compact and comfortable without giving up anything

Large mobile phones are one of the favorite options of many users in Europe. These have advantages like a larger battery or a large panel to be able to watch movies and series comfortably. However, smaller compact phones can also be a great choice if you’re looking for more comfort or ease of use.

Few brands commit to this format, but Motorola is one of them, the company recently presented the Motorola Edge 50 Neo, a device that size reductions, but without sacrificing performancesomething that should be more common in the market, since sometimes a smaller size implies lower performance in practically every aspect.

All this with a design marked by the company’s collaboration with Pantone. At EL ESPAÑOL – El Androide Libre we have been testing this device for a few weeks and it is undoubtedly one of the best compact phones you can buy today, especially if you are looking for a mid-range device, because its price is 499 dollars.

Impeccable design

In a device with these characteristics, it is important to make good use of the available space, and Motorola has done just that. The Edge 50 Neo has tiny bezels that They make it slightly smaller than other phones with the same screen size like the Google Pixel 7, which is the one we were able to compare it with directly.

Its edges are flat, as is the case with many other cell phones today, but in this case the difference is that its back is not flat, but rather flat. It has slightly rounded edges which promote ergonomics when held in the hand. All this benefits from a durable design with IP68 protection against water and dust and a MIL-STD 810H military resistance certificate.

The material chosen for the back is a Synthetic leather that does not slip from the hand and provides a pleasant feeling while holding it. Personally, I think it’s one of the nicest finishes you can find, especially for a device of this price. The cameras are located on a module that is slightly raised compared to the rest of the body, but very subtle. Additionally, the edges of both sensors match the color of the back, giving the impression of a cohesive design.

At the bottom there is the opening for the speakers, USB Type C and the SIM card tray. On the right side, you will find the volume buttons and the power button. In terms of comfort and hand-holding sensations, it is an impeccable device. Special mention must be made to its cover, which is included in the box, It is made from recycled materials and is the same color as the mobile.

Quality compact screen

The screen is also different in this mobile. He has a 6.36-inch panel with pOLED technology which offers a superb visual experience, with vivid colors and more than adequate definition for its size: Full HD. In addition, the fact that it uses this screen technology makes it compatible with functions such as the always-on screen, essential for many users today.

The refresh rate is 120 Hz, although its automatic mode is able to modify it depending on the activity carried out to save battery. Both while playing and moving around the interface, it looks remarkably good. Just because it’s a small screen doesn’t mean it has to be lower quality than a larger panel.

In fact, he has a peak brightness of 3,000 nitsoutperforming more expensive phones and making it look perfect even in direct sunlight. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and its 360 Hz touch response makes it very smooth to use.

In addition to this, the company includes in the smartphone options the possibility of change color mode or prevent flickering when brightness is low. In that sense, it’s a small but high-quality panel, and it’s worth it if you’re looking for both screen quality and compact size.

Good power

Continuing the general trend of the device, the power section is not left out, since it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor, in this case accompanied by a 12 GB of RAM memory which can be expanded using virtual RAM and 512 GB of storage.

This was more than enough to accomplish all daily tasks, in addition to providing a good performance in games and when moving around the interfacein general. It’s not one of those devices that ends up slowing down as soon as you install apps, which is a positive point.

Battery life is one of the few areas where this device lags behind other larger models. He has a 4,310 mAh capacitya correct figure, but which is ultimately offset by the high brightness of the screen and its high refresh rate. You can complete a day of use without problem, but it is possible that, as with intense days, you will have to be careful at some point during the day.

Of course, its charge compensates very well for this situation, since It has 68W fast chargingthe device charges smoothly in about 40 minutes. It’s worth noting that it has wireless charging, a feature that many phones at this price leave behind and is usually reserved for high-end devices. A great achievement on the part of the company, since it is an extremely comfortable charging method that is easy to integrate into your routine.

Clean and useful software

Motorola has always been distinguished by a clear and light software section, but increasingly it offers many features to users. Of course, maintains the usual functions on company mobile phones like a gesture system that allows you to perform actions such as turning on the flashlight by shaking the phone.

In addition, the capabilities that artificial intelligence can offer smartphones have not gone unnoticed at Motorola, and it is excellent news that a mid-range device has these types of functions, something that more and more manufacturers put into practice. In this case, the company chose to introduce many AI-related functions.

One of the most interesting is the possibility of creating wallpapers. This can be wrapped in a user-provided description, allowing you to have a unique background on each device. By going even further, and also connecting it to the world of fashionthis device also has the ability to extract colors from a photo of the clothes we are wearing, making the wallpaper adapt perfectly to our clothes and turning the smartphone into an accessory.

Regarding durability, the company has assured that this mobile will receive up to 5 years of operating system and security updates, which attracts a lot of attention in a device of this price and which must be applauded by the company. . It has few pre-installed apps and none of them duplicate those from Google. How little the company touches on the personalization layer It’s about improving Android performance and adding useful features

Versatile camera

It is excellent news to be able to say that a cell phone so round in every way is not left out in the photographic section. Yes ok it remains a few steps behind the high endIt’s true that it’s a good photographic section, and this is partly due to its choice in terms of sensors.

On the one hand, the main camera has a resolution of 50 Mpx, and the secondary cameras are 13 Mpx and 10 Mpx, these being a wide angle and a telephoto lens, respectively. The latter is enlarged three times and allows you to zoom without loss of quality, which is very appreciated when traveling or taking images of distant objects.

When used during the day, the camera does quite well and manages to obtain good images, even if There are times when you miss a little more detail. Thanks to artificial intelligence, it is possible to select a mode that automatically improves the appearance of photographs. On the other hand, we could say that there are times when the saturation exceeds a little.

When the light goes out, things change, and although it is capable of obtaining illuminated photographs, it is true that the level of detail is lower, especially in optical zoom mode.

Should I buy it?

Logically, this mobile phone is not for everyone, since it has a fairly compact size, ideal for people who like a cell phone that does not take up too much space in their pocket. In this sense, it’s extremely comfortablesince not only does its screen only measure 6.3 inches, but it also takes up less space than other devices with panels of the same size.

Its front barely has frames and its back can boast of synthetic leather finishes that are extremely pleasant in the hand, give a premium experience and which also prevents the device from slipping. The screen of this Moto Edge 50 Neo has a resolution of 1.5K which suits it very well and allows you to perfectly enjoy any multimedia content.

Additionally, its maximum peak brightness of 4,000 nits is capable of making your screen look decent even on sunny days, being on par with the high-end in this regard. Speaking of software, the company’s artificial intelligence functions are very interesting and will allow you to personalize the device as much as possible, giving it a unique look that makes it perfect to serve as a fashion accessory.

Its 5 years of guaranteed updates guarantee that the device will hold up quite well over the years. Personally, I like compact phones, and we are looking for a device like that, but one that can perform well and has a good camera without being a high-end device. This is the best option you can buy, for a price. of 499 dollars.