I Used the Motorola Edge 60 Pro for a Week. The Color Alone Almost Got Me.
Not a tech journalist. Just someone who drops their phone a lot and notices good design.
Let me start with something stupid.
I almost bought this phone just because of the color.
There was no way I was covering up that Pantone Shadow back. It's this soft, velvety material — not glass, not plastic, something in between. Motorola calls it vegan suede. Feels like a fancy notebook cover.
The phone is heavy. Not like "oh no I dropped it on my face" heavy. But heavier than my last phone. You notice it. In a good way. Feels expensive. Feels like it could survive a drop. I dropped it two days later on tile. It survived. More on that later. --- The First Few Days. Curved Screens Are Stupid. I Love It Anyway. I hate curved screens. That's what I told myself when I bought this phone.
I read the reviews.
Everyone said "curved screens cause accidental touches." I believed them. I bought it anyway because of the color. I am not a smart man. Here's the truth after a week: Yes, accidental touches happen. Maybe twice a day. My palm grazes the edge and suddenly I'm liking some random Instagram post from 2018. Annoying? Yes. Deal breaker? No. But here's what nobody tells you about curved screens — swiping feels incredible. Like your thumb just glides off the edge of the phone into thin air. Hard to describe.
The screen itself is stupid bright. I used it outside on a sunny day. No squinting. No cupping my hand over the screen like a caveman trying to start a fire. Just... brightness. Good brightness. Scrolling feels like butter. 144Hz. Whatever that means. It's fast.
That's the refresh rate doing its job. --- The Camera Surprised Me. A Lot. Look. Motorola cameras have always been fine. Not great. Not terrible. Fine. I did not expect much from the Edge 60 Pro. So when I took my first photo — a coffee cup on my kitchen counter, morning light coming through the blinds — I actually said "oh" out loud. The photo looked warm. Not warm like "Instagram filter warm." Warm like real life. The brown of the coffee looked brown. The white of the cup looked white. The steam? You could see it. Not blurry. Not overprocessed.
3x zoom. The dog's fur was sharp. Every strand. My friend asked if I bought a "real camera." I lied and said yes. Night mode takes about three seconds. You have to hold still. But the results are legit. Not Pixel-level magic. But close. Close enough that I stopped missing my old Google phone. The selfie camera? Motorola finally fixed it. I look like me.
Not smoother Not weirder Just me My girlfriend said "you look normal in that photo" which is the highest compliment she's ever given my phone. Downside? Video is just okay. Walking around? Fine. Running? Nope. Get a gimbal or hold your breath. --- Battery. Or, How I Stopped Worrying About Charging. I am a heavy user. Like, pathological phone scroller. YouTube in the background while I work. Spotify on the commute. Google Maps for 45 minutes. Then more YouTube. The Edge 60 Pro lasted from 7 AM to 11 PM with 20% left. Every single day. That's with the screen on probably 5-6 hours.
Samsung with two app stores. Xiaomi with ads in the settings menu. Phones that ask for permission to track everything every five minutes. Motorola just... lets me use the phone. It's almost stock Android. Clean. No duplicate apps. No weird Motorola store trying to sell me wallpapers. But the gestures? Oh man. The gestures. Chop twice for flashlight. You know this one. You shake the phone like you're chopping a carrot. Flashlight turns on.
Google does 7 years. Samsung does 5. But honestly? Most people don't keep a phone for 3 years. I keep mine for 2. So it's fine. --- What Annoyed Me. Because Something Always Does. Alright. Real talk. The fingerprint sensor. It's under the screen. It works maybe 8 out of 10 times. My thumb has to be perfectly centered. If my hands are dry? Sometimes it fails. If my hands are wet? Forget it. I ended up using face unlock most of the time. Face unlock works fine but it's less secure. Annoying trade-off. Curved screen + screen protector = nightmare. I bought three different tempered glass protectors. Three. All of them had bubbles on the edges. All of them lifted up within 2 days. I gave up. I'm using a plastic film protector now. It feels worse. But it fits. I hate it but I accept it. Speakers are average. Loud enough. Not distorted. But no bass.
