Motorola Edge 50 review

Proper triple-camera setup

The Motorola Edge 50 uses the same camera hardware as the cheaper Edge 50 Neo. And we generally have no issue with that, given that the cameras are dependable and provide all the usual focal lengths.

The main unit is 50MP, the ultrawide is 13MP and the telephoto is 10MP. The selfie shooter is also borrowed from the Edge 50 Neo - 32MP.

• Wide (main):50MP Sony IMX 896, 1/1.55", 1.0µm , f/1.8, 24mm, multi-directional PDAF, OIS; 4K@30fps
• Telephoto: 10MP Samsung S5K3K1, 1/3.94", 1.0µm, f/2.2, 73mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@30fps
• Ultrawide: 13MP SK Hynix HI1336, 1/3.0", 1.12µm, f/2.2, 13mm, PDAF; 4K@30fps
• Front camera: 32MP Samsung ISOCELL S5KJD1, f/2.4, 1/3.14", 0.7µm; 4K@30fps

Unfortunately, we have to report once again that the camera app is too laggy. It's not as bad as the Edge 50 Neo. Still, the shutter button is not as responsive as it should be in some scenarios, the viewfinder appears choppy, switching between modes and cameras is rather slow and processing is also too slow in some modes, such as Portrait mode.

Daylight photos

Main camera

Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the vanilla Edge 50 provides solid picture quality with its main camera. The dynamic range is wide, there's a good amount of fine detail, sharpness is good and the colors are close to natural, maybe even juicier, despite the Natural camera preset.

Main camera samples

Here are some portraits using the main camera in the standard Photo mode and Portrait mode. In both cases, you can expect solid quality.

Portraits: Photo mode • Portrait mode

2x crop zoom

The 2x zoom photos are simple crops from the main camera and the upscaling is quite evident. Notice how the camera fails to resolve fine detail in the foliage and trees. Sure, dynamic range, colors and contrast are great as they are in the 1x Photo mode, but pictures are a bit too soft to our taste. We've seen better 2x crop zoom implementations.

2x crop zoom samples

And here are some portraits too.

Portraits: Photo mode • Portrait mode

3x telephoto camera

The 3x telephoto camera produces nice pictures that match the main camera's overall processing in terms of colors, contrast, dynamic range. When it comes to quality, the 3x zoom samples fall right between the 2x and 1x ones, meaning the 3x photos are noticeably sharper and resolve more detail than their 2x counterparts, but they are a step back compared to the 1x photos from the main cam.

3x telephoto camera samples

All in all, the 3x zoom camera is dependable unless you are about to shoot some portraits, which seem a bit soft in some cases.

Portraits: Photo mode • Portrait mode

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera isn't amazing, but it gets the job done and is comparable to other rivals in the same segment, quality-wise. It's not very sharp, and the dynamic range is limited compared to the main and telephoto cameras, resulting in a bit of dark shadows in the current weather conditions. The colors are slightly less saturated, but the edge correction algorithm is pretty good, so the barrel distortion is rather minimal.

Ultrawide camera samples

Since the ultrawide camera has autofocus, which isn't always the case with phones in this price bracket, it supports close-up macro photography. Interestingly, though, we found the main camera to produce better results. It can focus on similarly close distance.

Macro samples: Main camera • Ultrawide camera

Selfies

To our surprise, the selfies turned out great. The sensor used isn't the best, but Motorola manages to extract excellent selfies, given the device's class. The selfies have a wide dynamic range, plenty of detail and are decently sharp too. Contrast is slightly higher, though, and colors tend to be less-than-lively. But generally speaking, you can expect excellent selfie quality.

Selfies

Low-light photos

Main camera

Even if you don't shoot in the dedicated Night mode, the system will apply the Night mode when using the standard Photo mode. Either way, the results are pretty good. The noise level is kept to a minimum, sharpness is okay, plenty of fine detail and the dynamic range is wide. We also like the contrast as it tones down the shadows and gives the scene a more natural look. Colors are also very close to natural.

Main camera samples

2x crop zoom

Since the daylight 2x crop zoom photos weren't impressive in the first place, we didn't have much hope for the low-light samples. They are way too soft, noisy and lack fine detail.

2x crop zoom samples

3x telephoto camera

The 3x photos at night are surprisingly clean, balanced and detailed. The telephoto camera rivals the main one in terms of sharpness and detail. The software often tones down the brightness and produces more natural-looking shadows. Then again, take a look at the last sample, which turned out too bright and a bit too warm color temperature.

3x telephoto camera samples

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera produces okay-ish images. The dynamic range is surprisingly good, the contrast is on point, and the details are satisfactory. However, there's plenty of noise all around, and all samples are too soft, even if the subject is up close.

Ultrawide camera samples

Videos

The Edge 50 can record 4K@30fps videos with all its cameras, including the selfie. We are also happy to report that you can switch between cameras while recording, which isn't a given these days. The system applies EIS to all of the videos, but there's one particularly interesting stabilization mode called Horizon Lock.

Horizon Lock uses the ultrawide camera and locks onto the horizon once you tap record. It will then keep the said horizon no matter how you turn the phone. We've provided a sample clip in the YouTube playlist below. Keep in mind that we turned the phone 180 degrees several times during the recording.

Now, off to the video samples. The main camera produces generally likable clips with plenty of colors and good enough dynamic range. The shadows are a bit crushed, but the overcast isn't helping either. Still, we think there's room for improvement when it comes to sharpness.

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.

Of course, the video from the ultrawide camera is noticeably softer and has a narrower dynamic range, but the colors and contrast are on point.

The 3x telephoto video, on the other hand, produced slightly brighter footage but toned down colors, contrast and also looked a bit too soft for 4K resolution.

the low-light video with the main camera looks clean, sharp enough and with a very natural highlights-to-shadows ratio. It's not too dark but dark enough to hide any potential noise. It's pretty solid for the class.