Motorola Edge 50 Neo reviewed: built for long days

Not sure “how much” you need to spend on a mobile, or even “how much” phone you really need? The Motorola Edge 50 Neo could be just right, provided you’re fine with a few things.

Design

If you’ve seen one phone, you’ve probably seen them all, and that’s largely how you may end up feeling the moment you glance at the Edge 50 Neo. Simply put, it’s a 6.4 inch plane of glass atop a fairly slim body 8.1mm body weighing 171g, with three cameras at the back and a Pantone-coloured bit of leather-finish plastic.

In short, the Edge 50 Neo is designed like so many phones these days, about the only thing that gives it any sense of individuality is the fact that there’s an official Pantone colour mark on the back. Our Edge 50 Neo review unit came in the official Pantone colour of “Grisaille”.

Outside of this, it’s a fairly simplistic design, though definitely easy enough on the eyes. It’s not going to win awards for creativity, but it certainly isn’t bad looking.

Features

An Edge of a different kind, Motorola’s Edge 50 Neo simply continues the “Edge” line of phones without necessarily having its own edge. By our count, it’s quite similar to other Motorola phones we’ve seen in the past.

On the outside, Moto is borrowing the Edge 50 design, while the inside applies a less expensive take on what constitutes a phone these days.

That means using Mediatek’s Dimensity 7300 alongside a surprising 12GB RAM and a generous amount of storage: 256GB to work with. Google’s Android 14 arrived on the phone out of the box, a surprise given we’re in 2025 and it probably should be Android 15, given 16 is coming out later this year.

The fake leather back sees three cameras cover a 50 megapixel wide F1.8, 13 megapixel F2.2 ultra-wide, and a 10 megapixel F2.0 3X telephoto, while the front gets a 32 megapixel F2.4 selfie camera.

Wired physical connections include a single USB-C port at the bottom for charging and data, while wireless is catered for via 5G, WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax WiFi 6E, GPS, and Near-Field Communication (NFC for Google Pay).

And then there’s the screen: a 6.4 inch pOLED display running 2670×1220, and supporting HDR and slick animations thanks to a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Moto Edge 50 Neo also sports IP68 water resistance and a MIL-STD-810H rating, and arrives with a fingerprint sensor built into the screen, plus a 4310mAh battery supporting both wireless charging and high-speed wired charging.

In-use

If you’ve used one Android phone, you’ve probably used them all, and the Edge 50 Neo is no different in that regard.

Android is easy here, with version 14 present on the model we reviewed, though we assume Android 15 is gradually inching its way out bit by bit.

You’ll find the usual assortment of widgetised home screens and app menus, not to mention the Motorola clever little gestures, including how you can shake the phone to launch the camera. We love that one.

Outside of the regular Android bits and bobs, the Edge 50 Neo is comfortable in the hand, thanks to its size. The back’s use of texture is a nice touch, and while the phone isn’t necessarily an aesthetic dream, it’s easy enough both on the eyes and the hands. It’s a comfortable phone to use, that’s for sure.

And it’s also more durable than you may expect. While the IP68 water resistance is becoming a bit of a thing in the mid-range, the inclusion of a military spec rating was not what we expected. Sufficed to say, the Moto Edge 50 Neo is more durable than most phones you’ll gaze at.

Speaking of gazes, being a pOLED display, the screen is nice enough, but can look a little faded at times, unless you jack up the brightness to compensate.

Performance

There’s a chip we’ve seen before, as the same processor from the Razr 50 standard model graces the Edge 50 Neo. The difference, however, is pretty obvious when you compare it to another Edge 50, such as the Edge 50 Pro, which is much faster.

Moto’s Edge (no pun intended) is only obvious in the Pro model, while the Neo gets a less impressive system spec.

It’s a totally different chip, with the Dimensity 7300 sitting inside and giving you acceptable system performance with the obvious spot of lag. A slowdown here and there is the price of progress for budget phones, and it’s evident in the benchmarks, too.

Comparing the Edge 50 Neo against other Android phones, you can see that while it’s not awful, it’s also not a spectacular performer.

Technically a new phone, this recent arrival loses out in benchmarks to 2024’s Pixel 8a and 2023’s Pixel 7a. That’s less than ideal.

