We have reached the fourth generation of the family Moto EDGEand also this year Motorola brings improvements and satisfies user requests by filling some small gaps still present on the EDGE 30, and gives us a new Moto EDGE 40 Pro which really leaves little to be desired. In fact, the new flagship of the historic smartphone company adds several interesting features, both on the software and hardware side, including the waterproof certification that was still missing in the previous series. Thanks to Motorola we had the opportunity to try it in preview, and below our impressions.
Nice design and (maybe) the best display of 2023
The sales package is fairly standard and follows those of the other models in the EDGE series, including – in addition to the smartphone – the battery charger (here in the TurboPower da 125W), a USB-C cable, a clear cover, and the SIM eject tool.
The design is really very nice: it partially recalls that of EDGE 30 Fusion which we particularly appreciated for the slim profilebut at the same time it is renewed with a back that brings a pleasant sandblasting – much less slippery than the glossy EDGE 30 Pro – while also maintaining the anti-fingerprint feature.
The dimensions of the terminal are 161.2x74x8.6mm and the weight of 199 grams, and the handle is comfortable and comfortable even for long periods. Motorola has decided to bring only one color to Europe, one Interstellar Black very elegant and suitable for any type of user.
The front of Motorola EDGE 40 Pro it is almost completely occupied by the display, except for the increasingly hidden ear capsule at the upper edge and for the front camera inside a small hole in a central position. The protection (on both sides) is in Corning Gorilla Glass Protection, and we really appreciated the symmetry – with extremely thin edges – and the slight curvature present on all four sides of the smartphone, therefore also on the upper and lower ones – thus making all the gestures pleasant. The curvature of the display is instead almost imperceptible, in order to satisfy even lovers of flat screens.
Il display da 6,67” is a pOLED that improves almost all the characteristics of its predecessor, applying for the title of best smartphone display of 2023. In fact, we have an FHD+ resolution with a 20:9 format and a density of 394ppi, support for over 1 billion colors thanks to the 10-bit and DCI-P3 space, the brightness of 1330nits, the touch-rate of 360Hz, but above all an incredible adaptive refresh up to 165Hz and support for Dolby Vision which is in addition to the HDR10+ certification, to offer an extraordinary vision on any video platform.
Then there is the optical fingerprint reader below the display, for a quick release that adds to the face-unlock from the selfie cam.
On the sides we find: at the top a loudspeaker and a microphone; on the right the power key, the volume keys and a microphone; down the door USB-C 3.2 compatibile DisplayPort 1.4 for video out, main microphone and speaker, and nano SIM slot. On the back, the photographic module for the triple main cam is protected by a single glass that makes the smartphone more elegant, and hides on the lower edge a fourth microphone for audio-zoom.
The quality of the panel is really high, with an optimal level of vision in all environmental conditions and with any video source. Then combined with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmosthe visual experience reaches ultra-high performance.
An absolute novelty, however, for the IP68 certificationwhich finally allows us to be more relaxed in the event of a smartphone falling into the water, but also to be able to take pictures in the pool or on the beach.
Top features and performance
Also on the internal components of Moto EDGE 40 Pro we have all the non plus ultra of the moment: a chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2composed of 8-core up to 3.2GHz, 4nm architecture, Adreno 740 graphics and 5G X70 modem, flanked by 12GB in RAM LPDDR5x – expandable with an additional 3GB of virtual RAM – and from 256GB of memory of UFS 4.0 storage very fast in both reading and writing.
And with these components we can’t fail to always have fluid performance and excellent multitasking management, but also on the connectivity side we have support for all the most recent standards: in addition to reti 5g and to previous generations we find the WiFi 7ready for the next implementation, the Bluetooth 5.3and naturally NFC and dual-band GPS with support for all global geolocation systems. Do not miss the complete package of sensors – brightness, proximity, accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer – as well as a linear motor on X axis for vibration and haptic feedback.
