Motorola Edge 40 Neo review
Moto Edge 40 Neo two-minute review
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo straddles the line between the type of fantastic cheap phone that Moto is known for, and a more esteemed breed of mid-range mobile. And while it manages to be a respectable jack of all trades, it’s a master of none.
The handset is ostensibly a more affordable spin on the Motorola Edge 40, released in the early months of 2023, but with some compromises and corners cut in order to save you a bit of money. The three main distinctions are that the chipset is weaker, it has no wireless charging and the body is made from less premium materials.
Offering a ‘budget’ version of a flagship is standard practice in mobile-making, but the Neo offers very few weaker areas than its more premium compadre – in fact, it’s actually a more powerful phone in a few areas, with a bigger battery and more RAM. If you gave me the phones and didn’t tell me which was which, I wouldn’t be able to identify which of them cost over £100 more.
Many of the Edge 40’s impressive features are here in force. The charging is very quick for a Moto phone, with 68W powering getting your phone full in 30 minutes or less. Moto’s spin on stock Android continues to offer loads of customization options and handy shortcuts. The phone has a good-looking display, a range of attractive Pantone-designed color options and more storage than you’ll find in many other mobiles of this price.
Unfortunately, though the Moto Edge 40 Neo is an attractive alternative to its premium sibling, it doesn’t quite justify its higher price compared to members of the Moto G range of affordable Android handsets. We tested the Neo alongside the Moto G84 which costs less and is more impressive for what it offers, with similar specs, improved gaming capabilities and many features in common with the Neo.
One issue with the Edge 40 Neo is the curved-edge display. This is a feature that used to be commonplace in premium phones, and even some mid-rangers that were positioning themselves as neo-premiums. A display like this lets the phone sit more comfortably in the hand, and lends it a more refined feel, though it’s very easy to accidentally touch the edge and trigger some unintended function. That was the case with the Neo, and it made gaming an absolute pain.
Motorola’s continued Achilles’ Heel returns too in the form of the Edge 40 Neo’s cameras. The 50MP main and 13MP ultra-wide combo looks fine on paper, but the pictures are unremarkable and a little dull. This handset isn’t for the impassioned mobile photographer.
Overall the feature set here is solid, especially considering the low cost of the handset, but a few stumbling blocks stand in the way. Issues with the curved-edge display mean that gaming is more of a pain than it’s worth, making the powerful specs and good-looking screen redundant for gamers. And people who like the software and display will find contemporary Moto G handsets equal in function yet cheaper in price.
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: price and availability
- Released in September 2023
- Costs £299.99 (roughly $375, AU$575)
- Not for sale in US or Australia
The newest member of Motorola’s Edge family was announced in mid-September, alongside the Moto G84 and Moto G53. It went on sale shortly afterward in the UK – we don’t have any information on releases elsewhere, but judging by precedent, it could show up in the US down the line under a different name.
The phone costs just £299 (roughly $375, AU$575) which is surprisingly cheap for an Edge phone, given that some of the brand’s budget Moto G handsets have sold for more.
For comparison, the main Edge 40 costs £529 (roughly $690 / AU$1,015) while the Edge 30 Neo went for £349 (about $400, AU$500), so this is one of the cheapest Edge mobiles Moto has released.
- Value score: 3.5 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: specs
Is the Moto Edge 40 Neo a budget phone, or a mid-ranger? Let's look at its specs...
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: design
- Four Pantone-designed color options
- Curved-edge display makes phone feel premium
- USB-C port but no 3.5mm headphone jack
The Moto Edge 40 Neo looks surprisingly premium given its price tag. Between the curved-edge display, vibrant color options and svelte body, this could be confused from a distance for a Samsung or Xiaomi blower.
The Neo is one of several recent Moto phones that have had their color options designed by Pantone, and so three of the four you can pick between look distinct and unique. It’s the Caneel Bay model that you can see in pictures but there’s also Peach Fuzz, Soothing Sea (light green) and Black Beauty. This latter is the only one that looks rather basic — it’s just black.
Moto has also continued to use a design feature that used to be commonplace in premium mobiles, but is now sadly rare: the curved-edge display. This rounded screen makes the phone sit nice and comfortably in the hand, and it’s another element of the mobile that seems pinched from a much pricier model. While the angle isn’t as dramatic as the ‘Waterfall’ display used on the original Edge series, that just means it’s less slippery.
Unfortunately, some of the negative traits of premium mobiles are here too; there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack, for example, despite Moto continuing to feature this in most of its handsets. The only port, then, is the USB-C adaptor.
