Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review: Colourful, capable and affordable

The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion marks the return of Motorola’s Fusion line, for more affordable handsets.

It sits below the Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Ultra, while sharing many features with its siblings. Priced at £349.99, it aims to compete with other budget models like the Nothing Phone 2a and the Redmi Note 13 Pro.

With a vibrant design, strong camera performance, and solid battery life, it offers great value for money.

Design & Build

• 7.9mm thick, 175g
• Vegan suede and vegan leather options
• Premium build quality
• IP68 rating

The Edge 50 Fusion stands out from other mid-range devices with its vibrant colour options.

Fit with “out-of-the box” names including Hot Pink vegan suede, Marshmallow Blue vegan leather, and the more traditional Forest Blue plastic composite, it brings a fun spin to one of the biggest decision preferences for a phone.

It must be said, if Motorola was trying to stand out, the colours go a long way. But the design itself is very familiar, and the Nothing Phone 2a is a better option if ‘different’ is a priority.

Even with its budget status, the Edge 50 Fusion feels premium

Despite being more affordable, the Edge 50 Fusion still offers IP68 water and dust resistance and Gorilla Glass 5 for durability. Even with its budget status, the Edge 50 Fusion feels premium, weighing 175g and measuring just 7.9mm thick. You’ll notice this as somewhat of a trend, but this handset doesn’t always feel like an affordable option – the sacrifices are kept to a minimum.

Screen & Speakers

• 6.7-inch pOLED display
• 144Hz refresh rate and HDR
• Decent Dolby Atmos speakers

Motorola equips the Edge 50 Fusion with a 6.7-inch pOLED panel that curves at the edges. More premium phones have done this for years, but recently moved away from the curves due to user frustrations. You get a nicer feel in your hand, but it does make the phone more susceptible to damage – so it’s a trade-off.

The Edge 50 Fusion’s display features HDR support, a 144Hz refresh rate, Full HD+ resolution, and 10-bit colour. Despite a £350 price, this is a decently bright and vibrant display, which is bright enough to still see outside on a moderately sunny day.

The screen also includes a fingerprint sensor for quick access. It’s pretty reliable, although the device could unlock a little faster – there’s a slight lag.

This is a decently bright and vibrant display, which is bright enough to still see outside on a moderately sunny day

The speakers, while lacking bass, provide decent audio quality with Dolby Atmos spatial sound. You wouldn’t want to watch a full movie with these speakers, but they’re more than enough for a YouTube video.

Specs & Performance

• Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset
• Up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage
• Solid performance for daily use and light game

On the inside, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset. It’s not the most impressive from Qualcomm, but it is still a new processor for 2024. With the 7s Gen 2, the Edge 50 Fusion can handle daily tasks with ease.

With the 7s Gen 2, the Edge 50 Fusion can handle daily tasks with ease

This handset is available in configurations up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, and it delivers respectable performance for its price. Benchmark tests confirm its capability, with smooth handling of most apps and light gaming. You’ll easily get through a day of regular use with this phone.

But if you want to turn to multitasking or playing lots of games, you’d be better off looking elsewhere. Things slow down as you do more resource-intensive tasks (as expected). Games and videos will run okay, but the frame rate will start to drop quickly for higher quality videos or more advanced games.

Watch something in 4K HDR on YouTube or Netflix, for example, and you’ll notice things won’t tick over as nicely. That said, the battery doesn’t decrease as much as I would expect it to for more intense tasks. Perhaps that’s something on the processor or in Motorola’s software – sacrificing resource-heavy performance in favour of battery.

Motorola Edge 50 Fusion benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp main, 13Mp ultrawide, 32Mp front lenses
• Cameras generally good, some over-sharpening issues
• Capable video, but some HDR issues

Round-back, you’ll find a triple camera array with a very similar set-up to the best smartphones you can buy. The Edge 50 Fusion features a 50Mp main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 13Mp ultrawide lens, and a 32Mp front camera. But, as you’ll know, it’s not all about the megapixel count.

The main camera performs well in most lighting conditions, though some shots appear overly sharpened and without Auto-HDR. You’ll definitely want to opt for the Natural picture mode in the settings. It produces far better shots than older smartphones, but can’t match top camera phones like the Pixel 8 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Your holiday snaps and social media shots will be more than good enough, but don’t expect this device to take particularly amazing photos

The ultrawide lens offers consistent colour performance, while the selfie camera produces detailed images. When you head into low lighting environments, the camera loses detail quickly, especially when you zoom in. However, when in Portrait mode, the sharpness tendency plays to the camera’s advantage for better looking pictures.

All that to say, your holiday snaps and social media shots will be more than good enough, but don’t expect this device to take particularly amazing photos.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• Lasts for a full day of moderate use
• 68W wired charging with charger included

With a 5000mAh battery, the Edge 50 Fusion offers long-lasting performance, easily getting through a day of moderate use.

The Edge 50 Fusion offers long-lasting performance, easily getting through a day of moderate use

If you plan on using your phone for lengths at a time, you probably won’t find a much bigger battery at this price point. And it’s one you could eke out if you’re only using the device for lighter tasks.

The included 68W charger provides fast refuelling, with the phone reaching 100% in about an hour. Wireless charging is not supported (as is fairly typical of mid-range smartphones), but the wired option is quick enough that you won’t miss that convenience.

Software & Updates

• Android 14
• Near-stock experience but some bloatware
• 3 major OS updates, 4 years of security patches

Running on Android 14 with a minimal Motorola overlay, the Edge 50 Fusion provides a near-stock experience. It’s one of the cleaner software options I’ve seen from mid-range devices, sticking closely to Google’s Pixel version of Android. But it’s not quite there for one very noticeable reason: bloatware.

It’s one of the cleaner software options I’ve seen from mid-range devices

The device includes a bunch of pre-installed apps like TikTok, Facebook, and a load more. These can be removed easily enough, but they really shouldn’t have to be – we’re in 2024 now.

Despite the pain of uninstalling apps you probably don’t want, Motorola does actually offer a few extra goodies. Notable features include Family Space, Moto Unplugged, and Ready For, all included with the goal of enhancing usability.

Motorola is offering three major OS updates and four years of security patches for the Edge 50 Fusion. That’s not quite best in class – Samsung offers four and five for it’s mid-range phones – but you’re unlikely to be still using it in 2028 anyway.

Price & Availability

The Edge 50 Fusion costs £349.99, making it a strong option in the affordable segment. That gets you 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and is available direct from Motorola or via Amazon.

You can’t buy the phone on contract via a network, so your best alternative is to buy outright and pair with a SIM-only deal. Use the widget below to find an option that suits you.

At the time of writing, the phone isn’t available to buy in the US, though you may be able to import one.

However, the Edge 50 Fusion faces strong competition from other mid-range phones. In particular, the Nothing Phone (2a) (from £319) and Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro are compelling alternatives.

Should you buy the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion?

The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion offers excellent value with its attractive design, capable cameras and robust battery life.

Performance is noticeably on the mid-range side of things when you attempt to do more resource-heavy tasks. That said, the phone will favour your battery life, and keep things ticking over without running the device flat. Your photos will be plenty good for holiday snaps or sharing brunch on Instagram, but can quickly lose detail or appear too sharp.

While it faces stiff competition from brands such as Nothing and Xiaomi, some unique software features and affordability make it a noteworthy option in the budget segment. Another nice fact is Motorola’s long-standing reputation, and reliability of future software updates.

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