Intro
Moto’s Edge 50 Ultra is now out, and it’s easily Motorola’s best-spec’d phone released so far in 2024. This one relies on the basics: it sports the latest and greatest Qualcomm chipset, has a trio of very promising cameras at the rear, a superb OLED display, very fast charging, tons of storage, and a friendly design. Undoubtedly, one of the best flagships Motorola has ever released.
Which one should you get? Are Galaxy users missing out on the latest Moto flagship or not?
Moto Edge 50 Ultra vs Galaxy S24 Ultra differences:
| Moto Edge 50 Ultra | Galaxy S24 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Slightly smaller 6.7-inch display w/ Gorilla Glass Victus | Larger 6.8-inch display w/ anti-reflective Gorilla Glass Armor |
| Smoother 144Hz display refresh rate | Sufficient 120Hz screen refresh rate |
| Slightly underclocked Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, with slightly slower Adreno 735 GPU | A more potent Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, with faster Adreno 750 GPU |
| Two storage versions: 512GB and 1TB | Three storage tiers: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB |
| Up to 16GB RAM with the 1TB version | Up to 12GB RAM with the 1TB version |
| Tripe camera with one telephoto camera (3X optical zoom) | Quad camera with two telephoto cameras (with 5X and 3X optical zoom) |
| Optical in-display fingerprint scanner | Ultrasonic fingerprint scanner |
| Smaller 4,500mAh battery | Larger 5,000mAh battery |
| Much faster charging: 125W wired, 50W wireless, 10W reverse wireless | Slower charging: 45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
| Significantly lighter (197gr) | Heavier (232gr) |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Sleek Android catwalk stars
With an aluminum frame and either a wooden or a vegan leather back, the Moto Edge 50 Ultra is a sleek phone with small bezels and Gorilla Glass Victus up front. In a world where most phones default to a glass back frame, Motorola makes a stand with an intriguing selection of backs, which might not necessarily suit just about anyone. For example, I absolutely love vegan leather on phones, while some of my colleagues barely tolerate it.
The Motorola Edge is not a small phone, but it’s one that’s surprisingly light. Weighing just 197gr, it’s noticeably easier to hold than other flagships, like the Galaxy 24 Ultra, which weighs 232gr. You will certainly notice a difference.
Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a titanium frame, as well as Gorilla Glass Victus at the back and Gorilla Glass Armor at the front. It has a nearly flat design, with a completely flat display and only the side frame curved outward for a more comfortable grip. That said, the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra has a curved screen, just as the “edge” in its name suggests.
Both phones are IP68-rated, meaning that you can dunk them in up to 1.5m of water for up to 30 minutes. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has the built-in S Pen stylus on deck, while the Moto Edge 50 Ultra doesn’t have a wildcard feature of the same rank.
Display Differences
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra comes along with a 6.7-inch OLED display, with Corning Gorilla Victus on top. The display has a super-smooth 144Hz refresh rate, which means it’s a tad smoother than your regular 120Hz-capable flagship. However, noticing the difference in your everyday life might be challenging.
The Galaxy S24 Ultraon the other hand, comes with a 6.8-inch OLED display, with a dynamic refresh rate that goes up to 120Hz. What’s impressive on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is its super-high maximum brightness, which makes outdoor legibility an excellent experience. Even better, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with Gorilla Glass Armor, which has antireflective properties, thus doing away with those pesky reflections even better than most phones out there.
Both phones have relatively thin bezels, but the Moto device leaves the impression of being more bezelless thanks to its curved display. The Galaxy S24 Ultraon the other hand, has a completely flat display, which maximizes the screen real estate. That’s great for heavy S Pen users.
A major difference between the two phones is the in-display fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy S24 Ultra has an ultrasonic one, while the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra boasts an optical one. Generally, ultrasonic fingerprint scanners are much faster and more accurate than optical ones, so the Galaxy S24 Ultra has the upper hand here.
