Motorola has recently launched its first ‘Ultra’ smartphone in India. The Edge 30 Ultra packs some really interesting hardware and is the first smartphone in India to include a 200-megapixel primary camera. A quick look at its spec sheet and it seems to be all about the big numbers, but what does it have to compete with similarly priced smartphones in this segment? Here are my first impressions.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra sits above the Edge 30 Pro ( review ) which was launched in India earlier this year at a very competitive price. The Edge 30 Ultra is available in a single variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage and is priced at Rs. 59,999. The phone is available in two finishes, Starlight White and Interstellar Black.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra uses Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and rear panels. The anti-glare back panel is curved around the sides but looks flat on the top and bottom. It has a unique texture that is good at rejecting fingerprints, similar to the Vivo X80 Pro (Review) with its glossy appearance when exposed to bright light.
The front and back panels of the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra are made of Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra has curved edges on either side of the screen that flow into a skinny metal frame. The bezels around the display are thin all around and thanks to the flexible nature of the OLED panel. The metal frame has a matte-finish and feels quite slippery. The volume rocker and power button are placed on the right side of the phone.
While the form factor of the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra is similar to other smartphones available in this segment, its chiseled look (8.39mm thin) makes it stand out and is quite light to handle at 198.5g. It feels a bit tall for one-handed use. The phone has an official IP52 rating for dust and water resistance, which is better than most of the competition at this price point. However, it’s still a little disappointing considering smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G (review) offer an IP68 rating at a lower price point.
The 6.67-inch full-HD+ display on the Edge 30 Ultra offers a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which should be useful when gaming, but it also makes the software fluid to use. The display is also HDR10+ certified, although this capability is currently not found in some streaming apps like Netflix. The phone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC which is also found on similarly priced smartphones from OnePlus and iQoo.
Motorola’s Edge 30 Ultra features a 6.67-inch curved-edge POLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra runs a near-stock version of Android 12 called MyUX, and Motorola claims to offer three generations of Android updates (up to Android 15), along with four years of security updates, which is nice. The software looks pretty stock with the usual Motorola customizations (Peak Display, Quick Capture, etc.) and no additional third-party apps, which is surprisingly rare for smartphones in the premium segment today.
As for the software experience, I found it a bit confusing. The firmware on my unit has been pretty unstable so far, causing frequent reboots since I set it up. I noticed this mainly when using the camera app and charging the smartphone, but there were times when it randomly rebooted while sitting idle. I also noticed random overheating even when using basic apps. Motorola says it’s aware of the issue, though it’s not yet certain if it’s limited to a few review units shipped to India or if it’s more widespread.
Motorola’s Edge 30 Ultra has three rear cameras
Motorola has gone with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 200-megapixel primary camera with OIS, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a macro camera (like the Edge 30 Pro) and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom. Selfies are handled by a 60-megapixel camera which is also available in the Motorola Edge 30 Pro (review).
The phone supports HDR10+ video recording at 4K resolution which I will be testing in the full review. As for the battery, Motorola has managed to fit a 4,610mAh battery in the slim body of the Edge 30 Ultra. The phone can be charged up to 125W using the bundled charger. There is also 50W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging.
The Motorola Edge 30 Ultra has a metal frame and offers an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance
Competition for the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra currently includes smartphones like the iQoo 9T 5G and the OnePlus 10T 5G (review), both of which use the same Qualcomm SoC. We also have slightly older devices from this year such as Xiaomi’s 12 Pro ( review ). The Edge 30 Ultra boasts some unique features not available on other competing devices, such as a 200-megapixel camera, 144Hz OLED display and an official IP rating.
Rs. above. 59,999 sticker price, Motorola looks to have everything one could hope for in the Edge 30 Ultra on paper, but can all these features add up to a better flagship experience? Stay tuned for my full review coming soon on Gadgets360. Motorola also launched its new premium mid-range smartphone, the Edge 30 Fusion, and you can read our first impressions here.
