Motorola Introduces The New 'Edge 40 Pro'
Motorola has long been relegated to the budget and midrange sectors of the smartphone market despite being the third-largest smartphone brand in the U.S. Motorola's high-end Edge lineup was headed up last year by the Edge 30 Ultra, which was chock-full of bells and whistles, including a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, a 144 Hz, 1250-nit OLED display, and a versatile camera system.
The newly-announced Motorola Edge 40 Pro builds on the success of the previous devices in the Edge lineup, delivering top-tier hardware and features that should live up to its flagship pricing. A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM take care of daily tasks.
Camera systems have been a strong selling point in the smartphone market lately. The Motorola Edge 40 Pro has a 50 MP primary camera with OIS and PDAF, a 50 MP ultrawide camera, and a 12 MP 2x telephoto portrait camera. The ultrawide sensor features autofocus, which can double as a macro camera for detailed close-ups. Motorola has chosen to go with a rather overkill 60 MP image sensor for selfies.
Gaming and consuming media on the Edge 40 Pro should also be a treat thanks to its 6.67-inch, 165 Hz, FHD+ OLED display that supports Dolby Vision HDR and stereo speakers with spatial audio.
The Motorola Edge 40 Pro steps up charging and software tricks
With the Edge 40 Pro, Motorola is debuting 125 W TurboPower globally. Motorola claims the updated charging speed will get the 4600 mAh battery in the Edge 40 Pro to 100% in as little as 23 minutes. Motorola does not specify whether it will bundle the 125 W charging brick in the box, but it does note that the wireless charger will be sold separately, so one can assume the Edge 40 Pro will ship with a wired charger included.
Motorola has a reputation for understated, lightweight software features, and the Edge 40 Pro seems no different. It runs Android 13 out of the box and will have a few Motorola software tweaks. The new camera app on the Edge 40 Pro also brings a few worthwhile updates, including Video Night Vision, Horizon Lock Stabilization, Video Auto Focus Tracking, and Video Portrait mode. The Video Auto Focus Tracking is particularly useful for anyone filming fast-moving children, pets, or themselves.
Motorola is first releasing its latest flagship device in Europe, with a starting MSRP of €899.99 (around $985). A Latin America release will follow shortly after. With the announcement of the Edge 40 Pro, Motorola also committed to increasing its U.S. presence, including a launch of the Edge 40 Pro later in 2023.