Talk of this device circulated months before its first official launch, with Motorola promising to release a Snapdragon 870-powered device around the same time leaks referencing the ‘Nio’ and later the ‘Tahoe’ started growing; the names which relate to the two respective builds of the phone we now know as the Motorola Edge S and the Moto G100.
When does the Motorola Edge S/Moto G100 launch?
The Motorola Edge S was unveiled on 27 January in China and went on sale in February, while the Moto G100 launched on 25 March.
How much does the Motorola Edge S/Moto G100 cost?
In China, the Edge S starts at CNY¥1999 (roughly £225/US$310) for the base variant that comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The 8GB+128GB version costs ¥2,399 (£270/$370), while the 8GB+256GB model costs ¥2,799 (£315/$430). In the UK at least, Motorola is only releasing one of the above SKUs – the 8GB RAM+128GB storage option – bundling it with the all-important dock for £449.99. We’re tracking where to buy one in the UK right here.
What are the Moto Edge S’/Moto G100’s specs?
As already mentioned, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 870 and – as the Edge S – serves as the first device to launch with the new chip, while the G100 serves as the first Moto G device to feature any Snapdragon 800 series SoCs. The 870 is really a Snapdragon 865++, offering yet another version of the 2020 flagship 865 with its prime core overclocked to 3.2GHz.
The clout of that chip is best put to use demonstrating the phone’s party piece, ‘Ready For’ – Motorola’s most recent take on a second-screen desktop experience, akin to Samsung’s DeX functionality. With the Edge S/Moto G100 running the show, a user can connect a display, mouse and keyboard to access a full desktop-like experience, game or present. Motorola is also releasing a dock with the phone to facilitate its connection to an external display. As for RAM and ROM, you can get either 6GB or 8GB of memory and 128GB or 256GB of storage. The battery clocks in at 5000mAh with 20W fast charging to top it up, and you also get IP52-certified protection against dust and water, a fingerprint sensor set within the power button and even a headphone jack. The display is a large 6.7in Full HD+ LCD panel with a 90Hz refresh rate, though curiously it’s flat rather than curved – which makes us wonder why it has the ‘Edge’ name at all in China, since it was the curved display in part that set aside the original Moto Edge from the rest of the company’s lineup. You’ll also spot the dual-selfie camera setup on the phone’s front, with a 16Mp primary camera and an 8Mp ultrawide to complement it – a similar setup to last year’s Moto G 5G Plus.
On the back, you’ll see a quad-camera array, with a 64Mp main sensor, joined by a 16Mp ultrawide, 2Mp depth sensor and a ToF sensor. Beyond colours, which we’ll list down below, the one singular hardware difference between the Edge S and Moto G100 is the inclusion of a dedicated Google Assistant key on the latter, as you’d find on the majority of recent Moto G devices. Here’s the full spec sheet for both the Edge S and Moto G100, with their differences highlighted:
6.7in 90Hz Full HD+ ‘CinemaVision’ HDR10 LCDQualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor6GB or 8GB LPDDR5 RAM (8GB on Moto G100)128GB or 256GB storage (128GB on Moto G100)microSD expandable up to 1TBRear cameras:64Mp, f/1.7 primary sensor16Mp ultrawide sensor2Mp depth sensorToF laser autofocus sensor16Mp main selfie camera + 8Mp ultrawide selfie cameraAndroid 115000mAh battery20W fast chargingIP52-certified3.5mm headphone jackSide-mounted fingerprint sensorGoogle Assistant key (Moto G100 only)168.4mm x 74mm x 9.7mm215g
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