Motorola Edge 40 Neo Review: A Solid and Stylish Midrange Smartphone

Oct 9, 2023

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Motorola Android smartphones have a great fan following all around the world, especially within the Indian market. What makes Motorola really popular is its great value-for-money hardware, a bloat-free Android experience, and trusted brand association.

The latest launch from Motorola for the Indian smartphone market comes in the form of the Edge 40 Neo, a cheaper version of the already available Motorola Edge 40.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is priced at ₹23,999 ($288) for the 8GB RAM/128GB internal storage variant, and ₹25,999 ($312) for the 12GB RAM/256GB internal storage variant.

Today, we’re here with a detailed review of the Motorola Edge 40 Neo to help you better understand whether this should be your next smartphone purchase.

Motorola Edge 40 Neo Review

What’s in the Box?

Let’s begin by talking about the contents of the box. Below are all the items you receive in your Motorola Edge 40 Neo retail packaging.

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo handset
68W TurboPower charger
Sim ejector tool
USB Type-C charging cable
Printed documentation related to warranty and user guides
Protective back case that’s climate-friendly

Build and Design

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo is branded as “The Head Turner” by the company. Well, the design of the phone isn’t anything out-of-this-world, but it’s the attention to detail and finer details that make this a real head-turner.

For starters, as this smartphone is part of Motorola’s “edge” series, the first thing you notice about the phone out of the box is the curved screen that flows off the edge on both sides.

The front of the phone has a 6.55-inch pOLED display that Motorola terms an “Endless Edge” display, for its curves on both edges.

The device’s selfie camera is a punch-hole unit positioned in the center of the display. The bezels on all sides of the display also seem proportional, giving a premium look on the front side of the device.

Turn the device to the back and you get to see the dual camera setup with flash on the top left corner of the chassis, followed by a Motorola logo on the center back. To the right houses the volume and power buttons, whereas the SIM tray as well as the USB Type-C port for charging is featured on the bottom of the device.

Design-wise, Motorola is focusing much on the rear panel of the Edge 40 Neo. The back panel has a premium ultra-soft vegan leather finish for that “worth the price” feel when you hold the device.

Moreover, the three available color options for the device, namely Caneel Bay, Beauty Black, and Soothing Sea, are developed together in conjunction with the Pantone Color Institute. Thus, giving the device a very vibrant, unique, and premium look on the rear.

The device is also IP68-rated for dust, sand, and dirt resistance as well as for it’s ability to withstand being submerged in shallow water for a maximum rated duration of 30 minutes.

Display

Talking about the display unit on the device, it’s a 6.55-inch FHD+ pOLED panel with a screen resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and a 20:9 aspect ratio.

The screen also has a 144Hz refresh rate. You can switch the refresh rate between 60Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz. Unfortunately, this is not an LTPO panel, so automatic switching between refresh rates is not available. This is not really something to complain about, as it’s not seen on any devices in the Edge 40 Neo’s price segment.

One important display-related feature to note is the “Auto Mode”. In this mode, the display will automatically switch between 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz depending on what’s happening on the screen. However, in this mode, the display does not reach 144Hz. Even though it’s not the same as what the higher-end smartphones do with their LTPO panel by switching between 1Hz – 120 Hz (or more), the “Auto Mode” feature on the Edge 40 Neo is definitely a welcome addition.

The phone offers an exceptional display experience with vibrant and accurate colors, deep blacks, and excellent brightness levels, making it easily visible outdoors. The edge display adds a premium touch to the device, attracting attention from others. Additionally, the phone also features useful edge lighting that glows when receiving calls, notifications, or alerts. This enhances its appeal and functionality for a wide range of users.

Camera

The camera setup on the Motorola Edge 40 Neo includes an array of 50MP primary with PDAF/OIS and a 13MP ultrawide with a 120-degree field-of-view on the rear. For the selfie camera, the device has a 32MP unit.

Daylight shots using both the rear cameras have ample details and are sharp, but we feel the colors are often oversaturated. If you like saturated pictures you will like them otherwise you won’t like it so much.

Even though the device can shoot up to 50MP using the rear camera, using the maximum resolution does mean that the photos get noisier and we feel the photos are over-sharpened during the post-processing. The best results are still using the 12.5MP default photo capture mode.

When it comes to night photography, the results are really impressive with good lighting, less noise, and awesome detail. The results are definitely competitive for the price range.

