Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro: Design
It was worth starting the review with the camera or the Ready For function; these are the main features of the edge 20 pro. But Motorola smartphones are so rare to fly to us that few have seen them in the face. Therefore – design
The description can be summed up in one phrase: a huge smartphone without sharp details, but not too dull. Serious uncles in suits and simply minimalists will choose a blue color with a barely noticeable “visiting” speck. Those who like more fun will pay attention to the “rainbow cloud” (Iridescent Cloud) – the lid shimmers beautifully under the sun.
The 6.7-inch Display dictates a gigantic body, but Motorola has cleverly bypassed potential problems. The lid is curved at the back – easier to hold in your hand. Frosted glass – does not slip in the palms. The Display itself is flat, without the matrix “stretched” to the same frame. False clicks – zero. It seems like a trifle, but they increase practicality.
And here is also a rare phenomenon: symmetrical frames at the top and bottom. Who has a phobia of large “chins”? Here’s salvation. Together with a small hole for the camera, the “face” of the smartphone looks neat. A Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass covers it. It also stands at the back, and the complete case additionally reduces the degree of danger.
The fingerprint scanner was combined with a lock button. Great solution and works fast. But it will be convenient only for right-handers. Left-handers are forced to throw the smartphone in their hands: the device is extensive, and the buttons are high.
Another drawback is the mono speaker in the smartphone. Judging by the comments under the YouTube reviews, stereo is essential to many. Don’t miss the call. The sound is loud, tuned by the Grammy Awards winners – Waves Maxx. The audio jack is missing, although the older brother Motorola edge + has one.
Waterproof to IP52 standard means protection from rain, accidental splashes. But you can’t immerse your smartphone in water. This is not unusual: smartphones rated IP67, IP68 in the segment “up to 50 thousand” are more likely an exception to the rule.
Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro : New Features
We turn a smartphone into a PC and a media center.
Motorola introduced the Ready For the feature to its smartphones in March. In short: you connect your smartphone to a TV or monitor over the wire or the air, and you get a mobile PC with a Windows 10-style desktop. Add a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, gamepad to this set for work and play.
Sounds like Samsung Dex or Huawei’s Wireless Monitor option. But here’s a different implementation. Firstly, Dex only works with Samsung flagships: Galaxy S, Note, Fold lines. Here the device is much cheaper. Secondly, Motorola edge 20 pro supports DisplayPort 1.4: you can connect TV and monitors directly via USB-C.
The smartphone comes with a reversible USB-C cable, as well as an adapter to HDMI. That is, you can display Ready For even on ordinary TVs. So I connected and watched Netflix at the hotel – very convenient. You don’t need to press anything else. You don’t need to select a mode in the settings: you cut off the cable, and the Ready For screen immediately greets you. Everything is elementary. Even a young child can figure it out.
You can go directly from the main screen, for example, to the “Phone on monitor” mode. It is a desktop with a “Start” control panel, a grid of icons. You can run any mobile application, scale it, maximize it to full screen, or split the screen into two parts. For example, you open Google Docs and use your keyboard to type text. You don’t even need a mouse: the smartphone turns into a touchpad—such a lightweight Windows 10 counterpart for fast, multi-tasking on the big screen.
Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro: Camera
The most exciting part of the Motorola edge 20 pro is the camera. Nowadays, it is rare to find an affordable flagship without a macro lens, a depth sensor that hangs the dead weight of marketing. Here are – only functional modules: 108-megapixel “shirk,” 16 megapixels “ultra-wide” with autofocus, and 5x optical zoom.
By default, the camera shoots at 12 megapixels. This is how Ultra Pixel technology works, which combines 9 pixels into one enormous (2.1 microns). In the afternoon – everything is fine—portraits and HDR work great. In Ultra-Res mode, every pixel is involved, resulting in 108-megapixel frames. Here, AI gadgets do not work, but the difference will be noticeable if detail is necessary.
But the optics do not have stabilization, so in motion, at night, blurry frames are most often obtained. After sunset, all hope is for the night mode. It works well here. The main thing is to hold the smartphone firmly and avoid moving objects: they turn out to be blurry, as if at long exposure.
But the 5x zoom has got optical stabilization. It is comfortable to shoot by hand. And the likelihood of getting a sharp shot is higher. But don’t expect the level of Huawei P30 Pro, Honor 30 Pro +. The processing algorithms are rougher: sometimes, the photos seem to be drawn. Anyway, thank you for giving up useless modules in favor of Motorola’s optical zoom in 2021. Rarity.
The “ultra-wide” is responsible for macro photography. The secret lies in autofocus: you can shoot flowers from a distance of 3 cm or capture the entire mountain range. Apple is only now appeared in the iPhone Pro 13 for a hundred thousand. The capture angle is 119 radios. Even in macro mode, the edge 20 pro outlasts competitors with “incredible” 2-megapixel modules.
