Display: 6.7 inches (2400 x 1080)
Refresh rate: 165Hz adaptive
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 512GB
Rear cameras: 50MP (f/1.8) main; 50MP (f/2.2) ultrawide; 12MP (f/1.6) portrait
Front camera: 60MP (f/2.2)
Battery: 5,100 mAh
Charging speed: 68W wired; 15W wireless
Waterproof: IP68
Size: 6.3 x 2.9 x 0.34 inches
Weight: 7.2 ounces
The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) is the latest flagship handset from a phone maker that may be better known for its midrange and budget offerings. This phone looks to change that with improvements to the Edge's design, display and camera array aimed at better challenging handsets from Apple and Samsung.
Improving on the Motorola Edge Plus (2022), this year's model upgrades to a 165Hz refresh rate, more premium materials, and a versatile telephoto lens for portrait photography. Shipping as an Android 13 phone, the Edge Plus could be one of the best Android phones Motorola's yet made.
I went hands-on with the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) ahead of the phone's official reveal today (May 2). Here are my first impressions, plus what you'll want to know about price and availability.
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) hands-on: Price and availability
The Motorola Edge Plus costs $799, which is $100 less than last year's Motorola Edge Plus (2022). It is available at Boost Infinite and Boost Mobile as of May 9, with availability expanding to Spectrum Mobile and Consumer Cellular later on. You'll also be able to buy the phone unlocked starting May 25 at Best Buy, Amazon.com and Motorola.com.
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) hands-on: Design and display
As Motorola’s flagship, the Edge Plus gets one of the most premium designs we've ever seen offered in the company’s smartphone portfolio.
The phone features what Motorola calls an “endless edge” design, with thin bezels that complement the phone's curved chassis and display. When I held the Edge Plus, the velvety fingerprint-resistant rear felt lovely in my hand. Paired with the sand-blasted aluminum frame, the Edge Plus 2023 truly looks like a flagship phone.
As for the display, the Edge Plus has a 6.7-inch, Full HD+ pOLED screen with Dolby Vision, HDR 10+ and a 165Hz refresh rate. This screen is incredibly snappy, whether it's for scrolling a website or more gaming. Playing Asphalt 9: Legends felt smooth and instantaneous.
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) hands-on: Cameras
Photography and video seem to be a big focus of the Edge Plus. The phone features a 50MP main sensor with image stabilization, a 50MP combined ultra-wide and macro sensor, a 12MP sensor with 2x telephoto for portrait mode, and a 60MP selfie camera.
New quad pixel technology should help the Edge Plus 2023 produce better low-light photos, but that’s something we’ll have to take a closer look at for the full review.
At a glance, the photos I took looked crisp, and handled some of the fog hovering over Chicago skyscrapers especially well. In my demo, I also tried some of the new modes in Portrait, including a wide option at 35mm and close-up option at 85mm.
In terms of video, the Edge Plus has some cool new tools including night vision for brighter footage in low-light, a horizon lock feature to keep shots stabilized on horizon, auto focus tracking that locks onto subject in motion, and video portrait for a soft focus around your subject. These are the kinds of features that we see on some of Motorola’s premium competitors, so it will be interesting to see how they perform when we get a chance to fully test the phone.
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) hands-on: Battery life
Powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (which promises 40% greater power efficiency than before,) the Edge Plus’ 5100 mAh battery capacity promises 2 days of battery life. Of course, we’d need to run our battery test to see how the stamina stacks up against continuous web surfing. Motorola phones are typically some of the best phones for battery life, but previous-gen Edge Plus battery life disappointed. We're curious to see if there's improvement in this area, especially given that the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 — both powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 — held out for more than 12 hours in our test.
When the Edge Plus needs juice, it gets 68W wired charging that claims to charge the phone for the day in 9 minutes. You can also expect 15W wireless charging and support for reverse wireless charging.
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) hands-on: Outlook
The Motorola Edge Plus is shipping with Android 13, and will get three years of OS upgrades plus four years of security updates. The software support, plus the competitive specs, make for what seems to be Motorola's most well-rounded flagship yet.
Still, we need to conduct a full review before coming to conclusions about how the value compares the iPhone 14 and Samsung Galaxy S23.