On the right edge of the phone is the volume rocker and power button, both in fairly easy-to-reach positions. The handset is lightweight at just 170g and measures 159.6 x 72 x 7.9mm.
It’s a well-protected handset with an IP68 rating. That means it’s nice and snug from dust particles and submersion in water.
- Design score: 3.5 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: display
- Large 6.5-inch screen
- Resolution of FHD+ (1080 x 2400)
- High max brightness and snappy refresh rate
The phone’s screen is 6.55 inches across — fairly standard for a smartphone in this day and age. As mentioned in the design section it’s a curved-edge display, which makes it look a little larger, though this feature has a big drawback (head to the ‘Performance and audio’ section to learn more).
There’s nothing surprising in the resolution department: FHD+, or 2400 x 1080 pixels as the vast majority of smartphones are. This is all you really need, though, as popular games and streaming services output at this resolution or lower.
The phone has a nice snappy refresh rate of 144Hz, so motion looks lovely and smooth, and a fairly high max brightness of 1,300 nits too. As budget phone displays go this ticks all the boxes and puts a second tick in a few of them too, so you won’t be disappointed by it.
- Display score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: software
- Uses Google's stock Android
- Only two confirmed years of updates
- Lots of navigation and customization features
The Motorola Edge 40 Neo comes running Android 13, the newest form of Google’s operating system as of its release. Moto tends to be reticent on future update plans though, so its promise for only two years of updates seems a little shallow compared to the longer update spans many other Android phones get. However, not everyone cares about getting the newest version of Android for years to come, and your phone will still work for many more years whether or not you get these updates.
The Neo uses near-stock Android, which means it’s as Google designed it, with no visual or functional overlay like many other Android brands use. Stock Android is generally regarded as having a pretty clean-looking interface with easy navigation.
Motorola has been slowly pulling stock Android in its own direction, though, by bringing more and more of its own features to the phones. These are all welcome additions. A long-running one is Moto Actions, little gestures you can do for shortcuts, including a double-karate-chop action to turn on a torch, or two rotating shakes to turn on the camera. They can take some getting used to, but they’re fantastic time-saving tools once you’ve got the knack.
In Moto’s recent phones it’s also been offering an expansive suite of customization options, more so than most rival mobiles. You can change font, color scheme, app icon shape, display edge light, and a lot more; if you love tinkering settings to your heart’s content, the Edge 40 Neo is going to let you do just that.
- Software score: 4 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: cameras
- 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras
- Some extra features like Spot Color
- 32MP front-facing camera for selfies
You don't buy a Moto phone expecting Samsung- or iPhone-level photography chops, and there's no change in the Moto Edge 40 Neo.
The phone has two rear cameras, headed up by a 50MP f/1.8 snapper, which is joined by a 13MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide. A fairly standard duo, all things considered.
The main camera is fit for purpose, but it won't wow. I took snaps that would be perfectly suitable for dropping onto Instagram or WhatsApp, but nothing that was fantastic enough that I was enthused to hunt down amazing scenes when I wasn't trying to test the cameras.
My main issue is that the snaps look a little grainy, even when well-lit, as you can see in the below cookies picture, which was taken with help from a professional photography light. The phone's processing sometimes added an odd color tint too, which you can see in both the pineapple and houseplant snaps.
Switch over to the ultra-wide camera, and you're getting pictures that are fairly low-res, and also a little duller than those taken on the main camera.
Selfies are... fine, that's the most descriptive word for these pictures. Portrait mode bokeh was fairly light-touch but sometimes gentle is better. Quality was lost in darker areas.
Moto has added a few extra camera modes beyond the standards, the main of which is a Samsung-esque Spot Color that lets you pick one color from the frame and remove all the others. It's a fun extra mode that not many phones offer, even though it wasn't always flawless in execution (it confused skin tone and wood colors on several occasions). It works both for photography and for videography.
You can record video in 1080p at 60fps or 4K at 30fps, and can drop the frame rate down to 240fps in slow-mo mode.
- Camera score: 3 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo camera samples
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: performance and audio
- Powerful Dimensity 7030 chipset plus 12GB RAM
- Curved-edge display brings gaming problems
- Bluetooth 5.4, tinny speakers and no headphone jack
On paper, the Moto is a budget gaming champ. It has the mid-range yet relatively powerful Dimensity 7030 chipset running under the hood, paired with an impressive 12GB RAM.
Those lend themselves to power, and a Geekbench 6 multi-core score of 2,513 shows that this certainly is a powerful phone compared to same-price contemporaries.
