Best Motorola phone: Top Motorola smartphones tested and reviewed
Motorola has had a transformative few years. While it once focused only on the budget smartphone market, the manufacturer has widened its focus in recent years, now offering a range of smartphones, including flagship-level devices and even foldables.
That’s a great move for the company, but it also means it’s now much harder to decide on a Motorola phone than it was a few years ago. Do you want a cheap, no-frills phone like the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion that’ll get the job done? Maybe you want the Edge 50 Ultra with its stylish design? Or do you want to dabble in the world of foldable tech with the Razr 50 Ultra?
That’s where we at Trusted Reviews come in. Our team of mobile experts has reviewed practically every Motorola phone on the market, from budget-focused options to top-end foldables, giving us a unique perspective on Motorola’s 2024 smartphone offering.
That said, this list is the culmination of days, if not weeks, of testing, ranging from synthetic benchmark tests to extensive real-world use. It covers not just chipset performance but elements like camera prowess, fast charging capabilities, and software, all to help you decide which is best for your needs.
If you’ve decided you want to cast your net wider than Motorola’s smartphone collection, we’ve also got the best Samsung phone roundup, and for a better understanding of the smartphone market at large, we’ve got the best smartphone, best mid-range smartphone and best cheap phone charts too.
Best Motorola phone
- Best overall: Motorola Edge 50 Ultra – check price
- Best foldable: Motorola Razr 50 Ultra – check price
- Best mid-range: Motorola Edge 50 Pro – check price
- Best value: Motorola Edge 50 Neo – check price
- Best cheap phone: Motorola Edge 50 Fusion – check price
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How we test
All the phones included in our list have been thoroughly tested and used by one of our product experts. We never review a phone based purely on specs and benchmark scores. We use them as our everyday device for the review period, which is usually at least five days but often a lot more.
Whenever you read a phone review published on Trusted Reviews, you should be confident that the reviewer has put their personal SIM card into the phone, synced across their most-used apps and logged into all their typical accounts. We do this so you’ll feel confident in our review and trust our verdict.
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
Best overall
Pros
- Premium look and feel in a variety of materials
- Solid everyday performance from Snapdragon 8S Gen 3
- Among the fastest charging speeds around
Cons
- Some images can be overexposed
- Software promise isn’t the longest around
- No LTPO display tech
If you’re looking for a Motorola phone that does it all, look no further than the company’s flagship Edge 50 Ultra. While it might not reach the lofty heights set by competitors like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Oppo Find X8 Pro, the phone offers impressive value considering its £849 price tag.
Not only does the Edge 50 Ultra sport a stylish finish, available in a handful of Pantone-approved colours, but it’s durable with an IP68 dust and water resistance rating, and the top-end 6.67-inch 144Hz OLED screen boasts Gorilla Glass Victus for added scratch protection too.
The high-res rear camera setup is also a treat, sporting a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and 64MP 3x telephoto that delivers a great shooting experience, complete with optional AI image processing, though dynamic range performance could be improved.
There’s also solid performance from the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 and, when combined with the 4500mAh battery, has no issue lasting all day on a single charge. Even if the battery runs low, 125W wired charging support means you can get a full charge in just 19 minutes. Throw in near-stock Android software and you’ve got a great Moto-flavoured flagship experience.
Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Review: Motorola Edge 50 Ultra review
Motorola Razr 50 Ultra
Best foldable phone
Pros
- Biggest cover screen around
- Stylish, colourful design
- IPX8 water resistance
Cons
- No ultrawide camera
- Middling long-term software promise
- Not quite the most powerful processor around
Alongside Motorola’s regular smartphone collection comes the foldable Razr collection, best embodied by this year’s Razr 50 Ultra (or Razr+ 2024 if you’re in the US). It’s a sleek, capable clamshell-style foldable that remains one of the best on the market in general, thanks mainly to its large, capable outer screen.
At 4 inches, it’s larger than the cover screen you’ll find on the competing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, and you can do more with it too, including running any Android app you’ve got installed in a bid to reduce how often you have to unfurl the phone. That’s not only more convenient, but it makes using apps like Google Maps an absolute breeze.
When you do unfold the phone, you’ll be greeted by a stunning 6.9-inch pOLED screen with a very minimal crease. Despite its size, its narrow design means it’s still relatively easy to use and hold with one hand, and it makes for a great viewing experience too.
The cameras have had an upgrade this year, sporting a dual 50MP camera setup comprised of a main and 2x camera to deliver a massive boost in quality to zoomed shots, though doing so means there’s no ultrawide like with most other phones.
Throw in Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 performance, all-day battery life and wireless charging and you’ve got a capable clamshell foldable.
Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Review: Motorola Razr 50 Ultra review
Motorola Edge 50 Pro
Best mid-range phone
Pros
- Premium, lightweight design
- Full charge in 20 minutes
- Flagship-level screen
Cons
- Lacks processing power
- Only three OS upgrades
- Camera quality can be inconsistent
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro, despite the Pro branding, is Motorola’s latest mid-ranger. Sporting a similar design and specs not too dissimilar to the top-end Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, it’s a tempting buy for anyone who puts a premium on design, screen tech, camera performance and charge speed.
For starters, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro sets itself apart from the mid-range competition with a gorgeous vegan leather finish that envelops the camera bump for a rather unique look. It’s also available in an attractive Luxe Lavender or toned-down Black Beaty finish, and if vegan leather isn’t your thing, there’s also a pearl polymer finish dubbed Moonlight Pearl. Throw in a slim, lightweight frame and IP68 dust and water resistance and there’s very little to complain about in the design department.
It’s not just a looker, however; the curved 6.7-inch OLED screen is every bit just as premium, with key specs including a rapid 144Hz refresh rate, a maximum brightness of 2000nits, support for premium formats like HDR10+ and 10-bit colour and a pixel-packed 1.2K resolution. This all combines to deliver a great viewing experience, regardless of whether you’re gaming or catching up on Netflix.
The camera setup, though not quite as capable as that of the Edge 50 Ultra, still boasts a capable offering. The 50MP main camera is the best of the bunch, with key specs including a wide 1/1.55-inch sensor and f/1.4 aperture, and that’s accompanied not only by a 13MP ultrawide but a 12MP 3x telephoto lens. That’s a real rarity in the mid-range market, even if it can’t quite complete with true flagship telephoto lenses.
Charging is some of the fastest around, boasting the same 125W fast charging tech as its flagship sibling, and that translated to a full charge in just 20 minutes in our tests. What’s more, the 125W charger comes in the box, and you can’t say that about some flagships.
That’s all pretty impressive, but what the Edge 50 Pro is not is, ironically, a powerhouse of processing power. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 found within the phone is fine for day-to-day use, but benchmarks suggest you’ll get the same amount of power as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G which retails at £150 less.
Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Review: Motorola Edge 50 Pro review
Motorola Edge 50 Neo
Best value phone
Pros
- Good screen
- Interesting design
- Versatile cameras
Cons
- Not the absolute best photo quality
- Other smartphones are more powerful
- Side buttons are a little small
You needn’t splash out on a top-end smartphone to get a flagship experience, as exemplified by the Edge 50 Neo. It focuses on bringing premium specs to a more affordable price point, offering a solid all-rounder for less than £399.
That starts with design, sporting not only a similar look to the top-end Edge 50 Ultra but vegan leather finishes in Pantone-certified colours, IP68 dust and water resistance and even wireless charging while measuring in at an impressively lightweight 171g. That premium feel continues with the 6.7-inch FHD+ screen with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and an unusually high 3000-nit peak brightness.
There’s even a surprisingly capable camera setup including a main 50MP sensor, a 13MP ultrawide and a 3x 10MP telephoto, with the latter very rarely seen in the budget market. It’s not the absolute best quality you’ll find, of course, but it’s impressive for the price point nonetheless.
Performance from the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 and 8GB of RAM is solid in everyday use and can even support some light gaming, though the phone can get hot over extended periods of use.
What’s more, it has the best software promise of any current Motorola phone with five years of OS upgrades and security patches on the way, so you really don’t have to spend big to get a great Motorola phone.
Reviewer: Sean Cameron
Review: Motorola Edge 50 Neo review
Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
Best cheap phone
Pros
- Sleek, stylish design
- Strong 144Hz display
- Snappy main camera
Cons
- Some bloatware
- No HDR10 support
As with the Edge 50 Neo, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion offers an affordable yet stylish smartphone offering a range of tech not often seen in the sub-£350 price range.
That includes elements like full IP68 dust and water resistance, a 6.7-inch pOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, a surprisingly capable camera setup with an OIS-enabled 50MP primary camera and a 13MP ultrawide, and despite not featuring a top-end chipset, the provision of 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is unheard of in the lower mid-range market.
It provides a great all-round experience for the price, then, further improved by a relatively stock approach to Android with three OS upgrades taking the phone to Android 17, and you’ll even get a 68W charger in the box to take advantage of the phone’s fast charging capabilities. Seriously, there’s very little to dislike about the Edge 50 Fusion.
Reviewer: Jon Mundy
Review: Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review
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We’ve reviewed
See all reviewsFAQs
While some manufacturers forego the charging brick in recent smartphone releases, Motorola isn’t one of them. In fact, if there’s fast charging, you’ll likely get a compatible fast charger in the box.
Yes, every phone in our list supports 5G connectivity.
Yes, there’s the regular Razr 50.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
