Motorola Edge 30 Neo is an affordable all-rounder with Pantone colours
Not just a pretty face
The new Edge 30 range might be home to Motorola’s latest flagship phones, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing here for budget-minded buyers. The Edge 30 Neo is now the most affordable entry, with a design influenced by colour experts Pantone.
Very Peri purple, Aqua Foam and Ice Palace are all distinctive takes on the familiar plastic-framed mid-ranger, and even Black Onyx is proudly rocking a Pantone swatch on its back panel. Each comes with complimentary Android themes on board, so the onscreen apps compliment the back panel.
It’s otherwise a fairly straightforward handset, with a flat screen and punch-hole selfie cam up front, and dual lens camera around back. A 64MP main sensor with optical image stabilisation leads the way, with a 13MP ultrawide performing triple duty thanks to macro close-ups and depth-sensing abilities. Up front, the front-facing camera has a sizeable 32MP sensor, which should translate to detailed selfies.
The rear camera bump also hides a subtle LED ring light, which illuminates whenever a new notification comes in. It’s an alternative to the edge lighting seen on pricier Edge models with curved screens, and proves the Nothing Phone 1 isn’t the only game in town when it comes to funky lights. Moto has also added a new hardware shortcut, with a double-tap to the back launching an app of your choice.
A 6.28in screen isn’t especially compact, but undercuts many mid-range rivals – which could appeal to anyone sick of supersize smartphones. It has a pOLED panel, which should guarantee exceptional contrast, and the Full HD-plus-a-bit resolution is plenty high enough for crisp text and detailed images. A 120Hz refresh rate promises smooth scrolling, and Motorola reckons it’ll hit 1000nits peak brightness too. The accompanying stereo speakers have been given the thumbs up from cinema specialists Dolby, with Atmos certification.
Inside, Motorola has gone for a Snapdragon 695 CPU, paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of on-board storage, depending if you’re willing to splash out on extra capacity.
The 4000mAh battery isn’ t the biggest, but the mid-range CPU shouldn’t be too much of a power drain. Moto also promises rapid 68W fast charging over USB-C – and bundled a power brick in the box, so you won’t have to hunt one down separately. There’s even wireless charging built-in, which is still a rarity among sub-£400 phones.
Expect the Motorola Edge 30 Neo to go on sale later this week, with prices starting from £350. It’ll be available at all the usual web and bricks-and-mortar retailers – but if you want a Veri Peri phone of your own, you’ll need to head to Currys and Carphone Warehouse.
Related: What’s the best mid-range smartphone? The top phones that won’t break the bank
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
