The Edge collection normally is composed of Motorola’s very best smartphones, and the Edge 40 Neo bridges the space between mid-range and high-end telephones. It supposedly masters an entire differ of options generally observed on a lot more pricey telephones — with out breaking the financial institution.
Costing round US$550, it’s certainly a mid-range smartphone nevertheless it nonetheless boasts a 144-GHz OLED display screen, water-proof case, fast garage, fast WLAN and rapid charging era.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is available in 3 colour variants which have been all advanced in collaboration with Pantone. The colours are black (Black Attractiveness), gentle grey (Soothing Sea) and blue (Caneel Bay).
If making a decision to move for the blue or grey model, the again of the case is produced from fake leather-based. The black variant comes with a matte-black again produced from plastic which shimmers quite within the gentle. The black model is in truth 2 grams lighter and nil.1 millimetres slimmer than those which function the fake leather-based again.
Against this to its predecessor, the Edge 30 Neo, our take a look at tool has a larger 6.55-inch show. With the exception of this, it has stored the similar narrow construct. Incorporated in that is the show glass which is pulled over the perimeters of the telephone. Motorola depends on Gorilla Glass 3 for this telephone, which no less than gives elementary coverage in opposition to scratches and injury.
The telephone is put in combination cleanly, then again, we did understand a couple of flaws at the Motorola Edge 40 Neo that give away the telephone’s inexpensive fee: Some subject material transitions can obviously be felt and the telephone creaks ever so quite while you twist it.
The case is IP68-certified, that means it’s water and mud resistant. It can be used underneath water or in grimy atmosphere with out getting broken.
In sure nations, you’ll get the Motorola Edge 40 Neo with 8 GB or 12 GB RAM, and with 128 GB or 256 GB UFS 3.1 garage. In different nations, it most effective comes with slower UFS 2.2 flash.
In Europe, the place we performed this take a look at, you’ll recently most effective to find the type with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 garage.
The telephone helps eSIMs however in flip, it now most effective options one Nano SIM slot. This implies Twin SIM is most effective conceivable the usage of a Nano SIM and an eSIM. Across the world, there also are some variations between fashions in terms of eSIM give a boost to.
The Motorola telephone does not function a three.5-mm jack — as an alternative, you’ll most effective use the USB-C port for stressed out audio output. You’ll’t output image, because the port is most effective attached by way of USB 2.0 internally. This additionally way the Motorola Edge 40 Neo does not give a boost to Motorola In a position For, which is a desktop mode for exterior shows.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo’s consumer interface is according to Android 13, which may be slightly modified through Motorola. Lots of the unique purposes are positioned throughout the Moto app — this lets you exchange the house display screen structure, distinction colours, gesture regulate and so much extra.
Something that may be a little extraordinary for Motorola is what number of third-party apps it has pre-installed onto the telephone. Those are all used for advertizing functions. Fortunately, they may be able to be deleted simply.
Sadly, the producer has proven itself to be slightly lazy in terms of protection patches in recent years: Regardless of its promise to ship patches each 2 months, the model on our take a look at tool used to be from Juli 2023, so reasonably a little in the past. Updates are set to be launched till September 2027.
Motorola hasn’t explicitly said what number of new Android variations the telephone gets to look — then again, it’s secure to mention it is going to no less than get Android 14.
One spotlight of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo is, after all, its WiFi 6E give a boost to, that means it may use 6-GHz WLAN networks. That is in particular excellent as it cannot be disturbed through different gadgets and typically, there aren’t that many WiFi 6E gadgets but. Additionally, it has get entry to to extra 160-MHz channels, making an allowance for sooner speeds.
In our WLAN take a look at the usage of the Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE 11000 as a reference router, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo wasn’t reasonably ready to surpass the quite costlier Xiaomi 13 Lite besides, it nonetheless controlled to succeed in very excessive transmission charges for a tool inside this price-range: We measured a mean of 668 – 878 MBit/s — about two times as excessive as on different comparability gadgets. Even supposing it can not totally employ a gigabit web line, you’ll nonetheless sit up for very fast downloads and uploads at the tool. Then again, the speeds were not totally solid right through our take a look at: The relationship by no means utterly faulted however now and then, we measured speeds of round 200 MBit/s.
The Motorola telephone proves to be very flexible in terms of cellular networks. Even supposing our take a look at tool does not give a boost to 5G mmWave networks, you continue to have a large number of 5G and 4G frequencies at your disposal. This implies you should not have any problems taking the telephone with you the world over and the usage of it to log into the internet.
Indoors, the Motorola Edge Neo 40 had a difficult time finding us. Once we stepped out of doors, it nearly instantaneously constructed up a satellite tv for pc connection and its accuracy briefly rose to an overly excessive stage: One meter. The number of networks to be had to the telephone is excellent and it additionally uses the SBAS gadget for much more correct finding.
