Motorola’s debuting three new flagship phones for its Edge line Tuesday, all of which spotlight artificial intelligence features meant for improving photography.
The Motorola Edge 50 line comes in three tiers, headlined by the Edge 50 Ultra, a midlevel Edge 50 Pro and a base level Edge 50 Fusion.
While these three Moto Edge 50 phones are lined up for an international release, Motorola says that new US-bound Moto Edge phones will arrive later this year. Motorola used a similar release strategy last year, when 2023’s Moto Edge and Moto Edge Pro came to the US with slight modifications to the Moto Edge 40 line that released in other territories.
The three Moto Edge 50 phones debut Moto AI, which is Motorola’s own take on bringing artificial intelligence features to its latest line of phones. It follows generative AI features we’ve seen from Samsung with Galaxy AI and Google with its various AI features provided to the Pixel 8. At this time, Motorola says Moto AI will be sprinkled throughout the phone’s operating system, but it emphasized a Photo Enhancement Engine that will use AI to apply settings from multiple shooting modes in order to process photos. AI is also powering on-device search and tools for generating decorative themes.
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro is the midlevel phone in the new line.
The Photo Enhancement Engine comes alongside the three Edge phones receiving Pantone Validated cameras, which Motorola says means the cameras meet Pantone’s criteria for simulating the full range of skin tones.
That top-of-the-line Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, which costs 999 euros (converts to roughly $1060), has four cameras on the back. There’s a 50-megapixel main lens, a 64-megapixel telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom coupled with what Motorola calls a 100x Super Zoom, a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens. On the front, the phone features a 50-megapixel selfie camera.
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra uses a 6.67-inch OLED display runs at a 1220p resolution and the phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 processor. That newer chip is a slight step down from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that we see on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, but is still plenty powerful for AI features and image processing.
The Edge 50 Ultra’s 125-watt charging powers up a 4,500mAh battery. The phone also includes 50-watt wireless charging. Motorola says the top speeds for both wired and wireless charging do require the company’s own chargers, which are sold separately from the phone.
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Continuing Motorola’s experimenting with different back coverings, the Edge 50 Ultra will come in two vegan leather variants in Forest Grey and Peach Fuzz, while a Nordic Wood edition is also available.
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro will start at 699 euro (converts to approximately $741) and come with a 6.7-inch OLED display that runs at a 144Hz refresh rate. It will also have a 50-megapixel main camera that’s paired up with a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with a 3x optical zoom. A third 13-megapixel ultrawide camera rounds out the Edge 50 Pro’s rear camera system, while a 50-megapixel selfie camera is placed on the front of the phone. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3, which is a slight step down from the 8S included in the Ultra. The phone also includes the same 125-watt wired charging and 50-watt wireless charging as the Ultra.
The Edge 50 Pro will come in three vegan leather casings depending on the region, with Black Beauty and Luxe Lavender arriving in most regions while Vanilla Cream will be only in Japan. A special edition of the Pro will come in Moonlight Pearl.
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is the base level phone in the line, starting at 399 euro.
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion starts at a much cheaper 399 euro (converts to roughly $423) and features a 6.7-inch OLED display running at a 120Hz refresh rate. Its 50-megapixel main camera is paired with a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera, while a 32-megapixel selfie camera is placed on the front. The phone will run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7S Gen 2 processor and comes in Forest Blue, Hot Pink and Marshmallow Blue. The Hot Pink colorway comes in a vegan suede material, while Marshmallow Blue will ship in vegan leather.
The three phones will start shipping in the coming weeks, starting with European and Latin American markets before coming to Asia and Oceania.
The Moto Buds Plus will get a US release and cost $130.
The Motorola Buds Plus are also unveiled alongside the Edge 50 line, but these earbuds will get a US release as they hit stores starting Tuesday. Similar to Apple’s AirPods Pro, the Moto Buds place support head tracking when paired up with a Motorola phone. The buds include a triple-mic system for noise suppression and a CrystalTalk AI feature meant for helping clear up voice calls while in noisy environments. The Moto Buds Plus will come in Forest Green and cost $130 in the US.
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Mike Sorrentino
