{Disarmed} Motorola Edge 20 Pro, analysis: the most ambitious Motorola to date has only one sin
The Motorola Edge arrived in September 2020, with a name that indicated a curved screen and brushing with the high-end range. Motorola has wanted to give a twist to this Edge family by leaving the curve aside, raising the bar in power and offering the market a high-end alternative at a relatively contained price.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro passes through our analysis table, the company's most powerful mobile to date, ready to compete with the best in the market.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro datasheet
MOTOROLA EDGE 20 PRO | |
|---|---|
DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT | 163 x 76 x 7.99 mm 185 gram (vegan leather) |
SCREEN | 6.7 inch OLED FullHD + resolution Refresh rate: 144 Hz Touch Refresh Touch: 576 Hz HDR10 + DCI-P3 |
PROCESSOR | Snapdragon 870 |
RAM | 12 GB LPDDR5 |
INTERNAL STORAGE | 256 GB UFS 3.1 |
REAR CAMERA | 108 MP (1 / 1.52 ", 0.7μm), f / 1.9 |
FRONT CAMERA | 32 MP, f / 2.25 |
BATTERY | 4,500 mAh |
OS | Android 11 |
CONNECTIVITY | Wi-Fi 6 NFC dual SIM |
Others | IP52 3 microphones |
price | 699 euros |
![motorola edge 20 pro (6.7 "144Hz HDR10 + OLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, TurboPower ™, 108MP camera, Super Zoom 50x, 4500 mAH battery, Dual SIM, 12 / 256GB, Android 11), Blue [ES / PT version]](https://pic.xiaomist.com/m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41CxvCAtsoL._SL500_.jpg)
motorola edge 20 pro (6.7 "144Hz HDR10 + OLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, TurboPower ™, 108MP camera, Super Zoom 50x, 4500 mAH battery, Dual SIM, 12 / 256GB, Android 11), Blue [ES / PT version]
RRP on Amazon € 699.00 RRP at MediaMarkt € 699.00 RRP at Motorola € 699.00Design: premium on (almost) all sides
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro doesn't hide its high-end ambitions in the finish. The terminal is topped on the back by a matte glass, great news so that there are no marked traces or too much slip .
Despite having a large sensor, the module does not protrude much more than usual: it is large, but not massiveThe camera module stands out, although not excessively, being very well integrated into the body of the terminal. This rear is not too curved, unlike in the previous generation, but the grip is quite good despite being a fairly large terminal.
All the buttons on the Motorola Edge 20 Pro are too high, none are easily reached.The bezels that surround the terminal are not so premium, well finished, but finished in plastic in this case . On these sides we find the biggest sin at the design level in this Motorola: the button panel. On the right side we have volume buttons and fingerprint reader. They are located in the highest part of the frame and, considering that the mobile exceeds 16 centimeters in height, it is simply impossible to reach with your finger in a natural position.
The same happens with the button on the left side, dedicated to Google Assistant. It is located very high, so it is quite uncomfortable. The construction of the keypad is quite solid, they do not dance in the least and give a good feeling when pressed. We would have liked the fingerprint reader to have a little more surface area , since its small size will affect the user experience, as we will explain a little later.
The upper part of the device is clean and, in its lower part, we find the only speaker of the device, the USB-C port and the tray for the SIM card. In general, the design is quite successful , with the only sin of having a too high button panel.
In xiaomist.com Android In defense of giant mobiles 
If we turn the terminal and look at its front, we see a very well used terminal, with 89% of the front occupied according to GSMarena . The corners are rounded and do not nail. The hole on the screen, which we will talk about later, ends up camouflaging very well in some apps and we forget about it in a few hours.
If we talk about dimensions, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro remains in line with what we usually see in the high-end. It is a device that exceeds 16 centimeters in height , but that manages to contain its weight up to 190 grams. Staying under 200 grams is a competitive advantage over many of its rivals, as we don't get too tired of holding it in hand.
