Motorola Edge+ (2023) Review: Moto Got Its Mojo Back

Our hopes were high when in 2020, Motorola returned to the Android flagship space with the $999 Moto Edge+, an excellent aluminum and glass smartphone with no-compromise specs. What followed in 2021 was a lot more perplexing. The $549 ($699 unlocked) Moto Edge (2021) landed with an all-plastic build, a completely flat LCD screen, and middling specs. And in my review, I found this handset to be underwhelming.

Then, last year, the company delivered the much improved Moto Edge+ (2022), with a glass back, a perfectly flat 144Hz OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and wireless charging. While this was a decent flagship, it simply wasn’t competitive. At $849 ($899 unlocked) it was just too expensive. Plus, without a curved-edge OLED display for a second year in a row, the Moto Edge naming left me confused.

Which brings us to today’s $799 Moto Edge+ (2023), a phone with a premium metal and glass build, a curved-edge OLED screen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, and proper flagship specs that’s now available unlocked from Motorola, Amazon, and Best Buy. So, is Moto back in the flagship saddle? Does this smartphone push all the right buttons? What’s still missing, if anything? Let’s find out in our full review.

While this year’s Moto Edge+ has more in common with the original Moto Edge+ from 2020 than with its immediate flat-screened predecessors – including a metal and glass build and a curved-edge OLED display – the design looks more familiar and feels more premium. That’s largely because the curved edges of this new screen are significantly less pronounced than before, and the glass back is matte instead of glossy.

Not only does this new finish look fantastic and repel fingerprints, it also feels amazing in hand and provides a decent grip. Between the velvety smooth rear surface, 8.6mm thin body, and “quad-curved” display, the 2023 Moto Edge+ is a beautiful phone. We only have one niggle here, and that’s with the lack of color options. You can have the Moto Edge+ in whatever color you want, as long as it’s Interstellar Black.

The camera bump is more of a rounded rectangle this time around, but it’s still home to a trio of shooters (50MP main, 50MP ultrawide / macro, and 12MP telephoto / portrait), a dual-LED flash, and a hidden fourth mic. A Motorola logo in the back completes the package. In front, the bezels are slim and even all around, there’s a punch hole in the top middle for the 60MP selfie camera, and an optical in-display fingerprint sensor.

On the metal frame, you’ll find the volume rocker, the power / lock key, and a third mic on the right side, but nothing on the left. The speaker, USB Type-C port (USB 3.2), primary mic, and SIM tray are located along the bottom, with another speaker and secondary mic on the top edge. In addition, the new Moto Edge+ is the company’s first handset in years to have an official IP68 rating, making it water and dust resistant.

Before we continue, watch our hands-on video:

The 2023 Moto Edge+ boasts a 6.7-inch 165Hz FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels, 394ppi) OLED screen with curved edges that supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. It's a gorgeous display, with punchy colors, deep blacks, wide viewing angles, and minimal bezels. You can set the refresh rate to 60Hz, 120Hz, 165Hz, or auto (up to 120Hz). Plus, at 1300 nits (peak), it’s bright enough to read in direct sunlight.

When it comes to imaging, the Moto Edge+ (2023) packs the company’s best shooters yet. The camera specs are solid, and include a 50MP f/1.8 1.0-micron main shooter with omni-directional PDAF and OIS, a 50MP f/2.2 0.64-micron 114-degree combination ultrawide / macro with AF, and a 12MP f/1.6 1.22-micron 2x telephoto / portrait lens with PDAF (no OIS). In front, there’s a 60MP f/2.2 0.61-micron selfie camera.