Moreover, this mode is easy to enable. The icon is in a conspicuous place. And not I am bashfully hidden in the settings. As for the “ultra-wide-angle” part, there is nothing special to add: the quality around the edges is not so hot, there is no night mode, but it is HDR.
Do not expect miracles from the video either. The declared format is 8K 24 fps, but this is still self-indulgence. Stabilization works only at zoom, but you can shoot at zoom only in Full HD 30fps. On the “ultra-wide” – too. You can shoot only with the main module in all other modes (up to 4K 60 fps). You cannot switch between lenses. And there seems to be no electronic stabilization here at all: the video shakes godlessly. The front 32-megapixel camera records video at 4K 30 fps and even Full HD 120 fps. The quality of the photo is average; in the dark, only the night mode saves, but it also “draws” the picture. There was a “Dual Shot” when the recording went to the main and front cameras. The function is not new in the world of smartphones, but it is convenient.
Motorola put a display on the edge 20 pro even more fantastic than the edge plus. The critical difference is in the refresh rate: now, the maximum is 144 Hz. Moreover, you can choose 60 Hz (to save power) or trust the automation to maintain the optimal 120 Hz. Of the non-gaming smartphones, only the Xiaomi Mi10T
Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro: Display
And the rest of the Display was a pleasant surprise. A pOLED matrix with Full HD resolution and a wide color gamut – up to 100% of the DCI-P3 range. Declared support for 10-bit color and HDR10. There is almost no PWM – screen flickering, especially at low brightness, to which the eyes are sensitive. But the developers added a PWM suppression function for safety reasons, which practically nullifies the main drawback of OLED matrices.
Separately, we note the convenient lock screen; fans love this Moto feature. Always On Display is interactive: you can click on the notification icon and look at the squeeze of the message, you can go directly to the reply, delete – it seems like quick shortcuts on the desktop.
In the segment of up to 690 Dollars, the Chinese are divided into two camps. Some shove the most powerful hardware into smartphones, but they forget to optimize the software. As a result, the vaunted Snapdragon 888 “burns” and throttles. Others hit design, displays, and cameras and keep the processor and memory more straightforward.
Motorola has pitched a tent somewhere in the middle: there are solid cameras and a display. And the processor is Snapdragon 870. This is the reincarnation of Snapdragon 865/865 + – the top chipset of last year. Have you heard about Galaxy S20, ROG Phone 3, Xiaomi Mi 10? Of the current ones – POCO F3, Vivo X60 Pro. The performance of the new “motor” is the same.
Plus 12 GB of LPDDR5 memory and a 256 GB UFS 3.1 drive – the standards are the most relevant of the full version – no compromises. It’s not even worth talking about smooth animations at 120-144 Hz, everything flies. Call of Duty Mobile, PUBG Mobile, Tacticool feels great at maximum settings.
“Pure” Android 11 is decorated with only applicable Moto-chips like “shake your smartphone – the flashlight will turn on,” “twist – the camera will turn on.” The OS load on the “hardware” is reduced due to the rejection of the bulky shell, hence the large power reserve. The smartphone supports all necessary standards: NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi 6, and even 5G Sub6. Motorola edge + remains the closest to 5G. Only this smartphone supports the mmWave frequency range, which is already available to some telecom operators. Alas, the novelty did not receive support for MicroSD and eSIM. But you can install two Nano-SIM cards at the same time.
Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro: Battery
Battery life is highly dependent on the user. Therefore, it is easier to go through personal experiences. I took Motorola edge 20 pros on a trip. Music and Instagram on the way to the airport, music, and Netflix on the plane, navigation on the way to the hotel – five hours in this mode left another 20% charge.
On the rest of the days, when messengers, mail, social networks, navigation, and a browser evenly accounted for the smartphone, the cost was enough for precisely one day. From 8 am to 11 pm, based on an intelligent screen frequency of 120 Hz. For a 4500 mAh battery, this is a good, solid figure.
Charging from 0 to 100% with the included 30W adapter takes 1 hour and 15 minutes. There is no wireless charging, which is a common occurrence for this segment, as in waterproofing.
Review Of Motorola edge 20 Pro: Price and competitors
Now edge 20 pro with 12/256 GB of memory costs 634.66 dollars; it could be snatched for 551.86 dollars. They are considering that in Europe a smartphone costs 699 euros.
In this segment and with similar characteristics, the OnePlus 9R, for example, can fight. Or Xiaomi Mi 10T Pro is the only competitor with a 144Hz display. It also has a 108MP camera, Snapdragon 865, and a 5000mAh battery. But there is no optical zoom. Behind him – to the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, which is still relevant. And thanks to the IP68 waterproof rating, it is also efficient.
There are also disadvantages. There is only one external speaker; no audio jack, memory cards cannot be installed. It is forbidden to dive into the pool with it. But most users have long switched to wireless sound, there is 256 GB of memory, and cosplay “Finding Nemo” is so rare that these nuances can be forgiven. Moreover, for 621 Dollars. It remains only to wait for starts to cook enough smartphones to have enough for everyone.
