Motorola has just announced a trio of new Android phones alongside a pair of wireless earbuds that could tempt you to switch from your current devices when it’s time for you to upgrade your tech. The firm, which made the first mobile phone to ever make a call back in 1973, is leading its 2024 line up with the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, a smartphone that comes in a wood or vegan leather finish, and aims to challenge the Samsung Galaxy S24 series by coming in at £849 when it goes on sale next month.
The svelte looking device will be released alongside the Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Fusion. All three are the first phones to have ‘Pantone Validated’ cameras and displays tuned by colour company Pantone’s top brass to guarantee all skin tones are properly reproduced.
All three phones also stick to curved edge displays in theme with Motorola’s ‘Edge’ branding where competing phones such as the iPhone 15 are completely flat-screened.
The flagship phone of the bunch the Edge 50 Ultra packs in Moto’s most advanced cameras yet, boasting a a 50MP main lens, 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 100x Super Zoom, a 50MP ultrawide lens with macro vision, and a 50MP selfie camera with autofocus. That’s a lot of lenses, and Express.co.uk hopes to be able to put them through their paces soon to see if they are as good as what we’ve seen from Android rivals the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Honor Magic 6 Pro, and the OnePlus 12.
Motorola has also joined those companies in hopping aboard the AI hype train, saying that its new Moto AI built into the Edge 50 series “works its magic behind the scenes to elevate every interaction by empowering users to intuitively create content, personalise their device, obtain the information they seek, and accomplish more in less time.”
We’re not entirely sure what that means, but the firm also said the AI smarts should help improve camera quality particularly in low light, which is always a good thing to see. Because Motorola decides to let its customers use Google Photos rather than using a separate photos app, it also means that the phones will get several handy AI features completely free as of 15 May.
On the Ultra, you’ll view photos through a large 6.67-inch OLED screen, with everything powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, a new version of its high-end mobile chipset the 8 Gen 3. That might explain why the premium-spec phone retails for £849 – just £50 more than the Galaxy S24 but hundreds less than the S24 Plus or S24 Ultra.
For that price you will also get a 4,500mAh battery – quite large considering the slim phone is only 8.6mm thick – that charges at a blistering 125W with a charger that’s included in the box, unlike many premium phones in 2024.
The Edge 50 Pro comes in at £599 with a similarly slick design including one version with a pearlescent finish, plus 50MP main camera, and the Edge 50 Fusion will only set you back £349 while keeping the aesthetic of its pricier siblings. The Fusion could offer serious competition for Samsung in the budget phone market in the UK.
Motorola also announced two pairs of wireless earbuds, the Moto Buds+ and the Moto Buds. The former are certified by audio titan Bose “to deliver an unprecedented audio experience”, according to Motorola. The £129 buds have active noise cancellation, can play Hi-Res quality music, and will last for 38 hours with the included charging and carry case – very competitive given the price.
The regular Buds sell for a crazy-low £49 yet are still able to play Hi-Res audio and have noise cancellation.
Most of these new Moto products go on sale in “mid-May” from Motorola.co.uk, Currys, Amazon, and John Lewis, but the Edge 50 Pro and Buds+ are on sale from today.
