Motorola Edge Plus unveiled — 144Hz display and dual 50MP cameras for $999

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With a top-of-the-line Snapdragon CPU and a few spec upgrades, the new Motorola Edge Plus looks to bring Moto back into the flagship phone conversation in the U.S.

Motorla Edge Plus Flagship smartphone
(Image credit: Motorola)

The Motorola Edge X30 announced near the end of last year is getting a rebranding and a slight spec upgrade for the US, arriving soon as the Edge Plus. The phone looks to recapture some of the flagship U.S. phone market for Moto, which outside of the foldable Razr has predominantly served budget and mid-tier options in recent years. The Edge Plus features a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, and some other flagship-level specs, with a premium price tag to match at $999. 

That includes gorilla glass on the front and back, with a 6.7-inch OLED 144Hz display, 5G that will cover C-Band and Verizon's mmWave, 8 or 12 GB of RAM, and a 4,800mAH battery you can fast charge using the 30W wired charger. There is also 15W wireless charging, and how ridiculous is this, Motorola is including the 30W fast charger, we must be in a timewarp. 

For all you stylus fans, a new Smart Stylus will be sold separately and bundled with a case. It will be an active pen type of stylus, like Samsung's S Pen, that will feature pressure sensitivity and the ability to use it as a remote control so you won't even have to put pen to screen. 

The Edge Plus offers two 50 megapixel cameras on the rear. One is a wide-angle f/1.8 lens with optical image stabilization, and the other is an ultra-wide f/2.2 camera. It's rumored that the autofocus system has been improved for 2022, but I guess we will find out for sure once we review the Edge Plus ourselves. The third camera is a 2 MP depth sensor, which probably does more to help with autofocus and portrait mode than anything else. There is a massive 60-megapixel front-facing camera that will capture all of you and more on the front. Why they went with 60MP is beyond me, but I am sure it will be fun to test out. 

The Motorola Edge Plus has what some call a marginal IP52 weather-resistant rating, it can handle some rough weather but don't drop it in a puddle, pool, or bathtub because it will be a goner. For $999, you would hope to see it match the IP68 rating on most flagships, so it could survive minor water submergence, but let's refrain from judging it until we have it in our hands. However, the Motorola Edge Plus does have one advantage and that is arriving during a bit of a lull in the market following the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22. If Motorola has a prayer of capturing any attention in the flagship market, this is the moment.

Mark Anthony Ramirez
Mark Anthony Ramirez

Mark has spent 20 years headlining comedy shows around the country and made appearances on ABC, MTV, Comedy Central, Howard Stern, Food Network, and Sirius XM Radio. He has written about every topic imaginable, from dating, family, politics, social issues, and tech. He wrote his first tech articles for the now-defunct Dads On Tech 10 years ago, and his passion for combining humor and tech has grown under the tutelage of the Laptop Mag team. His penchant for tearing things down and rebuilding them did not make Mark popular at home, however, when he got his hands on the legendary Commodore 64, his passion for all things tech deepened. These days, when he is not filming, editing footage, tinkering with cameras and laptops, or on stage, he can be found at his desk snacking, writing about everything tech, new jokes, or scripts he dreams of filming.