Please note: This was picked up on discount from JB HI FI, but the discounted price won't represent what I am boasting when referring to the value it's based on the recommend retail. I reflected everything that I have done on the Motorola, and my views remain unbiased. I DON'T HAVE ANY AFFILIATE LINKS included in this article.
Motorola if you grew up in the 2000s Motorola became the cult brand with the V3, flip top, V3x, V3xx and more. You instantly had the cool kid status if you had a V3 lol. π. Flip phones are cool and still are cool especially if you're rocking the Samsung Z Flip 3.
Motorola has a few phones currently on the Australian Market with their entry level starting at $169.00 and their flag ship being the Motorola Edge 20 Pro at $699.00 and even that is still cheap for a flagship when taking in to consideration the cost of flagships with Google, Samsung and Apple.
The Motorola phone that I picked up for the social phone was the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion this comes in two colours we've got electric graphite (GREY) and Cyber Teal, the cyber teal is a nice shiny blue with matching metallic bumpers on the edges.
The Motorola isn't going to have a metal back or glass back or even metal sides the Edge 20 Fusion is strictly high quality plastic - which can be a little concerning for some of us who are worried about that stuff however I think the plastic is durable and doesn't pose any issues, (Even the Samsung S21 FE 5G has plastic backing at $999.00), though it's solid and that's definitely a positive from a phone at this value point :)
The Motorola has a few points where it really shines, but first let's focus on what the heck is in the box π. Motorola has nailed it we've got the phone in the box with a silicone case which will offer some light protection especially for the camera bump π cause she's thick. You have USB A to C cable with a 30W charging brick and earphones yes, earphones and this phone still has the 3.5mm jack (YAY) thought personally I don't know the last time I used wired buds with a phone but that's just me.
Everything included in the box is a nice touch and that definitely makes it a good value choice considering most phones double the price no longer have the brick or earphones included and that definitely does suck a lot but it happens.
The Motorola was fast to turn on and set up and the Motorola rocks 5G, 128GB of storage internal expandable with Micro SD, 6GB of ram. It boasts a 5000 mAh battery which is actually bigger than the Samsung Z Flip 3 and the Samsung S21 FE 5G. 5000 mAh is definitely enough for even the most hard core power users to get through the day. The Edge 20 Fusion can handle what ever you throw at it. It's also got to be noted that the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion is a phone that is DUAL SIM capable, both psychical sims there's no E-SIM here.
Let's talk the display you've got 90 hz (Thought 120 hertz is some what standard) refresh rate allows you to view that dynamic content with much less lag and even better the Motorola has a 6.7" MAX HDR10+ OLED display and that OLEG display takes it to the next level for view content in direct sunlight, or even in a dark environment. The OLED display is true to the colours and liquid clear and. extremely viewable under most of the conditions we have tested it in. Any one would know that OLED displays definitely beat the other type of phone displays that are on the market especially when creating content π.
The Edge 20 Fusion has a fingerprint reader on the side of the phone and it's one of the fastest that I have used, it's even faster than the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G in display finger print reader. Fingerprint reader is the main way I have been unlocking the phone. It's easy to hold the phone in one hand and unlock with the same hand which is a strong bonus and a big positive and that's just a fact of life. Setting up and registering the print was hassle free and only took a minute or so.
I saw a small con in one of the reviews saying that the DJI OM4 SE can't balance the Edge 20 Fusion, I don't roll with OM4 SE as my phone gimbal of choice I roll with the DJI OM5 and that has no issues balancing the Edge 20 Fusion even with the case on, I am not sure if it's got something to do with the payload of the of phone with the OM4 SE, but I thought it was vital to mention that as a content creator that the OM5 does support the Edge 20 Fusion. However it should be said given the PAYLOAD of the Edge 20 Fusion the DJI POCKET 2 using the USB C adaptor has a hard time supplying a tight and secure connection.
The Edge 20 Fusion has no problems handling creative applications like Adobe Creative Express, Photoshop, DJI MIMO, DJI FLY, Insta360 studio and more, the edge 20 Fusion is the ultimate content creators phone with the ability to work with multiple creators apps and with that large battery it won't let you down. Switching with apps on the fly is made extremely easy with the 6GB of on board RAM.
When I refer to content creation it's actually time to talk about the camera's we've got on deck they are crucial that is one of the hate's with the Samsung Z Flip 3 that I spoke about was the quality of the camera. Motorola claim that the Edge 20 Fusion is like having a camera crew in your pocket and I definitely don't want to disagree with that statement.
You've got 108MP (Ultra Pixel Technology )camera in your pocket that's more megapixels than the Sony ZV-1, Panasonic GH5 combined and that's just a fact of life, but every photographer would tell you that megapixels don't matter if the lens is SHIT and that's just a fact of life. This is why often those pro photographer have lens that cost more than the actual camera you can't put a price on good glass.
The Ultra Pixel Technology that the 108MP camera on the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion rocks, what does that mean to you? Ultra Pixel Technology means that your 9 times larger pixels which means 9 times more light hitting the lens, which means what exactly? Sharper images, first time every time combined with top notch AI, and the results speak for them self. It also means incredibly sharp and crisp and bright images even in the most challenging of lighting conditions like NIGHT TIME. A lot of cameras struggle with low light and night time shooting.
If we have to talk one of the most under rated camera and video features for the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion would have to be dual capture this feature allows you to capture the source video from the back camera as well as the front camera hence the name dual capture and in theory and practice this works well. In practice this could work if you have an item on the desk and you're talking to the camera, this way it means you don't need multiple angles and it's not just a headless video. Dual Capture is something you don't even see on higher end phones with out a specialist application so that feature is nice and is definitely something I will be used for content going forward. I think we need to see more phone cameras boasting some thing similar to this to be honest and this is a next level feature especially for content creators.
