Motorola’s new Edge+ (2023) could potentially take on the S23 Ultra

Motorola has announced the Moto G Stylus, Moto G and Motorola Edge+ (2023), two wallet-friendly devices and a premium device that can go toe to toe with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

I got the chance to go hands-on with the three devices; however, I didn’t spend too much time with the Moto G Stylus as the handset isn’t launching in Canada. The Moto G 5G, on the other hand, is coming to Canada, and you can learn more about that device here.

As per usual, the Motorola Edge+ (2023) got most of my attention as I tend to gravitate towards more premium devices, and Motorola’s new flagship is a very good-looking piece of hardware. Of course, I didn’t get the chance to put it through its paces, but even in the Canadian marketplace, Samsung and Google now have worthy competition.

Look at those edges

Probably the most noticeable aspect of the Edge+ (2023) is its quad-curved endless edge design. While many handsets have curved displays on the right and left sides, Motorola takes it up a notch by curving the bottom and top parts of the display as well.

I’m sure many will not like this, as there’s a lot of flat-screen propaganda out there. However, the four curved edges create a great holding experience. The smartphone naturally fits into the curvature of your hands; it’s like the perfect-sized phone. The Edge+ (2023) has a 6.7-inch display, the same as Pixel 7 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra. But, in comparison, I’d much rather hold the Edge+ (2023) with its curves. I am a bit worried that it might easily slip out of my hand as well, but in my time with that device, that didn’t happen.

I’m excited to watch content on the display with its endless curved design, but oddly, Motorola decided to include a lower resolution screen than its flagship counterparts. The pOLED panel supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+.

The rear of the Moto Edge+ (2023) is made from Gorilla Glass Victus, but the rear has a velvet anti-glare glass finish that offers a kind of matte experience. It had a nice texture that was fun to play with. And with a rear panel with a Velvet finish, it leaves zero fingerprints and smudges. The handset is also IP68 water and dust-resistant and measures 161.16 x 74 x 8.59mm, and weighs 203g.

The handset, unfortunately, comes in Interstellar Black, which is a bit of a letdown for me, as I love looking at phones with different and unique colour options.

It’s worth noting that if this phone does look familiar to you, it is the North American version of Motorola’s Edge 40 Pro, a device that launched early last month in some regions.

Nitty gritty

Based purely on specs, the Edge+ (2023) isn’t for everyone. It lacks a periscope camera and QHD display and has less RAM than Samsung’s and Google’s flagships, but instead comes with a 165Hz refresh rate, 5100mAh battery, a 68W wired charger in the box and more.

From what I saw, the 165Hz refresh rate was buttery smooth and was surprisingly noticeable compared to the typical 120Hz refresh rate. However, I’d really have to test it out side by side to see whether the difference is actually as noticeable as I believe.

I also couldn’t test out its battery, 65W charging, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor or 8GB of RAM, but I’m looking forward to testing these out in the coming weeks. Motorola promises two days of battery life, but we’ll have to wait and see if this claim is true. However, it’s nice to see that there’s a 65W charger in the box, considering companies like Samsung, Apple, and Google have removed in-box chargers.

The Edge+ (2023) also has a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera that can be used for macro shots as well. The handset also features a 12-megapixel telephoto with 2x zoom used for portrait photography that works similarly to a depth camera allowing users to capture great portrait shots, and a 60-megapixel selfie shooter.

I played with the camera for a bit, and it looked good, but I’d still need to use it quite a bit more before having any stern opinions. However, what I noticed immediately was that the handset didn’t noticeably brighten my face in selfies, which is often an issue with taking pictures of people of colour.

Motorola says it uses “Snapdragon’s Cognitive Image Signal Processor, which uses advanced AI to divide each scene into different segments. This ensures elements like the sky, buildings, landscapes, and skin tones are optimized independently for greater colour accuracy and a photo that is more true to life.” This seems pretty accurate, at least in my small amount of testing.

The handset also has other features like a portrait mode with different focal lengths like a wide shot with 35mm, a standard 50mm focal length and 85mm for close-up shots. There’s also video night vision, autofocus tracking and video portrait mode that seems like it works similarly to the S23 Ultra and Pixel 7 Pro’s video portrait modes. A lot of testing needs to go into this before I can talk about these features in particular.

The handset also features stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos technology for an improved listening experience.

S23 Ultra, watch out

The Edge+ (2023) seems like a great Android device. It offers a lot of practical features that make it more desirable than other handsets on the market. It’s claimed to have a great battery life; it has a very smooth 165Hz refresh rate and a set of cameras that seem pretty good at face value. It also has ‘Ready For’ technology that works with the ThinkReality A3 Smart Glasses and can smoothly connect with PCs.

It comes out with three years of OS updates and four years of security and launches with Android 13 out of the box.

In Canada, you’ll be able to pre-order the Edge+ (2023) on May 19th; it launches on May 25th and costs $1,299.99 outright, though carrier pricing will vary. This makes it a more expensive option compared to the Pixel 7 Pro but more affordable than the S23 Ultra.

In a few weeks, I’ll put this handset through its paces and compare it to Samsung’s and Google’s phones and see whether its pricing is worth the money in your wallet. While I’ve reviewed the top Android devices in the Canadian landscape for the past couple of years, typically, I’m left unenthusiastic about the dullness of the marketplace.

While Motorola hasn’t disappeared like Sony and LG, it has definitely taken a back seat for a while, especially considering some of its devices don’t launch in Canada or arrive later than in the U.S. However, I’m looking forward to testing Motorola’s new flagship, and it’s great to see that it launches in Canada at the same time as the U.S.

Edge+ (2023) may not be for everyone; however, it could possibly be the Android for me.