The phone gets warm. Not hot. Not "warning: overheating" hot. Just warm. When I'm gaming or recording video for more than 10 minutes. You notice it. Doesn't slow down. Just feels... concerned. --- Dropped It. On Tile. I Almost Cried. Day 4. Getting out of my car. Phone in my lap. Forgot it was there. Stood up. Thwack. Direct hit on ceramic tile. Face down. I picked it up so slowly. Closed my eyes. Opened them. No crack. No scratch. Not even a scuff on the frame. The vegan suede back absorbed the shock somehow?
I almost kissed the phone. I put the cheap clear case on after that. I'm not an idiot. But I miss holding the bare phone every single day. --- Who Actually Buys This Phone? If you want a phone that looks different — not like an iPhone, not like a Samsung — buy this. If you miss the old Motorola days, the gestures, the clean software — buy this. If you take a lot of photos but don't want to spend $1000+ — buy this. Seriously. The camera shocked me. If you need a phone that lasts all day and charges in 30 minutes — buy this. If you hate curved screens with a burning passion and you know you'll never get used to accidental touches — skip this.
Get the regular Edge 60. Flat screen. Same battery. Same camera. If you want 5 years of updates or the absolute best video stabilization — skip this. Get a Pixel or an iPhone. --- Would I Buy It Again? I asked myself this question while writing this review. I dropped it. I complained about the fingerprint sensor. I struggled with screen protectors. The speakers embarrassed me once. And still? Yeah. I'd buy it again. In Pantone Shadow. Without a case for the first week again.
And I smile. And I show them the back. And they touch it. And they say "wow, that feels nice." That's worth something. That's worth dealing with a curved screen and a finicky fingerprint sensor.
You open the box, and the Pantone Shadow hits you. It's not black No case. Just raw phone. I did put a case on eventually. But for about 20 minutes, I walked around my apartment holding it like a weirdo. Anyway. The Motorola Edge 60 Pro. I've had it for seven days. Used it as my main phone. Dropped it once on tile (survived). Took about 400 photos. Annoyed my friends with the curved screen.
You know how some phones feel expensive but fragile? Like they'll shatter if you look at them wrong? The Edge 60 Pro is not that. It's heavy. Not uncomfortably heavy. But when you pick it up, you feel it. 198 grams. Solid. The frame is aluminum. The back is this soft-touch vegan leather thing that Motorola calls "vegan suede." Feels like a very fancy notebook cover. The curved edges melt into your palm. I usually hate curved screens. They collect accidental touches like a magnet. But Motorola did something smart here — the curve is gentle, not aggressive. I only triggered accidental touches twice in seven days. That's a record. The Pantone Shadow color shifts in different light.
It's subtle. Classy. My friend said "that phone looks expensive" without knowing the price. That's the goal. --- The Display: Curved, Bright, and Butter 6.7 inches. P-OLED. 144Hz refresh rate. Look, I'm not gonna give you a bunch of display specs that mean nothing. Here's what actually matters: Scrolling Twitter feels like gliding on ice. Everything is stupid smooth. Watching YouTube in bed at 2 AM? The blacks are actually black. Not dark gray. Black. Because OLED. Sunlight readability is excellent.
The curved edges make swiping back from the sides feel natural. Like your thumb just slides off the phone. Hard to explain. Feels good. Downside I gave up and bought a film protector. It's fine. Not great. But fine.
8 GB RAM. 256 GB storage. Here's my honest take after a week of throwing everything at it: I opened 15 Chrome tabs. Spotify streaming. Google Maps navigating. WhatsApp spamming. The phone didn't slow down once. Not once.
