Motorola Edge 40: Everything you need to know

Motorola has had an impressive couple of years when it comes to flagships, and the new Edge 40 series looks to continue that trend.

The Motorola Edge 40 and Edge 40 Pro have finally arrived, though really we’ve known about the Edge 40 Pro for a while – it’s the same phone launched in China last December as the Moto X40. Still, with a lightning fast display and top specs all round, it’s no slouch, and lands in the UK delivering excellent value for money.

Here’s what we know about that phone and the regular Edge 40, including the price, and what else might come in the Edge 40 series.

When will the Motorola Edge 40 Pro release?

Motorola first rolled out the Edge 40 line as the Moto X40 in China, where it debuted on 15 December.

It’s now come to the West, with the Edge 40 Pro arriving in the UK and Europe in April 2023, while the Edge 40 launched on 4 May.

What we don’t know is whether – or when – we’ll see other Edge 40 phones launch. Still, it only takes a quick look at last year’s line-up to tell us that more models are likely on the way, but may take a few more months to arrive:

• Motorola Edge 30 Pro – March 2022
• Motorola Edge 30 – May 2022
• Motorola Edge 30 Ultra – September 2022
• Motorola Edge 30 Neo – September 2022
• Motorola Edge 30 Fusion – September 2022

As you can see, the 30 Pro was the first to launch but four more followed, and we think it’s likely that we’ll see the same again this year, with more models to follow through the summer and autumn.

How much does the Motorola Edge 40 cost?

The Edge 40 Pro, which will set you back £799/€899. Interestingly that’s even more expensive than last year’s £749 Edge 30 Ultra, suggesting Motorola is shaking up the positioning of its phones this time around.

Last year’s 30 Pro didn’t launch in the UK, but its US and European pricing of $699/€799 was a little lower than the Edge 40 Pro this year.

The regular Edge 40 costs £529.99/€599.99, a significant jump up from the £379/€499 Edge 30.

As for any other future models, to give ourselves some idea of what to expect we can look back to the previous generation. Here’s how the models in that range lined up, in order from cheapest up:

• Motorola Edge 30 Neo – £349/€399 (approx. $415)
• Motorola Edge 30 – $399/£379/€499
• Motorola Edge 30 Fusion – £499/€699 (approx. $615)
• Motorola Edge 30 Pro – $699/€799 (approx. £589)
• Motorola Edge 30 Ultra – £749/€899 (approx. $889)

Motorola didn’t release all models in all regions (hence the various approx. prices) and we suspect that it may be a similar story with the Motorola Edge 40 series.

What are the Motorola Edge 40 specs?

It’s likely that we’ll see multiple phones in the Edge 40 line in the end. For now we have definite specs for the Edge 40 Pro and regular Edge 40.

Motorola Edge 40 Pro

This model launched in China as the X40, and in the West as the Edge 40 Pro. Both versions have the same specs, apart from small variations in RAM and storage options.

This is a pretty impressive handset. Like the prior Edge 30 Pro, it packs a 6.7in curved OLED display, but with a key upgrade: the already fast 144Hz panel has been improved to 165Hz, which should make this a seriously appealing handset for mobile gamers who don’t want to commit fully to a proper gaming phone.

It’s all packed in a sleek, simple design that doesn’t stray too far from the last generation’s great aesthetic, with models available in Interstellar Black or Lunar Blue. It’s slim (8.6mm) and light (199g), and offers both Gorilla Glass Victus and an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating for peace of mind.

As you’d expect for a phone with gaming appeal it’s also powerful, using the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is combined with 12GB of RAM and either 256GB or 512GB of storage – though in China there’s also a cheaper 8GB RAM model.

The 4600mAh battery isn’t massive, but should be enough to deliver day-long battery life. You get fast 125W wired charging too, though the 15W wireless charging is strangely slow by Chinese flagship standards – but since few people buy the proprietary wireless chargers to hit top speeds, this is really a non-issue.

Cameras seem solid again, with a triple rear setup consisting of a 50Mp main camera with OIS, a 50Mp ultrawide, and a 12Mp 2x telephoto, with a high-res 60Mp selfie camera on the other side.

As for software, the phone will of course ship with Android 13 installed. In an impressive step up, Motorola is promising that the handset will receive three Android version updates – so through this year’s Android 14 and up to version 16 – along with four years of security support. That’s not the best around, but it’s pretty good.

Here are the full specs:

• 6.7in, FHD+, 165Hz pOLED display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• 12GB RAM
• 256/512GB storage
• 4600mAh battery
• 125W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp, f/1.8 OIS main camera
  • 50Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide camera
  • 12Mp, f/1.6 2x telephoto camera
  • 60Mp, f/2.2 selfie camera
• Gorilla Glass Victus
• IP68
• 161.2 x 74 x 8.6mm
• 199g
• Android 13

Motorola Edge 40

The regular Edge 40 hangs on to some impressively top end specs from its Pro sibling, but cuts some corners to keep the price lower. In comes in an acrylic blue finish, a green vegan leather, or the below black vegan leather option.

The Edge 40 has a smaller 144Hz display that’s still impressive for the price, along with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. There’s no Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 here, instead plumping for the new MediaTek 8020.

You also lose the telephoto camera with just a main and ultrawide, but the former has an eye-catching f/1.4 aperture and 50Mp sensor that we are looking forward to testing in a full review.

There’s also fast charging and wireless charging – not always a given at this price – plus full waterproofing and a lightweight build.

Unfortunately the Edge 40 only gets two Android updates to Android 15, and three years of security updates to 2026. That’s not as good as the Edge 40 Pro’s three years of OS updates and four years of security.

Here are the full specs:

• 6.55in, FHD+, 144Hz pOLED display
• MediaTek 8020
• 8GB RAM
• 256GB storage
• 4400mAh battery
• 68W wired charging
• 15W wireless charging
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp, f/1.4 OIS main camera
  • 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide/macro camera
  • 32Mp, f/2.4 selfie camera
• Gorilla Glass Victus
• IP68
• 158.3 x 72 x 7.58mm
• 172g
• Android 13

So far Moto has only announced the black, green, and blue versions, though earlier leaks suggest there’s also a nice magenta version on the way:

https://twitter.com/rquandt/status/1643956452103430152

We’ll keep updating this article as more details become available, so until we know more be sure to take a look at our guide to the best smartphones currently available.