These days, if you want the absolute best Android smartphone experience, get a device with the word ‘Ultra’ in its name.
Samsung has included it to great effect on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the best phone you can buy right now if you ask us. Xiaomi’s 14 Ultra is another stellar smartphone, with the Photography Kit accessory transforming it into a DSLR replacement for many. And Oppo’s Find X7 Ultra isn’t far off – if only it was launching outside China.
With that in mind, it should come as no surprise to see Motorola rejoin the party. The Lenovo-owned brand already skipped the Ultra edition on the Edge 40 series, but we now have a true successor to 2022’s Edge 30 Ultra.
However, even before testing it, I’m confident this phone doesn’t deserve to be known as an ‘Ultra’ device. It might turn out to be a very good smartphone, but compared to the handsets above, it’s a significant step down in a few ways.
Processor
The most obvious reason is the processor…
The Edge 50 Ultra is the first phone in Europe to feature the new Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. That might sound exciting, but it’s actually a downgrade compared to the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in regards to performance, AI features, video capture and face unlock.
None of these will be dealbreakers, but it speaks volumes when Motorola’s Ultra phone doesn’t have Qualcomm’s most powerful chipset. Even the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra, which I also don’t think should be an ‘Ultra’, uses the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
even before testing it, I’m confident this phone doesn’t deserve to be known as an ‘Ultra’ device
Cameras
Then there are the cameras. I’m sure the 50Mp main, 50Mp ultrawide and 64Mp 3x telephoto lens can take very good photos, but I highly doubt they’ll compete with the best camera phones around. Both the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Xiaomi 14 Ultra feature an additional 5x telephoto lens for even better zoom shots, while the software processing on last year’s Edge 40 Pro was nothing special.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Battery life
Despite a large 6.7-inch display, the battery capacity is a step down from what we’ve come to expect on high-end Android phones.
The 4500mAh cell might still deliver solid battery life, but it’s unlikely to be a key strength when even smaller phones typically come in at 5000mAh.
Software longevity
The software support promise is also lacking.
Motorola guarantees only three years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates, which is underwhelming by modern standards. Xiaomi offers a year more of both, while Samsung and Google lead the way with seven of each.
It’s no surprise to see AI features, with Motorola advertising benefits for photography, navigation, search and creating themes. However, arguably the most exciting are AI photo-editing tools, which you can access on any device via Google Photos.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
On the plus side
It’s not as if any of these features are bad: just not quite up to ‘Ultra’ standards. Plenty of other aspects certainly are, though.
The display has a 144Hz refresh rate that beats most flagship handsets, while premium vegan leather or wooden backs help the phone instantly stand out from the crowd. You also get incredibly fast 125W wired charging, with the necessary charger included in the box – that’s way better than Samsung or Google.
As you can see, Edge 50 Ultra looks like it’ll be a very good phone, potentially a great one. But an ‘Ultra’ smartphone? Absolutely not in my opinion.
With that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that the Edge 50 Ultra is more affordable than both the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (from £1,249/€1,449) and Xiaomi 14 Ultra (£1,299/€1,499).
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
It’ll start at just £849/€999, putting it in line with the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra (from £869.99) and Google Pixel 8 Pro (from £999/€1099) instead. I firmly believe the Edge 50 Ultra should have been known as the Edge 50 Pro, rather than that phone being a downgraded version for £599/€699.
The Edge 50 Fusion, the other handset in the lineup, seems like a much better buy at just £349/€349. But of course, the success of these phones goes far beyond specs; it remains to be seen how well they perform in real-world usage – will they be among the best phones you can buy, or just the best Motorola phones?
We don’t have long to wait to find out in the UK: they’ll be on sale there “from mid-May”, though a specific date is yet to be revealed. And nothing has been announced regarding US availability so far.
