Nearly two months after the Motorola Edge 30 Pro (known as the Edge Plus (2022) in the US) launched, its non-Pro sibling has landed - and this new Motorola phone has a very surprising price.
While the phone's name suggests it's part of the company's flagship series, it costs just £380 in the UK (that converts to just $490 or AU$670 though we don't have information on whether those regions will get the handset). At that price, it wouldn't technically fit into our list of the best cheap phones, but it's actually more affordable than certain members of Moto's budget phone line, like the Moto G200.
The Moto Edge 30 has some key specs in common with the Pro which we already saw. These include the camera set-up, with a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide and 2MP depth camera, the use of Android 12 software and a 144Hz screen.
But in most ways it's different - it has a 6.5-inch FHD+ screen, 32MP selfie camera, 4,020mAh battery and thickness of just 6.8mm - Motorola calls this the slimmest 5G phone so far.
In some areas, the Edge 30 shows its budget status - it has a Snapdragon 778G chipset and 33W charging, which might put off some users. But overall its specs do seem impressive for the price, and we're looking forward to testing it out.
Analysis: a surprising - and perhaps confusing - price
It's always useful for average consumers, when phone companies have distinct product lines. Samsung's Galaxy A phones are its mid-rangers, and the S ones are its premium line, and never the two shall meet.
But it can be confusing when there is overlap - Moto's G phones are known for being its budget ones, but when some of them are actually pricier than its flagship line, there's a lot of room for confusion.
It also makes you wonder why the Motorola Edge 30 wasn't called the Moto G300, or the G200 wasn't an Edge phone.
Motorola has always been confusing with its phone names, a fact dramatically exacerbated by the fact that it uses different names for the same handsets in different regions, meaning that anyone who follows the global tech news struggles to know what the name is in their region.
For the Motorola Edge 30 itself, the low price is great - it means people can get access to these top specs at a relatively low price. But for people who are looking to buy a new phone but don't know which, the confusing naming scheme could just add to the headache.
