Intro<\/h2>\n
Motorola recently launched the Edge 2023 in the US \u2014 a lategame addition to the roster of 2023 phones that you should at least check out. It has a very classy look, in stealth black, with a vegan leather back, and overall thin profile. And it’s supposed to be an affordable flagship, with an MSRP of $600, which immediately dropped to $350 since the holiday sales have begun.<\/p>\n
VS<\/p>\n
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- Motorola definitely has a sleeker design and feel in the hand<\/li>\n
- Arguably better screen on the Motorola<\/li>\n
- Definitely better camera<\/a> on the Pixel<\/li>\n
- Google Tensor G3 processor is better than MediaTek Dimensity 7030<\/li>\n
- Motorola promises 2 years of Android updates, Google promises 7!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n
Table of Contents:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Design and Display Quality<\/span><\/h2>\n
Motorola has the looks<\/h5>\n
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OK, don’t get us wrong \u2014 the Pixel design, since the Pixel 6, has been something special. It has that unique flavor of geekyness but still packaged with shiny materials that make it look like a premium accessory. And it’s recognizable, it’s a signature look for Google.<\/div>\nThe Motorola Edge 2023, on the other hand, looks like a high-tech classy accessory thanks to its faux leather back and super-stealthy blacked-out look. Its screen is curved and it has an overall thin profile and balanced weight. If you were to ask us which of these phones feels better in the hand \u2014 we’d say the Edge 2023.<\/p>\n
The one drawback that the Edge 2023 design has is its buttons \u2014 they are rattly, don’t have a lot of travel, and don’t click well. The Pixel feels more premium in this regard. Both phones have under-screen optical fingerprint scanners, which work quickly and accurately. And both come with IP68 protection for water- and dust-resistance.<\/p>\n
On the display end, the Motorola gives you a bit more screen real estate, with a 6.6-inch diagonal, versus the 6.2 inches on the Google Pixel 8<\/span><\/span>. The difference is not substantial, but definitely noticeable when using the devices to enjoy multimedia or play games. Though, the Motorola is not a very good gaming device \u2014 more on that in the performance section.<\/p>\n
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Display Measurements:<\/h3>\n
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The Motorola Edge 2023 gives us a 144 Hz screen, versus the 120 Hz on a Pixel 8<\/span>. Honestly, that’s a bit overkill \u2014 we feel that 120 Hz is good enough. The only people that would claim they can spot the difference between 144 Hz and 120 Hz are super dedicated gamers \u2014 and those people wouldn’t typically be looking for a midrange phone to play on. Also, 144 Hz is cool on paper, but doesn’t do much when the phone itself drops frames. Again, more on that in the performance section.<\/p>\n
But the Motorola Edge 2023 OLED screen is bright, sharp, and with beautiful colors<\/a>. So, for day-to-day use, social media, and web browsing, it looks pristine. Then again, the Pixel’s OLED display is no slouch. It’s a very close competition here. The Pixel 8<\/span> does have higher peak brightness at 2,000 nits, versus 1,200 nits on the Edge 2023. But both screens support HDR just the same.<\/div>\nPerformance and Software<\/span><\/h2>\n
Tensor G3 runs laps around Dimensity 7030<\/h5>\n
\n\n\n![\"Motorola](\"https:\/\/wikidollar.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/1701174422_474_Motorola-Edge-2023-vs-Google-Pixel-8-Mr-Bond-vs.jpg\")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nFor its “affordable flagship”, Motorola chose to outfit it with a MediaTek Dimensity 7030 processor. It’s a mid-range SoC through and through and its benchmark performance doesn’t inspire confidence. The Pixel 8<\/span>‘s Tensor G3<\/span> chip is not a heavy-hitter, not even intended as one. But it’s still a better performer than the Dimensity 7030:<\/p>\n
Performance Benchmarks:<\/h3>\n
In real life use, we would say that the Motorola Edge 2023 performs stably \u2014 web browsing, YouTube binging, it all works fine. The snappy animations on the screen are pleasing, and there aren’t many stutters to speak of. However, when attempting to game on the device, we can spot the hardware’s limitations. Games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Mighty Doom do run \u2014 don’t get us wrong. There are occasional frame drops, but not to the point of stuttering. However, a noticeable input lag did mess with our accuracy.<\/p>\n
