Back in June, Samsung gave us our first glimpse of the kind of lunacy we can expect from a 200-megapixel smartphone camera sensor, and now Motorola is first to market with an actual handset rocking a 200-MP rear camera – the flagship Edge 30 Ultra.

Clearly the headline act here is the monstrous 200-MP camera module around the back – an industry first – which focuses light through a F1.9 aperture to a relatively large 1/1.22-inch sensor and benefits from optical image stabilization. Motorola is promising “crisp, bright images even in the dark” thanks to technology that combines 16 small pixels in a large 2.56µm Ultra Pixel to capture more light.

As well as huge image chops, the camera will also enable recording of 8K UHD video at 30 frames per second, or 4K UHD at up to 60 fps and 960 fps slow-mo at FHD. The main camera is joined by a 50-MP ultrawide (with macro capabilities) and a 12-MP telephoto portrait lens with a narrow depth of field for beautiful bokeh.

The selfiecam out front is no less impressive at a whopping 60 megapixels for 4K video at 30 fps. That front camera is punched into the top of the Ultra’s 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080 near-bezel-free OLED display that boasts a refresh rate of 144 Hz, a touch response of 360 Hz and a peak brightness of 1,250 nits. There’s support for 10-bit color, HDR10+ and the DCI-P3 color gamut as well as Snapdragon Elite Gaming.

Motorola

The IP52-splash-resistant handset features durable Corning Gorilla Glass 5 front and back with a sandblasted aluminum frame inbetween. Inside is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest mobile platform, the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, and the Ultra can be had with up to 12 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Two large Dolby Atmos speakers promise a “spatial sound experience that harnesses the latest advances in sound technology to connect users more deeply with their favorite content.” And though many users will likely opt for private listening over Bluetooth 5.2, those who prefer a cabled connection are offered USB-C only.

Surfing and streaming is facilitated by 5G and Wi-Fi 6E, the Ultra runs Android 12 with My UX “for a personalized view of the things you do” and the 4,610-mAh battery supports 125-W wired fast charging for a day’s worth of juice in just seven minutes, in addition to 50-W wireless charging and 10-W power sharing.

The flagship also comes with edge lighting for personalized at-a-glance visual notifications for such things as messages and calls, and data protection is provided by Lenovo’s ThinkShield for Mobile technology.

The Edge 30 Ultra launches in Europe for a starting price of €899.99 (a little over US$900), with black or white being the available color choices. Other markets will follow in the coming weeks.

Product pate: Motorola Edge 30 Ultra