Indispensable between the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, the American brand Motorola ended up disappearing from our European countries.
Bought by the Chinese Lenovo in 2014, after having briefly passed into the hands of Google, the manufacturer has recently been trying to make a comeback on the Old Continent.
And to make a place for itself in the sun, it relies especially on its Edge range, which is available this year in three models, ranging from 319 to 699 euros.
We tested the “middle” one, the Edge 20, offered at 499 euros and released in early September.
What does he have to offer?
We liked
A very nice screen.
This is perhaps the most stunning part of the phone: its beautiful 6.7-inch (17 cm diagonal) Oled display.
The Full HD + panel can display up to 144 images per second (144 Hz), which gives great fluidity, especially when playing or scrolling on Instagram, Facebook and others.
To preserve the battery, it is possible to opt for an adaptive mode: the phone then chooses the refresh rate best suited to your use.
We also appreciated the accuracy of the colors offered (by opting for the “natural colors” mode).
As for the brightness, it is more than sufficient for reading in direct sunlight.
It can also drop very low for comfortable nighttime use.
The stunning Oled screen spans 6.7 inches (17cm).
Rather successful finishes.
To keep costs down, Motorola chose a plastic back instead of the more premium glass.
The build quality is good, the touch pleasant and the gray version of our test model offers some rather nice reflections.
You could almost think we're dealing with glass.
Too bad, however, that the coating, in addition to being very slippery, catches fingerprints.
We also regret that the photo module is so protruding.
Consequence: the phone pitches when used flat on a table.
A defect that can be mitigated by dressing it in the plastic shell provided in the box.
Let's finish on two positive points: its featherweight (barely 163 g) and its fineness (7 mm).
The photo block is massive, especially compared to the overall smoothness of the phone.
Solid performance.
Motorola opted for a Snapdragon 778G chip, coupled with 8 GB of RAM.
It's not the best at the moment.
But it is a relevant choice because the phone, which runs on Android 11, with a very discreet overlay, is fluid in all circumstances.
The applications launch quickly, the multitasking is perfectly managed and the games, even greedy, run without a hitch.
Another good point: the heating is well controlled even during intense and prolonged use.
Side storage, only one possible choice: 128 GB. And, unfortunately, impossible to extend the memory via a micro-SD card.
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A successful photo game.
On the back, the phone has a (large) photo module made up of three sensors:
a main sensor of 108 Megapixels (MP), which shoots by default in 12 MP by merging the pixels
a 16 MP ultra wide-angle
a telephoto lens (optical zoom X3)
The Motorola Edge 20 takes great photos.
By day, the images are detailed and crisp.
The color treatment is fairly neutral, which may destabilize lovers of saturated tones.
The ultra wide-angle also delivers beautiful photos, the distortion effect is well controlled even if, here too, we note a rendering that some would qualify as dull.
The telephoto lens, rare in this price range, offers a very decent rendering, with a high level of detail and effective stabilization.
Ultra wide angle.
Main module.
Zoom X3 (optical).
Zoom X30 (digital).
At night, the phone does well here again: the photos are rather crisp, the smoothing is moderate and the color palette remains rich.
Let's finish with the selfie sensor, which goes up to 32 MP (default rendering at 8 MP after pixel fusion).
The rendering is correct: the colors are numerous but the photos are a little too smooth.
Night mode activated.
Night mode deactivated.
We liked less
Ergonomics to review.
The Motorola Edge 20 is an imposing smartphone (16.3 cm in height) that will not suit small hands.
Its angular edges, which are reminiscent of those of the iPhone 13, are rather pretty in our eyes.
But, there again, they do not facilitate the gripping.
In addition, the volume control buttons and the fingerprint sensor, on the right edge, are located too high, which forces certain contortions on a daily basis.
Not practical…
The buttons on the right edge, too high, are difficult to access.
A charge that could have been faster.
A 30 W USB-C block is supplied in the box.
It recharges the 4000 mAh battery to 100% in about an hour (50% in 22 minutes).
A bit long, knowing that competitors, especially from Oppo, Realme or Xiaomi, offer a fast charge of up to 65 W. Side autonomy, the phone is doing quite well.
In mixed use, without overdoing it, it will easily last a day and a half, which corresponds to current standards.
Verdict
Admittedly, the Edge 20 has a few small flaws: its imposing size may put off some users and its ergonomics could have been better.
We also regret the absence of a mini-jack port or the impossibility of expanding the storage.
But these aspects ultimately weigh quite little compared to the overall qualities of the mobile.
Powerful, elegant, with a magnificent 6.7-inch screen, it also takes beautiful photos, in particular by offering a convincing X3 optical zoom, very rare in this price segment.
And its autonomy is honorable.
In short, at less than 500 euros, it is a relevant choice.
Motorola Edge 20,
499 euros (8 GB + 128 GB).
No memory expansion possible.
No mini-jack socket.
Dual SIM card, NFC compatible.
Available in two colors: white or gray (our test version).
