Over the years, Motorola has gained recognition for producing decent budget Android phones. Although it still releases low-priced models, its Chinese owner Lenovo has introduced more expensive devices to expand the company’s range. At a price of £799, the Edge 40 Pro is an attempt to attract consumers who may otherwise opt for a Google Pixel 7 Pro or Samsung Galaxy S23.

The first distinctive feature of the Edge 40 Pro is its rounded edges. While this design has become less popular lately, it makes the phone comfortable to hold. The curved drop-off around the screen’s edge is subtler than that of Google’s Pixel phones, giving it a more sophisticated look and feel. The entire case is made of durable Gorilla glass, which feels great to grip but will require a protective case.

In terms of specifications, the Edge 40 Pro can compete with the best Android phones on the market. It boasts the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It supports the latest connectivity standards, including Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E. And as expected from a phone of its price, its performance is impressive.

The AMOLED screen of the Edge 40 Pro is eye-catching. With a diagonal measurement of 6.67in and an impressive resolution of 2400×1080 pixels, its tall, narrow 20:9 aspect ratio provides ample space for Android’s split-screen tools. Its 165Hz peak refresh rate outshines the 120Hz you get with most phones, although this can be limited to extend the phone’s two-day battery life. With brightness levels reaching 1,300cd/m2, it almost matches the iPhone 14 Pro Max, ensuring that you’ll never have trouble seeing it.

Even when used outdoors on a bright day, this phone’s camera does not disappoint, boasting a 50-megapixel primary lens, a 50-megapixel ultrawide option, and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. The camera captures images quickly with wide dynamic range and accurate color reproduction. However, the image quality does not match up to the absolute best, and we preferred photos taken on the slightly more expensive Google Pixel 7 Pro. The phone’s operating system is mostly the Android that Google intended, but some additional software needs to be unticked during setup to prevent unnecessary clutter. It’s worth noting that Motorola has been disappointingly slow on recent updates, having only just upgraded the Motorola Edge 30 Pro to Android 13.