Performance and Software
Not all Snapdragons are made the same
| Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Prime core | 1x Cortex-X4 3.39GHz | 1x Cortex-X4 3.0GHz |
| Performance cores | 3x Cortex-A720 3.1GHz 2x Cortex-A720 2.9GHz |
4x Cortex-A720 2.8GHz |
| Efficiency cores | 3x Cortex-A520 2.2GHz | 3x Cortex-A520 2.0GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 750 1.0GHz | Adreno 735 |
There’s a difference in the GPU units as well: the newer but humbler Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 employs the Adreno 735 unit, while the Snapdragon boasts the Adreno 750 GPU. This means that if you’re a gamer, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will provide a better experience.
In terms of memory and storage, the entry-level Moto Edge 50 Ultra comes with 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage, while the 512GB and 1TB versions come with 16GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with 12GB of RAM in all three storage variants: 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB variants.
Meanwhile, there are tons of AI features on the Galaxy, living under the Galaxy AI name. The Samsung flagship also comes with Android 14but will receive seven years of software updates and security patches, which is superb.
Camera
Triple versus quad camera
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is certainly the better-equipped and more versatile camera phone. It has two telephoto cameras, 3x and 5x ones, while the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra has a single 3x telephoto camera.
Moving on to the main cameras of the two devices, the Motorola has a 50MP main camera with a 1/1.3″ sensor and larger 1.2µm pixels, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a 200MP main camera with a similar 1/1.3″ sensor but smaller 0.6µm pixels.
The megapixel differences continue on to the telephoto cameras. The Motorola boasts a 64MP one with 3x optical zoom, while the Galaxy has a 50MP periscope with 5x optical zoom and a less impressive 10MP one with 3x optical zoom.
The Edge 50 Ultra has a sharper 50MP ultra-wide camera, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra still relies on the tried-and-tested 12MP ultra-wide.
Audio Quality and Haptics
The Galaxy S24 Ultraon the other hand, is one of our favorite when it comes to loudspeaker quality. Its haptic feedback is also superb, with accurate vibrations.
Battery Life and Charging
Can the Moto beat the Galaxy?
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra comes along with a 4,500mAh battery, while the Galaxy S24 Ultra relies on a 5,000mAh one. Thus, we expect that it could be difficult for the Motorola phone to outlast the Galaxy flagship, which delivers superb endurance.
Meanwhile, the situation is not that good on the Galaxy S24 Ultra: the 45W wired and 15W wireless, as well as up to 4.5W of reverse-wireless charging are much less exciting charging features.
Specs Comparison
| Edge 50 Ultra | Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | 161.1 x 72.4 x 8.6 mm | 161.2 x 74 x 8.6 mm |
| Screen | 6.7″ P-OLED 144Hz 2500 nits peak brightness |
6.8″ OLED 120Hz 2500 nits peak brightness |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4nm) | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm) |
| RAM, Storage | 12/512GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5X RAM |
12/256GB 12/512GB 12/1TB LPDDR5 RAM |
| Cameras | 50MP main 50MP ultra-wide 64MP 3X zoom (periscope) 50MP front |
200MP main 50MP telephoto 5X 10MP telephoto 3X 12MP ultra-wide 12MP front |
| Battery | 4500 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging | USB-C 125W wired 50W wireless 10W reverse wireless |
USB-C 45W wired 15W wireless 4.5W reverse wireless |
Summary
Firstly, it won’t be available in the US, which is a shame. It will be available in Europe with a starting price of €999, which is definitely a flagship-grade pricing.
Second of all, the software support situation is certainly not ideal. This signature problem of Motorola is seemingly going nowhere in mid-2024, which is absolutely a shame.
When considering the best value you can get, the Galaxy S24 Ultra appears as the better suited device to maximize the bang for the buck you will get. It has it all: superb display, camera, performance, battery life, a stylus, and longer software support at a slightly higher price, which is great.