Motorola has a Cut Out feature allows you to change the scenery in effect this is creating a green screen effect which is basically not a bad idea at all photographers and videographers around the world spend big bucks on setting up green screens so it's definitely nice to have this feature sitting there for those who will use it. So basically this is coming back to the AI on board and the 6GB of RAM, I took a photo by the river, but now i want to be in front of Flinders Street Station, the AI and the use of the cut out feature allows me to change the scenery in a heart beat without needing a green screen or any additional photoshop software. This is basically a virtual green screen which is priceless in my mind.
The Night Vision mode on the front or back camera allows to bring out more details of the night and that creates some great night time photos π. Stunning night time photos are made even more achievable with thanks to the ultra pixel technology that allows more light to hit the lens resulting in sharper and crisper images every time.
The AI with the camera on the Edge 20 Fusion is really next level and that's just a fact of life, like nothing in terms of the AI is on par in my test with the Fusion especially with this price point. The Pro mode allows you to set the ISO, Exposure and shutter speed if you know a little bit more about photography and know what you want to achieve. So wether you want to let the AI do the heavy lifting or want to set the settings your self like a PRO then the Edge 20 Fusion can let you do that without any hassles and it's a very useable Graphical User Interface (GUI).
There's 12 different colour tones (Filters) built in to the camera application on the Motorola allowing you to make those photos pop a little more, and add that flare to take that content to the next level which is definitely not a bad thing.
The Edge 20 Fusion ensures that every one looks there best with the group photo modes and even the beautification mode in selfie ensure's that your taking those top tier selfies and that your tinder game is on point (Just kiddin' I don't use Tinder but you do you.) or that Snapchat game is on point, beautification uses AI to remove blemishes such as wrinkles, cold sores and pimples, the AI game on the Edge 20 is strong as hell and that's a bonus.
The Edge 20 Fusion allows you to just take photos and not worry too much about the ISO, Shutter speed and exposure cause the AI is on point and allows you to ensure that you're on you best game all the time, the Edge 20 Fusion does all it's heavy lifting so you don't have to worry about that picture perfect moment getting wrecked.
The Motorola Edge 20 Fusion definitely ensures that all your photos and video will look their best and that's a fact of life and definitely not a bad thing it allows you to have more social ready content in a heartbeat and once again not another negative. Recording Video with this phone is easy and awesome and working with the internal microphone it sounds clear and crisp but somewhat a little harsh but at the end of the day, you can use something like the Rode Video Micro or even Rode Video Me USB C to get some clearer and less harsh audio and that's definitely a positive. In my case I would more than likely just use the Rode wireless go original as that is my microphone of choice.
118 degree ultra wide allows you to capture a ultra wide image, in perspective that is almost as wide as your lens on the DJI ACTION 2. The ability to work with that ultra wide is definitely nice to have on deck that's definitely a good factor. The macro mode at 5x allows you to just ultra close to something and pick up all those tiny micro details, the macro mode showcases a extremely nice attention to detail.
The camera doesn't sit flush in the body with 108MP of goodness and the onboard crazy insane AI it's no surprise that you've got a camera bump and a decent one at that. I think though this isn't a big problem I think bumps are basically coming the new normal for a lot of us who have used phones in the past especially Samsung I am pretty sure they invented the bump π
The battery will allow you to get everything done without the added stress of running out of battery this 5000 mAH is pretty powerful and has a good stamina mode especially from just sitting on my desk as a phone but even in real field testing video capturing and stuff I have struggled to kill the battery in the day but if you're paranoid like me and need a power bank for peace of mind - Cygnett ChargeUp Boost 5k - this power bank is slim enough to put in the back pocket without any extra bulk and will surely get you through the day if needed.
The phone is fairly light weight and even recording 10 minutes of 4K 30 FPS footage I didn't notice any over heating issues with the phone it self, I have noticed it gets a little hot when charging but nothing major and definitely nothing compared to the Samsung Z Flip 3.
Rocking Android 12 straight out of the box allows the Motorola to be running the latest Android operating system and it's a smoother user interface that is easy to navigate and runs super smooth thanks to the 6GB of ram and it looks even better thanks to the HDR10+ OLED display.
There's not much you can really fault with the Edge 20 Fusion especially at the price point it comes in at in AUSTRALIA at $499.00 with every thing included in the box, it makes this phone excellent value and a great content creation phone.
Conclusion: The Motorola Edge 20 Fusion at $499.00 AUD offers some incredible value versus performance and that's going to be hard to beat at the $499.00 AUD price point given everything that the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion boasts.
On the downsize there's no screen protector fitted to the phone and that would definitely have been at nice inclusion at this price point but that's okay there's third party options out there 9H Tampered Glass Screen Protector it's only $14.95 so it's not too bad price wise which is definitely the bonus.
The battery has this phone aimed at power users and that's definitely a good thing, but that camera also has this phone aimed at the creative within you or the youtube channel super star or that content creator within you. The Motorola Edge 20 Fusion is infused with value and impressive AI that makes content creation a breeze.
The Graphical User Interface/overlay of Android 12 makes it easy and fluent for any one to use even if they don't have understanding of Android or Android 12, the GUI is vibrant thanks to the OLED which makes this a no brainer for people who need a bright screen to order to clearly see their phone so this will be good for those more senior smartphone users.
In closing the Motorola Edge 20 Fusion is aimed at a wide range of people but in my mind is the ultimate photography content creation device. I am very confident that you could actually start and run a whole YouTube Channel on this phone without a doubt.