Motorola Edge 30 wants Samsung Galaxy A53's affordable 5G crown

Looking for a 5G phone that's on the right side of affordable? Motorola reckons it's got the best solution in what the Chicago-based company calls the "thinnest 5G phone in its class": the Edge 30. 

Eat that, Samsung. At least that seems to be the intent, as the Edge 30 is a direct competitor for the Galaxy A53 5G. Motorola is pricing the handset at £380 in the UK, too, undercutting its Korean arch-rival by a whisker. 

So what does the Edge 30 bring to the table? There's 5G connectivity, of course, wrapped up in a 6.79mm thick (well, thin) frame that also holds a 6.5-inch OLED display with Full HD+ resolution and 144Hz fast refresh rate.

Being so slim, however, does mean there's a little less battery than your norm: a 4,020mAh cell is inside this mid-range handset, which is a good chunk less than the 5,000mAh cell that you'll find inside the Galaxy A53. I think that could pose some problems for longevity per charge, especially with 5G connectivity being such a drain.

The processor on board, rather like the price, is middle of the pack too: it's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+, paired with 8GB RAM, and that should help counter some battery drain. 

Regarding cameras there's a 50-megapixel main snapper, complete with optical stabilisation, which is the kind of level you can expect in other current (and much more expensive) flagships such as the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Even the Edge 30's second camera is 50MP, albeit ultra-wide. The third lens, however, is just a 2MP depth sensor.

That's the Motorola Edge 30 in a nutshell: thin and light, 5G capable, and a cut of the price compared to many a competitor, including the OnePlus Nord 2. For £380 in the UK (€450 in Europe, there's no USA release) it sounds like a strong competitor for one of the best cheap phones on the market.