Now, time to look how properly the Motorola telephone locates customers in sensible use. To take action, we hopped onto our motorcycles and took the Garmin Venu 2 smartwatch with us to match.
All through our take a look at, the Edge 40 Neo most effective accomplished moderate accuracy, oftentimes appearing us as biking instantly thru properties or gardens as an alternative of depicting the real course we took. Slim alleyways and bridges additionally created some difficulties for the telephone.
All-in-all, we will most effective counsel the usage of this telephone to navigate when you do not need to depend on overall accuracy.
The Motorola telephone depends on Google’s usual phone app. Different phone apps will also be downloaded from the Play Retailer.
Its name high quality is excellent — the individual at the different finish of the road would possibly not seem utterly provide while you cling the telephone as much as your ear, then again, the sound is obvious and with none background noise. The microphone transmitted our voice with none distortion, even if we spoke very loud.
The use of the put in audio system and hands-free microphone additionally leads to excellent sound — right here, the individual at the different finish of the road may additionally do with sounding a little louder. What we mentioned used to be transmitted properly around the line and it even did a excellent task with quieter voices.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo will get its major digital camera from the a lot more pricey Edge 40 Professional: A 50-megapixel Omnivision OV50A acts because the sensor, which additionally options optical symbol stabilization. Most effective our telephone’s video functions are slightly stripped again.
You’ll in truth take reasonably detailed footage in sunlight the usage of the Edge 40 Neo’s major digital camera they usually most effective range in small quantities from the images taken at the high-end telephone: Photographs are not brightened as a lot and a few main points are misplaced at the inexpensive smartphone. Our take a look at tool’s major digital camera additionally controlled properly when taking the image in low gentle and with excessive ranges of distinction — the flame is not overexposed and on the identical time, main points stay visual throughout the darker spaces.
The Edge 40 Neo can file video in a most of 4K and at 30 fps, which is lovely excellent for this fee differ. The ensuing movies are sharp in excellent lights stipulations, the autofocus works briefly and the publicity adjustment does a excellent task.
A 13-megapixel lens acts as the telephone’s wide-angle digital camera. It takes respectable pictures but if zoomed in, they’re missing reasonably a little intimately.
Its front-facing digital camera options 32 megapixels on paper, then again, it provides 4 pixels in combination to create one pixel — in consequence, the lights is healthier and you’ll take 8-MP pictures. Selfies glance respectable in excellent lights, however even with out zooming in, you’ll start to see some unclean edges.
The principle digital camera proved to be reasonably sharp in complete studio lights, and the picture high quality normally most effective drops quite in opposition to the perimeters. Main points begin to transform much less outlined in only one lux illumination, however the topic can nonetheless be known properly.
The telephone comes delivered with a 68-watt charger in addition to a protecting case, a USB-C cable and a SIM software.
Motorola gives a 24-month guaranty for telephones bought within the EU — for US telephones, they’re lined for one year. There are extension choices to be had by way of Moto Care that come with injury duvet for one to 3 years.
The touchscreen responds to touches as much as 360 occasions in line with 2d and in consequence, could be very reactive. The 144 frames that the display screen can show in line with 2d additionally imply that the gadget responds very promptly to inputs.
The fingerprint sensor is positioned in the back of the display screen and is positioned very a ways down in order that even folks with small fingers can succeed in it simply. Unlocking with stored fingerprints works really well. Then again, it takes a 2d till the gadget reacts to the finger.
Unlocking by way of facial popularity may be conceivable. This additionally works easily the usage of the front-facing digital camera. Then again, most effective 2D pictures are used, so manipulation through 0.33 events can’t be utterly dominated out.
The Edge 40 Neo’s display screen depends on OLED era and lines enhanced Complete HD solution. Its most refresh fee of 144 Hz is spectacular and infrequently observed on this fee differ. Then again, it is not totally transparent whether or not you’ll in point of fact understand the variation between 120 Hz and 144 Hz.
Its 6.55-inch display screen can get very brilliant — with the sunshine sensor illuminated, we measured a mean of 957 cd/m² when depicting a complete white display screen and 1,265 cd/m² when depicting a small lit house (APL 18). This additionally makes it well-suited for HDR content material.
We additionally truly preferred the telephone’s actual colour depiction, which we measured the usage of a spectral photometer and the instrument CalMAN. We used the colour surroundings “herbal”. You’ll’t understand a colour tint throughout the gentle grey tones with the bare eye and the colours are not a ways from absolute best, both.
The PWM flickering used to dim the show is tailored to the display screen’s refresh fee. This would possibly make it rather less of a disturbance besides, we’d counsel that delicate customers check out the telephone sooner than buying.
Outdoor, the telephone’s display screen, which will get very brilliant if you wish to have it to, can be utilized properly within the solar.
