Motorola Edge 30 Neo

4.05

Design

3.8/5

Display

4.5/5

Performance

4.0/5

Battery life

4.5/5

Camera

3.8/5

Other Features

3.9/5

The Good Stuff

Excellent 120Hz display
Lightweight & splash resistant
Good quality stereo speakers
Decent phone performance
Superb charging speed
Charger in box
Good battery life
Good camera performance

The Bad Stuff

Average quality night mode camera
No 4K video capture
No MicroSD slot
No earphone jack

Looking for an affordable premium smartphone? Introducing the new Motorola Edge 30 Neo. One of the most affordable smartphones of 2022 from Motorola. It’s tall, looks good, and comes with good features suitable for the budget market. But how does it compare to other budget smartphones? Is it really worth the purchase? Let’s find out from this review.

Motorola Edge 30 Neo

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Motorola Edge 30 Neo Specs

Body	152.9×71.2×7.8mm, 155g, glass front, plastic body \| Splash and dust resistant.
Display	6.28″ P-OLED, 120Hz, 1080 x 2400 px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 419ppi.
Chipset	Qualcomm SM6375 Snapdragon 695 5G CPU (6 nm) \| Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 660 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 660 Silver) \| Adreno 619 GPU
Storage Memory	128GB 6GB RAM \| 128GB 8GB RAM \| 256GB 8GB RAM.
OS/Software	Android 12.
Main Camera	64 MP (wide), f/1.8, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS \| 13 MP (ultrawide), f/2.2, 120˚, 1.12µm, AF.
Front Camera	32 MP (wide), f/2.4, (wide), 0.7µm.
Video	Main cam: 1080p@30/60/120fps \| Selfie cam: 1080p@30fps.
Battery	4020mAh \| Fast charging 68W, 5W Wireless charging.
Misc.	Fingerprint reader (under display, optical) \| NFC \| stereo speakers. \| Colors: Very Peri, Black Onyx, Ice Palace, Aqua Foam

Table of Contents

Overview

The new Motorola Edge 30 Neo is 6.28 inches tall, it comes with a dual camera and a hard plastic body. Then under the hood, the Edge 30 comes with a Snapdragon chip, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 128GB or 256GB of storage, a large battery, and Android 12 OS.

The large OLED display feels fast, with good brightness, and is quite responsive thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. There are three models to choose from, starting with the 6GB 128GB, then next is the 8GB 128GB, and lastly, the 8GB 256GB. With a camera, there’s a dual lens at the back panel. One is 64 MP wide and the other is a 13 MP ultrawide camera. Then on top of the screen, there’s a teardrop 13 MP selfie camera for video calls and taking selfies.

Other features include stereo speakers, an under-display fingerprint reader, a 4020mAh battery that supports up to 68W fast, and wireless charging, which is a premium feature for top-range smartphones.

When unboxing you’ll get the Edge 30 Neo smartphone, a 68W charger, a USB-C cable, an ejection pin, and user manuals. In terms of price, you’re looking at a price range between £400 – £500/US$400 – US$500/R8000 – R9000, which puts it in the mid-range smartphone category. So far the Edge 30 Neo comes with good features at a fair price.

What’s To Like

Gorgeous Display

The phone includes a 6.28-inch P-OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 1080p screen resolution. Overall the display looks impressive. There’s good brightness, with good sharpness and excellent color accuracy.

Fast Charging Speed

The battery may be smaller than other budget phones but the battery life is impressive overall. On moderate usage, for the full day’s usage, you’re looking at up to 26 hours of battery life on a single charge. Then there’s the charging speed. Using a 68W charger the battery charges from 0 to 92% in 30 minutes. Then at full charge, it takes 40 minutes. That’s an impressive charging speed.

Decent Performance

So. Does is the Edge 30 Neo smartphone come with good performance? Well, Yes and no. Let me explain. First. There are no slowdowns as you scroll between menus. Next, the fingerprint reader is fast and pretty responsive as you unlock the phone. From Benchmark tests, the Edge 30 Neo just hits above average, so expect decent performance with this budget smartphone.

But the performance chip included is for low to mid-range phones. It’s not a top-class performer, and it’s not as smooth as other top-range handsets. Overall the Snapdragon 695 CPU is a decent performer.

Decent Camera Performance

Let’s move on to the camera features. The Motorola Edge 30 Neo comes with a dual 64 MP main camera and a 32 MP selfie camera. They both take great pictures, producing good detail, and great color accuracy. With video recordings, the main camera records 1080p videos at 120 frames per second, whereas the selfie camera records up to 1080p videos at 30 frames per second. The videos look excellent with great detail and good color accuracy. In short, the Edge 30 Neo takes great pictures.

What’s Not To Like

Average quality night mode camera

As much as the Edge 30 Neo takes great pictures, it really captures great detail during the day, but not the best in low-lit areas or at night. The results are pictures and videos that lack sharpness, look noisy, and lack the much-needed detail. But this is a budget handset so compromises are expected. Overall, if you want a budget phone that takes great pictures at night the Edge 30 Neo is not for you.

No 4K video capture

The Edge 30 Neo does not have 4K video recording which is not really a big issue, but there is a 1080p video recording. Thanks to the camera feature, video recording in 1080p are excellent and tops at 60fps. But if are looking for a budget handset with 4K video recording, you will not find it here.

No MicroSD slot and earphone jack

It’s a big surprise that the Edge 30 Neo has no MicroSD and no earphone jack, which are common features with budget phones. And the other thing is that the biggest internal storage available in this model is 256GB.

Verdict

The Motorola Edge 30 Neo is just another budget handset but comes with a premium-looking design, a gorgeous-looking screen, a decent performance chip, a decent camera, and an excellent battery life. And to top it off you get a charger in the box that can really fast charge the Edge 30 Neo quickly. Even though the camera suffers in low-light areas and has no 4K recording, it still is a good buy for those looking for a good budget smartphone. This one I recommend the Motorola Edge 30 Neo to students or to those who just want a simple handset to make and receive calls, browse the internet, and take good-quality pictures and videos during the day.

If you’re looking for a cheap phone that has excellent battery life, get the Edge 30 Neo. If you’re looking for a budget smartphone with a gorgeous display and design, get the Edge 30 Neo. If you’re looking for a good all-around performer, get the Edge 30 Neo. If you’re looking for a budget gaming smartphone, a phone that takes great pictures and videos at night, and records 4K videos, then don’t buy the Edge 30 Neo. So is it really worth the purchase? Yes, it is. It’s powerful, comes with great battery life, looks good, and takes amazing pictures. Compared to other budget smartphones, it lacks the performance needed to compete.

Here are the 5 best alternative budget smartphones to buy right now

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