The Motorola Edge 2022

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

Motorola on Thursday announced the latest Motorola Edge, the company's newest smartphone. Motorola considers the Edge part of its premium device lineup, and on paper, the new Edge looks like it'll play the part. I had a chance earlier this week to check out the new Motorola Edge in person during an event in New York City. 

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For starters, the Edge has a 6.6-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and to help with smoother gameplay or watching videos. The screen can push out 1300nits of peak brightness when the phone is used in direct sunlight, making it possible to still see what's on your screen. 

There's a cutout on the front of the phone for a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Completing the camera setup on the back of the phone are a 50-megapixel wide camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a depth sensor. 

Inside the phone is the MediaTek Dimensity 1050 processor, with configurations of 6GB memory and 128GB of storage or 8GB and 256GB available. A 5,000 mAh battery will provide two days of use, according to Motorola. Charging speeds range from 15W fast wireless charging to 30W fast wired charging. The Edge supports 5G, both Sub6 and mmWave, along with Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. 

The Edge is available in a mineral gray color, which looks more like dark blue in person. It boasts an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance. 

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

As far as the software's concerned, Motorola is now committing to three years of major OS upgrades and four years of bi-monthly security updates for the new Edge. That's a welcome improvement and a definite win for Motorola customers. The new Edge will ship with Android 12 along with Motorola's My UX skin, which adds light customizations and features to the Android experience. 

Another software trick the Edge is equipped with is Motorola's Ready For platform. Ready For PC means you can wirelessly connect the Edge to a PC and control it from your desktop, complete with its own desktop-like setup. Ready For Gaming connects the Edge to a nearby TV where you can play games -- with a wireless controller connected to the phone -- on your TV's larger display. 

The first thing I noticed when I picked up the new Edge during a hands-on session is just how light and thin the phone is. Most phones of that size have a bit of heft to them, but that isn't the case with the Edge. 

I don't know a lot about the MediaTek processor Motorola is using in the Edge, but in the short time I had, I got the impression that performance isn't going to be an issue. I bounced around between several games and social media apps without any hiccups. Of course, I'll need to wait until my review unit arrives before passing final judgment. 

Jason Cipriani/ZDNet

The new Motorola Edge will arrive first as a T-Mobile exclusive, priced at$498, in the coming weeks. When the launch date arrives, T-Mobile will run a promotion that makes the Motorola Edge free when you add a new line of service.

Eventually, the Edge will come to the rest of the major US carriers, priced at$499.99 for a limited time. Motorola hasn't said how long that timeframe is exactly, but the price will go up to$599 at some point.

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