Motorola Edge 30: Sleek Design Meets Subdued Performance in This Light 5G Device

Motorola asserts that the Edge 30 holds the title of the slimmest 5G smartphone globally and is also the lightest 5G device within its category in India. This design-focused approach has culminated in a device with a mere thickness of 6.79mm and a weight of just 155g. The Motorola Edge 30 is the successor to the Motorola Edge 20 (Review) which debuted last year at a comparable price point. Clearly, Motorola has emphasized the design of the Edge 30 as a key selling feature, but has it compromised functionality for aesthetics, or does it manage to maintain a good balance between the two? I tested it to find out.

Motorola Edge 30 pricing in India

The Motorola Edge 30 begins at Rs. 27,999 for the entry-level model with 6GB of RAM, while the 8GB RAM version is available for Rs. 29,999. Both configurations come with 128GB of internal storage. Motorola presents the Edge 30 in Meteor Grey and Aurora Green hues, with the Meteor Grey variant being the one I reviewed.

Design of the Motorola Edge 30

Design is paramount for the Motorola Edge 30. The company has designed the Edge 30 with a flattened frame, aligning with the trend popularized by the iPhone 12, an approach that many Android models have recently adopted. Nevertheless, its corners and edges remain slightly rounded, adding to the device’s grip.

As I mentioned in my initial impressions of the phone, the body is constructed from polycarbonate to maintain a lightweight feel. The back panel, made from acrylic, should help reduce the chance of cracking upon impact, even if it provides a glass-like appearance. It is flat with the Motorola logo situated centrally. Although this panel is susceptible to fingerprint smudging, using the included case can mitigate this issue.

Motorola claims that the Edge 30 is the slimmest 5G smartphone on the market

 

The Motorola Edge 30 feels excellent in hand without being cumbersome, allowing for comfortable long-term use. It borrows some aesthetic features from its larger counterpart, the Edge 30 Pro (Review). Its camera module is similar, and it employs the same camera technology, which I will explore later.

The Edge 30 features a 6.5-inch display, which I found to be an ideal size for one-handed use. A small hole-punch is located at the top, which I found unobtrusive. The positioning of the power and volume buttons made them easily accessible, and they provided satisfying feedback upon being pressed. Located at the bottom is the SIM tray, alongside the USB Type-C port and speaker. There’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, and the earpiece also doubles as a speaker, allowing for stereo sound. In summary, the Motorola Edge 30 feels robust and comes with an IP52 rating for water resistance.

Specifications and software of Motorola Edge 30

Powering the Motorola Edge 30 is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC, which serves as an enhancement over the Snapdragon 778G found in the Motorola Edge 20 (Review), its predecessor. Notably, the Edge 30 is the first smartphone launched in India to feature this SoC. It supports Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and 13 5G bands. Unfortunately, the storage on the Edge 30 is not expandable, which may raise concerns for some users. The stereo speakers on the device benefit from Dolby Atmos and Snapdragon Sound enhancements.

Sporting a 6.5-inch pOLED display, the Motorola Edge 30 has a full-HD+ resolution. Its refresh rate is impressively set at 144Hz, coupled with a 360Hz touch sampling rate. According to Motorola, the advantage of utilizing a pOLED panel lies in its ability to keep bezels narrow and reduce the thickness of the display. Furthermore, the Edge 30 has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 applied to the screen for scratch protection.

The Motorola Edge 30 features a 6.5-inch pOLED display with slim bezels

 

The Motorola Edge 30 is equipped with a 4,020mAh battery, which is slightly smaller than the average battery capacity typically observed. This could have been an intentional decision by Motorola to maintain a slim profile and light weight. It supports 33W fast charging, and Motorola includes a compatible TurboPower fast charger in the package.

On the software side, the Motorola Edge 30 operates on Android 12 with Motorola’s personalized MyUX interface layered on top. Motorola has promised two years of Android OS updates and three years of security updates for the Edge 30, ensuring that it remains relevant over time. We are increasingly witnessing Android manufacturers extend long-term software support to their mid-range offerings, which is a significant benefit for consumers. The recently unveiled Samsung Galaxy M53 (Review) carries a similar commitment.

The interface of the Motorola Edge 30 is streamlined, coming with only the Facebook app preinstalled. Several Google apps are included, but most can be uninstalled to free up space. The UI can be customized, allowing personalization through the Moto app.

Motorola has integrated features such as Peek Display, which activates the pOLED screen for incoming notifications. Another valuable feature, Attentive Display, prevents the screen from turning off as long as you are looking at it. Classic Moto Actions, which enable functionalities like turning on the camera or flashlight using motion gestures, are also included. Motorola’s ‘Ready For’ capability allows users to wirelessly mirror content from the smartphone to an external display or connect it to a Windows PC.

Performance of the Motorola Edge 30

Throughout my review, the Motorola Edge 30 provided a seamless experience. Its pOLED display was sharp and exhibited excellent viewing angles. By default, the refresh rate was set to Auto, during which I observed the UI refresh at 90Hz most of the time. It did switch to 144Hz on the lock screen, but most interface interactions, including scrolling through menus, were capped at 90Hz.

