Weeks after announcing the Motorola Edge 20 series for international markets, Motorola has unveiled a new phone from the lineup for the U.S. market: The new Motorola Edge. The Moto Edge is an upper midrange, verging on flagship phone from Motorola, a brand typically known for budget devices, though it has had some noteworthy flagships. Reviewers liked the previous generation of the phone, but saw room for improvement in camera performance and software — and Motorola seems to have delivered.
According to Motorola, the new Edge has better image quality than its predecessor. The triple camera system includes a 108-megapixel (MP) main camera, an 8MP wide-angle (119-degree) lens with Macro Vision, and a 2MP depth sensor. The setup is ideal for fitting more scenes into the frame, zooming in for extreme close-ups of subjects like food and flowers, and blurring the background for more professional-looking portraits.
The Edge will also shoot higher-resolution selfies, thanks to a 32MP front-facing camera. Low Light AI analyzes selfies to improve brightness and quality when light is low. Motorola updated its camera tools as well, adding a Dual Capture mode that can record with the rear-facing cameras and the front-facing selfie cam at the same time. There are several recording modes, including super slow motion and 4K UHD (30 frames per second).
The Edge has a 6.8-inch 1o80p display with HDR10 support and a superfast 144Hz refresh rate for smooth gaming. It’s powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G chip and supports 5G connectivity. Combined with up to 8GB of RAM, the phone can juggle demanding games, high-resolution graphics, and lots of background apps.
Battery life should also get a bump. The Moto Edge has a 5,000mAh capacity battery that should last up to two days between charges, and the 30-watt TurboPower charging can restore hours of battery life in minutes.
In the U.S., the universally unlocked Motorola Edge will be available for purchase at Best Buy, B&H Photo, Amazon.com, and Motorola.com on September 2, with pre-orders starting on Monday, August 23. It will be priced at $500 for a limited time, a $200 discount from its MSRP. Verizon and Spectrum Mobile will also carry the device in the coming months. Canadian consumers will have to wait, but the Motorola Edge should be available there within a few months.
International users will be able to get the Moto Edge 20 devices, including the entry-level Edge 20 Lite, midrange Edge 20, and flagship Edge 20 Pro, but it seems like the Moto Edge is currently North American only.
