Earlier in the year, Lenovo-owned Motorola teased that it will debut one of the first phones in the world with a 200-megapixel camera. We’ve been intrigued by this phone since. Initially, referred to as the ‘Frontier’, it’s likely to launch as the Edge 30 Ultra or X30 Pro.
Since that initial teaser, other details have emerged, fleshing out what appears to be Motorola’s top-tier, premium flagship device for 2022.
Motorola Frontier, Edge 30 Ultra or X30 Pro?
- ‘Frontier’ is the codename
- Moto X30 Pro in China – Moto X30 Ultra elsewhere
If there’s some confusion around the name of the device, that’s completely understandable. Firstly, it’s been developed under the codename Frontier, and Motorola often releases the same phone in different markets under different names. In China, for instance, it’s expected to launch as the Moto X30 Pro. Elsewhere, in global markets, it’s expected to be named Edge 30 Ultra.
Edge 30 Ultra release date
- The Chinese launch event was planned for 2 August 2022 but was abruptly cancelled
- It’s now expected to launch on 11 August 2022
Moto originally announced via its official Weibo account that it will be launching the X30 Pro alongside the Moto Razr 2022 at an event on 2 August. However, this event was cancelled at the last minute, with very little detail surrounding the cancellation.
After a teaser image was posted by Lenovo Mobile China’s GM, Chen Jin, we’re now expecting the launch to take place on August 11 2022 at 2 pm CST.
There’s also currently no word on when the phone might launch outside of China. But Motorola announced the Edge Plus in China at the end of 2021 as the “Edge 30”, and then brought it to the US in 2022 as “Edge Plus”. If Motorola follows that same roadmap for the Frontier, then the phone could roll out to other countries before the end of 2022. But that is pure speculation.
Motorola Frontier: Rumoured design
So there are a few of images for the Frontier swirling around on the internet.
There is WinFuture’s report from January that included this render:
Leakster Evan Blass shared another, similar render in February:
And then this photograph of the phone was allegedly posted to Weibo in March:
Motorola Frontier: Rumoured specs
Thanks to reports such as WinFuture’s that included a listing of specs, but also reports from Techniknews, @evleaks, and SamMobile, it’s unanimously clear the Frontier will use Samsung’s ISOCELL HP1 sensor.
Announced last autumn, the sensor can not only handle 8K video recording, but with so many pixels it will open the door to enhanced high dynamic range (HDR) and various pixel binning possibilities (16-in-1 delivering 12.5-megapixel results as the default). The other two cameras on the rear of the phone are reportedly a 50-megapixel ultrawide and 12-megapixel telephoto. Photography will be the main focus of the Frontier, it certainly seems.
Previous rumours also point to a 6.7-inch pOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. It is also claimed that the phone will run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Plus chipset.
Other interesting features rumoured to date include details about the 144Hz screen being a curved hole in display. The screen might even have an under-display fingerprint sensor.
| Rumoured specs | |
| Display | 6.67-inch curved POLED, FHD+, 20:9 HiD (hole in display), 144Hz, DCI-P3, HDR10+ |
| Software | Google Android 12 |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Plus |
| Storage | 8GB and 128GB; 8GB and 256GB, 12GB and 256GB / LPDDR5 + UFS 3.1 |
| Camera | Triple camera (200MP OIS; 50MP wide angle; 12MP 2X telephoto) |
| Front camera | 60MP selfie shooter |
| Audio | Stereo speakers, triple microphone array |
| Connectivity | USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, GPS, dual-SIM support (Nano-SIM) |
| Biometrics | Under-display fingerprint |
| Battery | 4500mAh, with support for 125W wired fast-charging or 50W wireless fast-charging |
| Availability | From August 2022 |
Motorola Edge 30 Ultra/X30 Pro: What’s happened?
Here is an up-to-date timeline of all the leaks so far for the Frontier:
5 August 2022: Moto Razr 2022 and X30 Pro launch back on, here’s the new date
Lenovo Mobile China’s GM, Chen Jin, posted a teaser image on Weibo showing the Razr 2022 with an analogue clock on its outer display. The clock has the date “Thursday 11” displayed in Chinese and is set to 2 o’clock, which presumably equates to 2 pm CST.
23 July 2022: Launch date confirmed
Motorola has announced that it will launch the X30 Pro alongside the Razr 2022 in China on 2 August.
18 July 2022: First pic from Edge 30 Ultra shared
One of Motorola’s general managers posted an image online taken by the Edge 30 Ultra’s 200-megapixel camera.
24 May 2022: Motorola teases 200MP cameraphone, likely the Frontier, coming in July
Lenovo-owned Motorola has taken to the Chinese social platform Weibo to tease its upcoming smartphones, including a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 foldable phone and another device equipped with a whopping 200-megapixel camera. That second one is set to launch as soon as this summer. Motorola’s 200-megapixel cameraphone is codenamed Frontier. Meant to be a flagship phone, it’s leaked several times in recent months, revealing specs and features. Now, Motorola is confirming its existence via a Weibo post. While the teaser doesn’t mention the phone’s official name, it does reveal a July timeframe for the launch date.
28 March 2022: Samsung’s 200-megapixel camera spotted on an actual phone
The photo you see above was shared through the Chinese social media network Weibo and later on Twitter, and it supposedly depicts the Motorola Frontier.
18 February 2022: Motorola Frontier pops up in best picture leak yet
Excellent renders of the oft-rumoured Motorola Frontier surfaced online thanks to leakster Evan Blass and, if they’re legit, a rather significant main camera is visible on the rear. Previous leaks have pointed to the phone sporting Samsung’s 200-megapixel Isocell HP1 sensor, and the image collection posted by online tipster Evan Blass has 194-megapixel listed under a huge lens unit.
25 January 2022: Motorola details and pictures leak out
News first surfaces about Motorola working on a new flagship smartphone ith a 144 Hz display, 200-megapixel camera, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 “Plus” chip under the code name Frontier.