Update 2 (7/1/2020 @ 4:03 PM EST): We have seen evidence from multiple sources that the device in question will be called the "Moto G 5G Plus." The title of this article has been updated and an update has been added to the end of this article, but the rest of the article will remain unchanged.

Update 1 (6/20/2020 @ 4:31 PM EST): We have updated this article to clarify that the Edge Lite may still have a curved display (though we are uncertain if it's the same "waterfall" display as on the Edge and Edge+) and that we don't know the exact band support of the Verizon model.

Back in April, Motorola made a return to the premium smartphone space with the Edge and Edge+, a pair of 5G-enabled smartphones. While the Edge+ is already available on Verizon in the U.S., the regular Edge is not yet available in the U.S. (It's available in Europe, though.) With the Motorola Edge clearing FCC certification this week, we're expecting an imminent launch in the U.S. Now, there's evidence that the phone may be joined by a new "Motorola Edge Lite" 5G smartphone.

Since early May, we've been tracking information on a new Motorola 5G smartphone code-named "Nairobi." Although we've known most of the specifications of the phone, we haven't been able to confirm its marketing name. Today, the FCC published certification filings for a new 5G Motorola phone with the model name "XT2075-3." The certification filing confirms the smartphone will support 5G NR (on band 41, which is a sub-6GHz band spanning frequencies of 2506-2680MHz) and will have a ~4,800mAh battery capacity (via NashvilleChatter).

According to noted leaker Ishan Agarwal (via PriceBaba), this smartphone will be called the "Motorola Edge Lite." A Motorola 5G smartphone with model name "XT2075-3" was also spotted in a European retail listing for €398.45 (via @stufflistings), which is considerably lower than the €699 price of the Motorola Edge. While we can't confirm the pricing, we can confirm that Motorola is indeed working on a new upper mid-range 5G smartphone with specifications that warrant the "Motorola Edge Lite" name.

motorola edge

The Motorola Edge.

The Motorola Edge Lite - A New Mid-Range 5G Smartphone

Although Motorola recently confirmed they will bring to market a smartphone powered by the new 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 690, we don't believe the Motorola Edge Lite will be the device in question. Instead, we believe the device will be powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset (part name: "sm7250", code-name: "lito") that's found in the Motorola Edge. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 765/765G can be found in a number of smartphones from brands like LG, OPPO, Samsung, Nubia, Realme, and others, sometimes in lieu of the more powerful (and more expensive) Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The Snapdragon 765 is still a very powerful chipset that's fabricated on Samsung's 7nm EUV process. It features an octa-core CPU with 1 x ARM Cortex-A76 core clocked at 2.3GHz, 1 x ARM Cortex-A76 core clocked at 2.2GHz, and 6 ARM Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz, as well as Qualcomm's Adreno 620 GPU, Hexagon 696 DSP, Spectra 355 ISP, and the Wi-Fi 6-ready FastConnect 6200. More importantly, the chipset features an integrated Snapdragon X52 modem for 5G NR connectivity, and the new Motorola Edge Lite has already been certified in the U.S. to operate on band 41. The Verizon model has not yet been certified, though, so we don't know if that model will support mmWave 5G.

With the Snapdragon 765, the Motorola Edge Lite will be a decidedly upper mid-range smartphone. Like the standard Edge, the Moto Edge Lite will feature 4 or 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64 or 128GB of UFS 2.1 internal storage.  For the standard Motorola Edge, only the 4GB RAM model will be available in the U.S., so we could see a similar market differentiation for the Moto Edge Lite. The Moto Edge Lite is rated for supporting up to 20W wired charging but will likely ship with Motorola's 18W TurboPower charger. The phone will also support NFC on all models but will only have dual SIM in some regions (which likely doesn't include the U.S.) For security, the Motorola Edge Lite will have an optical under-display fingerprint scanner. It will run Android 10 out-of-the-box with Motorola's software customizations on top.

While the Motorola Edge Lite and the Edge share the same basic hardware specifications, there are some differences in the other components. The Edge Lite, for example, will have a 6.70-inch display at 2520x1080 resolution (for an aspect ratio of 21:9) and a 90Hz refresh rate, however, unlike the Edge and Edge+, the Edge Lite likely won't have the same curved "waterfall" display (though judging by the "Edge Lite" moniker, it may still be curved) and will also have a dual hole-punch display cutout (located at the top left of the display). This dual hole-punch cutout will house the two front-facing cameras consisting of an 8MP main sensor and 2MP depth sensor. On the rear, the Motorola Edge Lite is expected to have a quad rear camera setup consisting of a 48MP Samsung S5KGM1 main sensor, a 16MP sensor, an 8MP sensor (the same one on the front), and a 5MP sensor.

The Motorola Edge Lite will be available in two models: XT2075-1 for Verizon and XT2075-3 for international markets including Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Japan. The international model will have a dedicated Google Assistant key but the Verizon model may not. I am not sure if the Verizon model will have mmWave antennas to support the carrier's 5G Ultrawide Band network. I've heard that there are 4 colors in the works—Prussian, Surfing Blue, Azury, and Soft White—but I don't know if these are the final marketing names. I also don't know if any of these colors will be exclusive to certain regions or carriers.

That's about all I know so far of the Motorola Edge Lite. As always, take every rumor and leak with a grain of salt. I myself am not 100% certain of these specifications because it's possible my information is outdated. That being said, our track record on Motorola leaks speaks for itself. Assuming Motorola prices this right, they could have a killer phone to undercut the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G and Google Pixel 5 in the U.S. There's a lot of uncertainty in the economy this year, so it's no surprise that consumers aren't lining up to spend nearly $1,000 on a new smartphone.

Motorola Edge Lite Specifications Summary

Models

XT2075-1, XT2075-3

Regions

Verizon (U.S.), Japan, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East

Display

6.70" 2520x1080 (21:9 aspect ratio), 90Hz refresh rate display, HDR, dual hole-punch cutout

CPU + GPU

Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 with Adreno 620

RAM

4/6GB LPDDR4X

Storage

64/128GB UFS 2.1

Rear Camera(s)

48MP S5KGM1 + 16MP + 8MP + 5MP

Front Camera(s)

8MP Samsung S5K4H7 + 2MP

Security

Under-display fingerprint scanner

Battery

~4800mAh, 18W TurboPower charging

Connectivity

NFC, Dual SIM (some models), 5G NR, 4G LTE

Software

Android 10 with Motorola's software customizations

Colors

Prussian, Surfing Blue, Azury, Soft White

Ports

USB Type-C, Google Assistant key for XT2075-3

Featured image: the Motorola Edge


Update: Likely the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus

Earlier this week, reputed leaker Evan Blass shared a render and a list of specifications of a device he alleges is the Moto G 5G. He also revealed that there's likely a "Moto G 5G Plus" model. We re-checked various sources and are now confident that the device code-named "Nairobi" with model name "XT2075-3" will be called the Motorola Moto G 5G Plus. We don't have an image of the Moto G 5G Plus, but you can see a render of the regular Moto G 5G here, courtesy of Evan Blass. We haven't disproven the existence of the Motorola Edge Lite, though, as there's still some evidence it could exist, but we now know that the phone mentioned in this article is not the Edge Lite.