The competition is fierce among mid-range phones right now. You don’t need to spend upwards of $1,000 to get a decent handset; the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is living proof.
Launching alongside the more high-end Edge 50 Pro, the latest Fusion deftly balances value and features. For less than $600, you get a snazzy pOLED 144Hz screen, multi-day battery, and a decent camera array. Topping it off is eSIM support and a decent IP68 durability rating.
But what separates the Edge 50 Fusion from the Samsungs and Oppos of the world? Honestly, the differences are marginal, which is a credit to how adept phone manufacturers have become at making phones in this price range.
Performance-wise, Motorola’s latest mid-range phone keeps up with the best on the market. Arguably the main separating factor is the Edge 50 Fusion’s slim curved form factor, resulting in a striking display that spans the phone’s entire width. It also happens to pack a long-lasting battery onboard, suited to all-day use, and then some.
Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review
First impressions
Well and truly living up to its “Edge” moniker, the phone’s generously sized screen is the first thing you notice. Its pOLED display spans the front’s entire width, curving slightly around the left and right edges.
I’m not one to gripe about thick bezels bordering phone screens, but I know plenty of people who do. The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is aimed squarely at bezel-detesters – there’s a lot of screen space here.
It looks great, there’s no doubt about that. However, coming from non-edge-to-edge phones, it took me some getting used to. I often accidentally tapped something on the curved edge of the screen or swiped without meaning to. But perhaps that’s just the fault of my clumsy, stubby fingers. The jury’s out on that one.
Maybe it’s a design quirk that people with middle-sized or larger hands need to adapt to. Because the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is so slender, it’s easy for your fingers to wrap around and inadvertently press the screen’s curved edges.
That aside, it is a very nice phone to hold. Its 6.7-inch screen size doesn’t take much effort to grasp, aided by a smooth yet grippy rear covering. My review model consisted of the understated Forest Blue colour, which isn’t necessarily my style – as opposed to the bright Peach Fuzz of the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra – but it’s a classy finish nonetheless.
Motorola Edge 50 Fusion specifications
| Display | 6.7-inch pOLED endless edge display (2400 x 1080) 144Hz refresh rate |
| Dimensions | 161.9 x 73.1 x 7.9mm Weight: 174.9g |
| Processor | Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 Mobile Platform |
| Storage and memory | 256GB storage 12GB LPDDR4X memory |
| Cameras | Main rear camera: 50 MP (f/1.88, 1.0 µm) Secondary rear camera: 13 MP (f/2.2, 1.12 µm) 120° ultra-wide angle and Macro Vision Front camera: 32 MP (f/2.45, 0.7 µm) |
| Battery and charging | 5,000mAh 68W wired charging (charger included) |
| Connectivity | USB-C Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 NFC eSIM + physical SIM |
| Network bands | 2G: GSM band 2/3/5/8 3G: WCDMA band 1/2/5/8 4G: LTE band 1/2/3/5/7/8/18/19/20/26/28/32/38/40/41/42/71 5G: n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n26/n28/n38/n40/n41/n77/n78 |
| Software | Android 14 |
| Durability | IP68 |
| Price (RRP) | $599 |
| Warranty | Two years |
| Official website | Motorola Australia |
Performance
Compared to the Edge 40, the only Edge handset in Australia last year, the 50 Fusion is slightly less powerful, although you wouldn’t notice just through everyday use. As earmarked by the “Fusion” subtitle, this phone is designed as Motorola’s first step into its mid-range Edge lineup.
