When Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Motorola made the headlines by announcing the motorola edge 30 pro. It was a fitting announcement because it was among the first devices to sport the new chipset.
Being a pioneer requires brands like Motorola to meet consumer expectations. Consumers, like myself, expect a faster device that will allow me to do more and better than my existing smartphone. I need a phone that offers great value, but can realistically be price-friendly at the same time.
As much as I want to hold off on the details, motorola edge 30 pro meets my standards. Here are 6 features that I love about this smartphone, and why I think that it’s definitely worth your purchase!
This thing is fast!
I reviewed a total of 4 smartphones running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, including the motorola edge 30 pro. “Fast” is an understatement when talking about this chipset.
This phone is really fast. For the price it asks, the motorola edge 30 pro can definitely go toe to toe against the Xiaomi 12 Pro, Galaxy S22 Ultra and POCO F4 GT! I ran the usual benchmarking applications that we use in our reviews, and was surprised with the result.
The phone is just shy of almost 7,000 points versus the Xiaomi 12 Pro in Antutu Benchmark. It is obviously faster than the Galaxy S22 Ultra and POCO F4 GT, which are at the extreme ends of the price spectrum.
It also got a weighted score of 14,631 on PC Mark 2.0, which is more than 1,000 points above the more expensive Galaxy S22 Ultra.
In terms of using single and multiple cores, it is quite obvious that the motorola edge 30 pro trumps the other phones I reviewed in our Multi Core benchmark. This is particularly helpful when playing games and using accessories that require multiple cores. This is important because more and more applications have shifted to utilizing more cores in order to perform better and smoother.
Lastly, it performs just as fast as the other new smartphones we reviewed when it comes to 3D rendering based on our 3D Mark Wild Life benchmark.
Beautiful and Smooth Gameplay of Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds!
I know that most of you are looking for a new game to play! There is this new game that just recently launched, which is part of a popular video game series – Ni no Kuni: Cross Worlds. This game is beautiful, but there is one thing that might put people off from playing it on their device: it has very high system requirements.
This is not an issue on the motorola edge 30 pro. I can say that the game plays smoothly and beautifully on this smartphone. It looks gorgeous at its 6.7-inch Max Vision OLED display. Yes, it has an OLED display – a type of display that brings out the true colors of your games. In the case of the Motorola edge 30 pro, the Ghibli-inspired graphics and music of Ni no Kuni flourish on it. It is very responsive too!
While the game cannot maximize the display’s 144hz refresh rate, the game plays smoothly on the phone at maximum settings. Here are some screenshots of my settings and how the game looks. I know this does not give justice to how the game plays on this device, but it should give you an idea of how it looks.
Android 12 + Easy Access to Google Apps
Motorola edge 30 pro’s display has got to be the cleanest and most Google-integrated software. It is, by far, the closest you can get to experience Google Pixel, which is not officially available in the Philippines.
As highlighted by Motorola, the phone’s UI is Android 12 with easy access to the Google apps you use most. This is 100% accurate, and while this is the case, Motorola did not miss to put out other QOL (quality of life) software features into it via My UX. All Google applications are already pre-installed.
My UX provides the simplest yet most useful software experience, and this is another aspect of the phone that makes it stand out. You are in full control and you are free to personalize it the way you want it. It also maximizes the phone’s sensors like “Quick Capture” by twisting it and “Light in a flash”. I love this and I always find them very useful in a lot of instances.
Of course, my personal favorite is “Game Time”, which is a sidebar access to important gaming features while playing a game. It lets you stream to Twitch, open apps while playing, or block gestures to have an uninterrupted gameplay experience.
There are a lot of software features built into this device. Motorola and Google would love to let you know all of them. For this reason, they put up an app called a Moto App, which details all the cool things you can do with this device. It is your “hub” to know how you can further maximize your new phone.
Loudspeakers with Dolby Atmos!
It is seldom to find smartphones that have support for Dolby Atmos on both headphones, connected speakers AND loudspeakers. This feature is turned on at default when listening through the phone’s loudspeakers. You can also easily turn this feature off by tapping the screen 3 times. This will not just save on battery life but also allows you to tweak its sound setting on the fly. There is a dedicated app for this, which is a plus factor for audiophiles.
I believe it is also worth mentioning that this phone’s loudspeakers are the loudest yet best sounding compared to the other devices I reviewed with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
Related: motorola edge 30 pro Launched in PH
Camera Magic
While you may think that this phone is just all about gaming and loud speakers, allow me to tell you more about its camera features! Who would have thought that this phone at its price point would be able to offer impressive camera specs and quality?
For starters, this device has a 60mp front wide camera with f/2.2 aperture. This makes sure that you are able to snap selfies at very high quality. You can also shoot 4K@30fps or 1080@30 to 120fps videos! If you have been TikToking with your selfie camera, then expect that you can do better with this phone.
The motorola edge 30 pro also has a 50MP f/1.8 wide main camera, 50MP f/2.2 ultra wide camera, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth camera. With this rear camera set, the phone can also shoot macro at 50MP using its Macro Vision technology.
It is impressive how Motorola is able to compile and maximize its important camera specs to a very cohesive set of features that will allow content creators to be more creative with their work.
Here are some sample photos!
Needless to say, the phone also performs well in terms of video capture. You can shoot up to H.265 format for a more reduced file size without affecting quality at the expense of playback compatibility. You can also shoot at HDR10+; and has support for Audio Zoom, which amplifies the audio in the zoomed area of the viewfinder.
Fast Charging up to 68W
The motorola edge 30 pro is packed with a 4800mAh battery. This should last for about 14 hours with 20% charge remaining at moderate usage. This, of course, is not the case if you’re glued on playing Ni no Kuni for more than 4 hours per day.
What is important, however, is the phone’s compatibility to be charged up with a 68W charger. Fortunately, Motorola packed this in its box so you do not have to worry about buying a charger. It is also compatible with 15W fast wireless chargers and can share your power to another supported device up to 15W.
What I also love about this device is its built-in overcharge protection which can massively optimize the lifespan of your battery. It will limit the charging up to 80% when your device has been plugged in continuously for 3 days.
Now Available for a very attractive price
The motorola edge 30 pro surely is one of the best priced flagship devices I’ve used in a while. It is about time for more people to notice this device more because it just offers the right combinations of features that consumers have been looking for.
The phone is available for PhP34,995 from the Motorola PH Store in Lazada and Shopee and from Motorola kiosks at SM Megamall and SM North EDSA. Also available in select authorized mobile resellers nationwide.
Giancarlo Viterbo is a Filipino Technology Journalist, blogger and Editor of gadgetpilipinas.net, He is also a Geek, Dad and a Husband. He knows a lot about washing the dishes, doing some errands and following instructions from his boss on his day job. Follow him on twitter: @gianviterbo and @gadgetpilipinas.
