Last year, Motorola did not have the Stylus, but it did have the Edge 50, and given its attractive starting price of Rs. 27,999, it made a lot of sense to stretch your budget by a little and get a smartphone with a lot of upgrades, given that the Edge 50 Fusion (from Rs. 22,999) was mainly a case of “
The Nothing Phone 3a (bottom) shoots photos that are brighter and with higher saturation and more contrast. Motorola takes the more natural route with sharper pictures and more accurate colours. (tap images to expand)
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion primary camera samples (tap images to expand)
The primary camera, which uses the same Sony LYTIA 700C sensor as before, now manages better results than last year’s model. The photos have good detail and sharpness, and the colours, too, are more accurate. These are better than what the Nothing Phone 3a can manage.
Photos from the primary camera come out equally well in low light with good detail and dynamic range compared to the Nothing Phone 3a (bottom), which again goes for a more contrasted and saturated look but falls short on dynamic range. (tap images to expand)
Motorola’s Edge 60 Fusion (top) manages slightly better image quality when using the ultrawide camera (tap images to expand)
The ultrawide camera, too, has improved in terms of overall polish. The photos have a colour tone that’s finally closer to the primary camera, compared to the odd-looking ones we have seen with the previous model.
The phone’s 2X zoom capability is where one sees the Edge 60 Fusion (top) struggle when compared to the Nothing 3a’s (bottom) optical telephoto zoom (tap images to expand)
Selfies appear perfectly fine in daylight with accurate edge detection but suffer in low light, showing low detail (tap image to expand)
Given the slightly laggy camera app operation (which could be due to the processor overheating), the viewfinder stutters, especially when recording video. However, the recorded footage appears fine in playback on both the phone and a PC.
Video recordings come out sharp and have good detail along with good stabilisation. They come out a bit bright, so you might notice some highlight clipping in the background. 4K recordings at 30 fps hit the sweet spot as it manages the best overall quality. In low light, 1080p video recordings appear well-stabilised but a bit soft. 4K recordings appear a bit shimmery when walking and are a bit low on dynamic range (appears contrasty). Overall, the results are probably the best you can get at this price point.
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion Battery: Meets expectations
- Battery capacity – 5,500mAh
- Wired charging – 68W
- Charger in the box – Yes
One of the few upgrades that this phone has received includes a higher-capacity battery. It does not cross the 6,000mAh mark, nor the new 7,300mAh mark like the Vivo T4, but Motorola has managed to squeeze the most out of it.
Despite its slim appearance, the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion easily lasts a whole day with heavy usage
In our HD video loop battery test, the Edge 60 Fusion managed an average of 22 hours and 21 minutes. PC Mark’s Work Battery Life test also managed a commendable 13 hours, which is pretty impressive for such a slim device. With continuous or heavy use, the phone, as per our own battery usage tests, can easily last a little over a day. So, casual users will easily be able to get 1.5 days of usage from the Edge 60 Fusion. Indeed, these figures are an improvement over the previous model, even though the Edge 50 Fusion managed around 2 hours more in our video loop test last year.
Charging speeds are pretty good, keeping the increased battery capacity in mind. The phone charged to 36 per cent in 15 minutes and 61 per cent in 30 minutes, completing the charge in 53 minutes in normal mode. It managed to charge about 10 minutes faster when using Charge Boost mode, which heats up the phone and is not switched on by default.
Motorola Edge 60 Fusion Verdict
Motorola’s Edge 60 Fusion is a classic example of how companies can make a big difference by adding smaller but meaningful upgrades in the right places. By accomplishing this, Motorola has managed to deliver a great mid-range smartphone at a very competitive price point by adding very little to the mix.
When it comes to mid-range smartphones, Nothing’s Phone 3a sure stands out. Going by the above camera samples, it is pretty clear that Motorola has a clear “edge” in the areas that matter. Of course, the Phone 3a is still special and offers one of the best software experiences in this segment, but its camera still needs a lot of work, as mentioned in my review. If you are looking for better battery life, then Vivo’s T4 is not a bad deal either.
Just like the Edge 50 Fusion and Edge 50, there is a good chance that those with more cash to spare will be drawn by the Edge 60 Pro, which is a solid package given its Rs. 29,999 starting price. But under Rs. 25,000, it’s very hard to go wrong with the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion.