| Height (millimeters) | Width (mm) | Thickness (millimeters) | Weight (grams) | Screen (inch) | Battery | Surface (cm²) | Volume (cc) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorola Edge 20 Pro | 163 | 76 | 8 | 180 | 6.43 | 4,500 | 123.88 | 99.1 |
| OnePlus Nord 2 | 158.9 | 73.2 | 8.25 | 189 | 6.34 | 4,500 | 116.31 | 95.96 |
| Realme 8 Pro | 160.6 | 77.3 | 8.1 | 176 | 6.4 | 4,500 | 124.14 | 100.36 |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite | 160.53 | 75.75 | 6.81 | 159 | 6.55 | 4,250 | 121.6 | 82.81 |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | 151.7 | 71.2 | 7.9 | 171 | 6.7 | 4,000 | 108.01 | 85.33 |
| Sony Xperia 1 II | 165.1 | 71.1 | 7.6 | 181.4 | 6.5 | 4,000 | 117.39 | 89.21 |
| iPhone 12 Pro | 146.7 | 71.5 | 7.4 | 187 | 6.1 | 2,815 | 104.89 | 77.61 |
Being such a tall mobile, it is quite difficult to use it with one hand , at least if we want to reach all the corners of its panel. Despite this, the weight and its rear design help make it a comfortable phone to use, which we can enjoy for hours. In short, a terminal at the height of expectations, in which we have missed the aluminum to compete face to face with the best finishes of the high range.
Screen: worthy of the big leagues
The main problem with the Motorola Edge, as we indicated in its analysis, was its excessive curve on the panel: aesthetic, but not very functional. Motorola arrives with the lesson learned in the Edge 20 Pro, with a 6.7-inch flat panel , with Full HD + technology and a 144Hz refresh rate. The resolution is more than sufficient, although the company is not yet encouraged to make the leap to Quad HD +.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro panel has convinced us. It is spectacular in terms of brightness , it is well calibrated, it has good viewing angles and it is very difficult to get ifs out of it. It is a panel very similar to the one we find, for example, in the Samsung Galaxy S21 + .
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro panel is spectacular in terms of brightness, refresh rate and tactile responseThe colors are quite saturated by default, although we recommend leaving them set in this mode, since the 'Natural' tints the screen too yellow. Here there is no notch or mechanisms, a centered hole in the screen , which we forget in a few hours. Being an AMOLED panel there is no type of shading in it, and its size is medium.
At the refresh rate level we have 144Hz. We can activate three modes: 60Hz mode, 120Hz adaptive mode and 144Hz forced mode . To be honest, the difference between 120 and 144Hz is simply imperceptible to the human eye, so we recommend leaving the automatic mode active at 120Hz, which works like a scandal.
Also highlight the touch refresh rate, 576Hz. The real-world translation of this number is that the Motorola Edge 20 Pro's panel responds immediately , giving an even greater sense of fluidity. Here the Motorola Edge 20 Pro gives one of the best touch experiences on the market, with its panel being more sensitive than many of its competitors.
Regarding the panel software options, we have interesting options, such as the quick activation of the split screen, attentive screen (it does not turn off while we look at it), anti-flicker mode or smart screen to activate the panel when receiving notifications, among others.
Performance: outstanding, no halftones
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 , 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory of type UFS 3.1. Add to that Motorola's light layer of customization, the cocktail has the expected flavor. The performance of this Motorola is outstanding, one of the best high-end experiences . There is no trace of lag, the opening times are minimal, the RAM is capable of handling several heavy games in the background and the low latency of the panel helps to make the experience even better.
Despite wearing a Snapdragon 888, the heat is not excessive when we abuse the CPU and GPU . There is a slight warming at the top, but nothing serious. 256 GB of memory is also more than enough for all the multimedia and applications that we want to install, so we are not limited at any point with this Motorola.
We leave you with the benchmarks of this Motorola so that you can see how it performs compared to some of its direct rivals.
MOTOROLA EDGE 20 PRO | SAMSUNG GALAXY S21 ULTRA | iPHONE 12 PRO | XIAOMI MI 11 ULTRA | ONEPLUS 9 PRO | HUAWEI P40 PRO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PROCESSOR | Snapdragon 888 | Exynos 2100 | Apple A14 Bionic | Snapdragon 888 | Snapdragon 888 | Kirin 990 |
RAM | 8 GB | 12 GB | 6 GB | 12 GB | 12 GB | 8 GB |
GEEKBENCH 5 | 1,106 / 2,678 | 991 / 3,272 | 1,614 / 4,148 | 1,127 / 3,663 | 1,105 / 3,603 | 943 / 2,527 |
3D MARK (SLINGSHOT) | Maxed out | 9,226 | - | Maxed out | (Maxed out) | 8,726 |
PC MARK WORK | 12,928 | 14,043 | - | 11,691 | 11,919 | 9,476 |
Biometrics
The fingerprint reader is too small and too high.At the biometric level we have the classic 2D facial recognition system based on the device's front camera. It works quickly and we can configure it to skip the lock screen , thus directly unlocking the device. It is an effective method, although not very safe.
