Motorola Edge 40 Neo Review: A Budget Smartphone with a Premium Design

Introduction

What is the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is a budget smartphone that was released in September 2023 by Motorola, a renowned tech brand. It is a refinement of last year’s Motorola Edge 30 Neo, with a slightly tweaked design and some upgraded features. It is part of the Motorola Edge series, which consists of mid-range to high-end smartphones with curved displays and sleek designs.

How does it compare to other budget smartphones?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo stands out from its peers with its premium design, boasting a curved 6.55-inch pOLED screen, a resolution of 1080×2400 (FHD+), a refresh rate of 144 Hz, and peak brightness of 1300 cd/m2. It also has a vegan leather rear that feels exquisite in the hand, and comes in three colours: Black Beauty, Soothing Sea, and Caneel Bay. It has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, as well as a fingerprint scanner under the display.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo also offers decent performance, thanks to its MediaTek Dimensity 7030 processor, which is a 6nm octa-core chip with two Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. It also has a Mali-G610 MC3 GPU, which can handle most games at medium settings. It comes with either 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and either 128GB or 256GB of uMCP storage, which is faster than eMMC but slower than UFS.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a dual rear camera setup, consisting of a 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, multi-directional PDAF, OIS, and Ultra Pixel Technology for better low-light performance; and a 13MP ultrawide angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, and Macro Vision for close-up shots. It also has a single 32MP front camera with an f/2.4 aperture and Quad Pixel Technology for improved selfies. The camera software offers various modes and features, such as Night Vision, Portrait, Dual Capture, Spot Colour, Pro, Scan, etc.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a large 5000 mAh battery that can last up to 36 hours on a single charge, according to Motorola. It also supports fast charging with its included 68W TurboPower charger, which can charge up to 50% in just 15 minutes. The phone runs on Android 13 out of the box, with some customizations from Motorola, such as Moto Actions, Moto Display, Moto Gametime, Moto Ready For support (for connecting to external monitors), ThinkShield for mobile (for security and privacy), etc.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is priced at $490 for the 12GB/256GB variant, which is quite affordable for a smartphone with such a premium design and decent features. It is available in select regions, such as Europe, Latin America, and Asia. It competes with other budget smartphones, such as the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, the Xiaomi 13T, the Honor 90, etc.

Design and Display

What are the dimensions and weight of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a slim and sleek design, with dimensions of 159.63 x 71.99 x 7.89mm for the silicone/vegan leather variant, and 159.63 x 71.99 x 7.79mm for the PMMA/acrylic variant. It weighs 172g for the silicone/vegan leather variant, and 170g for the PMMA/acrylic variant. It is comfortable to hold and use with one hand, thanks to its curved edges and rounded corners.

What are the colours and materials of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo comes in three colours: Black Beauty, Soothing Sea, and Caneel Bay. The Black Beauty variant has a black vegan leather rear that feels soft and smooth in the hand, while the Soothing Sea and Caneel Bay variants have a silicone rear that feels grippy and durable. The phone has a plastic frame and a glass front with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

What are the features and specifications of the display of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a stunning display that covers almost the entire front of the phone, with minimal bezels and a punch-hole cutout for the front camera. The display is a 6.55-inch pOLED panel, which means it uses organic light-emitting diodes that produce vibrant colours, deep blacks, and wide viewing angles. The display has a resolution of 1080×2400 (FHD+), which translates to a pixel density of 402 ppi, which is sharp enough for most content.

The display also supports various features and technologies that enhance its quality and performance, such as:

• HDR10+, which is a standard that allows for dynamic metadata that adjusts the brightness and contrast of each scene according to the content.
• 1B colours, which means it can display over a billion shades of colour, resulting in more accurate and realistic colours.
• DCI-P3 colour space, which is a standard that covers a wider range of colours than sRGB, especially in the red and green regions.
• 144 Hz refresh rate, which means it can refresh up to 144 times per second, resulting in smoother animations, transitions, scrolling, gaming, etc.
• SGS Blue Light Reduction certification, which means it reduces the amount of harmful blue light emitted by the display, which can cause eye strain and disrupt sleep patterns.
• SGS Motion Blur Reduction certification, which means it reduces the amount of motion blur that occurs when moving objects or scenes are displayed on the screen, which can cause visual discomfort and loss of detail.

