Motorola Edge 40 Neo: A Standout All-Rounder in the Budget Market

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo continues Motorola’s trend of delivering capable and powerful midrange phones. The Motorola Edge 40 is a capable and powerful premium midrange Motorola phone. It has a few drawbacks, most notably average cameras, and it’s also likely to fall victim to Motorola’s erratic software update strategy, but it’s significantly more readily available than the Motorola Edge 40 Pro and at a lower cost. Motorola has had a successful year in the smartphone market, with devices such as the Edge 40 and the foldable Razr 40 Ultra. This tendency appears to continue with the Motorola Edge 40 Neo.

Despite its low price of £299, the Edge 40 Neo includes a host of capabilities typically found on top smartphones. These include full IP68 water protection, a curved 6.5-inch 144Hz pOLED display, speedy 68W fast charging, and breathtaking Pantone-verified colorways that set it apart from the competition. This results in a smartphone that does not look, feel, or operate as a budget phone should. In reality, we could be looking at a new option for a budget-friendly smartphone.

Price when reviewed: €291.77 | Check price at Amazon

Motorola Edge 40 Neo KEY FEATURES

Motorola’s cooperation with color experts Pantone continues with the Edge 40 Neo, which is available in three Pantone-verified (and unique) standout colorways. It’s Sleek, thin, and comfortable in your hand. The display measures 6.55 inches and features a Full HD pOLED panel with a refresh rate of 144Hz. Clean, near-stock Android. It’s a bummer about the upgrades.

The camera is good but might be better. Lots of power for the price. With 68W rapid charging and a charger included in the box, you can charge to 50% in 17 minutes. The battery lasts all day and charges to full capacity in just 45 minutes. We’re good here. The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is one of the few inexpensive phones with full IP68 dust and water protection.

MOTOROLA EDGE 40 NEO UNBOXING

Like all recent Moto Edges, the Edge 40 Neo comes in a durable two-piece recycled cardboard box. This model’s package is also free of plastic, as Motorola has lately done with other models in the series. The Edges’ box and internals are also perfumed, so when you open your fresh new phone’s package, you’re welcomed with a mild aroma.

The set includes a 68W converter and a USB-C cord. Motorola has also included a case, which has a Snap-On design and matches the color scheme of the handset. You’ll probably love the fact that it’s created in Sweden and is plant-based, making it biodegradable.

CAMERA

• Dual rear camera setup (50MP + 13MP).
• 32 megapixel selfie camera.
• Raw support.

Motorola has outfitted the Edge 40 with a dual-camera configuration that includes a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13MP ultra-wide camera. They aren’t as impressive as the cameras on the considerably higher-specced Motorola Edge 40 Pro, but they’re not bad. They’re just about average. The Motorola Edge 40 is not the best camera phone; it is not even the best one available from Motorola, nor is it the second best, as the Edge 30 Ultra is still on sale.

When it comes to utilizing the camera, everything is fine. The cameras capture photographs quickly in good light, but in low light, you may need to keep the phone still to get a good image. Motorola phones also offer a night mode, however, it proved inconsistent during testing. The colors can sometimes vary between photos without any adjustments to the external light source, and the photographs are noticeably softer. Aside from that, images are visually appealing when viewed on a phone, but they fall short when studied on a larger screen. Even so, they’re easily decent enough to share on Instagram or Snapchat, and you’ll have access to the normal editing tools.

If you’re expecting something more remarkable in terms of photography, remember that this isn’t a Pixel, iPhone, or Galaxy. It is a Motorola. This phone can take good-to-great images, but its real virtues are its slim frame, sleek software, and rapid charging.

DESIGN AND SCREEN

• ‘Endless Edge’ Design
• Curved edges
• 6.5-inch curved pOLED display
• 144Hz refresh rate
• HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos support

The Moto Edge 40 Neo has the same design language as its larger sister, the Edge 40. The smartphone features a gorgeous vegan leather back with gently curved corners and a slim frame. Despite its appearance, it’s worth mentioning that the frame is made of plastic. However, this material choice does not jeopardize the handset’s endurance. The device’s IP68 water and dust-resistant certification is a standout feature, making it unique in its market.

