After launching in the UK in April, the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion is finally available to purchase Down Under as of today, May 22. It's available in three colours – Slipstream (purple), Amazonite (teal) and Zephyr (pink) – for a very affordable AU$699.
This new Edge 60 phone continues Motorola's stellar 2024 run that saw the introduction of two of the best cheap phones in Australia in the Motorola Edge 50 Pro and Edge 50 Fusion. And who could forget the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra that we called "the best foldable phone on the market".
While I haven't spent a lot of time with the Edge 60 Fusion, I attended a media briefing and, from studying its specs list, I feel comfortable calling it an improvement over its predecessor in every single way. That's saying something because I gave the older phone 4.5 stars in my Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review.
At present, there's no discount on the new phone, but some retailers have an early-bird offer that makes buying this phone an excellent value proposition. You'll be paying full price (AU$699), but purchasing this phone from JB Hi-Fi or The Good Guys before June 11 will net you a free 68W charger and a AU$100 gift card. The Edge 60 Fusion is also available at Amazon, directly from Motorola and Officeworks, but the freebies don't come with it from the latter three.
I've tested a fair few budget smartphones, including the Samsung Galaxy A56 and two of Motorola's Edge 50 series. Plus I've spent time with the likes of the Nothing Phone (3a) Pro and Google Pixel 9a, and I think the Edge 60 Fusion could be a true competitor to any of these handsets.
I found its predecessor's display to be brilliant, but the Edge 60 Fusion's promises to be considerably better. While the 6.7-inch screen is the same size, it offers a 2712 x 1220 resolution compared to the Edge 50's 2400 x 1800.
It also boasts 4,500 nit peak brightness that Motorola claims is the brightest in this price bracket (AU$600 - AU$950). Plus, if you're worried about the toughness of the curved display, its Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection means it’s both scratch resistant and can survive a one-metre drop.
Its 50MP main camera is powered by the Sony LYTIATM 700C sensor which, combined with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and some AI help, promises easy and great results. The 13MP ultrawide lens also has Macro Vision with a minimum focal distance of just 3.5cm, and its 32MP selfie camera can take 4K video.
However, its "pro-grade quad-camera" isn't exactly that. While it has what seems to be four lenses, there are only two as eagle-eyed readers will have guessed from my description above. The other two other 'cameras' are a flash and a 3-in-1 light sensor for better performance in low-light situations.
AI is unavoidable these days, but Moto AI in this device seems to be a big improvement over what I saw last year. Prompts like ‘Catch me up’ and ‘Remember this and recall' allow users to get their desired information quickly, and remember details or items for later – so you'll never be left scrambling for Mother's Day gift ideas again. Another key prompt is 'Pay Attention', which will start recording and transcribing your meeting/conversation in real time.
However, this phone's biggest drawcard might be its battery life. One of my favourite elements of the Edge 50 Fusion was its long-lasting battery, and its been upgraded to 5,200mAh (from 5,000mAh) while retaining the ability to charge quickly – promising an extra 12 hours in just eight minutes.
The only area the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion falls short of competitors like the Pixel 9a or Galaxy A56 is its lack of software support. Offering just three years of software updates and four years of security support, compared to six from Samsung and seven from Google.
While it's disappointing, it is the same with the Edge 50 Fusion, which I still think is a great phone. And, the value you're getting for just AU$699 makes it hard to dock too many points off it.
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