Motorola hasn’t been a major player in the flagship phone market in recent years. But that could be changing. The Edge 40 Pro is a global version of the X40 that Motorola released in China last year. It features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipet, a 6.67 inch display with a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, and an IP68 rating for dust and weather resistance.
It looks, at least on paper, like a serious contender to the Android flagship market. It will be available in Europe “in the next days” for EUR899.99 (about $9880), and Latin American markets shortly after.The Edge 40 Pro has Gorilla Glass front and back, along with aluminum rails. This is serious flagship stuff.Motorola Image
How about the US? Motorola is being a bit sly about this, with a statement today in its press release saying that it’s “excited” to share its commitment in North America to expanding the Edge family this year. Motorola is committed to it, whatever that means.
One of my hopes is that the Edge 40 Pro will be available in the US. It has an IP68 rating, which last years Edge Plus did not offer. It also includes 12GB RAM, a 50 megapixel main camera with optical stabilizer, fast 125W wired charging and wireless charging. The Edge Plus didn’t have any telephoto cameras, so there’s an additional 12-megapixel, 2x “portrait” telephoto camera.
All of this is great, but I do hope Motorola improves its software support policy. The Edge Plus was promised only two OS updates and three years of security upgrades. It will need to be able to match Samsung’s four OS upgrades and five years of security support if it is to really go toe to toe with Samsung.