The device has a slim profile, measuring 7.9mm thick and weighing only 172 grams. This makes it extremely lightweight and comfortable to hold without straining your wrist. While the rear panel lacks the smoothness of its more expensive sister, the Edge 40, it nonetheless captivates with its contrasting metal camera platform and the tastefully placed Motorola logo in the center.

The handset comes in three colors: Caneel Bay, Soothing Sea, and Black Beauty. Unlike the other color selections, the last one lacks a vegan leather finish on the back. I received the Caneel Bay model for review, which has a somewhat dazzling design. If you prefer a more understated appearance, the Soothing Sea variation is worth considering.

The phone’s USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer is located on the bottom edge, along with a speaker grille and SIM ejector slot. The volume and power buttons, which may be difficult to reach without performing finger gymnastics, are located on the right spine. The device’s fascia features a curved 6.5-inch 144Hz pOLED display with FHD+ resolution, DCI-P3, DC dimming, HDR10+ support, and a peak brightness of 1300 nits.

The viewing experience stays consistent with the more expensive Moto Edge 40 smartphone. It provides rich, bright, and crisp colors, accented by deep blacks, which improve the quality of the material. Furthermore, the phone has an impressive peak brightness level, ensuring comfortable outside use. The screen’s variable refresh rate of 144Hz ensures seamless touch responsiveness and fluent animations. If you are concerned about your battery, you can change the refresh rate to 120Hz or 60Hz.

The Moto Edge 40 Neo speakers enhance the viewing experience. The phone has dual speakers with Dolby Atmos, which provide clean and powerful audio. For security, there is an in-display fingerprint reader that works pretty precisely and quickly opens the tablet.

HOW’S THE PERFORMANCE?

• 7030 chipset dimensions
• Ample 12GB of RAM.
• Remarkably smooth performance.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is powered by MediaTek’s mid-range Dimensity 7030 processor, which comes standard with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage – an outstanding combo given the pricing.

While you shouldn’t anticipate the same performance as the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, the phone is surprisingly capable of ordinary chores, with no noticeable jitter or lag when scrolling through ad-laden websites or media-rich X timelines.

The only time I observed a slowdown was shortly after setting up the phone; however, it was installing 90+ apps at the time. Once that was resolved, the responsive performance returned.

It’s a similar scenario when it comes to graphics performance, with a surprisingly decent experience on offer, capable of handling basic titles like Survivor.io without breaking a sweat and running 3D games like Call of Duty Mobile quite smoothly as long as the graphics aren’t turned up too high. It also remains amazingly cool under load, with no apparent warm spots on the rear after 30 minutes of gaming.

That’s supported by benchmark findings, which show the Motorola Edge 40 Neo crushing the £300 competition with scores comparable to the £449 Google Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy A54 5G. It truly punches above its weight.

One of the few annoyances I’ve experienced with the Edge 40 Neo has nothing to do with core performance, but rather with the vibration motor’s performance – which should say a lot.

It’s the only component that, with its mushy, imprecise vibration feedback, immediately betrays the phone’s low cost. It was so awful that I had to turn off the vibration while typing because it quickly turned into a constant vibration. However, disabling it effectively resolved the issue, so it’s far from a dealbreaker. Other features include support for stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos, which provides a semi-spatial experience when watching supported content with headphones.

Buy it if...

• Compact and lightweight, with a gripping back and a wide selection of colors.
• IP68 rating.
• The 144Hz display is extra smooth and brilliant.
• Charging for the class is extremely fast.
• Stereo speakers that are both loud and pleasant to hear.
• Clean Android UI, more Moto custom pieces, and ‘Ready For’ capability (albeit slightly limited in functions).
• The chipset is among the most powerful for the price.
• Competent camera configuration for the class, with notably good low-light performance from the main camera and solid selfies.

Don't buy it if…

• The battery life is below average.
• Only two OS updates are expected, and Moto has not been the fastest to provide them in the past.
• The video stabilization is not as effective as the competition.

FULL SPECIFICATION