Design and Build: A Statement of Refined Audacity
Abandoning the dramatic curves of its predecessor, the Motorola Edge+ (2023) adopts a sophisticated, flat-edge design that feels both modern and instantly familiar in the best way. The aluminum frame provides a rigid, premium feel, while the contoured back glass—available in Interstellar Black or a stunning Viva Magenta—melds seamlessly into the frame, offering a secure and comfortable grip. This is not a phone that shouts for attention with gimmicks; instead, it commands respect through meticulous craftsmanship. The device feels substantial without being overly heavy, striking a balance that eludes many competitors. The signature circular camera hump is prominent but integrated thoughtfully, preventing the significant wobble often encountered with large camera islands. Motorola has also brought back a fan-favorite feature: the genuine leather option for the Viva Magenta model, providing a tactile, unique texture that stands in stark contrast to the glossy glass and frosted glass backs dominating the market from Samsung and Apple. This choice exemplifies Motorola’s strategy: compete on premium materials but offer distinctive character.
Display: Where “Big Brand” Brightness Meets Moto’s Signature Curves
The 6.67-inch pOLED display is the centerpiece of the Edge+ experience and a primary battleground where Motorola goes toe-to-toe with the industry’s best. The most significant upgrade is the staggering peak brightness of 1,600 nits (with a typical full-screen brightness of 1,200 nits), ensuring perfect visibility even under direct sunlight. This finally closes the gap with the dazzling panels of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro Max. The 165Hz refresh rate, however, pushes Motorola ahead in one key metric. Scrolling through social media, navigating menus, and gaming are buttery smooth, offering a perceptible fluidity advantage over the 120Hz standard upheld by most flagships. The resolution is a sharp FHD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels), which, while not the QHD+ of some ultra-premium rivals, delivers exceptional clarity and color accuracy, supporting HDR10+ and a wide color gamut.
Motorola retains its signature “Endless Edge” display, a gently cascading waterfall curve on the sides. While this reduces bezels to near-invisibility for an immersive viewing experience, it can introduce occasional accidental touches. To mitigate this, software features allow for the deactivation of the very edges. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos-tuned stereo speakers creates a rich, spatial audio experience that is loud, clear, and perfectly complements the visual splendor for media consumption. This display isn’t just a spec sheet winner; it’s a cohesive, high-performance window to the phone’s capabilities that confidently challenges the established display kings.
Performance and Software: Pure Android Power
At its heart, the Motorola Edge+ (2023) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the same chipset found in the Samsung Galaxy S23 series and other Android flagships. This levels the playing field entirely. Paired with a generous 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of fast UFS 4.0 storage, the device is an absolute performance powerhouse. There is no task too demanding; resource-intensive games like Genshin Impact run at high frame rates, app switching is instantaneous, and multitasking is handled with effortless ease. This raw performance parity is Motorola’s strongest argument for consideration against the Samsungs and Google Pixels of the world.
Where Motorola truly differentiates itself is in the software experience. Running a near-stock version of Android 13, the software is clean, bloatware-free, and incredibly responsive. This “My UX” approach is a breath of fresh air compared to the heavily skinned interfaces of Samsung’s One UI or Xiaomi’s MIUI. Motorola adds thoughtful, genuinely useful features on top of this clean base. Moto Gestures, like a double-chop to activate the flashlight or a twist of the wrist to launch the camera, become second nature and are incredibly convenient. The Peek Display for notifications is more intuitive than always-on displays on many competitors. Motorola promises three major Android OS upgrades and four years of security updates, a commitment that, while improved, still trails Samsung’s and Google’s longer support promises, representing an area for future competitive growth.
Camera System: Versatility with Room for Refinement
The camera system on the Motorola Edge+ (2023) is a tale of two halves: incredibly capable in the right conditions but occasionally inconsistent compared to the computational photography prowess of its biggest rivals. The main sensor is a massive 50MP with an f/1.8 aperture and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). In good lighting, it captures photos with excellent detail, vibrant but natural colors, and a wide dynamic range. The pixel-binning technology ensures sharp 12.5MP output by default. The 50MP ultrawide shooter doubles as a macro vision camera, offering impressive flexibility and maintaining color consistency with the main sensor.
The most notable addition is the periscope-style telephoto lens with 6x optical zoom and OIS. This allows for lossless zoom up to 6x and usable digital zoom beyond, a feature that directly competes with the zoom capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. The results are often impressive, capturing distant subjects with clarity that software-based zoom cannot match. Low-light performance is solid, thanks to the large sensors and Night Vision mode, but it can sometimes struggle with complex lighting scenes compared to Google’s Night Sight or Apple’s Photonic Engine, where processing is more advanced. Video capabilities are top-tier, supporting 8K recording at 30fps across all three rear cameras with excellent stabilization. The 60MP selfie camera is more than capable for high-quality video calls and selfies. While the hardware is flagship-grade, the image processing algorithms can occasionally be less aggressive than those of Pixel or Samsung, leading to photos that are sometimes more true-to-life but occasionally lack the immediate “wow” factor of its competitors’ computational photography.
Battery Life and Charging: All-Day Power and Beyond
Battery anxiety is virtually non-existent with the Motorola Edge+ (2023). The substantial 5,100mAh battery is one of the largest in the flagship segment, easily providing a day and a half of heavy use, or two full days with more moderate usage. This endurance comfortably surpasses many competitors with smaller cells. When it is time to recharge, the support for 68W TurboPower wired charging is blisteringly fast, capable of refilling the battery from 0 to 100% in approximately 35 minutes. The inclusion of 15W wireless charging and, crucially, 5W reverse wireless power sharing adds a layer of convenience for topping up earbuds or other Qi-enabled devices. This combination of exceptional endurance and versatile, high-speed charging options is a key competitive advantage, addressing a primary pain point for power users more effectively than many rivals.
The Competitive Landscape: Finding its Niche
Positioning the Motorola Edge+ (2023) requires looking beyond raw specifications. It goes spec-for-spec with the Samsung Galaxy S23+, often at a more attractive price point, while offering a larger battery, faster charging, and a higher refresh rate display. Against the Google Pixel 7 Pro, it trades Google’s industry-leading computational photography for superior raw performance, faster charging, and a more traditional premium design. The challenge lies not in the hardware but in brand perception, software update policies, and the camera’s final polish. For the user who values a clean software experience, exceptional battery life, and a design that stands out without being ostentatious, the Motorola Edge+ (2023) presents a compelling and sophisticated alternative. It proves that Motorola is not just participating in the flagship race but is capable of crafting a device that defines its own lane—one built on practicality, performance, and a distinct personality.