I remember when friends and family members used to reach out to me for help choosing a smartphone, I would tell them, “increase your budget, and then talk to me.” Maybe I sounded a bit rude, but honestly, I barely had any recommendations for phones priced under Rs 30,000. That phase lasted a good two years.
But something changed late last year — the options in the mid-range smartphone segment started to grow. Most of the queries I get for smartphone recommendations are still in the Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 range. These are people who earn well but don’t want to spend Rs 50,000 or more on a smartphone.
Either way, when I see a phone like the Motorola Edge 60 Pro, which I have been using for a few days, it makes me wonder if the mid-range smartphone segment is making a comeback and is here to stay unfazed by the rise of premium phones.
This is probably the third or fourth Motorola smartphone I have reviewed this year, and the brand’s back-to-back launches clearly show how focused it is on capturing the sub-Rs 30,000 segment in India. The Edge 60 Pro isn’t a low-cost phone, nor is it exactly a premium smartphone — it falls somewhere in between.
I would say the device is going after the likes of the Apple iPhone 16e, Google Pixel 9a, Samsung Galaxy A56, and the Nothing Phone (3A) Pro—but with a Motorola-esque design, a focus on AI features, and all of this at Rs 30,000.
What: Motorola Edge 60 Pro| Price: Rs 29,990 onwards
The curved display
Curved displays on smartphones aren’t a new feature, but I remember that in the mid-2010s, high-end phones typically had curved screens, which were considered a premium feature. I think the rationale behind using curved screens on a mid-range smartphone is to give consumers a sense of a premium experience — and there’s nothing wrong with that.
The Edge 60 Pro, as the name suggests, features a large 6.7-inch pOLED curved display. While most phones typically come with flat screens, Motorola has opted for a curved display as a differentiating feature, with the screen curving over the edges on both sides.
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The phone’s 6.7-inch display has a refresh rate up to 120Hz, which makes games and animations look smooth. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Comparing the Edge 60 Pro side by side with my iPhone 16 Pro does feel different, even though I have used smartphones with curved displays in the past. For someone using a curved screen for the first time, the experience can either be positive or met with mixed reactions.
For example, scrolling through articles and web pages on a curved screen is enjoyable, but when watching videos, some parts of the content may get lost in the curve. There can also be app optimisation issues. At times, app developers place buttons near the edges of the screen, which can make it difficult for curved displays to register touches accurately. However, to be fair, Apple’s Dynamic Island also suffers from occasional app optimisation problems. Neither curved displays nor the Dynamic Island are perfect solutions, in my opinion.
The 6.7-inch pOLED display is larger than the 6.3-inch screen on the Pixel 9a and the 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 16e. The front is nearly all screen, with only a small hole in the center for the front-facing camera. The OLED display (2712 x 1220 pixels) is sharp and offers impressive peak brightness, making it easily legible outdoors. It supports a 120Hz refresh rate, perfect for mobile games or watching action movies. It also features a fingerprint scanner under the screen. That said, display quality is generally good across most mid-range smartphones these days. Motorola also lets you set the display’s edges to light up for notifications when the phone is face down — a cool touch.
Sleek looks
Lately, I have noticed a growing cohesiveness in Motorola’s smartphone design. The brand has taken a different route, opting for vegan leather over the more familiar metal and glass bodies. The back of the phone is smooth to the touch, offers extra grip, and doesn’t attract fingerprints.
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The back is covered in “Vegan” leather. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The device comes in fun colours (Motorola loaned me the review unit in a purple finish) — a reminder of the good old days when phones were joyful to look at. Adding to the Edge 60 Pro’s appeal is its lightweight design; at just 186 grams, it’s noticeably easier to carry than other phones of a similar size. It’s interesting to see how brands are working to make smartphones slimmer and lighter while also increasing screen size.
Fast charging meets long battery life
While the Dimensity 8300 Extreme chip (paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage on my unit) may not be as powerful as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite or Apple’s A18 processor, it performs well in everyday use. In general, the Edge 60 Pro is fast enough that you won’t be thinking about what’s powering the device. Must-have apps like WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Gmail opened quickly, and I was able to run Genshin Impact without any issues. The phone does get warm when pushed — especially in Delhi summers — but honestly, most phones do.
