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Here at Sonny Dickson, we review a lot of consumer technology with one goal in mind: to break down what it’s like to live with every day – whether that’s a vacuum cleaner, a car, wireless headphones or in this case, a smartphone.
It’s difficult to comprehend, but the smartphone (as we know it today) has only been around since 2007 and in that time the sophistication of engineering and design has exploded exponentially. A perfect case in point is the Motorola edge.
With an imposing 6.7 inch wrap-around display that spans almost 180º from edge to edge (as the name suggests), the Motorola edge makes use of every single one of the 2.5M+ pixels on the FHD+ OLED display that is housed inside the latest Corning Gorilla Glass.
And the display is just the beginning when it comes to standout features. Beneath the display sits a fingerprint reader as well as facial recognition and the usual array of accelerometers, gyroscope and proximity sensors, an ambient light sensor – all packaged into the Sensor Hub.
The Motorola edge runs on the latest Google Android 10 operating system which as we have seen with other Android compatible devices, is leaving the competition behind in terms of usability.
On the reverse side of the Motorola edge is a beautifully crafted plastic casing with a stunning blue hue that in the right light gives off the most stunning “rainbow effect”.
The reverse side of the Motorola edge also introduces us to the tri-camera array – a party piece of the edge. You have a lens for every type of still shot – macro, ultra-wide with up to 117º field of view, and telephoto with up to 2x optical zoom.
For video, there is an additional lens providing image capture for Portrait Mode, Macro video, Slow motion video, Timelapse video, Hyperlapse video, and hugely impressive Electronic video stabilisation as demonstrated below.
Note: What I didn’t do well here was select a fixed focal point so the auto-focus does go a little nuts as the train comes into the station.
Equally impressive is the audio on this video with 2 in-built microphones taking care of the audio even in a noisy underground environment such as a train station.
At the bottom edge of the Motorola edge are dual stereo speakers and an old-school 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a USB-C connector. At the top there is access to the SIM card slot which features a dual-SIM array for 2 nano SIMs or a single nano SIM and a microSD card – very impressive and handy!
What I really enjoyed about living with the Motorola edge for a few weeks was the way the impressive hardware and the latest Google Android software work so well together. Everything from the widgets and weather on the home screen to the 4G call clarity and the well above expectation battery life – the edge does tick a lot of boxes if you are looking for a device that will perform in almost any condition – even the occasional water spray and dusty environment thanks to the IP54 rating.
And as this review goes to print, there is a new Motorola edge on the market with all the impressive features that we enjoyed above, and a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor with 5G capability which will transform everything from games to videos to web browsing thanks to 6GB memory and 128GB of storage.
Mike is the Australian editor of SonnyDickson.com with a lifelong passion for cars, technology and engineering. He reviews and writes about all kinds of motoring and tech products for our readers. Follow Mike on Instagram or send him an email: mike@sonnydickson.com
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