Motorola Edge 40 Neo review
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is the budget-friendly sibling of the Edge 40 series, delivering a similar experience at a lower price point. This mid-range smartphone boasts many of the same features as its pricier counterparts, including a 144Hz OLED display, fast charging, and a high-quality camera setup. However, it falls short in terms of battery life, which may be a trade-off for those looking to save a few dollars.
Build Quality and Design
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo boasts a sleek design that is characteristic of its more expensive siblings in the Edge series. The phone's build quality is decent, with a thin plastic frame that houses both the back and front curves. The weight of the device is similar to the regular Edge 40, making it easy to wield. One notable aspect of the Neo's design is the collaboration with Pantone on its colorways. The "Soothing C" variant features a vegan leather backing that provides a nice grip. Alternatively, there's also an acrylic back option available for those who prefer a different aesthetic. The Edge 40 Neo maintains IP68-rated protection against dust and water, making it suitable for everyday use. The phone's display is a highlight, boasting a fast 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ video support. The OLED screen is plenty bright, with a maximum of around 520 nits in manual mode and over 1000 nits in auto mode. The phone's stereo speaker setup supports Adobe Atmos, delivering good loudness and balanced output. However, the bass could be more pronounced. The under-display fingerprint reader is responsive but would benefit from being placed higher for easier access. In terms of design, the Edge 40 Neo checks all the right boxes. Its build quality is decent, and its display is one of the highlights. While it may not revolutionize the smartphone market in this aspect, it's a solid choice for those looking for a feature-packed device with good aesthetics.
Battery Life
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo's battery life is its Achilles' heel. Despite packing a large 5,000mAh power cell, the phone struggles to deliver standout performance in screen-on tests. Our endurance rating measured just 80 hours, which falls short of other mid-range competitors. While charging speeds are swift with the included 68W adapter, reaching 82% in half an hour and a full charge in 51 minutes, wireless charging support is inexplicably absent. This omission is all the more puzzling given its presence on last year's Neo model and the Edge 40 itself. During our stress test, the phone showed some signs of throttling, which could further impact battery life. In normal usage, you might find yourself needing to top up the charge before the end of the day, especially if you're an avid gamer or streamer. Motorola's decision to prioritize form over function in this regard is disappointing, considering the Edge 40 Neo's otherwise impressive feature set and competitive pricing. While it's not a deal-breaker, the mediocre battery life does detract from the overall user experience. If you can live with the compromise on battery life, the Edge 40 Neo still offers great value for its price. However, if prolonged use without needing to recharge is essential to you, this might not be the phone to choose.
Display
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo boasts a stunning 6.55-inch OLED display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate and 1080p resolution. The curved screen edges provide a unique viewing experience that some may find more immersive than traditional flat screens. HDR10+ video support is also on board, delivering vibrant colors and deep contrast. Color accuracy is decent, depending on the color settings chosen. In our tests, the display reached a maximum brightness of around 520 nits with the manual slider, and over 1000 nits in auto mode. This level of brightness is comparable to higher-tier Motorola models. One notable feature is the adaptive refresh rate, which can dial down to 120Hz when needed to conserve energy. However, if you opt for a locked 144Hz refresh rate, be prepared for increased power consumption. The stereo speaker setup with Adobe Atmos support provides good loudness and balanced output, but some may find it lacking in bass. The display's responsiveness is also worth mentioning, as the under-display fingerprint reader takes advantage of this to provide quick and accurate biometric authentication.
Camera
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo boasts a camera setup that is remarkably similar to its more expensive sibling, the vanilla Edge 40. At the heart of this system lies a 50-megapixel main camera, which, in conjunction with a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens, delivers impressive results. One of the standout features of the Edge 40 Neo's camera is its ability to produce detailed images with wide dynamic range. The main camera's aperture of f/1.8 allows for a good amount of detail in both bright and dark areas, although it can sometimes result in slightly muted colors. This is especially noticeable when compared to other mid-range devices. When shooting portraits with the main camera, subject detection is exceptional, capturing even the smallest details. However, digitally zoomed portraits may lack some detail, particularly in low-light conditions. Night vision mode on the Edge 40 Neo is impressive, producing images with excellent dynamic range, well-preserved highlights, and good color representation. The ultrawide lens, with its autofocus feature, can be used to capture close-up subjects and even has a digital zoom added when using the dedicated macro mode. The resulting photos are surprisingly good for a smartphone macro shot, with decent detail and sufficient contrast. One area where the Edge 40 Neo falls short is in low-light video recording from the main camera. While it produces good sharpness and detail, noise handling could be improved, and dynamic range suffers slightly, leading to blown-out light sources. In general, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo's cameras perform well, especially considering its price point. It delivers features typically found on more expensive devices, such as a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide lens with autofocus. While it may not match the exact quality of higher-end smartphones in certain scenarios, it is still a solid mid-range offering. Ultimately, the Edge 40 Neo's cameras provide a lot of value for money, punching above its weight class. However, there are areas where improvement could be made, particularly in low-light video recording and dynamic range.
Price and Value
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is the budget option in the company's Edge 40 series, offering a similar experience to its more expensive siblings at a lower price point. While it may not be as flashy as some other mid-range devices, the Edge 40 Neo delivers impressive value for money. Priced competitively, the Neo model offers many of the same features as the regular Edge 40, including a 6.55-inch OLED display with a fast 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ video support. The camera setup is also identical to its pricier counterpart, featuring a 50MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultra-wide lens. One of the standout aspects of the Neo model is its performance. Running on a MediaTek Dimensity 7030 chipset, it delivers solid mid-range numbers in benchmarks, matching or even surpassing some higher-end devices. This makes the Edge 40 Neo an attractive option for those seeking a powerful device without breaking the bank. Battery life, however, is a slightly different story. Despite a large 5,000mAh battery, the Neo model struggled to provide long screen-on times in our testing, earning an endurance rating of 80 hours. This is still respectable, but not as impressive as some other mid-range competitors. Considering its price and feature set, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo offers remarkable value for money. It's a great option for those seeking a powerful device with a high-quality display and camera setup without the hefty price tag. While it may not be perfect, the Neo model is certainly worth considering for anyone in search of a reliable mid-range smartphone.
Performance
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo's performance is a mixed bag. Powered by Mediatek's Dimensity 7030 chipset, the phone delivers solid mid-range numbers in benchmarks, performing similarly to devices with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1080 chip. It's also on par with the Samsung Galaxy A34 and even gives the Galaxy A54 a run for its money in graphics tests. In sustained performance tests, the Edge 40 Neo shows minimal throttling, indicating that it can handle demanding tasks without significant degradation. However, the phone's battery life is a weak point, earning an overall endurance rating of 80 hours in screen-on tests. This falls short of other mid-range competitors. Charging speed, on the other hand, is no disappointment, with the included 68W adapter quickly topping up the 5,000mAh battery from 0 to 82% in just half an hour and reaching a full charge in 51 minutes. Unfortunately, wireless charging support has been omitted. In terms of cameras, the Edge 40 Neo's main camera produces 12.5 megapixel images with good detail and wide dynamic range, but muted colors are a notable drawback. Portrait mode shots have excellent subject detection, although digitally zoomed portraits exhibit less detail in low-light conditions. The phone also supports 4K video recording across all cameras, with the main camera producing videos with excellent detail and well-controlled noise. However, electronic stabilization can sometimes result in focus hunting. Low light videos from the main camera have good sharpness and detail, but dynamic range is just average, with light sources often blown out. Overall, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo's performance is a double-edged sword – it delivers solid mid-range numbers, but its battery life falls short of expectations.