Following its release back in 2020, the Moto G Stylus quickly became one of the company’s most popular phones. But now, Motorola is stepping up its ambitions with the new Edge+, which is essentially a more affordable take on a Galaxy Note.
With a starting price of $1,000 (or $900 at launch thanks to a limited-time discount), the Moto Edge+ combines strong performance from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip with native stylus support. That said, unlike a Galaxy Note or the new Galaxy S22 Ultra, Motorola’s Smart Stylus is an optional extra that will come bundled with a folio cover, the latter of which addresses the phone’s lack of built-in stylus storage. Meanwhile, recharging the stylus is taken care of using the phone’s 5-watt reverse wireless charging.
Elsewhere, the Edge+ comes with a number of premium features including a 6.7-inch 2400 x 1080 OLED with a 144Hz refresh rate, 15-watt Qi wireless charging and dual stereo speakers with support for Dolby Atmos. Base specs include 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 4,800 mAh battery, though you can bump that up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage if you like. And while Motorola’s software and security support still doesn’t match what you get from Google or Samsung, the company has committed to two years of Android OS upgrades and three years of bi-monthly security updates.
The Moto Edge+ also sports a decent selection of cameras headlined by its 50MP main cam and 50MP ultra-wide cam which also pulls double duty for macro photography, with an even higher-res 60MP selfie camera in front. Unfortunately, because the phone’s third rear “camera” is merely a 2MP depth sensor, that means you don’t get a dedicated zoom lens like you do on Samsung’s latest Galaxy S handsets.
In addition to serving as your mobile drawing and notetaking device, Moto envisions the Edge+ as a part-time work device thanks to support for the company’s Ready For platform. When the phone is connected to a nearby TV or monitor (either over USB-C or wirelessly), Ready For provides a more desktop-like UI similar to Samsung’s Dex mode, while the company’s Thinkshield security platform helps protect any potentially sensitive data.
As an added bonus, the Edge+’s rear cameras can even be used as webcams during video calls when connected to a nearby PC, with Motorola also claiming the device is the first phone to support Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Spaces VR platform when paired with Lenovo’s A3 Think Reality smart glasses.
All told, the Edge+ looks like an intriguing mix of specs and features for the price, especially when compared to the $1,200 S22 Ultra. The one thing I’m not quite sure about its is design, most notably that camera module and its surrounding pebble-like glass housing. But for anyone who’s fancied a Galaxy Note but couldn’t stomach Samsung’s super premium price tags, it’s definitely nice to see Motorola offer a more affordable alternative.
The new Moto Edge+ will be available soon (exact date still TBD) as an unlocked device from Motorola and third-party retailers including Best Buy and Amazon, followed by wider availability from carriers such as Verizon, Boost Mobile and Republic Wireless sometime later this spring.