Performance and Battery Life

What are the processor, memory, and storage of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7030 processor, which is a mid-range chipset that was launched in July 2023. It is based on a 6nm process technology, which means it is more power-efficient and less heat-generating than older processors. It has an octa-core CPU configuration, consisting of two Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.5 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. The Cortex-A78 cores are designed for high-performance tasks, such as gaming, multitasking, etc., while the Cortex-A55 cores are designed for low-power tasks, such as browsing, messaging, etc.

The processor also has a Mali-G610 MC3 GPU, which is a graphics processing unit that handles the rendering of images, videos, games, etc. The GPU has three cores clocked at up to 950 MHz each. It supports various features and technologies that improve its performance and efficiency, such as:

• HyperEngine Gaming Technology: This is a suite of technologies that optimize the gaming experience on MediaTek devices by enhancing network connectivity (with dual Wi-Fi antennas), resource management (with intelligent load balancing), power efficiency (with dynamic power management), display quality (with HDR10+ support), touch responsiveness (with touch boost), etc.
• MediaTek AI Processing Unit (APU): This is a dedicated hardware unit that handles artificial intelligence tasks on MediaTek devices by accelerating neural network processing (with up to four TOPS performance), image processing (with AI camera features), voice processing (with AI voice assistants), etc
• MediaTek MiraVision: This is a set of technologies that enhance the visual quality of the display on MediaTek devices by adjusting the contrast, brightness, colour, sharpness, etc. of the screen according to the content and ambient light.
• The Motorola Edge 40 Neo comes with either 8GB or 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is a type of random access memory that allows for fast data transfer and multitasking. It also comes with either 128GB or 256GB of uMCP storage, which is a type of flash memory that combines eMMC and UFS technologies. It offers faster read and write speeds than eMMC, but slower than UFS.

What are the operating system and software features of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo runs on Android 13 out of the box, which is the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. It offers various features and improvements, such as:

• Privacy Dashboard: This is a feature that allows users to see and control how apps access their personal data, such as location, camera, microphone, contacts, etc. It also shows a timeline of when apps accessed these data in the past 24 hours.
• Quick Tap: This is a feature that allows users to perform actions by tapping the back of their phone twice, such as taking a screenshot, launching Google Assistant, playing or pausing music, etc. Users can customize the actions and sensitivity of this feature in the settings.
• Material You: This is a design language that adapts the look and feel of the user interface according to the user’s preferences, such as wallpaper, accent colour, font size, etc. It also changes dynamically according to the time of day, battery level, etc.
• Chat Bubbles: This is a feature that allows users to keep their conversations in floating bubbles on the screen, similar to Facebook Messenger. Users can tap on the bubbles to open or close them, or drag them around the screen. This feature works with any messaging app that supports Android’s notification system.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo also has some customizations from Motorola, such as:

• Moto Actions: These are gestures that allow users to perform actions by moving their phone in certain ways, such as twisting it twice to launch the camera, chopping it twice to turn on the flashlight, flipping it face down to activate do not disturb mode, etc.
• Moto Display: These are features that allow users to interact with their phone without unlocking it, such as peeking at notifications by lifting or tapping the phone, showing the time and battery level by waving over the phone, etc.
• Moto Gametime: This is a mode that optimizes the gaming experience on Motorola devices by blocking interruptions, enhancing performance, adjusting audio and display settings, etc.
• Moto Ready For: This is a feature that allows users to connect their Motorola device to an external monitor via a USB-C cable or a wireless adapter. Users can then use their phone as a desktop computer, a gaming console, a video conferencing device, etc.

What are the battery size, charging speed, and battery life of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a large 5000 mAh battery that can last up to 36 hours on a single charge, according to Motorola. This is based on mixed usage scenarios that include active display time (5 hours), standby time (27 hours), talk time (3 hours), video streaming (1 hour), etc.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo also supports fast charging with its included 68W TurboPower charger, which can charge up to 50% in just 15 minutes. This is based on laboratory tests conducted by Motorola using a fully discharged device. The actual charging speed and battery life may vary depending on various factors, such as usage patterns, network conditions, ambient temperature, etc.

Camera and Video

What are the rear and front camera hardware of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a dual rear camera setup that consists of:

• A 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, multi-directional PDAF (phase detection autofocus), OIS (optical image stabilization), and Ultra Pixel Technology for better low-light performance. The main camera uses pixel binning to combine four pixels into one larger pixel (1.4µm), resulting in higher resolution (12.5MP) and brighter images.
• A 13MP ultrawide angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture, PDAF (phase detection autofocus), and Macro Vision for close-up shots. The ultrawide angle camera has a 119° field of view, which can capture more of the scene in a single shot.
• The Motorola Edge 40 Neo also has a single 32MP front camera with an f/2.4 aperture and Quad Pixel Technology for improved selfies. The front camera uses pixel binning to combine four pixels into one larger pixel (0.8µm), resulting in higher resolution (8MP) and brighter images.