To unlock the full 144Hz refresh rate, one must manually configure it in the Settings app; while this offers a slightly smoother experience, in my opinion, the difference isn’t significantly noticeable. It felt best to retain the Auto setting as the overall user experience remained satisfying. Engaging with video content was enjoyable, aided by the stereo speakers enhancing the display experience. Users seeking a device primarily for multimedia consumption will find the Motorola Edge 30 highly appealing.

The in-display fingerprint scanner in the Motorola Edge 30 marks an improvement, although it is not the fastest I’ve encountered. At times, it took longer than expected to authenticate my fingerprint. Motorola has included a visually appealing fingerprint animation to keep the user engaged while the scanner operates. Face recognition was relatively swift for unlocking the device.

The Motorola Edge 30 features a triple-camera system with similar hardware to the Edge 30 Pro

 

I conducted synthetic benchmarks to gauge the Motorola Edge 30’s competitive standing. In AnTuTu, it achieved 530,975 points, slightly surpassing the 524,175 score of the Edge 20. However, rival smartphones like the OnePlus Nord 2 (Review) and the Mi 11X (Review) scored higher. In the 3DMark Slingshot test, the Edge 30 recorded a score of 6,672, which is respectable.

Call of Duty: Mobile loaded swiftly on the Motorola Edge 30, and it performed smoothly at the ‘Very High’ graphics setting with a frame rate set to ‘High’. The game was playable at these settings without any stuttering. The stereo speakers enhanced the gaming experience, and after roughly 20 minutes of play, there was an 8% reduction in battery, which is on the higher side. The phone also became slightly warm after gaming.

I had initial concerns about battery life given its below-average capacity, but the Motorola Edge 30 lasted a full day with regular use. During our HD video loop test, however, it performed subpar, lasting only 11 hours and 50 minutes with the refresh rate set to Auto. Locking the refresh rate to 144Hz could further decrease battery performance. The included 33W TurboPower charger was efficient, bringing the battery to about 60 percent in half an hour and fully charging it in an hour.

Camera quality on the Motorola Edge 30

The Motorola Edge 30 features identical camera hardware to the Edge 30 Pro. It includes a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera that also supports macro photography, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. Unlike the Edge 20, which included a 3X telephoto camera, the Edge 30 lacks superior zoom capabilities. Nevertheless, the camera interface remains largely unchanged, making it user-friendly. It provides a Pro mode for extensive manual control over exposure settings.

Motorola Edge 30 daylight samples from the primary (top) and ultra-wide (bottom) cameras (tap to see full-size image)

 

Focusing on subjects was generally swift with the Motorola Edge 30, though it displayed hesitation with some HDR scenarios. Daylight photographs appeared satisfactory, albeit lacking fine detail when zoomed in. Additionally, it seemed the camera application increased sharpness during pixel-binning of images from the main camera. Photos captured at the maximum 50-megapixel resolution typically featured better details.

For the ultra-wide-angle lens, images were binned to 12.5-megapixels by default, showing slightly less detail compared to the primary camera. This camera provided a wider perspective but displayed noticeable barrel distortion towards the edges of the frame.

Motorola Edge 30 close-up (top), Portrait mode (middle), and macro (bottom) camera samples (tap to see full-size image)

 

Close-up images appeared sharp with good detail and sound background separation. The camera interface even prompted me to switch to the macro camera when I was sufficiently close to a subject. Macro images showcased solid detail but had a warmer hue. Portrait mode photos featured robust edge detection, and the Edge 30 enabled pre-capture adjustment of background blur.

Motorola Edge 30 auto mode (top) and Night mode (bottom) camera samples (tap to see full-size image)

 

Low-light photography was acceptable, but the device sometimes failed to capture finer details in the darker regions of the image. The Night mode significantly improved performance, producing brighter overall results.

Motorola Edge 30 daylight selfie featuring Portrait mode (tap to see full-size image) 

 

The 32-megapixel front-facing camera defaults to an 8-megapixel output through pixel binning. Daylight selfies exhibited natural appearances with accurate colors and acceptable background blur in Portrait shots. Low-light selfies taken with adequate lighting yielded good results.

Video recording capabilities on the Motorola Edge 30 max out at 4K for both primary and selfie cameras. The device stabilized footage effectively, with videos shot while in motion appearing smooth in daylight conditions. However, some minor jitter occurred when filming in low light.

Final thoughts

Motorola has evidently focused its attention on design with the Edge 30, and if this is a priority for you, this phone will be quite attractive. The Motorola Edge 30 also continues to excel in software features, boasting a clean UI with minimal bloatware and a commitment to long-term Android updates, which should ensure its longevity.

However, the Motorola Edge 30 does not represent a significant upgrade over the previous generation, the Motorola Edge 20 (Review). Users expecting substantial advancements with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ SoC may feel let down, as it does not dramatically improve upon the Snapdragon 778G. While the cameras perform adequately for the price, the results, particularly for low-light video capture, still lag behind the Edge 30 Pro despite the similarities in hardware.

In summary, the Edge 30 is an excellent choice for individuals who prioritize design and favor stock Android. If you are a demanding user seeking robust performance, you might find better options like the OnePlus Nord 2 (Review) or the Xiaomi Mi 11X (Review) more suitable. Additionally, the recently launched iQoo Neo 6 (First look) is also emerging as a formidable rival to the Edge 30, and we’ll provide a comprehensive review shortly.

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