Unfortunately, the phone’s curvy screen makes gaming a frustrating experience. When I played Call of Duty: Mobile, I’d repeatedly accidentally tap the top edge of the display, bringing up the mini-map if it was on one edge or looking wildly around if it were the other. This same experience occurred on other titles too, depending on the buttons that their UI house right at the top.
There’s evidently little accidental-touch recognition here, despite this being a feature that Moto Edge phones have previously boasted. It’s a curious omission or flaw but it means the handset just isn’t great for gaming fans.
It’s a shame too, because the specs are fantastic for a phone of this price. A 144Hz display and 12GB RAM feels wasted in a phone like this.
As stated, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack on the Moto Edge 40 Neo, so for music you’ll have to rely on connecting to the phone with Bluetooth 5.4 or using the stereo speakers. If you’re going for the latter, be warned that they’re a little tinny, especially if you crank up the volume louder. Fine for bangs and explosions for games, not so much for enjoying your favorite symphony on Spotify.
- Performance score: 3 / 5
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: battery life
- Chunky 5,000mAh battery
- Phone easily works into second day
- Lovely fast 68W charging for half-hour power
As with the vast majority of its phones, Moto has put a 5,000mAh battery in the Edge 40 Neo, which is the largest-capacity power back you’ll find in the vast majority of smartphones.
In testing, the phone had no issues in lasting a full day of use, and often lasted until mid-way through a second day before it needed to be plugged in. Frugal phone users might even see the mobile last a whole second day.
So what’s that charging like? Well, Moto fans might do a double take here, but it’s 68W; given that Motorola generally sticks to slow charging for its phones, that’s a surprisingly snappy speed that we’re happy to see.
You can power the phone to full from empty in just over half an hour; Motorola’s selling the phone on its ability to charge to 50% in under 15 minutes, which our testing concurred with. Just don’t expect wireless charging, on the Neo or any phone at this price!
- Battery score: 4 / 5
Should you buy the Motorola Edge 40 Neo?
Buy it if...
You like funky phones
Coming in four Pantone-designed color options, the Edge 40 Neo is one for you if you're bored of the typical 'black or blue' options you get for most Android phones.
You're a curved-edge display fan
Curved-edge displays have their fans and their detractors, and if you're in the latter camp you have few options. The Edge 40 Neo is a definite consideration for you.
You like customizing your software
Colorful phone options, colorful phone interface: Moto's phones are rife with ways to customize the look of your handset's interface.
Don't buy it if...
You're a mobile gamer
The curved-edge display's accidental touch issues nearly had me pulling my hair out when I was testing the Neo on online games. This is not one for mobile gamers!
You’re a phone photographer
Motorola's phones rarely have anything in the way of photography chops, and that's definitely the case here too. Fit for purpose, but won't wow.
You care about software updates
If you care about how long your smartphone will see new features for, you might find the Edge a little limited compared to some other brands' phones.
Motorola Edge 40 Neo review: also consider
Considering other mobiles beyond the Moto Edge 40 Neo? Here are some others you could look into:
Moto Edge 40
You're getting a more powerful chipset here as well as a slightly smaller phone made with more premium materials, but it costs more and is pretty much the same (or weaker) in all other departments.
Poco X5
For the same price as the Edge 40 Neo, gaming fans can get this powerful Android phone with a big, bold display. Don't expect as many features as on Moto's phones but its gaming chops far exceed the Neo's.
How I tested the Motorola Edge 40 Neo
- Review test period = 2 week
- Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
- Tools used = Geekbench 5, Geekbench 6, Geekbench ML, GFXBench, native Android stats
I tested the Motorola Edge 40 Neo alongside the G84 and G53, which were announced and released alongside it. I used the Caneel Bay color variant of this mobile, and I've never been to Caneel Bay itself so I can't attest to the color's accuracy.
Since the Edge 40 Neo was not the first of the three phones I tested, it enjoyed an extended testing period, as for two weeks I set it up to let the battery settle, and for the occasional gaming or photography session. The 'true' testing time was two weeks, and I used the mobile as my own handset for this time.
I've been testing smartphones for TechRadar for almost five years now. In fact, after joining the team in early 2019, my first-ever review was a Motorola handset. I left TechRadar in late 2022 but continue to contribute freelance reviews of mobiles as well as speakers, running gadgets, headphones and more. That is to say, I have a long track record of testing devices like the Motorola Edge 40 Neo.
First reviewed December 2023
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