Regarding selfies, I’m not entirely satisfied with this phone’s performance. While it can capture detailed selfies in good lighting conditions, I find the skin tones and image processing less appealing. Some images lack detail, and selfies tend to be softer in low light. I have also used the Moto G84 recently which also comes in the same price bracket and found it to excel in the selfie department, making it one of the top choices under ₹20k. In my opinion, Motorola should address these camera app issues and improve its overall functionality, possibly integrating a better Gallery app seamlessly instead of relying on the Google Photos app. This would significantly enhance the overall photography experience on the device. Nonetheless, the device performs well in photography overall.

The rear and selfie cameras on the Edge 40 Neo are capable of recording videos at 4K resolution at 30 FPS. If you wish to record 1080p at 60 FPS, then it’s only possible using the rear main camera.

Here are some of the camera samples in different conditions:

UI, Performance, Gaming

When it comes to the user interface, as we mentioned in the beginning, this is one aspect that makes people really appreciate Motorola devices.

The UI on the device feels as if it’s running stock Android, even though it’s actually running on Motorola’s “MyUX” skin on top of Android 13. The device does feature some Motorola OEM applications installed, however, does not have any other third-party bloatware applications installed.

On the performance front, the device is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7030 chipset, which is a 6-nanometer SoC. There’s also either 8GB / 12GB of LPDDR4X RAM as well as 128GB / 256GB of UFS2.2 storage, depending on the variant you choose.

I’ve run benchmark tests on the device, with AnTuTu scoring it at 531,775, and Geekbench 6 showing a single-core score of 1,060 and a multi-core score of 2,500. During a CPU throttling test lasting 15 minutes with 50 threads, the device’s performance dropped by 21% from its peak.

The chipset is competitive for the price segment the phone sells at, and you should not have any hassles while performing day-to-day ordinary tasks on your phone. Even gaming with high graphics and frame-rate settings enabled must be easy to live with.

I’ve tested this phone with demanding games like Asphalt 8, Asphalt 9, BGMI, and Call of Duty, and it performs well. I usually play BGMI with lower graphics settings and have had smooth experiences, even during intense moments. The chipset handles most challenges effectively, maintaining a stable FPS. Unless you’re an extremely hardcore gamer, this phone should handle casual gaming with ease.

However, extensive gaming for hours as well as intense multitasking with resource and power-hungry apps running will definitely take a toll on the performance front, with you experiencing faster battery backup loss and overheating issues as well.

Sound

The audio experience on this phone is impressive, thanks to its Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers. These speakers are both loud and clear, and they provide a wide soundstage, especially for tracks in Dolby Atmos format. In fact, among the phones I’m currently reviewing, the notification tone on this handset stands out for its loudness.

Motorola has added a spatial sound feature that creates a 3D effect for tracks that aren’t natively encoded in Dolby Atmos, and while it works well, Dolby Atmos tracks sound even better. It’s worth noting that the Motorola Edge 40 Neo does not have a 3.5mm audio jack.

Battery

There’s a 5000mAh battery pack on the device, that’s capable of charging up to 50 percent within 15 minutes, thanks to the 68W TurboPower charging brick bundled in the box.

Keeping the super-fast charging aside, the 5000mAh battery by itself is sufficient enough to last you a whole day with you enjoying the best performance out of your phone. For best endurance extending over a full day, you may have to reduce your device’s refresh rate and be conservative on the apps you run.

Final Verdict: Is the Motorola Edge 40 A Good Buy?

The budget Android smartphone space is very competitive and crowded, especially in the Indian market.

Simply put, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo is definitely our top contender for a smartphone pick between the ₹20,000 and ₹25,000 price bracket at which the phone sells.

For the money you pay, you get a premium design and feel both on the front and rear, capable hardware that will easily get you through all your daily tasks and more, an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, an impressive camera, and a good enough battery life.

What impresses us most is that you get to enjoy all these without having to suffer third-party advertisements or bloatware apps.

Moreover, you can utilize offers such as bank credit/debit card discounts, exchange deals, and festive season deals, to further reduce the price to under Rs 24000, which makes the Motorola Edge 40 Neo an even sweeter deal!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Motorola Edge 40 Neo review are solely mine, reflecting my personal experiences. There has been no editorial input from Motorola.

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