Motorola Edge 50 Phones Bring Back Wood Option For Users Sappy With Nostalgia

Motorola is trying to bring a sense of individuality back to owning smartphones. Harking back to customizable Moto X back covers, the newly announced Motorola Edge 50 Ultra will have a real wood and vegan leather option. The Ultra joins two other models—the Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Fusion—for a global launch in the coming week, with the U.S. being the exception until possibly the latter part of the year.

Motorola may have lost its prominence in the mobile arena, but with help from owner Lenovo, it continues to push to be that brand that people used to get excited about not that long ago. To wit, the latest Edge 50 flagships sport a very good mix of strong specs, colorways, and in the case of the top-of-the-line Edge 50 Pro, the return of leather and wood back covers. 

To somewhat whet our appetites here  stateside, the Edge 50 Ultra will be the most impressive, rocking a Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 SoC, a 6.7-inch 144Hz OLED with Gorilla Glass Victus, IP68 dust-water resistance, wireless charging, and a triple camera setup in the rear. The main cam will be a 50MP OIS sensor, paired with a 64MP telephoto (also OIS. 3x optical plus 100x Super zoom) and a 50MP ultrawide/macro.


The Edge 50 Pro middle child will have the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and a 6.7-inch 144Hz pOLED display, whereas the 50 Fusion settles for a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and 6.7-inch 120Hz pOLED. Wireless charging will be available on the Pro, both will have IP68 ratings as well. In the rear camera department, the Fusion will be served by a 50MP Sony Lytia LYT-700C optically stabilized sensor for the main cam and 13MP ultrawide/maco. The 50 Pro scores a 50MP primary, a 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 13MP ultrawide/macro.


The Edge 50 Fusion will sell for €400 (approximately $425), the Edge 50 Pro at €700 (around $745), while the Edge 50 Ultra rings in at €1000 (about $1060). They'll initially be sold in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania. Motorola intends on “expanding the Edge family in North America this year,” but what that looks like is still yet known.