We subjected the Motorola Edge 30 Pro to our rigorous SBMARK Audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll break down how it fared across a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Stereo speakers: top front, bottom side
- Type C port
- Dolby Atmosphere; Qualcomm Snapdragon sound
Reproduction
Pros
- Correct tonal performance at low and nominal volumes
- Correct attack regardless of volume
- Good Punch at soft and nominal volumes
Cons
- Aggressive tonal balance at maximum volume
- Significant lack of low and high end extension in tonal balance
Registration
Pros
- Satisfactory recording volume
Cons
- Limited tonal balance that focuses on the upper midrange.
- Poorly tuned noise reduction
Motorola’s latest version of its flagship Edge line, the 30 Pro, boasts what will be standard specs for top-of-the-line smartphones in 2022. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset? Check. 6.7 ″ HDR10 + display? Check. 4800 mAh fast charging battery? Check. This Motorola device is also equipped with a display that has a refresh rate beyond the standard: 144 Hz. In terms of audio, its two speakers have Dolby Atmos tuning and Qualcomm Snapdragon sound. It achieved an overall score of 66 in our audio tests, which aligns it with the score of the Motorola Edge +, the brand’s flagship for 2020. This places it in medium to below average territory for Ultra-Premium smartphones in our database. The 30 Pro’s score would have been better had it not been dragged down by its poor performance as a recording device. His noise reduction is not well designed and the tonal balance of his recordings is generally out of control. As a playback device, it performed much better, especially when listening to content at low or nominal volume. Let’s take a closer look.
Test summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual assessment under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our reproduction protocol, click here; for more details on our registration protocol, click here.)
The following section collects the key elements of our exhaustive tests and analyzes performed in SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, whose performance is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
As a playback device, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro scored 70, matching the scores of smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 (Exynos and Snapdragon versions) and OnePlus 9 Pro. A respectable score in good company. In the tonal attribute, tonal balance is generally correct, with a mid-range bias not sounding skillfully at nominal volume. The highs are sufficient, although a higher end would help produce a brighter sound. The midrange is clean and quite pleasing to the ear, especially in the horizontal orientation. Held vertically, the device produces a slightly hollow sound. Compared to the Edge 20 Pro, the bass is improved, but more bass and bass are needed. At low volumes, the balance is quite good, except when playing, when the tone becomes muffled and lacks clarity. At high volumes, the tonal balance becomes aggressive due to the unpleasant and prominent mid-highs. Dynamics were a bright spot for the Edge 30 Pro. The attack is quite precise and crisp at all volumes. Bass accuracy is correct despite the lack of bass. The envelope is realistic. The punch is adequate up to the maximum volume, where it is crushed by the prominent high mids. Unlike its Edge 20 Pro predecessor, the 30 Pro is a stereo device, which gives it the ability to perform well in the spatial attribute. Localizability is correct but not as good as Motorola phones like the Edge +. Lack of clarity in the upper spectrum can make it difficult to pinpoint sound sources. Amplitude is decent, but the stereo image does not flip as a result when listening in an inverted horizontal position for both music and movies. Good stereo balance overall, but some core content is slightly offset to the right (bottom speaker) of the device. Good output from a distance thanks to the warm and realistic midrange. The maximum volume is good and the first volume step is adjusted correctly – you can clearly hear dynamic content such as classical music. No artifacts were observed at nominal volume. At maximum volume there is a very slight compression. Cropping was noticed on short transients such as drums.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Here’s how the Motorola Edge 30 pro fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble, tonal balance and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as the precision with which a bass note or the impact sound of drums is reproduced.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how the volume gradually increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPLs) measured while playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| Hip-Hop | Classic | |
| 76 dBA | 67 dB | |
| 73.9 dB | 70.8 dBA | |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) | 73.8 dBA | 68.7 dB |
The graph below shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume levels match user expectations:
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test the recording by evaluating the files recorded on reference audio equipment. These recordings are performed in our labs and in real-life conditions, using apps and predefined settings.
As a recording device, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro scored 52 points, almost at the bottom of the rankings in our Ultra-Premium database. Overall and for most attributes, the device produces better recordings in quiet environments using the reminder recording application. Used in urban environments, video recordings lack high-end extension, the highs are small and sibilant, and the midrange is full of resonance and can sound boxy and nasal. The level of background noise seems to have a big effect on the quality of the midrange. The memo app produces a better high-end extension, although the highs still sound small and tend to be slightly sibilant. The performance of the signal to noise ratio (SNR) depends on how the device is used. It works quite well with the memo app and also quite well when shooting videos in quiet environments, such as at home. In urban environments, SNR reduces the background but at the expense of the resulting audio quality, which is compromised by phasing issues. In terms of dynamics, recordings made with the memo app are slightly better than when shooting video. Those recordings have a very medium envelope, generally lacking in sharpness, largely due to the poor tonal balance of the recordings. Localizability in recordings is very limited in each use case, regardless of the app used. The amplitude of the recordings is very small. The distance is average and also sounds slightly too distant as the background level increases. The volume level captured in Edge 30 Pro recordings is average. In terms of artifacts, the first to note and the worst is the result of poorly tuned noise reduction. When recording reminders in noisier environments, the speech content becomes almost robotic due to that untuned noise reduction. How much abbackground, tonal balance is unnatural, and the more it is affected by noise reduction, the more robust the artifacts produced, making it a smooth and incoherent sound.
Here’s how the Motorola Edge 30 pro fares in use case recording compared to its competitors:
The Timbre score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, midrange, treble and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
The Dynamics score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately the explosives of a voice (p, tek, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the Sound-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), such as how loud the main voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial tests include identifying the position of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance and amplitude on recorded audio files.
The volume score represents the normalization level of the audio on the recorded files and how the device handles noisy environments, such as electronic concerts, during recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); as a reference, we expect loudness levels to be higher than -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Encounter | Life video | Selfie video | Memo | |
| -28.3 LUFS | -27.8 LUFS | -25.9 LUFS | -25.5 LUFS | |
| -20.7 LUFS | -17.8 LUFS | -16.6 LUFS | -15.7 LUFS | |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 (Exynos) | -28.9 LUFS | -21.4 LUFS | -21.2 LUFS | -24.2 LUFS |
The Artifacts Score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noise you notice. Distortions can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the microphones, as well as user handling, such as the way the phone is held.
Hear about the artifacts in this excerpt, which was recorded in a fast-paced home environment:
Background evaluates how naturally the various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background should not interfere with the main voice, but should provide context for the surrounding environment.
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