In terms of raw power, as measured by synthetic benchmark tools, the Edge 50 Fusion sits right in the middle of Samsung’s 2024 mid-rangers, the Galaxy A35 and A55. Which, based on its $599 price tag, is just about right. Comparatively, the Galaxy A35 is $549, while the A55 is $699.
| Device | CPU single-core | CPU multi-core | GPU (OpenCL) |
| Google Pixel 8a | 1,510 | 4,232 | 5,754 |
| Motorola Edge 40 | 1,130 | 3,725 | 4,605 |
| Samsung Galaxy A55 | 1,153 | 3,428 | 3,086 |
| Motorola Edge 50 Fusion | 1,016 | 2,937 | 1,802 |
| Samsung Galaxy A35 | 1,011 | 2,897 | 3,001 |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 | 991 | 2,797 | 3,000 |
| Oppo Reno 10 5G | 963 | 2,444 | 2,387 |
| Oppo Reno 11 F 5G | 905 | 2,358 | 2,372 |
Oddly, as you may notice in the Geekbench 6 table above, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion returned a noticeably lower GPU core than its competitors. I say “oddly” because when running 3DMark’s Wild Life gaming benchmark, it slightly outperforms the Samsung Galaxy A35.
So, although the 50 Fusion isn’t a graphical powerhouse, it still keeps up with similarly priced phones. As for the discrepancy between the different benchmarking tests, it’s a reminder to reference multiple different tools to account for natural variation.
| Device | Score | Average frame rate (fps) |
| Google Pixel 8a | 8,386 | 50.22 |
| Samsung Galaxy A55 | 3,909 | 23.41 |
| Motorola Edge 50 Fusion | 3,029 | 18.14 |
| Samsung Galaxy A35 | 2,798 | 16.76 |
| Oppo Reno 11 F 5G | 2,296 | 13.75 |
These tests provide helpful indicators about broader performance trends, but they’re not everything. Real-world performance is what matters most. In everyday use, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is smooth, responsive, and reliable – everything you want from a phone at this price point.
Battery life
Above all else, the phone’s battery life impressed me more than anything. On a full charge, I left it playing a YouTube video (a live recording of a U2 show, starring The Edge’s guitar playing, which I thought was thematically appropriate) for an hour, with both brightness and volume set to 50%. When I returned an hour later, the battery had only dropped a single percentage point.
I’m not someone who runs through a phone battery in a day, but this was impressive, even by my modest usage standards. I easily got two days of juice without needing to charge. This will vary depending on your usage habits, but even intense users will get to the end of the day with spare change.
It certainly doesn’t hurt that Motorola includes a speedy 68W charger in the box. It’s a great value add when so few phone brands include chargers, let alone high-speed ones. Motorola and Oppo are proving to be the exception to this rule lately.
Photography
Meeting expectations for a $600 phone, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is a tidy little photo snapper. It thrives best in good lighting conditions though, not blowing me away as much as the Oppo Reno 11 F 5G, which I consider to have the most impressive camera array before paying nearly $200 more for the Google Pixel 8a.
I quite liked the Edge 50 Fusion’s selfie camera, capturing a nice level of clarity and colour. Front-facing cameras typically play second fiddle to the main rear lens, but you can still get some nice photos by using natural light to your advantage.
Even in low-light conditions, the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion performed admirably. As you can see in the below photos of the plush Tyranitar, the dimmer lighting results in some washing out of colours, which is an expected trade-off at this price. There’s still a nice level of detail, especially considering the photo on the right was taken in a nearly pitch-black room. That, and I didn’t even use a slower shutter speed.
It’s only when you encounter mixed lighting that the Moto’s cameras start to struggle (as do most phone cameras). These photos of a footy oval at night are pretty reasonable, all things considered. To be nitpicky, parts of the oval are overexposed, but it’s hard to be overly critical given the many different factors at play.
The Edge 50 Fusion comfortably keeps up with the pack as far as its camera quality is concerned.
Who is the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion for?
The Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is one of the most well-rounded phones you can get for less than $600. It’s smooth, snaps decent photos, and lasts ages on a single charge. You also get a 68W charger included in the box, adding some welcome value to the overall package.
It’s genuinely neck-and-neck between the Edge 50 Fusion and similarly priced phones; that’s how close the competition is. If you want a dazzling edge-to-edge display and extensive battery life with fast charging, this is the mid-ranger for you.
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