At a look
Professional’s Ranking
Execs
- Prime-tier chipset and RAM
- Class-leading 165Hz show tech
- IP68 score
Cons
- Cameras are good – however not nice
- I obtained a faulty charging cable
Our Verdict
The Motorola Edge 40 Professional is a superb high-end possibility in case your precedence is efficiency, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and a 165Hz show that unlocks new body charges whereas gaming. The downside is a digital camera that’s merely good, by no means nice, which generally is a dealbreaker at this worth level.
Value When Reviewed
Not out there within the US
Motorola misplaced its rep for flagship telephones a number of years again, however in current months the corporate – now owned by Chinese language laptop big Lenovo – has come again swinging.
The Motorola Edge 40 Professional continues that development. In each specs and worth it’s nearer to final 12 months’s Edge 30 Extremely than to its Professional predecessor, and the £799 telephone is a real flagship that may go toe-to-toe with high-end handsets from Samsung, Apple, and others.
Due to a super-fast 165Hz refresh charge show and the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, this may very well be an particularly tempting possibility for avid gamers on the go who don’t love the look of correct gaming telephones, however don’t wish to skimp on specs.
Design & construct
- Smooth, minimalist design
- Gorilla Glass Victus
- IP68 score
Motorola has set up a agency, albeit easy, design language during the last 12 months or two, and the Edge 40 Professional doesn’t stray too removed from it.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Accessible in a black or blue end, this can be a modern slab of curved glass. At 8.6mm thick and 199g that is comparatively slim and light-weight for its measurement, although there are lighter and extra compact flagships round if that’s your precedence.
With a small ‘M’ brand and a compact digital camera module on the rear that is an understated design, very best for individuals who don’t want their telephone to be snazzy or actively choose an expert aesthetic.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The matt glass is easy and satin-y to the contact, and with Gorilla Glass Victus on each the back and front this needs to be powerful sufficient to outlive falls and keep away from scratches. It’s not immune, in fact – I’ve already picked up one scratch in my week with the telephone – and you could wish to spend money on a display protector, as unusually there isn’t one included within the field (although a easy clear protecting case is).
Motorola has additionally invested in an IP68 score, which verifies that the telephone needs to be secure from each mud and water – one other sensible enchantment.
Display screen & audio system
- Unusually quick 165Hz refresh charge
- 6.67in quad-curved OLED show
- Muted colors
The show is likely one of the key appeals of the Edge 40 Professional, and on paper its standout characteristic, although in apply it won’t make a distinction to most customers.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
At Full HD+ it’s not particularly excessive decision, and neither is the 1300 nits peak brightness about to set any data. However with a 165Hz refresh charge, that is the quickest show you’ll discover outdoors of a gaming telephone – and sooner even than loads of these.
Which means the Edge 40 Professional can drive silky easy animations and quick body charges, as long as the content material can sustain. I’ll be frank although: when you’re not a gamer, you’re unlikely to have the ability to inform the distinction from the 120Hz panels widespread in different flagships. And even if you’re a gamer, few cellular video games run quick sufficient to reap the benefits of the show spec anyway.
My larger frustration with the show is basically right down to the software program facet. Out of the field I discovered colors unusually muted and bland, however past this ‘Pure’ color profile the one different possibility is an aggressive ‘Saturated’ palette that goes too far within the different course. Neither appears fairly proper, and I want Motorola offered extra choices to assist customers tune the display to go well with their style.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
To finish on a optimistic notice, I do love the quad-curvature of the glass. Steeper curves to the left and proper are matched by a extra refined impact on the highest and backside. The general impact is a telephone that feels slick, appears nice, and is at all times comfy to swipe on and maintain, with nary a pointy edge in sight.
Lastly, a fast notice on audio: the telephone packs stereo audio system bolstered by Dolby Atmos assist. At full quantity these are unexpectedly punchy, if somewhat skinny and tinny, and among the many higher telephone audio system I’ve examined not too long ago.
