Motorola Edge confirmed to be unlocked in the U.S. and cost $700

By Joe Maring
published

Motorola Edge
Motorola Edge (Image credit: Motorola)

What you need to know

  • The Motorola Edge will cost $700 when it launches later this summer.
  • It'll also be available universally unlocked, unlike the Verizon-exclusive Edge+.
  • Motorola is equipping the phone with 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Back in April, Motorola announced two new smartphones — the Edge and Edge+. The latter of those two devices was made available for purchase shortly after, but the former has remained something of a mystery. We learned about all of its specs and features, but availability and price were kept under wraps. That's finally changing.

On June 30, Motorola confirmed that the Motorola Edge will be available universally unlocked in the United States — a huge improvement over the Edge+'s exclusivity to Verizon. Motorola is still touting a "summer" release date, but we also now know it'll cost $700 whenever that does happen.

I was personally hoping for something closer to the $600 marker, but Motorola is equipping the Edge with more RAM and storage than what we were expecting. The phone was initially said to come with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but now it'll offer 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

Motorola Edge Black Render

Source: Motorola (Image credit: Source: Motorola)

The rest of the Edge's specs remain unchanged, meaning it'll still have a Snapdragon 765 processor, a 6.7-inch OLED display with a Full HD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate, a 4,500 mAh battery, and four rear cameras — including a 64MP primary camera, 16MP ultra-wide camera, 16MP macro camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera.

Rounding out the spec sheet is support for expandable storage, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and 5G connectivity with the sub-6 standard. Wireless charging would have been great to see at this price, but regardless, it seems that you'll be getting a lot for your money.

Now that pricing is official, the Motorola Edge is shaping up to be an interesting alternative to the OnePlus 8 (opens in new tab). It should also compete well with the upcoming Pixel 5, which is also expected to use the Snapdragon 765 chipset.

Given how impressed we were with the higher-end Edge+, we can't wait to get our hands on the Motorola Edge and put it through its paces. Now, if Motorola would only give us a release date to look forward to.

Motorola Edge+ review: Slippery slope

Joe Maring
Joe Maring

Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.

7 Comments
  • Lol. $700 for those specs? Moto never learns. 
  • Agreed...This is a $500 phone...$600 tops. Never thought I'd say this, however, Iphones are probably a better bang for ones bucks these days -- especially because Moto and Samsung never provide more than 2 years of updates.
  • It's the Galaxy Moto S
  • Dear Motorola, you have too many different models. ..
  • In their defense: A) it was what got Samsung established
    B) it is pretty much the same thing that they do with laptops (including Chromebooks)
  • Not sure that Lenovo has the same kind of scale that Samsung has. Also, Motorola and Lenovo have to pass a lot of folks to do the numbers that Samsung does. Of course, different markets have different needs so I get why there are so many models. It just feels like there are 16 eighth-generation Moto G models and 10 Motorola One models currently available. I want a Moto C for the lowest-end. A solid Moto E for the sub-$150 pricepoint. Maybe the Moto G Stylus can take away LG Stylo sales but make a Moto G that's a solid Pixel a competitor. Do a Moto X that's an iPhone 11 competitor. And support them for two years.
  • No one is going to pay $700 for a Motorola phone. Flagship Android phones in the U.S. mean Samsung, LG and (I guess) the Pixel. Motorola is really missing the boat by not coming out with a $400-$500 5G phone with 6 GB RAM. For that matter so are LG and Google. There is NO REASON to buy this device when you can get a Galaxy A71 for $600. Now the Moto G 5G might be compelling IF Motorola keeps it under $350. However sadly I do not think that it will be under contract for most carriers. The Android world really shot themselves in the foot by not offering a true mid-range 5G device next. year.