Motorola has just announced a swathe of new premium phones, with a swanky new design and boosted camera features taking centre stage. We’re comparing them with the competition.
If you’re looking at a phone in the spaces below a grand, there’s a fierce set of phones available. The new Motorola Edge 50 Pro enters that space and it has a tough rival to contend with in the form of the OnePlus 12. However, there’s quite a lot to differentiate these two premium offerings. We’ve reviewed the OnePlus and gone hands-on with the new Motorola, so let us walk you through the key differences.
The Edge 50 Pro is cheaper
Budget is often the deciding factor for most and there’s quite a disparity in price between these two phones and, to be frank, the OnePlus 12 lines up more directly with the new Motorola Edge 50 Ultra. However, it’s worth putting it up against the lower Pro model to see if you feel like you could make some key compromises to get a hefty saving.
Get the S23 Ultra on the cheap
Despite still being a fantastic phone in 2024, the S23 Ultra has taken a huge tumble in price, letting you nab a ‘like new’ refurbished model for almost half of what the phone cost at launch.
- Giffgaff
- Was £1249 at launch
- Now just £669 ‘like new’
The hefty saving is around £250, with the Motorola starting at £599 while the OnePlus 12 starts at £849. As you’ll see, this affords a few more luxuries with the OnePlus 12, but the Edge 50 Pro has a lot to offer.
Better display and more power for the OnePlus 12
The extra cost means the OnePlus 12 is able to provide a luxury 1440 x 3168 resolution AMOLED display, measuring in at 6.82 inches. By comparison, the Motorola Edge 50 Pro offers a lower 1220 x 2712 OLED panel. Though, Motorola has the edge on refresh rate at 144Hz compared with 120Hz on the OnePlus 12.
However, the OnePlus continues coming out on top with the chipset, offering the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, compared with the 7 Gen 3 in the Motorola. The former offers higher clock counts and you also get 12GB RAM with the OnePlus, while the Edge 50 Pro simply comes with 8GB RAM. The Motorola specs remain strong for a mid-ranger though, even it is eclipsed by its higher-priced rival.
OnePlus wins on battery size but not charging
The Motorola Edge 50 Pro comes with rapid 125W fast wired charging and a 4500mAh battery. By comparison, the OnePlus 12 is at a, still fast, 100W charging and a significantly larger 5400mAh battery.
These phones are equal in the wireless charging department though. Both offer 50W top-up speeds if you’re cable-averse.
The Motorola is slimmer and lighter
One area in which Motorola benefits from not offering such power-related hefty is in the design. If you like a trimmer device then that could swing you the way of the Edge 50 Pro. It weighs just 186g and is 8.19mm. Those are impressively thin and light compared to the 220g and 9.2mm thickness of the OnePlus 12.
OnePlus offers more powerful cameras, but Motorola has AI
Photography fans will likely want to opt for the OnePlus 12, with a 50MP wide angle, 64MP telephoto and 48MP ultra-wide sitting around the back of this phone.
Comparatively, the Motorola comes with a 50MP wide, 13MP ultra-wide and 10MP telephoto. The proof will be in the pudding once we’ve fully reviewed the Edge 50 Pro but, in our review of the OnePlus 12, we called its camera, a “much more versatile shooter” than its predecessor.
The Motorola does have the lead on the megapixel front with the selfie camera though, hitting 50MP versus 32MP on the OnePlus.
OnePlus may win for raw power on the photography front but the 12 neglected to take advantage of AI capabilities that its more powerful chip could afford it.
The Edge 50 Pro obliges though, touting AI-powered Photo Enhancement Engine, Adaptive Stabilisation, Auto Focus Tracking and Style Sync.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