What are the rear and front camera software features of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo has a camera software that offers various modes and features that enhance the photography and videography experience, such as:

• Night Vision: This is a mode that allows users to capture clear and detailed photos in low-light conditions, by using AI algorithms to reduce noise, enhance colours, and increase brightness.
• Portrait: This is a mode that allows users to create a bokeh effect, which blurs the background and highlights the subject, by using depth sensing and AI segmentation.
• Dual Capture: This is a feature that allows users to record videos or take photos with both the rear and front cameras simultaneously, creating a split-screen effect that shows both perspectives.
• Spot Colour: This is a feature that allows users to select a colour to keep in the photo or video, while turning the rest of the scene into black and white, creating a dramatic contrast.
• Pro: This is a mode that allows users to manually adjust various settings, such as ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus, exposure, etc., for more creative control over their shots.
• Scan: This is a feature that allows users to scan documents, QR codes, business cards, etc., by using the camera and AI recognition.

What are the video recording and playback capabilities of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo can record videos with both the rear and front cameras, with various resolutions and frame rates, such as:

• 4K at 30 fps (frames per second): This is the highest resolution and quality option, which produces sharp and detailed videos with four times more pixels than Full HD.
• Full HD at 60 fps: This is a high-quality option that produces smooth and fluid videos with twice as many frames as standard Full HD.
• HD at 120 fps: This is a high-speed option that produces slow-motion videos with four times as many frames as standard HD.
• HD at 240 fps: This is an ultra-high-speed option that produces super slow-motion videos with eight times as many frames as standard HD.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo also supports various features and technologies that improve its video recording and playback capabilities, such as:

• EIS (electronic image stabilization): This is a feature that reduces the shakiness and blurriness of videos caused by hand movements or vibrations, by using software algorithms to crop and align the frames.
• HDR10+ video recording: This is a feature that allows users to record videos with dynamic metadata that adjusts the brightness and contrast of each scene according to the content, resulting in more realistic and vivid colours.
• HEVC (high efficiency video coding): This is a feature that allows users to compress their videos without losing quality, resulting in smaller file sizes and faster upload speeds.
• Dolby Atmos audio recording: This is a feature that allows users to record audio with spatial sound effects that create a surround sound experience, by using multiple microphones on the device.
• Dolby Vision HDR playback: This is a feature that allows users to play back videos with dynamic metadata that adjusts the brightness and contrast of each scene according to the content, resulting in more realistic and vivid colours.

Price and Availability

How much does the Motorola Edge 40 Neo cost in different regions?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is priced at $490 for the 12GB/256GB variant, which is quite affordable for a smartphone with such a premium design and decent features. However, the price may vary depending on the region, carrier, and retailer. Here are some of the prices of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo in different regions, as of October 2023:

• USA: The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is not officially available in the USA, but it can be imported from other regions or bought from third-party sellers. The estimated price is around $550-$600, depending on the shipping and taxes.
• UK: The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is available in the UK through Motorola’s official website and some online retailers, such as Amazon, Argos, etc. The price is £399 for the 12GB/256GB variant, which is equivalent to $545.
• Europe: The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is available in most European countries through Motorola’s official website and some online retailers, such as Amazon, MediaMarkt, etc. The price is €449 for the 12GB/256GB variant, which is equivalent to $520.
• Latin America: The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is available in some Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, etc., through Motorola’s official website and some online retailers, such as Mercado Libre, Linio, etc. The price varies depending on the country and currency, but it ranges from $500 to $600 for the 12GB/256GB variant.
• Asia: The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is available in some Asian countries, such as India, China, Indonesia, etc., through Motorola’s official website and some online retailers, such as Flipkart, JD.com, Lazada, etc. The price varies depending on the country and currency, but it ranges from $450 to $550 for the 12GB/256GB variant.

When and where can you buy the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo

and water and dust resistance. It is not suitable for users who prefer a metal or glass frame, a dual or triple front camera, wireless charging, UFS storage, wide availability, or full compatibility with all carriers or networks.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is a smartphone that offers a lot of value for its price range, but it also has some limitations that users should be aware of. If you are interested in buying the Motorola Edge 40 Neo, you should check its availability and compatibility in your region, and compare it with other budget smartphones that may suit your needs and preferences better.

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