Motorola’s latest Edge flagship brings high-end specs with a wooden back

The latest Edge 50 series from Motorola has been announced, with the top-of-the-line model featuring a wooden back.

The Moto Edge 50 Ultra features a retro wooden back design, reminiscent of the popular Moto X from the previous decade. While wooden backs are not commonly seen on modern phones, it may come as a surprise that they were a popular choice for electronic devices in the mid-20th century.

The durability and scratch resistance of the wood-clad Moto Edge 50 Ultra is uncertain. However, it may have a lower susceptibility to fingerprints, which can be bothersome on smartphones with glass backs.

Motorola also provides the option of two vegan leather color options for their smartphone – Forest Grey and Peach Fuzz (Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2024).

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra in peach fuzz color — Motorola

The Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 powers the Edge 50 Ultra, and is believed to be slightly behind the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that is used to power the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S24 Ultra. It is available with either 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB or 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage.

In addition, the smartphone also features a 50MP main camera sensor, a 64MP periscope, and a 50MP Ultrawide. The screen is a 6.7-inch OLED with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz, a touch sampling rate of up to 360Hz, and a maximum brightness of 2,500 nits.

The Ultra boasts an IP68 rating, making it capable of withstanding full water immersion. Additionally, it is equipped with a 4,500mAh battery that supports 125W TurboPower charging via USB and 50W wireless charging.

The Moto Edge series consists of the Moto Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Fusion, both equipped with Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and 6 Gen 1 processors. While the Pro version boasts wireless charging and an IP68 rating, the Edge 50 Fusion lacks the wireless charging feature.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra will be released with a price tag of €999, while the Edge 50 Pro will cost €699 and the Edge 50 Fusion will be priced at €399. These models will initially be available in limited regions across Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Later this year, Motorola plans to expand the availability of the Edge Series to include North America.