Regarding the side fingerprint reader, the experience leaves a lot to be desired. In the first place it is too high, which is why it costs much more than the account to reach such a basic button. Second, the surface of the button is small , so much of the finger is left out and it is difficult for you to recognize it. And third, the error rate is high. Even if we put our finger on its place, it usually fails a lot, so we have ended up using facial recognition on most occasions.
Software: very Motorola and very much Motorola
Motorola continues to bet on its customization layer based on the cleanest version of Android. Although it may not seem like it, everything is modified, from the launcher to the submenus of the settings menu. However, Motorola manages to start from the Android stock base and add only what is necessary . The bloatware on the device is minimal, with only a couple of its own apps (Moto and Motorola notifications) necessary for the layer to work properly.
Up to 15 GB of RAM in this Motorola.We have interesting customization functions, with a 'styles' menu that allows us to apply different themes (very light, yes) to the system, as well as create our own. It is also curious that, in a device with 12 GB of RAM, we can virtually expand the RAM to 15 GB . The system uses 3 GB of UFS 3.1 memory to virtualize them and offer 15 GB, a function that we have tested and with which we have not noticed changes, since we have not lacked RAM at any time.
Where we have noticed a problem has been with the native Android gesture system . Repeatedly, the gesture to invoke multitasking has not responded , having to repeatedly slide on the central bar to activate it. It is nothing more than a solvable bug in future updates, but it has been somewhat annoying to have an error in such a basic gesture.
The most prominent feature in this Motorola Edge 20 Pro is Ready For, a new Motorola experience to enjoy the mobile connected to a screen. We can use Ready For with an HDMI to type C cable or wirelessly , both with PC and television. If we use PC, for the moment, it will be necessary to have Windows 10 installed, since it is not compatible with Mac.
Ready For is very similar to solutions like Samsung's DeX. We can use the mobile in desktop mode , connected to keyboard and mouse, with apps that adapt to the interface of the PC or television screen. Operation is outstanding both wired and wireless.
Autonomy
This phone is a titan in autonomy.The Motorola Edge 20 Pro fully complies with its 4,500mAh , a figure that allows it to overcome the day of use with about 8 hours of screen with the adaptive mode at 120Hz. Going up to 144Hz does not have much impact, and we can always bet on 60Hz if we want to scrape some extra hour, but seeing the numbers we have stayed in adaptive mode.
The autonomy figures of this terminal are excellent: we surpass the day of use with a few hours of screenThe fast charge is 30W, so it charges in about an hour and a half. In addition, the terminal allows optimized charging up to 80% , and even an overload protection mode, so that it stops charging if we leave it plugged in for three days. We do not have wireless charging or reversible wireless charging, although we were more than happy with the figures for this battery.
Cameras: the great pending issue
Even though the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is a high-end device, the big spoiler is that the camera is not. In this generation we have a 108 megapixel main sensor that, by default, shoots at 12 megapixels. It is accompanied by an 8-megapixel periscope sensor with optical stabilizer and a 16-megapixel ultra-wide angle. For the front camera Motorola has opted for a 32 megapixel sensor.
Before talking about the results, let's take a look at the camera app . In this generation it has been given a facelift compared to what we found in the previous Edge, so let's see what it hides.
Camera app
Not very intuitive , this is the camera app of the Motorola Edge 20 Pro. The company leaves it up to the user to make the most basic options visible. That is to say: if we want the portrait mode or night mode in the lower modes bar, we must configure them manually . To do this, you have to go to the 'more settings' section and drag the different modes to the bar.
From the main interface we can only configure flash, timer, animated photos and aspect ratio, leaving the rest of the settings in the settings menu of the camera app. This is well organized by categories, so that we can make adjustments to photography, video, general capture and others.
Comment that, despite having a Snapdragon 888, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro shoots quite slowly . If we add to this that the main camera does not have an optical stabilizer, it is quite easy for the photographs to come out shaky, a great drawback in a mobile of this price.
Rear cameras by day
There are some elements burned in the image and the detail is sufficient, although not very high.By day, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is below expectations. The processing is quite aggressive , lacking above all in color and sharpness. The photographs are somewhat bound and the general look of the scene is artificial. For average users without too much demand, it is still a valid camera, but in the price range in which it wants to compete, we begin to demand a somewhat more refined processing.
The HDR Auto, advisable to always have it on. 
Although sometimes it does not manage to rescue information from the shadows even if it is active.HDR work is somewhat inconsistent. It works automatically and we recommend leaving it active always, since we lose practically all the dynamic range of the sensor if we deactivate it. However, despite being active, it has a difficult time retrieving information from the shadows . And keep the skies at bay It is easy to find parts of the scene overexposed while some shadows are muted.