The software is also very up-to-date, with the most recent version of the operating system Android 13 enriched by the interface My UX which maintains the stock design thought by Google and adds only a series of highly appreciated gestures in addition to the security suite ThinkShield. Also present is the always-on display with various customizable parameters, and the platform is inevitable Ready For which allows us to connect the smartphone to an external screen both wirelessly and wired, as well as to a PC with a dedicated app, to work, play, make video calls or watch videos in a more optimal way.
Satisfactory autonomy and ultra-fast recharge
Very valid 4600mAh battery, which thanks to all the software and hardware optimizations allows us to abundantly overcome the whole day even with intense use of the smartphone, but the real difference here is the ultra-fast recharge which allows us to take the smartphone from zero to 50% in just 6 minutes, and 100% in 23 minutes. This is thanks to TurboPower da 125W which, as for the previous versions, is compatible with Power Delivery and Quick Charge thus allowing us to use the same charger to power PCs and other electronic devices, but also to use a generic charger compatible with the PD 3.0 standard to recharge our smartphone .
Very appreciated, then, the choice of Motorola to include in the package the 125W charger with GaN technologyin contrast with the choices of other smartphone manufacturers, thus giving an added value of around 100 euros to the sales package according to the current prices of commercial chargers from reliable brands such as Anker, Voltme or Ugreen.
Then there is support for the ricarica wireless Qi EPP da 15W compatible with all commercially available accessories, and 5W reverse wireless charging to power headphones and other small accessories.
Cam action cameras
Photography is one of the aspects on which smartphone manufacturers focus the most, and if on the one hand Motorola has not added much to the hardware configuration of the photographic modules by keeping three out of four sensors identical to those already used for the EDGE 30 Pro, from other software improvements are relevant and add interesting functions.
The main sensor therefore remains one Omnivision OV50A da 50MP with 1/1.55” size, 1µm pixel and 4-in-1 binning, f/1.8 aperture, dual OIS + EIS stabilization and omnipixel omnipixel PDAF autofocus; we then have a 50MP Samsung JN1 ultra-wide angle and 114° view (1/2.76” size, 0.64µm pixels and 4-in-1 binning, f/2.2 aperture, autofocus and 2.5cm macro view), and a brand new 2x Sony IMX663 12MP telephoto lens (1/2.93” size, 1.22µm pixel, f/1.6 aperture and PDAF autofocus). We can record videos up to 8K@30fps or 4K@60fps, and there is no lack of support for slow-motion up to 960fps as well as time-lapse.
The front camera is one Omnivision OV60A da 60MP with 1/2.8″ size, 0.61µm pixels and 4-in-1 binning, f/2.2 aperture, capable of taking extremely detailed selfies and recording HDR videos up to 4K@60fps or slow-motion up to 240fps.
The camera management software is always simple and clean, with all the shooting modes to which the company has accustomed us including the excellent night mode, even with automatic activation from the standard mode when the sensors deem it necessary, double shots shot and with color filter. The quality of the shots is always good, both in good lighting conditions and at night, and even the videos manage to maintain good stabilization thanks to the combination of optics and electronics.
The new one is definitely interesting horizon block, which using a common technique in action cams allows us to record videos even on the go without having to worry about the stability of the phone, and also to make the smartphone go full circle; the software will then regulate everything by keeping the horizon line always steady, however at the cost of reducing the maximum resolution to 1080p.
Among other novelties we then have the night vision in video modeil subject tracking to always keep them in focus even when they’re on the move, and the Bokeh video for background blur even in portrait videos. In addition, Motorola has partnered with some social applications – such as Instagram, which we tested – to allow users to use some specific functions of the camera app and capture images from all sensors, including ultra-wide angle and telephoto.
Motorola Moto EDGE 40 Pro: Availability and Price
Motorola Moto EDGE 40 Pro is available on Amazon and in mobile phone shops at the recommended price of €999.90, and in the introductory offer until April 16 at the price of €939.90 limited to purchases on Amazon and at the Spazio Lenovo Flagship Store in Milan. A lower price than the top-of-the-range competitors for a decidedly feature-rich flagship with above-average performance.
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