Sufficed to say, the Neo will get you along in your regular day, but it may not be as fast as other models out there. It does the job, which we suspect is the point.

You’ll also get support for 5G, and without needing the word “5G” attached to the name. It’s just par for the course above the $500 mark these days, which is great news for customers keen to hold onto a phone for longer.

In the Edge 50 Neo, the 5G performance we found meant speeds as high as 211Mbps when testing on the Telstra 5G network by way of Mate in Sydney, Australia.

As with all 5G tests, your performance is likely to vary, and it comes down to a variety of factors. Ultimately, though, the 5G performance should get you downloading and surfing the web at some solid speeds across the country. Or even just uploading images and videos to your favourite social platform.

Camera

Armed with three cameras, the Edge 50 Neo is certainly more capable than you might expect, though can be a touch on the slow side. That combination means the camera system is just “good enough”, provided enough is all you really need.

Technically (and on paper), the cameras appear to have plenty to work with: a 50 megapixel F1.8 wide main camera, sitting alongside a 10 megapixel 3X F2 telephoto and a 13 megapixel F2.2 ultra-wide with macro. On paper, that’s a fairly formidable kit that sounds like it would rival a recent iPhone.

In practice, the results are acceptable in daylight but occasionally soft at times, as well. We suspect you’re dealing with the slight performance issues affecting the system, which doesn’t always achieve sharp clarity where it otherwise should.

With low light, that softness continues, though the macro and telephoto inclusions are a nicety we’re surprised work as well as they do.

In short, the three camera system of the Edge 50 Neo looks better than it performs. It’ll definitely do more than a budget camera, but it’s really just good enough and could be better.

Battery

The camera is “good enough”, and it appears so is the battery, though the results in battery performance are actually a little stronger in this way.

Throughout our testing over a week, we found the Moto Edge 50 Neo could achieve a good two days of battery life without a lot of effort, though you’d likely need to charge towards the back half of that day.

Two days isn’t bad, though obviously the more you use the handset, the more you’re likely to charge nightly.

There’s also 15W wireless charging along for the ride in this phone, as well as a neat 68W charger in the box, meaning you’ll get high speed wired charging for folks looking for that little bit faster power.

Value

One of the most useful points is clearly the price, which sees the Edge 50 Neo near the back half of the mid-range.

The world of mid-range phones varies wildly, pricing from around the $300 mark all the way to thousand dollar price points. Granted, models at $1K are more like slightly less expensive high-end phones than they are mid-range models, but the nature of the world and the high price of the cost of living means they’re also technically mid-range, which is where we are in 2025.

For Motorola, the $699 cost of the Edge 50 Neo isn’t a bad price tag for everything you get, giving a bit of style with a combination of features that technically wins points for value.

What needs work?

While the value wins points, what needs work most of all in the Edge 50 Neo is the performance. That’s not crash hot.

The phone’s design is comfortable to hold, and the back is textured, which helps that considerably. It ecen manages to feel thinner than its 8.1mm would suggest.

But the Mediatek Dimensity 7300 isn’t a great chip, and struggles to get things done. Expect lag as you use the phone, because it will be there. The system just isn’t grand.

Likewise, the fingerprint system isn’t super reliable in the dark. Press it once or twice, and the shame will be upon you. It’s just not a great unlocking experience, with the built-in fingerprint reader often struggling to revive the phone from standby.

What we love

Despite the obvious niggles, the battery life is a clear winner, and makes the Edge 50 Neo a solid choice of you’re tired of phones that struggle to hit a day.

This phone can handle two days easy. It has to make some compromises to get there, but if battery life is your number one pain point, you may be willing to forgo the issues in performance to achieve two solid days of battery life, a real achievement in mobiles in this day and age.

Final thoughts (TLDR)

And that battery life could end up being the sole reason for the Edge 50 Neo turns out being a winner for buyers. In a world where one day as a max is the norm, the dream of two days is the main draw card that makes the 50 Neo worth looking at.

This phone is built for long days, and built for days meant to be a little tougher. The water resistance and 810H military spec makes it just that little bit better for surviving, even if you’ll miss out on excellent performance and great cameras.

In many ways, the Moto Edge 50 Neo is all about trying to find a balance on the most important features. If longevity is it, you may have found your match.