Motorola Edge Plus 2022 / Motorola Edge 30 Pro is now official with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1

Motorola returned to the flagship market in 2020, with the arrival of the Motorola Edge and Edge Plus, which was updated in August of last year and reduced from two models to one. Now the company has returned with a third generation, which is confusingly called the “new Motorola Edge Plus,” without any number attached. There’s also no non-Plus model, at least not yet, which makes the “Plus” part somewhat unnecessary. To make matters even confusing, the same phone is also being launched globally as the Motorola Edge 30 Pro.

Just as previous leaks indicated, this is essentially an international version of the Moto Edge X30, which was released in December and was the first phone with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. There are a few minor changes, like a slightly smaller battery (4,800mAh vs. 5,000mAh) and a more stock-like Android build, but it’s more or less the same phone.

Most of the hardware is about what you would expect for a modern flagship phone. You get the latest and greatest Snapdragon chip, 8-12GB RAM, up to 512GB of internal storage, a 6.7-inch 144Hz display, and a 4,800mAh battery. This phone also supports “Ready For,” which is a wired or wireless monitor feature similar to Samsung DeX. Sadly, there’s no microSD card slot or 3.5mm headphone jack, and that’s not where the disappointment ends.

The Motorola Edge Plus has three cameras, though one of them is just a depth sensor, leaving you with one 50MP primary lens and a 50MP ultra-wide. Most other phones in this price range have an additional telephoto lens, such as the Galaxy S22 Plus and iPhone 13 Pro. There’s also no IP68 water/dust resistance (only IP52), which has been common on Android and Apple flagship phones for years at this point.

Motorola is only promising two years of Android OS updates, which is definitely behind the competition. Samsung now guarantees four major Android upgrades (and five years of security patches) for all its flagship phones, while Google offers three years of Android upgrades and five years of security patches on the Pixel 6 series.

The phone goes on sale in North America as carrier-unlocked for $899.99, though it will eventually go up to $1,000 after the introductory period. Verizon, Boost Mobile, and Republic Wireless also plan to sell the phone at some point.