Specs & efficiency
- Prime-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip
- 12GB RAM and many storage
Motorola has kitted the Edge 40 Professional out with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Proper now that’s essentially the most highly effective chip you will get in an Android telephone, so it’s secure to say that the telephone is fairly succesful.
It’s paired with a beneficiant default allowance of 12GB RAM, together with 256GB of storage in my UK overview unit – although in some markets it can ship with 512GB as an alternative.
Benchmark outcomes mirror the pedigree. Within the CPU-heavy Geekbench 5 take a look at the telephone will get sturdy marks, although curiously lags barely behind different 8 Gen 2 telephones such because the OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 (which admittedly advantages from some unique overclocking).
Within the graphics-based GFXBench exams this hole falls away nonetheless, and certainly the Edge 40 Professional outpaces its rivals in its means to drive super-high body charges in much less demanding exams – the perk of that 165Hz display.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Outdoors core specs, you may count on 5G assist, Bluetooth 5.3, and Wi-Fi 6E – with assist in-built for the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 commonplace. NFC can be included for contactless funds, although it’s price noting I’ve discovered the NFC detection barely unreliable, and on one event it failed for me completely.
Biometrics embody a reasonably snappy fingerprint sensor constructed into the display itself, plus an possibility for face unlock utilizing the common selfie digital camera.
Digital camera & video
- Triple rear digital camera
- 2x telephoto, however no lengthy zoom
- Tremendous high-res 60Mp selfie
The Edge 40 Professional packs a robust – however not market-leading – digital camera setup.
Let’s begin on the again. Right here you’ll discover three cameras: a essential digital camera and ultrawide, each 50Mp, plus a 12Mp telephoto.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The primary digital camera is the one one of many three to boast optical picture stabilisation (OIS) and regardless of the matching decision it makes use of a distinct sensor to the ultrawide lens – although Motorola hasn’t named both.
Outcomes are typically spectacular, with sharp element and vivid colors – albeit maybe somewhat over-saturated. Low-light photographs aren’t unhealthy, however you may undoubtedly get higher at this worth by shopping for a Google, Samsung, or Apple telephone.
The ultrawide provides a really slight drop in high quality, however not by a lot. Colors are tuned pleasingly equally to the primary digital camera, and in good mild the lenses are an in depth match – it’s solely within the particulars and the darkish spots that you just’ll discover the ultrawide lagging behind. This lens additionally doubles as a macro digital camera, with respectable if not distinctive outcomes.
Then there’s the telephoto. At 12Mp that is a lot decrease decision than the others, and shoots at 2x zoom. Which means this isn’t a lens designed for extremely zoomed in photographs of distant buildings, however as an alternative provides a snug body for portraits and comparable photographs.
Colors are somewhat extra washed out from the telephoto digital camera, and at instances there’s a smeary softness to photographs. It isn’t a foul digital camera by any means, and it’s ok for the ‘Gram, however you’ll once more have the ability to discover higher elsewhere.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
If something it’s the selfie digital camera that does essentially the most to suggest the Edge 40 Professional over rival telephones. This 60Mp front-facing digital camera is unusually detailed, and is able to some actually pleasing photographs whether or not utilizing commonplace settings or the Portrait mode.
As for video, you may shoot at as much as 8K high quality in 30fps on the rear cameras or 4K at the next 60fps, with the OIS on the primary lens contributing to steady and easy footage. Regardless of the upper decision, the front-facing digital camera is capped at 4K and 30fps.
Battery & charging
- All-day battery life
- Quick wired & gradual wi-fi charging
- Cable issues
With a 4600mAh battery inside, it’s no shock that the Edge 40 Professional has comfortably lasted all day throughout my testing, and normally with somewhat to spare.
This undoubtedly isn’t a two-day telephone except you’re an particularly mild consumer, however most individuals ought to have the ability to use the telephone from alarm clock to bedtime with out undue issues about attending to a charger.
And if you do have to get to a charger, issues needs to be quick – in principle.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
The Edge 40 Professional is supplied with 125W wired charging, which might cost the telephone to full in simply 23 minutes. I say ‘might’ as a result of I haven’t been in a position to take a look at it myself.
