Motorola's Edge (2025) can't keep up: because it's not meant to
It's not easy to stand out in the world of $500–$600 phones. Every year, the competition gets tighter: Google's Pixel 'a' series keeps getting better, OnePlus pushes the boundaries of what a mid-ranger can do, and newcomers like Nothing double down on design and identity while offering a polished experience.Then there's Motorola, and it's latest mid-range phone — the Edge (2025). It comes with the company's signature look, featuring a silicone back and a slim form factor with a curved display. But besides its looks, which can be a subjective topic, what else does the Motorola Edge (2025) have to offer to beat its scary-good competition?
I took a closer look at how the Motorola Edge (2025) compared head-to-head with the Pixel 9a, OnePlus 13R, and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro in our tests, and came to a surprising conclusion. The Edge (2025) is the only phone in this group that received an 8/10 design score from us, which reflects not just its clean aesthetics, but also how it feels in the hand and its durability. The curved edges, aluminum frame, and lightweight 174g build make it surprisingly refined, more so than the plastic Pixel 9a or the bolder but chunkier designs of the OnePlus 13R and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro.Not to mention that I am a proud fan of the silicon/vegan leather back panels out there. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this material is superior because it is:
Less slippery
Less prone to visible scratches
More pleasant to the touch
Does not attract fingerprints
The Motorola Edge (2025) might catch your eye with its sleek curves, but its display doesn't quite keep up where it counts.Its 6.7-inch screen sounds great on paper, but in real-world use, it's noticeably dimmer than the competition. It peaks at 1375 nits, which is enough for most indoor situations, but not ideal under bright sunlight. At night, it doesn't get as comfortably dim as others either, which might bother you during bedtime scrolling.The good news is that colors looked good on the Edge (2025). Photos and video were color-accurate and vibrant.
But the Pixel 9a , for example, much better brightness levels (2561 nits) and even better color accuracy. The OnePlus 13R offered similarly strong results as the 9a, with the added benefit of a slightly higher resolution (1264p). Even the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro beat the Edge in both brightness, with a similar display resolution as the Motorola.
The Motorola Edge (2025) includes a substantially large 5,200mAh battery, and it charges extremely fast: 0 to 100% in just 53 minutes via 68W wired charging. That's slightly faster than the OnePlus 13R and Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, both of which finished around 56 minutes. Compared to the Pixel 9a 's sluggish 1h 42 min full charge, the Edge is in a different league.But charging only gets you so far. The Edge (2025) has no good reason to get such comparatively low results considering its large battery and weaker chip performance, which points to less efficient software or thermals. This is where the Edge (2025) truly shows Motorola's lackluster efforts in the mid-range US market. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7400 — a new chip, but one that simply can't measure up in a world of Snapdragons, Tensors, and even Exynos.The OnePlus 13R and its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 simply dominate, followed by the Pixel 9a 's Tensor G4. Even the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro, with its mid-tier Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, outpaces the Edge in both Geekbench and 3DMark scores, which showcase the performance capabilities of a chip's CPU and GPU, respectively.
In our review score breakdown, the Edge earned a 6/10 for both light and heavy performance. The Nothing Phone (3a) Pro did only slightly better (6.1/4.3), but the Pixel 9a (6.8/5.9) and OnePlus 13R (7.5/7.0) pulled well ahead. So, benchmark performance is not great, and that holds up in real-world use. Apps take longer to open, and heavy multitasking leads to stutters and reloads. That's not to say that the phone is unusable, it just means that in 2025, you can get better performance at $550.
The Motorola Edge (2025) camera system is not as good as it sounds. | Image credit — PhoneArena On paper, the Motorola Edge (2025) looks like a camera powerhouse: a 50 MP main shooter, 50 MP ultrawide, 10 MP 3X zoom and even a 50 MP selfie cam. But as we've learned time and again, great specs don't always mean great photos.In reality, the Edge struggles with how it processes images. Photos often look overly sharp and too processed. This makes textures like skin, hair, or trees look unnatural and too crisp, taking away from the realism the real scene or subject. It's frustrating, because the hardware is there, but Motorola just isn't letting it shine.That said, the telephoto lens does deserve some praise. It delivers surprisingly clear results at different zoom levels, which is rare for a phone at this price. Unfortunately, that one highlight doesn't lift the overall photo experience much beyond average.Video is where things dip even more. While the Edge scores on par with the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro in our tests, both trail behind the Pixel 9a and OnePlus 13R . Those two handle shaky footage and dim lighting better, making them much more usable for a family gathering or a concert. And when you try to zoom while recording on the Edge, the quality takes a nosedive — it scored the worst in our video zoom tests, which is weird considering how well it does with taking photos.
Motorola's Edge (2025) may look sharp, but all eyes and effort seem to fall on the company's foldables instead. | Image credit — PhoneArena When you compare the Motorola Edge (2025) against its competitors, it becomes clear that it's not exactly a point of focus for the company. Despite its sleek design and a few standout features like wireless charging and a telephoto lens, the Edge (2025) doesn't quite match its rivals. So, it almost feels like Motorola is not even trying to compete.
Instead, the company's real effort is going into its Razr foldables, but there's a good reason for that — Motorola is leading the pack in that segment right now. There is arguably no other flip phone that does a better job at utilizing the clamshell form factor than the Razr (2025) series. Even the base Motorola Razr (2025), which is $200 more expensive than the Edge, feels like a more competitive device.
To me, it feels like the Edge (2025) was built to fill a price segment, not to beat everyone in it. It seems clear what Motorola's U.S. strategy is: foldables come first, and everything else comes second. And while the Edge line used to be a showcase for style and value, it now looks like an afterthought next to the company's more exciting Razr lineup. Secure your connection now at a bargain price!
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