The ultra-wide-angle performance is at the core of the main sensor. The photographs have a much wider range of vision, so the inclusion of this sensor is appreciated, although the processing leaves to be desired. As usual, this sensor is considerably less sharp , so we cannot expect the same quality that we find in the main camera.
0.5x | 1x | 5x 
Processing is still a bit bogged down, but we're happy to have 5x magnification with OIS.The periscope sensor is probably the most differential factor in this camera. It allows us to zoom at five times in a very stable way , since it has integrated OIS. It is an inclusion to applaud in this price range and it makes you want to play with it. Of course, its sin is the sharpness, since the processing returns to fill the image.
The cropping is good, although the processing of the faces is somewhat strange.Portrait mode doesn't work badly. The clipping is correct, the bokeh somewhat artificial but we liked the results. It does not come to compete with the best portraits of the moment, but we can obtain very usable photographs with this mode. In the viewer we will have a preview of how it will look, although when processed in the gallery it will look much better than through the viewer itself.
Camera at night
At night the Motorola Edge 20 Pro keeps what is seen during the day. Acceptable results, but below expectations in its price range. In this case we appreciate a notable lack of sharpness, as well as some HDR problems to manage artificial highlights (street lamps, spotlights, etc.). Night mode helps enhance the scene , so we recommend turning it on.
About night mode, knowing that tries to force the edges of the image sharpness to win, so we have an image with more detail in exchange for a slightly artificial look. The gain in luminosity is not too remarkable, but it is a valid night mode to gain detail through software.
The ultra wide angle has some trouble rescuing detail at night. In addition, the night mode does not work with this sensor , only with the main one, so we are limited to the usual processing and the quality of the sensor.
Selfie
Portrait mode on the front camera.The selfie is another of the weak points on camera. The image is barely sharp, in addition to processing the face in a somewhat paste-like way, eliminating textures. There are also problems with HDR, which burns the sky completely. We can use this camera to take some eventual self-portrait, but we should not expect great quality from it.
Selfie in portrait mode.When night falls the selfie luckily keeps the type. It is not the best selfie in its segment, but at night we liked it even more than during the day , since here it manages to maintain a lot of light. We continue to miss more detail, as the face is still somewhat blurry, but the results do not fall as much as one might expect in a night selfie.
Video
Video recording is not the strong suit in this Motorola Edge 20 Pro. It performs well enough up to 4K 60 FPS (we can record in 8K, but we lose the stabilization completely), although we observed again some problems in HDR. The stabilization in Full HD does not shine too much either . In general, we have a video quality closer to the mid-range.
Motorola Edge 20 Pro, the opinion of xiaomist.com
Motorola has wanted to do its homework at the hardware level with this Motorola, and they have been well done. It is a well-finished mobile, with power to spare , an outstanding screen, enough battery to last the day and software that is a real delight. If what we are looking for is a clean ROM and power to spare, this Motorola more than fulfills its purpose.
The Motorola Edge 20 Pro falls in love with its performance and software. The rest of the hardware complies, being the camera the main weak point of the terminalThe main drawback here is the camera. Having a periscope zoom of five increases falls in love , but the final quality of the photographs disappoints. The Edge 20 Pro competes more in the range of 300/500 euros in usual shots, being quite far from the high range. The zoom gives it a competitive edge over the mid-premium range, but the final processing overshadows the experience.
We also miss a little more ambition in the sound. A mobile of 700 euros must have a double speaker , something that we begin to find even in very cheap ranges. Saving these sins, the Motorola Edge 20 Pro is an alternative to consider.
8.9
Design 9 Screen 9.25 Performance 9.5 7.5 camera Software 9 Autonomy 9In favor
- The design is spectacular: elegant and comfortable.
- The screen lives up to any flagship.
- The performance is superlative, one of the fastest phones on the market.
Against
- The camera has too much room for improvement.
- Call out for a double speaker.
- For this price an extra fast charge is appreciated.
motorola edge 20 pro (6.7 "144Hz HDR10 + OLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 870, TurboPower ™, 108MP camera, Super Zoom 50x, 4500 mAH battery, Dual SIM, 12 / 256GB, Android 11), Blue [ES / PT version]
RRP on Amazon € 699.00 RRP at MediaMarkt € 699.00 RRP at Motorola € 699.00The terminal has been released for testing by Motorola . You can consult our policy of relations with companies .
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The Motorola Edge 20 Pro news , analysis: the most ambitious Motorola to date has only one sin was originally published in xiaomist.com by Ricardo Aguilar .
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