Motorola edge 20 lite review: A stalwart phone with a display that shines

Ah, the heady days of 2017, when politics was dominated by the phrase “strong and stable”. Despite the best efforts of the government to sully the phrase, they are undeniably positive characteristics, especially when it comes to value-for-money tech. This is where brands like Motorola come in: the communications giant and creator of the Noughties-defining razr has a well-earned reputation for producing phones that will give you a good few years of solid performance.

One of its newest releases is the edge 20 lite, a 5G phone ready for the mid-range market. The £299 RRP – currently reduced to £269.99 – places it perfectly as a top-of-middle handset.

More recent brands to enter the UK market have jumped into the mid-range battleground, with phones like the Xiaomi poco X3 pro offering flagship features at a tempting price. We decided to ask if the traditional brands can still compete.

Our testing fell into four categories: design, display, performance and camera. We first looked at the general design: does the phone offer a premium aesthetic and feel, is it comfortable in the hand and pocket, and would we feel OK taking it out in public?

Display testing took in brightness and clarity in a range of scenarios and checked its refresh rate while gaming. Performance was also tested in this phase, and widened to include general usage: how snappy is the experience, and could we see the phone lasting enough time for it to be worth the purchase?

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Finally, camera testing consisted of taking shots and footage in a variety of light settings and of a range of subjects.

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Buy now £269.99, Motorola.co.uk

Design isn’t top of the list for mid-range phones. You’re not expecting something for the Louvre, but the handset has to look decent enough and preferably give off a “durable yet premium” air. The edge 20 lite fits that brief. It won’t win any prizes, but it feels strong enough and looks sophisticated, with the Motorola finish on the rear. The case is unfortunately made of plastic, which detracts slightly from the overall aesthetic, but at this level, it’s still the norm and actually adds to the phone’s durability – if there’s no metal or glass, there’s no risk of dents and cracks adding another £100 to your bill.

The camera bump on the back will be a deal-breaker for some potential buyers. It’s certainly noticeable, creating that annoying wobble when the phone is laid on a flat surface. It also somewhat tarnishes the otherwise decent silhouette of the gadget.

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The fingerprint sensor is incorporated into the on button, a feature that we still appreciate over the fad of a smudge-inducing on-screen option. The volume button is slightly too small, meaning we often switched our phone screen off when trying to up the volume during another fascinating trip down a YouTube rabbit hole, but this is something that most minimally patient users won’t find to be a problem.

The display is where the edge 20 lite wins brownie points. The 6.7in FHD+ OLED screen might necessitate a two-handed approach to using the phone, but results in a bright, attractive picture that’s full of character and colour. Clarity and contrast are impressive – watching the new trailer for the Robert Pattinson-led The Batman, it picks out fine details from the almost perpetual darkness, and shows off brighter colours well without veering into unrealistic territory. It’s better than most of the mid-range field.

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The 90Hz refresh rate is pretty good for the price bracket, although some competitors are beginning to regularly include 120Hz. 90Hz is more than enough for the majority of phone users, however, and helps to keep power usage lower. If you’re not a diehard mobile gamer, you’ll be more than happy.

Motorola’s approach to Android usability remains refreshingly simple. Instead of adding the usual bells and whistles that other brands insist on, Motorola’s takes the base Android skin, adds its own useful gestures and features, and leaves it well alone. The edge 20 lite’s UI is therefore clean, clear and easy to navigate. In a world of phone-slowing, over-saturated UIs, Motorola continues to impress.

The edge 20 lite produces Motorola’s characteristically big sound, but only from the bottom speaker. We’ve now tested too many phones at this price point that offer stereo for there to be an excuse for this – time for any monos to make the step up.

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What this phone has above all else is juice in abundance. Battery technology is now at the stage where it’s almost inexcusable to have anything other than a day-long battery, even with higher-end processing power. The edge 20 lite goes further than that, offering a 5,000mAh cell that can last up to two full days, a feature that remained consistent throughout our testing. With the TurboPower 30 fast charging tech, Motorola says that you can expect an impressive 12 hours of power from 10 plugged-in minutes – just don’t expect to be able to play a marathon Fortnite session.

The battery power is helped in part by the edge 20 lite’s energy-efficient MediaTek dimensity 720 chipset. Efficient it might be – powerful it is not. Most users won’t notice any lack of processing power, as the general experience is snappy and quick, but any gamers will.

The main camera’s 108MP tagline is extremely promising, which makes its overall performance a bit of a disappointment. The camera tech isn’t used to its full potential, with imagery being processed at a lower resolution than could be possible. Photos are fine, and the macro capabilities are better than average, but low-light shots in particular lack finer detail. Shots taken in good lighting are more than adequate for an Instagram post, with a nice colour balance and a rich general finish, but if you’re looking for a quick, reactive snapper, you might find the edge 20 lite a little lacking.

The Motorola edge 20 lite is a decent phone. It’s squarely in the mid-range bracket when it comes to design and features, and the price reflects this. There are phones from more recent brand entries to the UK market that are cheaper and offer more in terms of processing power or screen quality, but with the edge 20 comes the clear, enjoyable Motorola experience that traditionalists will favour. You won’t get the “Hello Moto” anywhere else.

Finding the right phone is tricky, especially when you’re trying to find the right balance between cost and quality. The Motorola edge 20 doesn’t pull up any trees, but is a solid handset with an impressive battery life, solid durability and attractive display that will serve you well, especially with the added 5G capability. Strong and stable is back in fashion.