Motorola who is set to take Samsung head on in the premium mobile market, is currently on a roll, with IDC set to announce that they are now the official #3 manufacturer of smartphones in Australia.
Overnight the Lenovo owned business announced two new devices with their moto edge 50 pro a serious contender to the new Samsung Galaxy S24.
Retailing for $999 this is the first device other than their Razr flip phone that Motorola has launched into the premium market.
The other new device is the motorola edge 50 fusion which will retail for $599.
As for devices the moto edge 50 pro is a pretty neat device with Motorola taking advantage of their exclusive global relationship with Pantone to deliver some interesting colours that are according to Pantone are “today’s hot new colours for 2024.
They include a Luxe Lavender and Black Beauty, model and an exclusive hand crafted in Italy ‘Moonlight Pearl’, edition which is only available online at JB Hi Fi, Harvey Norman or via Motorola direct.
Motorola has also worked with US audio brand Bose with buyers of the device set to get a pair of the Moto buds custom developed by Bose thrown in.
These buds are currently retailing for over $249.
According to Kurt Bonnici Head of Motorola – Greater Asia Pacific at Motorola Mobility the business is focusing on delivering superior mobility with their devices in partnership with Google whose OS Motorola is taking advantage to deliver several “cutting edge” new software capabilities.
“The new devices are fresh and different” he said.
“We are also delivering excellent value with the bundles we are delivering in partnership with the likes of Bose who have worked with us in the development of superior audio for our devices”.
“Fast charging is important which is why we have included in the box a 125 Watt Charger, which is the fastest in the market today.
When ChannelNews tested this charger, we were able to go from 40% to 100% in 11 minutes.
Another key element of the two new devices is software enhancements an area where Motorola via their Lenovo ownership have been able to take their Android devices to a new level of capability.
The Edge 50 Pro still manages to offer a very capable camera setup for stills – a champion at light gathering of a main camera is joined by a solid telephoto in a segment where dedicated zoom cameras are rare and an ultrawide that’s got autofocus and puts it to good use. And then it tops it all off with some excellent selfies for good measure.
The Edge 50 Pro appears to have a very capable camera setup with light management a key software feature.
There is also a dedicated zoom and ultrawide autofocus which in a quick first look delivered some excellent results.
It’s slim in the hand and the 6.7in pOLED panel which delivers a 2712×1220 resolution is bright as the Samsung S24 especially as Motorola is also delivering an 144Hz refresh rate.
The Edge 50 Pro delivers 2000 nits of brightness.
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro runs Android 14 with Motorola delivering a brand new UI called Hello Moto.
The company claims that users will get 3 OS updates and 4 years of security patches with the Company building out a brand- new Secure area on the new Motorola devices that rivals Samsung’s Knox.
Folders can be hidden in the new secure area.
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is aimed at the mid-tier market and comes in vibrant colours while sporting an ultra-thin contoured design.
Colour choices include Forest Blue or Marshmallow Blue with a vegan leather backing or Hot Pink which uses a finer pattern in its finish.
The device has an IP68 rating and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 to ensure it is up to day to day use and resilient against dust, water and accidental drops.
On the camera side, Motorola Edge 50 Fusion camera system features a 50 megapixel main ultra-pixel camera with a Sony sensor and optical image stabilisation along with a 30 megapixel ultra-wide camera.
There is also a new AI-generated wallpaper option that delivers on screen personalisation, Motorola calls it Style sync and the idea is to have a wallpaper tailor-made to any outfit you are wearing on the day.
Does this mean a blue screen that matches with a dark blue suite?
After a short period using this device, I have to say this device has a lot going for it, the looks and the fit in the hand is where a device should be today and as for the software and the working relationship with Google this is clearly delivering new capabilities for Motorola users.
The big question is has, the Moto 50 Pro already got what Google is set to deliver with their next Pixel 9.
