zoom, with a sensor crop then giving you 6x zoom – which is still pretty good in terms of quality. Digital zoom will then run you out to 100x, which is basically mush so best avoided – but you’re still able to get in close to the subject with some great results.
There’s plenty of sharpening going on here and at times that gets a little excessive, particularly on long zooms or in tricky conditions, but that can cut some of the blurring out of farther zoom which works well enough.
Image1of10(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Image1of10(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
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(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 6x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Telephoto 30x digital zoom(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
85mm portrait mode(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
Ultrawide camera(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
The main camera will produce great shots too. In good light you’ll get great shots, but there’s some skill in low-light too. It’s a shame that the night mode hides in a menu because it takes more clicks to get to – and there’s no progressive exposure on the screen, so you can’t always see what you’re doing. But the photos you get are good – so the experience could definitely be improved.
I took plenty of shots alongside the Pixel 8 Pro and found that the Pixel would lighten images a little more, leaving the Edge 50 Ultra’s photos looking a little gloomy at times. The Motorola also doesn’t let you take night shots on the front camera, opting for a selfie flash instead.
Overall it’s a great set of cameras, and I think most people will be perfectly happy with the results they can get.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review: Verdict
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
(Image credit: Future / Chris Hall)
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra isn’t quite as Ultra as Samsung’s equivalent phone, but it has a lot going for it. Great design, class-leading charging (with the charger included), plenty of power and performance at a price undercuts many rivals. It’s a joy to use, but the creep of bloatware is real, so avoiding some of what Motorola might want you to install is worth doing.
The 3x optical zoom puts in a good showing for itself, from a camera system that’s generally very good. It’s worth remembering that you also get access to some of that Google AI magic through Google Photos for those essential edits too, but some tweaks to the experience could make the camera better.
Ultimately, Motorola is still offering something that feels like an alternative to a Google phone and there’s enough in this package to make it a serious contender.
Also consider
I mentioned the Pixel 8 Pro a number of times in this review as it feels like a natural rival. As the Moto Edge 50 Ultra is at the start of its life and the Pixel 8 Pro is a year old, it’s not quite a fair comparison. The Pixel offers stronger camera performance, a flat display and at the time of writing is cheaper than the Motorola – but the Motorola trumps everything for storage.
Today’s best Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, OnePlus 12 and Google Pixel 8 Pro dealsOnePlus 12$899.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 8 Pro$999$599ViewSee all pricesDeal endsSun, Jan 26, 2025We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
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Today’s best Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, OnePlus 12 and Google Pixel 8 Pro dealsOnePlus 12$899.99ViewSee all pricesGoogle Pixel 8 Pro$999$599ViewSee all pricesDeal endsSun, Jan 26, 2025We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, OnePlus 12 and Google Pixel 8 Pro deals
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