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The unimpressive performance and middling camera suite paired with the prospect of limited updates really weigh the Neo down, to a point where it’s impossible to recommend it over other handsets in this price range.
The Edge 30 Neo steps down from three rear cameras to two, but steps up the specs. The first is a 64 MP main lens which takes advantage of larger 1.4 µm pixels – which in theory should improve low-light performance and reduce noise – as well as Optical Image Stabilisation to deliver sharper images. The second is a 13MP ultrawide lens with slightly smaller 1.12 µm pixels. The handset forgoes the 2 MP rear depth camera. The Motorola Edge 30 Neo, over all of the competition, is one thing, and that is small. A phone designed first and foremost with one-handed usage in mind, it weighs almost nothing (155g) and is simple to use on the go. If you are someone who has small hands, or trouble with larger phones, the Neo should be on your list by default. There are few other options on the market offering a similar form factor, and almost none at the same price. It’s a setup for a disaster that never happens, though, because the Motorola Edge 30 Neo’s battery life is entirely okay. It won’t last close to two days for most people, like the Sony Xperia 10 IV. But we didn’t find it frustratingly poor, which is what we half expected after seeing the capacity figure. It gets through a full day of use just fine, if not with much to spare by the end of the day.The Motorola Edge 30 Neo’s Auto HDR is powerful and mostly reliable, meaning you can shoot pretty carelessly even directly into the sun. Having said that, there is a problem somewhat related to this area. Battery life, at least, sees the Edge 30 Neo put in a good performance, lasting over 21 hours in our video rundown test. The Nord CE 2 5G continues to outshine the competition, reaching beyond 24 hours, but neither of the Xiaomi models made it over 20 hours, so the Neo is still sitting pretty here. In addition to the rare features in the budget class outlined above, the Edge 30 Neo is one of the few devices running a clean Android OS. This has always been a key selling point for Motorola phones, so you can add that to the list of advantages as well.
It goes some way to making the Motorola Edge 30 Neo feel less like a 'vanilla' Android phone than other Motos, but if you don’t like it you can change it with a few screen taps and presses. And Motorola has otherwise not changed the classic Moto interface much here. Dynamic range is limited, detail is very poor outside the brightest parts of the picture, and the effect of Night Vision versus Auto shooting is not that great. Highlights and mid-tones get a boost, but shadow detail retrieval is still not good. Across several days of real-world usage, a second picture appears. This is a phone that won’t win any endurance competitions, but one which proves to be entirely adequate for everyday needs. That is to say, it will last a full day in most use cases for many people, but it doesn’t have the capability to make it through to a second day. The hardware situation improves in the camera, at least superficially. Motorola only put two cameras on the Edge 30 Neo, but that simply means we miss out on the poor depth or macro sensors commonly seen in this price category. While there are a couple of key areas in which the Neo really succeeds, a nice display and decent battery life aren’t quite enough to keep Moto’s head above water in this crowded section of the market.Results aren’t bad either. The Motorola Edge 30 Neo avoids the obviously oversaturated color you’ll often see in aggressively priced rivals from companies like Realme.
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