The user interface is simple and easy to use. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
With a 6000mAh battery, the Edge 60 Pro offers a larger battery capacity than many other smartphones in this price segment. The phone can easily last two days on a single charge, and in my experience, it delivered about a day and a half of heavy use before needing to be plugged in. That means I don’t have to carry a power bank when I step out and can travel worry-free from one part of the city to another without a charger. As for recharging, the Edge 60 Pro supports 90W wired and 15W wireless charging, making it significantly faster to charge than the Google Pixel 9a and iPhone 16e.
A dedicated AI key
The Edge 60 Pro, alongside the new Razr foldable, debuts with a dedicated AI key that launches Moto AI when pressed. Motorola has partnered with Gemini, Perplexity, Meta’s Llama, and Microsoft Copilot to power Moto AI and several of its features. However, so far, the integration still feels like a work in progress. I need more time to fully evaluate how well Moto AI performs in real-world use, but I appreciate how Motorola is attempting to integrate artificial intelligence into the overall experience.
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The Ask and Search bar appears throughout the UI, including as a floating Moto AI icon. You can also summon Moto AI by pressing the dedicated physical button on the left side of the phone. The Edge 60 Pro is packed with AI features like Image Studio and Catch Me Up — a notification summariser similar to a feature in Apple Intelligence.
Like others, Motorola is betting heavily on artifical intelligence on its phones. (Screenshot)
That said, Moto AI can feel overwhelming at times, with so many features that it’s hard to remember them all. I am not sure if this is the right approach, but it seems smartphone brands are still experimenting to see which AI features resonate with users — which is likely why modern smartphones now ship with such a wide range of AI capabilities.
Beyond the AI experience, the version of Android 15 on the Edge 60 Pro is solid. There aren’t many pre-installed apps, and the user interface is clean and unobtrusive. My only complaint is Motorola’s limited software support: the Edge 60 Pro will receive only three years of major Android updates and four years of security updates — well below the seven years offered by Samsung, Google, and even Apple. That’s a trade-off you’ll have to consider if you’re thinking about buying the Edge 60 Pro.
Surprisingly good cameras
I may not be a big fan of Motorola’s cameras, but there has been consistent improvement in their camera systems — at least based on my experience with newer Motorola smartphones. The Edge 60 Pro features a 50-megapixel Sony LYTIA 700C sensor with OIS, a 50 megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 10 megapixel 3x telephoto lens, which now supports up to 50x digital zoom. There’s also a 3-in-1 light sensor for better exposure control, white balance adjustment, and flicker reduction. On the front, there’s a 50 megapixel camera for selfies and video calls.
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Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Motorola Edge 60 Pro camera sample. Image resized for web. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Well, the camera takes clear shots, but they often appear overprocessed — something Samsung Galaxy cameras also tend to do. However, Motorola’s partnership with Pantone seems to be paying off. The colours are bright and accurate, capturing good detail and matching the vibe of the scene. You can get great shots even when the subject is moving or in tricky lighting conditions. The ultrawide camera now captures more detail compared to last year’s Edge 50 Pro.
Motorola has added a dedicated AI key on the Edge 60 Pro. (Image: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
I am still not a fan of how the Edge 60 Pro handles bokeh shots, though. Motorola’s AI does a lot of work on low-light photos, helping to reduce image noise. Overall, if you ask me, the Edge 60 Pro isn’t a bad camera phone — it’s serviceable for the price range. It’s nowhere close to Google’s colour reproduction and low-light prowess, but Pixel smartphones are expensive. The difference between the most affordable Pixel 9a and the Edge 60 Pro is Rs 20,000.
Motorola Edge 60 Pro review: Should you buy it?
If you’re looking to buy a new smartphone, the Edge 60 Pro is a solid upgrade. It’s not a perfect phone, but at Rs 30,000, it’s hard to argue against it. The phone features a pretty good curved OLED screen, offers generally strong performance, has excellent battery life, and runs a clean, bloatware-free user interface. The camera isn’t the best I’ve seen, but for the price, the Motorola Edge 60 Pro could be a great option for everyone — teens, adults, and even the elderly who don’t want to spend Rs 50,000 on a smartphone. Honestly, after spending several days with the Edge 60 Pro, the argument that a premium phone is always better than a mid-range smartphone is a tough pill to swallow. The Edge 60 Pro is so good at the price it’s retailing for, it really makes you question whether you need a high-end smartphone at all.