Motorola Edge 50 Ultra

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Review

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is a good-looking smartphone with a solid camera setup, decent performance and some of the fastest charging capabilities around. It may not be a true ‘Ultra’ smartphone like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but it’s also a lot cheaper at £849.

Pros
Premium look and feel: The phone comes in a variety of materials, including vegan leather or wood finishes.
Solid everyday performance: The phone utilizes the flagship Snapdragon 8s Gen 3.
Among the fastest charging speeds around: The phone comes with a 125W power adapter with USB-C port and a USB-C cable, achieving a full charge in just 19 minutes.

Cons
Some images can be overexposed: The main camera can overexpose shots.
oftware promise isn’t the longest around: The phone falls behind the likes of the Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 when it comes to long-term software support.
No LTPO display tech: The phone does not have LTPO support that allows the screen to drop down to a battery-friendly 1Hz.

Key Features
Interesting finishes: The phone comes in wood, vegan leather and glass rears.
Very fast charging: 125w Turbo Power is supported, achieving a full charge in just 19 minutes, and there’s a charger in the box.
Four cameras: Three cameras on the back – a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and 64MP 3x telephoto – and a 50MP selfie camera with autofocus on the front.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is Motorola’s top-end flagship for 2024, sporting a combination of a fashion-focused design, gorgeous display, impressive camera tech and some of the fastest charging tech around – all for just £849.

Design
Available in wood, vegan leather and glass rears
IP68 resistance
Curvy design makes it nice to hold
The Edge 50 Ultra is quite the opposite of industrial metal-focussed build. It’s also curvy in all the right places, helping the 6.67-inch smartphone sit more comfortably in the hand.

Screen
6.67-inch OLED screen
Fast 144Hz refresh rate
No LTPO or always-on display
The screen tech is good but not the best at this price point. Many might be wondering why Motorola didn’t plump for a 1440p display.

Camera lens
High-res triple camera setup
Optional AI-powered image processing
Main camera can overexpose shots
That’s comprised of three cameras on the rear; a 50MP main with f/1.6 aperture, OIS (optical image stabilisation) and phase detection autofocus (PDAF). That’s flanked by a 50MP (122-degree FOV) ultrawide with a dedicated macro mode and a 64MP telephoto with 3x zoom for those close-ups.

Performance
Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 power
16GB of RAM and up to 1TB storage
Great performance, but can get hot under load
Motorola has made several interesting choices when it comes to the internals of the Edge 50 Ultra. Instead of the true flagship 8 Gen 3 chipset from Qualcomm, there’s the slightly less feature-rich 8S Gen 3 instead.

Software
Near-stock Android 14
Handy Motorola-exclusive features
Not the best long-term support
Software has always been a strong point of Motorola devices, and that trend continues with the MotorolaEdge 50 Ultra and its near-stock implementation of Android 14.

Battery life
4500mAh battery
All-day battery life, possibly two
One of the fastest charging experiences around
Given that the Edge 50 Ultra has a slightly smaller 4500mAh battery than much of the 5000mAh flagship
competition, I didn’t have high hopes about battery life – but reader, I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

Latest deals
Please check other websites for the latest deals.

Should you buy it?
You want a good-looking phone that does most things. The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is a combination of style and substance, with a high-end look and a spec to match.
You want the best camera performance. While the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra can hold its own in the camera department, it doesn’t achieve the same results as premium alternatives like the iPhone 15 Pro and Google Pixel 8 Pro.

Full Specifications