Motorola Edge 40 Neo Review | A balanced smartphone experience

Our review today features the newest member of Edge family, the Motorola Edge 40 Neo. The Neo is remarkably close to the lineup’s standard model, sharing its camera system and display with the Edge 40. But unlike its predecessor, it now packs a Dimensity 7030 SoC processor.

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Design

The new Motorola Edge 40 Neo is almost indistinguishable from the Edge 40, in terms of design, colour and build material. The colour options are inspired by Pantone catalogue shades and offer distinct looks and textures. The Caneel Bay version we reviewed featured a vegan leather back which was visually appealing, resistant to fingerprints, and provided a comfortable grip.

With a curved rear panel meeting a curved display, the Neo closely resembles the standard Edge 40 model. This design imparts a premium, slim feel to the handset. However, the Neo’s frame is made of plastic, unlike the aluminium frame of the regular Edge 40. Nevertheless, it retains an IP68 rating for dust and water protection, emphasising its durability.

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The phone’s front features Nippon Electric Glass and a small punch hole for the selfie camera, elegantly integrated into the display. At the bottom are all the standard elements like the USB-C port, the primary loudspeaker, and a microphone, along with the SIM slot. Meanwhile, a lone microphone pinhole is located at the top side of the handset. The right side of the phone houses the power button and volume buttons, while the left side remains bare.

Display

In line with Motorola’s tradition of offering higher display refresh rates than much of its competition, the Neo boasts a 144Hz refresh rate. It shares the same display panel as the standard model, featuring a 6.55-inch screen with a 1080x2400 resolution. Motorola highlights its HDR10+ support and a maximum touch sampling rate of 360Hz.

Streaming platforms like YouTube do provide HDR content on the Neo, although you may not get the expected enhancement of brightness till you switch to full-screen, which is when the display truly comes alive. The phone carries Widevine L1 certification, ensuring FullHD playback capability, a notable advantage for consuming content.

OS

Like other Edge 40 models, the Neo runs on a near-stock Android version-- here the Android 13. with a few enhancements and features from Motorola. The Neo sees the same software support as the standard Edge 40, with two guaranteed OS upgrades and security updates for three years. This ensures users have access to the latest features and security improvements for a considerable period of time.

Processor

This model is equipped with a Dimensity 7030 chipset, marking the first appearance of this particular MediaTek SoC. While the CPU and GPU components may not be exceptionally unique, they deliver capable performances. The octa-core CPU is arranged in a 2+6 configuration, with two powerful Cortex-A78 cores reaching speeds of up to 2.5GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores maxing out at 2.0GHz. The Mali-G610 MC3 GPU, while a three-core variant, shares its design with the quad-core version in the Dimensity 7200 and the six-core setup in the Dimensity 8100 and its related models. Overall, the Dimensity 7030 offers a well-rounded package.

The phone is available in two memory configurations: a base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and another (like the one we reviewed) with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

The Edge 40 Neo records solid numbers in GeekBench. The CPU records a figure of 1038 in single-core score, whereas in multi-score, it manages to capture a figure of 2515. The GPU test recorded the 1964 OpenCL score. The test figures indicate that the Edge 40 Neo has the potential to emerge as a favourite in the mid-range segment.

Camera

The Edge 40 Neo largely inherits its camera hardware from the Edge 40, with one notable difference being the aperture size of the primary rear camera-- f/1.8 on the Neo versus f/1.4 on the Edge 40. The primary camera on the Neo also utilises the OmniVision OV50A sensor found in the Edge 40 and Edge 40 Pro, featuring an f/1.8 aperture lens. This sensor boasts a sizeable 1/1.55” optical format, producing 12.5MP photos with 2.0µm pixel size through a 4-cell design. The ultrawide camera employs a 13MP SK Hynix HI1336 sensor with 1.12µm individual pixels and a 1/3” optical format, accompanied by an f/2.2 aperture lens with variable focus. This module can also function as a close-up camera.

For selfies, the Neo has the OmniVision OV32B sensor with a 1/3” optical format and a 0.7µm pixel size, employing a 4-cell design for improved performance. Unlike the main rear camera, the front camera lacks autofocus.

In daylight, the Neo delivers good quality 12.5MP images, keeping the vibrant colours intact. The detailing of the images is quite nice, with an ample amount of contrast. The device generally handles dynamic range well, although it tends to produce slightly darker shadows. The 50MP Ultra-Res mode yields slightly larger and blockier images with added definition, but it also takes into account a small amount of noise. Surprisingly, the 2x zoom mode produces softer images than a centre crop from the 50MP shots. The ultrawide camera closely matches the main camera’s overall look, maintaining a slightly subdued colour rendition. It exhibits decent dynamic range, though it still tends to produce darker shadows in certain scenes. Noise levels are minimal, and detailing is commendable.

In Night Vision mode, scenes generally appear similar, with occasional variations like slightly darker exposures in some instances. However, engaging Night Vision at 2x zoom can improve shadow development and overall exposure, though edges may be jagged upon closer inspection.

The phone features a three-pronged Portrait mode, with three focal lengths: Standard (50mm), Wide (35mm), and Full view (24mm), all captured using the main rear camera. The 50mm mode lacks detail but this improves significantly in the 35mm mode. The native 24mm mode excels in detail and captures great results.

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Selfies default to 8MP resolution, since the default magnification level is zoomed in, but you can switch to the full 32MP mode in the settings. These selfies exhibit excellent detail, natural-looking skin tones (albeit with slightly muted colours), and a wide dynamic range.

Battery

The Neo features a 5,000mAh battery, comparatively more than that of the Edge 40. The phone lasts a day quite comfortably, with average usage. The phone comes with a fast adapter of 68W, and the charger is able to tank up the battery within 40-45 minutes.

Verdict

The Motorola Edge 40 Neo emerges as a smart choice, building on the strong foundation of its predecessor, the Edge 40. With a design that combines aesthetics and comfort, it closely resembles the standard model while offering distinct colour variants with texture-rich finishes.

The addition of the Dimensity 7030 chipset enhances its performance, making it a compelling contender in the mid-segment. The Motorola Edge 40 Neo successfully maintains the Edge family’s reputation for offering solid features and performance at a competitive price point (starting at ₹23,999), making it a recommended choice for those seeking a balanced smartphone experience.