My overview unit shipped with a faulty charging cable, which gained’t cost the telephone in any respect. That’s a little bit of a fear for high quality management, although hopefully the difficulty isn’t widespread.
I’ve been in a position to cost the telephone utilizing a USB-C-to-C cable from one other producer, however with out the official cable the complete 125W speeds gained’t set off, that means I’ve solely been having fun with comparatively slower charging – returning simply 45% of the battery in half an hour. Which means I can’t confirm simply how briskly the Edge 40 Professional actually prices, or whether or not you would possibly undergo the identical cable issues that I’ve.
The excellent news is that the telephone additionally helps wi-fi charging. That is a lot slower at simply 15W, however that’s as quick as most third-party Qi chargers go in any case.
Software program & updates
- Clear and easy Android pores and skin
- A number of pre-installed bits of bloatware
- Three main OS updates promised
The Edge 40 Professional ships with Android 13, the newest model of Google’s cellular working system.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Motorola runs a comparatively stripped-back model of Android, including much less guff on prime than another producers do.
Most of these additions are welcome, equivalent to interactive notification icons on the always-on show, or the corporate’s long-standing array of intelligent gesture controls (among the many few on the market that basically are price utilizing).
There are downsides. The default system font is ugly and inserts itself throughout apps together with WhatsApp; at instances the OS is unusually rigid, equivalent to having no possibility for greater than 4 app columns on the house display; and bloatware is rising, with an array of unwelcome Motorola apps and even a spammy wanting sport known as Phrase Journey pre-installed.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
Motorola has at the least improved its promise on software program assist. The Edge 40 Professional will apparently obtain three main OS updates – that means Android 14, 15, and 16 – with 4 years of safety patches. That’s nonetheless much less assist than Samsung and another rivals promise, but it surely at the least means you may really feel assured utilizing the telephone for a number of years.
Value & availability
The Edge 40 Professional is out now within the UK and Europe, the place it prices £799/€899. For the second, there aren’t any confirmed plans for a US launch.
Within the UK you may choose it up direct from Motorola or seize it from Amazon. It’s nonetheless unclear which, if any, networks will vary it.
Dominic Preston / Foundry
That worth places the Professional firmly in flagship territory. It’s greater than final 12 months’s Edge 30 Professional price, and in reality nearer to the £749/€899 Edge 30 Extremely.
Shut rivals embody the usual Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 14, the OnePlus 11, or the Google Pixel 7 Professional. The Motorola beats all of these on its show specs and quick charging, although realistically lags behind all of them on photographic prowess.
Take a look at our full rating of one of the best telephones and finest Android telephones for extra comparisons, or our devoted information to one of the best Motorola telephones to see the way it stacks up in opposition to the model’s different choices.
Verdict
The Motorola Edge 40 Professional is a superb possibility within the flagship area for these whose focus is on energy and efficiency – but it surely’s more likely to be much less interesting to the remainder of us.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, beneficiant 12GB RAM, and lightning-fast 165Hz show make this a surprisingly compelling possibility for avid gamers and energy customers, particularly since all that energy is available in a svelte, light-weight bundle.
The digital camera is the most important downside. Not as a result of it’s unhealthy – removed from it – however as a result of at this worth level its competitors is glorious. For those who’re focussed on images this gained’t be the telephone for you, however when you simply want your digital camera to be ok for Instagram then this suits the invoice.
Specs
- 6.7in, FHD+, 165Hz pOLED show
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- 12GB RAM
- 256/512GB storage
- 4600mAh battery
- 125W wired charging
- 15W wi-fi charging
- Cameras:
- 50Mp, f/1.8 OIS essential digital camera
- 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera
- 12Mp, f/1.6 2x telephoto digital camera
- 60Mp, f/2.2 selfie digital camera
- Gorilla Glass Victus
- IP68
- 161.2 x 74 x 8.6mm
- 199g
- Android 13