The Google Pixel 8 just got a new competitor in the form of the Motorola Edge (2023). But is it any good? I used it to find out.
If you have $700 to spend and need a new smartphone, one of the best options you can find today is the Google Pixel 8. Google’s newest Pixel handset has a great design, excellent cameras, fantastic software, and surprisingly good battery life. It’s just a pleasure to use in almost every regard.
But Motorola’s latest phone makes things interesting for prospective Pixel 8 buyers. On October 10, just days after Google revealed the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Motorola announced a new Android phone of its own — the Motorola Edge (2023). It promises good design, cameras, software, and battery life, all for $100 less than the Pixel 8.
Is it all too good to be true? Is the Motorola Edge (2023) the Google Pixel 8 killer we didn’t know we needed? I used Motorola’s new phone to find out for myself, and I must admit that I’m impressed … mostly.What I love about the Motorola Edge (2023)
The Motorola Edge (2023) makes an excellent first impression the second you take it out of the box. The matte aluminum frame is sleek and cool to the touch, and the screen curves over the left and right edges — making it look like there aren’t any bezels at all. I don’t have particularly strong feelings about flat versus curved displays, but the curves on the Motorola Edge add a touch of elegance that’s unexpected at this price.
I also quite like the back of the Motorola Edge (2023). Motorola chose vegan leather for the rear of the phone, and it feels excellent. It’s grippy, has a pleasant texture, and looks leagues better than the glossy plastic backs seen on other budget Android phones (I’m looking at you, OnePlus Nord N30 5G). I wish Motorola offered more than the single Eclipse Black color, but overall, I have very little to criticize about this design.
Beyond the curved display and leather back, Motorola also got the smaller details right. The power and volume buttons feel nice, the speakers sound good (and get very loud), and there’s an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance — the same one you get on flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Speaking of the display, it’s excellent. Besides the curved edges, the 6.6-inch screen offers a pOLED panel with a 2400 x 1080 resolution, HDR10+ support, up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness, and a 144Hz refresh rate. It’s a fantastic screen with vibrant colors and plenty of brightness for regular use. You can force the refresh rate to run at 144Hz, but I’ve kept it in Auto mode — which runs it at up to 120Hz — and it’s looked great to my eyes. When Apple is still slapping 60Hz displays on its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, having 144Hz on the Motorola Edge (2023) feels pretty awesome.
I’ve also been (mostly) impressed by the Motorola Edge’s performance. Powering the phone is a MediaTek Dimensity 7030 chipset. It’s one of the only phones in the world with this specific MediaTek chip, and it’s actually pretty good. Apps open quickly, the 8GB of RAM has done a great job with basic multitasking, and the Edge (2023) has held its own with various mobile games.
With graphics quality set to High and 60 frames per second (fps) enabled, Marvel Snap looks and runs great. Motorola’s phone also does a good job of playing Call of Duty: Mobile with High graphics and Max frame rate settings. Some menus take slightly longer to load compared to phones with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, but it’s never been enough to seriously impact my enjoyment of the phone.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about battery life and charging. It’s a 4,400 mAh battery inside the Motorola Edge (2023), and in my testing, it’s typically enough to get me through a day and a half on a single charge. You can drain the battery in a single day if you really try, but with moderate app usage and some light gaming, a day and a half is much more likely.
