Motorola has a winner in its hands, but is it enough to beat Google Pixel 7 Pro?
The Motorola flagship for the North American market for 2023 is here, the Motorola Edge+ 2023.
Motorola Edge+ 2023 has lots of things going for it, and it’s been a while since Motorola launched a truly exciting flagship in the US. It has a curved OLED display with the highest refresh rate in a phone; currently, it has the fastest Android chipset, a massive battery that charges super fast, and an elegant design.
And it is joined by the Motorola Edge 40 Pro, although this phone is targeted at European markets.
Its pricing makes the phone exciting; it undercuts its predecessor, Motorola Edge+ 2022. It goes for $799, which pits it as a direct competitor to Samsung Galaxy S23 and Google Pixel 7 Pro!
Motorola Edge+ 2023 Vs Google Pixel 7 Pro
Motorola Edge+ 2023 can be a great alternative to Google Pixel 7 Pro. At $800, Motorola Edge+ 2023 costs the same as Pixel 7 Pro.
Pixel 7 Pro is a great phone and one of the strongest alternatives to Samsung flagships in the US. But Motorola Edge+ 2023 can be even better, with a software experience similar to the Pixel, its performance, and some features that Pixel 7 Pro doesn’t have. Let us compare Motorola Edge+ with Pixel 7 Pro and see which one you should choose!
Design
Motorola Edge+ 2023 has a minimalist, aesthetically pleasing and sleek design. The back panel is frosted glass and features the Moto logo in the middle. The camera array is a rectangular one that hosts its three cameras and a flash.
Google Pixel 7 Pro has a distinct Google design, which we have seen on previous Google phones. The back panel is glass, and the camera bar runs across the top side of the display, which hosts the three cameras and a flash.
Display
Motorola Edge+ 2023 has a 6.67-inch curved OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a refresh rate of 165 Hz.
Google Pixel 7 Pro has a similarly sized display, coming in a 6.7-inch. It is an AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
With the higher resolution, Pixel 7 Pro has a better display even though Edge+ 2023 has a much higher refresh rate, something most apps don’t support.
Performance
Motorola Edge+ 2023 is powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, the fastest Android chipset currently available. It only comes in a single variant – 8 GB RAM and 512 GB internal storage.
Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with Google’s own SoC, the Google Tensor G2. It is not as powerful as Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 but comparable to two generations back Snapdragon 888+ SoC. In the US, Pixel 7 Pro is available in 3 variants – 8 GB RAM & 128 GB internal storage, 8 GB & 256 GB internal storage and 8 GB & 512 GB internal storage.
Camera
Motorola Edge+ 2023 has a triple camera setup with a 50 MP primary camera, a 50 MP ultrawide camera with a 114˚ field of view and a 12 MP telephoto sensor with a 2x optical zoom. On the front, the phone has a 60 MP selfie shooter, which you rarely see in phones.
Google Pixel 7 Pro also comes with a 50 MP triple camera setup. The 50 MP primary camera is complemented by a 48 MP telephoto sensor with 5x optical zoom and a 12 MP ultrawide camera with a 126˚ field of view.
Here are some of the official camera samples of Motorola Edge+ 2023:
Take a look at the official cameras samples of Google Pixel 7 Pro:
Battery
Motorola Edge+ 2023 is backed up by a 5100 mAh battery, which is juiced up by 68W super fast wired charging, 15W wireless charging, 5W reverse wired charging, and 5W reverse wireless charging. Google Pixel 7 Pro, on the other hand, has a 5000 mAh battery powered up by 23W wired charging and 23W wireless charging. It also supports reverse wireless charging.
Software & User Experience
Motorola Edge+ 2023 and Google Pixel 7 Pro have a similar software experience. Both phones have a close-to-stock Android skin; Motorola Edge+ 2023 comes with MyUX skin, while Pixel 7 Pro has Pixel UI. MyUX skin doesn’t have many visual changes compared to stock Android; it just has some Motorola-specific features and customizations, such as Moto Actions and Gestures. Pixel UI has some AI features sprinkled over stock Android.
Specs Comparison Table
| Specification | Motorola Edge+ 2023 | Pixel 7 Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | 161.2 x 74 x 8.6 mm | 162.9 x 76.6 x 8.9 mm |
| Weight | 203 g | 212 g |
| Build | Glass front, Glass back & Aluminium frame | Glass front, Glass back & Aluminium frame |
| SIM | Nano-SIM, eSIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM |
| IP rating | IP68 | IP68 |
| Display size | 6.67 inches | 6.7 inches |
| Display type | OLED | AMOLED |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2400 pixels | 1440 x 3120 pixels |
| Refresh rate | 165Hz | 120Hz |
| Display Certifications | HDR10+, Dolby Vision | HDR10+ |
| Peak Brightness | 1300 nits | 1500 nits |
| Protection | Gorilla Glass Victus | Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Tensor G2 |
| CPU | Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510) | Octa-core (2×2.85 GHz Cortex-X1 & 2×2.35 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Adreno 740 | Mali-G710 MP7 |
| RAM | 8GB | 12GB |
| Storage | 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Main camera | 50 MP, 1/1.55″, f/1.8, OIS | 50 MP, 1/1.31″, f/1.9, OIS |
| Ultra-wide camera | 50 MP, 114˚, 1/2.93″ | 12 MP, 126˚, 1/2.55″ |
| Telephoto camera | 12MP 2X Optical | 48 MP 5X Optical Zoom |
| Selfie camera | 60 MP, 1/2.8″, f/2.2 | 10.8 MP, 1/3.1″, f/2.2 |
| Battery capacity | 5100 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Charging speed | 68W wired, 15W wireless, 5W reverse wired, 5W reverse wireless | 23W wired, 23W wireless, reverse wireless |
| Operating system | Android 13, MyUX | Android 13, Pixel UI |
| Price | $799 | Starting at $899 |
Price & Value For Money
Motorola Edge+ 2023 is priced as follows:
- 8GB/512GB variant – $799
Google Pixel 7 Pro is priced at:
- 12GB/128GB variant – $799
- 12GB/256GB variant – $899
- 12GB/512GB variant – $999
Motorola Edge+ 2023 is available on Amazon, Best Buy and Motorola.com. It is available in select carriers such as Boost Mobile, Spectrum Mobile and Consumer Cellular. Google Pixel 7 Pro, on the other had, has a much wider availability; it is available almost everywhere and also from most US carriers.
Conclusion
Motorola Edge+ 2023 is an exceptional contender for an Android flagship, and it can go against Google Pixel 7 Pro head-to-head. While it’s true that Google Pixel 7 Pro has a different appeal, given it is Google’s own product and how the company envisions an Android experience should be. Pixel 7 Pro also has better cameras, and Motorola Edge+ 2023 would find it hard to match its camera prowess.
But with its performance, Motorola Edge+ 2023 edges out Pixel 7 Pro; Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is supremely powerful, and Tensor G2 isn’t a match. Motorola Edge+ 2023 also comes with a super fast 68W fast charging, which demolishes the Pixel 7 Pro, which is stuck at 23W. Once you have used a superfast charging like that, there’s no going back to crawling speeds of slower charging speeds of Samsung, Google or Apple. Also, both phones would give you a similar software experience.
Choosing one from the two is going to be tough, especially with the price cut Pixel 7 Pro has received, which brought down the price of the Pixel 7 Pro to $799, which matches the price of Motorola Edge+ 2023. In my opinion, get a Pixel 7 Pro if you want better cameras and a better screen; get the Motorola Edge+ 2023 if you want the most performance out of your phone, the superfast charging it has, and doesn’t want to spend $1000 for 512GB internal storage!