I gave up and bought a film protector. It's fine. Not great. But fine 8 GB RAM. 256 GB storage. Here's my honest take after a week of throwing everything at it: I opened 15 Chrome tabs. Spotify streaming. Google Maps navigating. WhatsApp spamming. The phone didn't slow down once. Not once.
Gaming? No lag
Phone got warm but not hot. The curved screen actually bothered me here my thumb kept sliding off the edge during intense fights. Probably just me. Probably a skill issue. Software: Hello, Motorola. You're Actually Trying. Motorola used to be the king of "almost stock Android with a few useful tricks." Then they got lazy for a few years. The Edge 60 Pro brings the magic back. Android 15. Near-stock. No duplicate apps. No weird Motorola store. No ads in the weather app (looking at you, Samsung). The Moto app is back with the good stuff: · Chop twice for flashlight — still the greatest phone gesture ever invented. I use this 10 times a day. · Twist for camera — actually works. Fast. · Peek Display — notifications light up the edge of the screen. Looks cool. Actually useful.
Cameras
The Surprise of the Year Okay. I was not expecting much. Motorola cameras have been "fine" for years. Not bad. Not great. Just... fine. The Edge 60 Pro changed my mind No over-sharpening. No weird AI smoothing.
Good for group photos and architecture. Edges are a little soft, but that's normal for ultrawide lenses. Color matches the main camera well. Telephoto: 3x optical zoom. 8 MP. This is where things get interesting. 3x zoom is the perfect portrait length Impressive.
Motorola finally fixed their front camera. Skin tones look real. The background blur is natural, not that cutout-paper effect cheap phones have
The camera just made me look better.
Night mode: Surprisingly usable. Takes about 3 seconds to process. Keeps details without turning night into weird green daylight.
Biggest weakness? Video stabilization at 4K is mediocre Fine for walking shots Jogging? Get a gimbal Battery and Charging: One Full Day, Easily 4,700 mAh battery 68W wired charging 15W wireless Real-world usage I unplug at 8 AM. Scroll all day Take photos Navigate for 45 minutes Watch YouTube on lunch.
This charger solves that problem. 15W wireless charging is slow but convenient. I throw it on a wireless pad on my desk at work. Keeps it topped up. No reverse wireless charging. Not a big deal for most people. --- What Annoyed Me (Because Nothing Is Perfect) Three things. Let's be honest.
1. The curved screen looks gorgeous but is impractical.
Screen protectors suck. Accidental touches happen (rarely, but they happen). And if you crack this screen, repairs will be expensive.
2. The fingerprint sensor is under the display and it's... fine. Not great. Not terrible
My thumb has to be perfectly centered. Wet or dry hands make it worse. I miss the rear fingerprint sensor from old Motorolas.
3. Speaker quality is average. Loud enough. Not distorted. But no bass to speak of My iPhone friend made fun of me. I pretended not to care.
Who Is This Phone For?
· You love the Pantone Shadow color (honestly, valid reason) ·
You need 256 GB storage without paying flagship prices ·
You miss the "chop for flashlight" gesture ·
You want a great camera without spending $1,000+ Skip it if:
· You hate curved screens with a burning passion
· You absolutely need 5+ years of software updates
· You take a lot of 4K video (stabilization is just okay)
I wasn't expecting to like this phone Motorola has burned me before. Good hardware, bad software support Old habits But the Edge 60 Pro feels different It feels like someone at Motorola finally said, "Let's actually try." The Pantone Shadow color is gorgeous. The cameras surprised me every single day The battery charges faster than I can finish my morning coffee And the software — simple, clean, useful — reminds me why I loved Motorola phones ten years ago Is it perfect? No. Curved screens are still annoying The fingerprint sensor could be better Speakers won't impress your friends
Would I buy it again? Yeah In Pantone Shadow. Without a case for the first week Just because
Thoughts on the new Motorola Edge series? Drop a comment Let's talk curved screens — love 'em or hate 'em?