The Motorola Edge 50 Neo is a compact mid-range phone with a 6.4-inch display. Motorola announced it on August 29, 2024, first for Europe and the UK. India followed in September 2024. In Europe, it costs €499.99. The phone is not sold in the US. In China, the same phone is sold as the Motorola Moto S50.
Design and display
The body measures 154.1 x 71.2 x 8.1 mm and weighs 171 g. It has a plastic frame and a vegan leather back. Motorola offers it in four Pantone colors: Grisaille, Latte, Nautical Blue and Poinciana. It is rated IP68 and meets MIL-STD-810H tests.
The 6.4-inch pOLED panel uses LTPO, so the refresh rate can change up to 120 Hz. Motorola lists a 2670 x 1200 resolution at 460 ppi. The panel supports HDR10+. At launch, Motorola quoted a 3,000-nit peak in Europe. Gorilla Glass 3 covers the screen.
Performance
The phone runs on the Dimensity 7300 from MediaTek. It is a 4 nm chip with four Cortex-A78 cores at up to 2.5 GHz. The GPU is a Mali-G615 MC2.
Europe gets 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB or 12 GB with 512 GB. India sells only the 8 GB and 256 GB version. There is no microSD slot. Geekbench 6 results for this chip average about 1,030 single-core and 2,970 multi-core points.
Cameras
The rear has three cameras. The main camera uses a 50 MP Sony LYTIA 700C sensor with an f/1.8 lens and optical stabilization. A 13 MP ultrawide camera has a 120-degree view and doubles as a macro camera. A 10 MP telephoto camera adds 3x optical zoom.
The front camera has 32 MP and autofocus. The main and the front camera both record 4K video at 30 fps.
Battery and charging
The battery holds 4,310 mAh. That is smaller than in most phones of this size class. It supports 68 W TurboPower wired charging and 15 W wireless charging. In India, a 68 W charger is included in the box.
Software and updates
The Edge 50 Neo launched with Android 14. Motorola promises five Android upgrades and five years of security updates. That is longer than the promise for the more expensive Edge 50.
Other features include stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos and an under-display fingerprint reader. NFC is on board. The USB-C port runs at USB 2.0 speed, and there is no headphone jack.
Should you buy the Motorola Edge 50 Neo?
The Edge 50 Neo suits buyers who want a smaller phone with a 3x telephoto camera. Its five-year update promise and IP68 rating also make it a long-term option. Wireless charging is rare at this price. However, the 4,310 mAh battery is modest, and the USB 2.0 port limits data transfers.