The Pixel 8<\/span> is not much of a gaming device itself, but it does feel snappier than the Motorola. Plus, that extra processor power helps out when editing photos and videos, which is what the new Pixel 8<\/span> line is all about with the Magic Editor, right?<\/p>\n
Camera<\/span><\/h2>\n
Hard to beat the Pixel<\/h5>\n
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nEven at flagship level comparisons, the Pixel 8<\/span> performs really, really well. So, a midrange Motorola will have a tough time beating it. Specs-wise, we have a 50 MP main camera (F1.4 aperture), 13 MP ultra-wide, and 32 MP selfie camera on the Motorola. That’s a lot of pixels!<\/p>\n
The Google Pixel 8<\/span><\/span> responds with 50 MP main camera (F1.7 aperture), 12 MP ultra-wide camera, and 10.5 MP selfie camera. OK, the main snappers seem very similar, with the Motorola actually having a much wider aperture. How does that work in real life?<\/p>\n
Main Camera – Day<\/h3>\n
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\nWe can instantly spot that the Edge 2023 is a bit more agregious with the oversharpening \u2014 spotted in objects like tree leaves. But it also does more noise-reduction, washing out tiny details like indentations in bricks. Its colors are also a bit more saturated, but it’s not egregious in that regard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The Pixel 8<\/span> has a better dynamic range and colors, but a bit of a cold cast on its photos. That’s not news \u2014 the Pixels have been leaning towards that slightly blu-ish look for a couple of years now.\u00a0<\/p>\nMain Camera – Low-light<\/h3>\n
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\nIn a surprising turn of events, it’s hard to pick a clear winner in night shots. The Motorola gives us oversharpened pictures, sure, but the Pixel 8<\/span> photos look a bit hazy. The Motorola’s colors pop, but you can also call them oversaturated. And the Pixel’s cold cast isn’t doing it any favors, as the photos come out looking a bit bland and uninviting. If we were picking for realism, we’d go for the Pixel 8<\/span> again, for its more accurate colors. That and the very unpleasant oversharpening from the Motorola.<\/p>\n
Zoom Quality<\/h3>\n
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\nNone of these phones is marketed as a zoom beast, but Google does have a SuperRes Zoom algorithm working overtime to digitally stretch your photos. And, for what it’s worth, it definitely does better than the Motorola Edge 2023, which looks like it’s simply cropping into the image and applying tons of sharpening and noise reduction. Both of these phones cap out at 8x zoom for photos. And the Pixel 8<\/span> still kind of holds it together at that level of magnification.<\/p>\n
Portrait Mode<\/h3>\n
The Motorola is pretty good at edge detection, but did get tricked in a couple of spots by the challenging details of the dog’s fur. But in these shots in particular, it can easily be seen how the oversharpening makes the strands of fur look jagged, almost like they are drawn by hand. Also, dynamics on the Edge 2023 are not great, as it leans towards burning out the highlights on the white hairs. The Pixel portraits, look sharper, with better edge detection, and a more realistic creamy bokeh in the background.<\/p>\n
Ultra-wide Camera<\/h3>\n
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\nInterestingly enough, the details from the Edge 2023’s ultra-wide camera look crisper and more realistic than from its main camera. Well, at least towards the middle of the image. Towards, the edge, we can see some haziness, probably caused by distortion compensation or noise reduction, or both. The boosted colors are a bit more cartoonish here, and there’s some HDR artifacting with auras around buildings. The Pixel 8<\/span>‘s ultra-wide camera is not exemplary, but its photos look a bit more coherent, comparable to the main camera’s performance, and more realistic.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
But, in another twist of events, night shots with the Edge 2023’s ultra-wide camera are actually… better? They are definitely sharper towards the middle of the image, compared to what the Pixel 8<\/span> did. And the edges are hazy on both cameras, so we can just give this win<\/a> to the Motorola.<\/p>\nSelfies<\/h3>\n
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So, do the 32 megapixels in the Edge 2023 give me super-detailed selfies? Not quite. Under the bright sunlight, the Motorola selfie looks like it smoothened my skin quite a lot. I mean, it’s not flattering, but the Pixel 8<\/span> captured all the wrinkles and dimples in my skin. And, at the risk of sounding like a broken record \u2014 the Motorola gives me a lot of oversharpening again, evident in my beard.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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