For those who view it from the facet or from very flat angles, neither colour depiction nor the display screen’s brightness adjustments.
The smartphone makes use of an ARM Mali-G610MP3 as a GPU. Even supposing it is extremely up-to-date, the additionally somewhat new 3DMark Sun Bay refused to run, declaring lacking options at the graphics card as its explanation why for this.
The graphics card is just too gradual for calculations in 4K or 1440p, as our benchmarks printed. In 1080p, it will have to nonetheless be excellent sufficient for graphically challenging makes use of at 30 fps.
When browsing the internet, the Motorola telephone proved to be tremendous rapid for its fee elegance right through our benchmarks.
Even so, massive web pages take a second to load and photographs from time to time take slightly to look when you find yourself scrolling, too.
Because of its UFS 3.1 flash, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo proves to be very rapid. Even if the even sooner UFS 4.0 can already be present in high-end telephones, this telephone could make do with out: Loading occasions are quick and information transfers are finished very quickly.
Our gaming checks proved to be simply as a laugh for the Motorola Edge 40 Neo as they had been for us: It controlled to carry easy actions onto its display screen, from time to time even making an allowance for upper graphics settings.
True 60 fps are most effective truly conceivable on the expense of reasonably a large number of element and when operating Genshin Affect, we most effective measured 40 fps. Then again, this body fee did stay reasonably constant. You’ll set up no less than 30 fps with very excessive settings. We measured those body charges the usage of the instrument from GameBench.
Controlling the video games by way of the telephone’s actual touchscreen additionally works properly. And when essential, the location sensor additionally proves to be a competent controller.
The Motorola smartphone can get reasonably scorching when it runs underneath complete load for an extended time frame: We measured as much as 46.9 °C in room temperature stipulations — on heat days, it may get even warmer. That is indisputably noticeable and would possibly get slightly uncomfortable.
Then again, the SoC did not appear to be swayed through this: It nonetheless produced very identical leads to the 3DMark rigidity checks, even after 20 runs of the similar benchmark.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo’s sound gadget is composed of a devoted speaker at the backside edge and the earpiece as a give a boost to. In consequence, it may create slight stereo results when the telephone is held horizontally and the 2 audio system can transform reasonably robust. The sound is complete and no longer overdriven, but in addition a little treble-heavy.
Film sound isn’t extraordinarily a laugh, however you’ll listen voices properly. For those who position a large number of price on audio high quality, you’ll merely attach exterior audio system or headphones by way of USB-C or Bluetooth. Virtually the whole lot this is recently to be had with regards to formats for wi-fi audio playback is to be had: SBC, AAC, all aptX variants, LDAC, LC3 and LHDC V1-4.
Motorola’s Edge 40 Neo wishes reasonably a little of energy underneath excessive load, however may be frugal underneath low load.
The telephone will also be charged with a most of 68 watts, which means that that even its beneficiant 5,000 mAh battery will also be recharged in not up to an hour. The Motorola telephone does no longer give a boost to wi-fi charging.
This telephone’s battery is much more robust than the only in its predecessor, the Edge 30 Neo. It now has a 5,000 mAh capability and delivers truly excellent runtimes: In our WLAN take a look at, we measured 14:24 hours, which is sufficient to simply get you throughout the day — despite the fact that you nearly continuously use the telephone. For those who love to play video games, then you’ll sit up for doing this for approximately 6 hours sooner than the lighting pass out.
However, the Sony Xperia 10 V impressively displays that much more will also be finished in terms of energy potency.
You’ll to find the Motorola Edge 40 Neo for a trifling US$550, nevertheless it has some large benefits over different in a similar way priced smartphones: Its 144-Hz display screen is tremendous brilliant and well-suited for HDR content material, and its trendy SoC gives a large number of energy — now and then, even enabling gaming at 60 fps.
Including to that is its rapid and big garage, its water-proof case and its super-fast WLAN with 6 GHz community give a boost to. The telephone’s runtimes are excellent and the gadget is not throttled — even underneath longer classes of load. Its inventory Android is a laugh however sadly, Motorola has additionally put in reasonably a couple of third-party apps.
We did understand some smaller flaws, too: The Edge 40 Neo’s location products and services are not the most efficient, subject material transitions at the case are reasonably noticeable, and protection patches are delivered somewhat sparingly.
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo gives excellent price for its cash. Particularly its rapid garage and brilliant display screen are actual highlights.
You’ll additionally get an excellent show and rapid charging at the telephone’s predecessor, the Edge 30 Neo. It’s now to be had for approximately US$300. The Xiaomi 13 Lite may be extra robust and will also be discovered for round US$450 now.
The model of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB garage will also be discovered on Amazon for approximately US$550.
Allow 48h for review and removal.