Motorola Edge 30 Pro First Impressions: All About Performance?

Motorola launched the Edge 20 series in India last year, consisting of three smartphones aimed at different price points. The top-of-the-line model was the Motorola Edge 20 Pro powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. The company has now launched a successor to this phone called the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, and it uses the new flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC which is amongst the most powerful SoCs currently available for Android smartphones. Has Motorola managed to make a really good flagship smartphone? I got to spend some time with the new Edge 30 Pro and here are my first impressions.

Before I proceed, let's discuss its price. Motorola has launched the Edge 30 Pro at Rs. 49,999 in India for the lone 8GB RAM, 128GB storage configuration. SBI Card holders can avail a Rs. 5,000 instant cashback offer which brings the price down to Rs. 44,999. Motorola's pricing is super aggressive, compared to the iQoo 9 Pro which was launched recently with the same SoC at Rs. 64,990.

This is currently Motorola's most expensive smartphone in India, and it is clear that the Motorola Edge 30 Pro is an ambitious launch for the company. The Motorola Edge 30 Pro looks premium thanks to its glass sandwich design, but there is a catch. Motorola has used a plastic frame for the Edge 30 Pro, which seems out of place. Metal would have made the phone even heavier, though. At 196g, the Edge 30 Pro already has a noticeable heft.

Motorola has curved the sides of the rear glass which helps you grip the phone better. The camera module blends into the back panel and looks like it has melted on the sides. As a result, this device doesn't rock about much when placed on a flat surface. The Motorola logo is placed in the centre on the back, and has a glossy finish that helps it stand out.

The Edge 30 Pro has a curved glass back which makes it comfortable to hold

The front of the Motorola Edge 30 Pro sports a 6.7-inch, full-HD+ OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. It is HDR10+ certified and also uses DC dimming. The panel has thin borders and a small hole for the 60-megapixel selfie camera. This sensor resolution is among the highest I've seen on a smartphone yet for a front camera. Motorola has opted for Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the front which is surprising since the back uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5. There are stereo speakers on the Edge 30 Pro, and the body is IP52 rated to resist light splashes of water.

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro's fingerprint scanner is embedded into the power button on the right side. I found the position to be higher than ideal for my hands. I would have preferred an in-display fingerprint scanner since that's the norm for flagship smartphones these days. The volume buttons are further up and require you to shuffle the phone around a bit in order to reach them.

You get Android 12 with Motorola's My UX customisations on the Edge 30 Pro

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC powering the Edge 30 Pro is the most powerful smartphone SoC from Qualcomm yet. It will also be powering the Samsung Galaxy S22 Series in India. The Edge 30 Pro can work with 13 5G bands as well as 4G VoLTE. It houses a 4,800mAh battery, and supports 68W fast charging. Motorola has also bundled a 68W charger in the box.

During my short time with the Motorola Edge 30 Pro, it felt super responsive and the high display refresh rate made the overall experience feel fluid. You get Android 12 out of the box, with Motorola's My UX customisations on top. The company also promises to update the phone till Android 14 which is decent, but is still not as good as the four-year commitment Samsung recently made for its Galaxy S22 series.

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro sports a triple camera setup at the back

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro has a triple camera setup with high-resolution sensors. The primary camera has a 50-megapixel sensor, OIS, and omni-directional PDAF. There's also a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 114-degree field of view, and the third one is a 2-megapixel depth sensor. I am looking forward to putting these cameras to the test in the full review.

Motorola has launched the Edge 30 Pro priced at Rs. 49,999 in India. This will undercut the Samsung Galaxy S22 and also the iQoo 9 Pro by a big margin. The price is on par with that of the Asus ROG Phone 5s gaming smartphone, which is powered by last year's Snapdragon 888+. Those looking for the best performance at a reasonable price should find the Edge 30 Pro quite promising, and from what I can tell, Motorola hasn't cut too many corners. However, I'll know for sure once I'm done testing the gaming performance, cameras, and software. I'll also be seeing how well the battery holds up with regular use in the full review, so stay tuned to Gadgets 360.