iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Battle of the Best Flagship Devices

The iQOO 13 can also be purchased with an instant bank discount of up to Rs 3,000 or an exchange bonus of up to Rs 5,000.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Design

The iQOO 13 follows the design ethos of its predecessor except for the switch to a flat design. We got the Legend shade, which has a matte back panel that might feel like a glossy one. It doesn’t attract fingerprint smudges and has an IP69 rating, which can withstand full-on jet spray.

The device also has a new halo light surrounding the camera module, which is customisable and glows for calls and notifications. At 213 grams, the iQOO 13 is a tad heavy.

We tested the Nordic Wood shade of the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, which offers a wood-like finish, offering a comfortable grip. It has an aluminium frame similar to the iQOO 13, making it sturdy. The device doesn’t feel heavy despite weighing close to 200 grams.

The slight camera bump doesn’t make any major wobble when using it on a desk. However, the dust and water resistance on the Edge 50 Ultra is limited to IP68.

The iQOO 13 5G with the halo light and an advanced IP69 rating, wins this department.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Display

The iQOO 13 has a flat display with thin bezels, which produces well-balanced and rich colours. The device has a 144Hz LTPO refresh rate, which makes everything buttery smooth. It also has one of the best haptic feedback on an Android smartphone. The stereo speakers also offer excellent clarity and depth.

The curved display on the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra produces vibrant colours that are accurate and offer a rich visual experience. It also offers a smooth experience with a 144Hz refresh rate, and the screen is visible even in bright sunlight. The phone has much better stereo speakers tuned by Dolby Atmos with well-balanced, clear highs, punchy mids, and deep bass.

In terms of display, we will prefer the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, as it has a premium curved panel with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection and top-notch audio performance.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Cameras

In our tests, the iQOO 13 produces images with vibrant, natural colours with impressive details using the main camera. The ultrawide shot has washed-out colours and little grains around the edges. It has excellent skin tone and background blur while capturing portraits.

We also took some human portraits using the new 2x telephoto lens, which delivered images with outstanding detail. The higher-res selfie camera captures and accurately reproduces skin tones, backgrounds, and colours. It also performs well in low-light settings, bringing in more light than expected. In low-light scenarios, noticeable grain is also evident.

iQOO 13 Camera Samples

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The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra captures close to natural colours, excellent dynamic range, and slightly contrasty images. It also offers enough details and almost accurate colours in low-light situations. The ultrawide shots turned out to be exceptionally bright, which deviates from real-life conditions.

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Camera Samples

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It has an impressive dynamic range with increased light sensitivity, resulting in motion blur occasionally. The low-light shots are also oversaturated with a typical dynamic range. The telephoto lens shows great detail with decent dynamic range and slightly more contrast. It will also capture good portrait shots without switching the portrait mode on.

The daylight selfies came out with a good dynamic range, almost natural skin tones, and accurate colours. It produces washed-out colours against sunlight and blurry images in low light with a slight hand movement.

In terms of optics, the iQOO 13 outpowers the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra with its excellent triple camera setup.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Performance

The iQOO 13 comes with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which has scored way ahead of the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. However, the thermals of the smartphone need improvement as it got noticeably hot during benchmark testing. In the CPU throttling test, the phone could maintain 60% of its max performance.

In practical usage, the iQOO 13 offers smoother performance, and we didn’t encounter any issues during our day-to-day usage. We could get a maximum of 120fps while playing BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile. The device never throttled or caused any issues during our gaming sessions except for the uncomfortable heat near the camera module.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, could maintain 81% of its max performance in CPU throttling tests. Our colleagues also played BGMI and Call of Duty: Mobile, which offered an excellent gameplay experience.

The phone remained comfortably cool throughout gameplay, ensuring a pleasant experience. The day-to-day tasks, which included social media usage and switching between apps, weren’t a hassle for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC inside the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra.

However, we prefer the iQOO 13 for its superior gaming capabilities, which are way ahead of its competitors. The addition of the in-house Q2 supercomputing chipset on the iQOO 13 also enhances the gaming performance with its 144fps frame interpolation and 2K resolution.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Software

The FunTouch OS on the iQOO 13 offers a bunch of customisation options, which also includes the AI-driven feature. The inclusion of a Sidebar and Circle to Search also elevates the user experience. However, the large number of pre-installed applications hinders the overall experience.

On the other hand, the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra comes with zero pre-installed applications or spammy notifications. It offers a clean experience with cool features, including an AI wallpaper generator, Smart Connect, Family Space, Moto Gesture, and more.

To sum it up, the iQOO 13 is the better choice as it features Android 15 straight out of the box and offers a longer software update policy.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Battery and Charging

The iQOO 13 has an edge over the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra as it houses a massive battery in the segment. In our practical tests, the flagship smartphone lasted for an entire day of heavy usage with ease. The lighter users can expect the iQOO 13 to last more than a day as it is well-optimised with respect to battery.

The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra lasted a day on a single charge despite housing a smaller battery. It also lasted 14 hours and 14 minutes in the PCMark battery test. The addition of wireless and reverse wireless charging tech acts as a cherry on the cake. Both flagship smartphones have similar wired fast charging speeds.

The iQOO 13 can be preferred by buyers who prefer long battery life, and the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, is for those who prefer wireless charging.

iQOO 13 vs Motorola Edge 50 Ultra: Verdict

The iQOO 13 (review) is a great choice for people who prioritise performance and gaming over other factors. The flagship smartphone also has a capable triple camera setup that has outperformed the competitor. It also has advanced IP ratings, a longer software update policy, and a larger battery, making it a worthwhile purchase.

On the other hand, the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra (review) is a more affordable option with a better display and audio experience. The Edge 50 Ultra also supports wellness features, including wireless and reverse wireless charging tech. It also offers a clean software experience with Motorola-specific features. The device also has a capable camera setup with PANTONE-validated colours.