The Motorola Edge Plus is a $999 flagship with adequate performance, respectable battery life, a headphone jack, and one big problem - Verizon exclusivity Thankfully, those who wanted the Edge Plus but didn't want to switch to Big Red will be able to unlock a similar device called the Motorola Edge this summer That means no Plus

Today (June 30) Motorola announced that the Edge will cost $699 when it goes on sale later this year This is a good match for the OnePlus 8 and iPhone 11, which also cost $699 But there is a catch Or two

Motorola made some concessions to the Edge to get the price down $300 from the Edge Plus The big one is performance: instead of a Snapdragon 865 processor like the Edge Plus, it has an inferior Snapdragon 765 This chip can connect to 5G networks like the 865, but performance and graphics are slower overall

Additionally, the Edge has the same 90Hz 67-inch OLED display as the Edge Plus, but the cheaper model ditches the 108-megapixel main camera of the Verizon-exclusive model However, it continues to feature the Edge Plus' ultra-wide-angle, telephoto, and depth lenses

The regular Edge's battery is now 4,500 mAh, down from 5,000 mAh on the Edge Plus, and the RAM has been halved to 6GB Otherwise, the Motorola Edge is comparable to the Plus, minus the lack of a waterproof IP rating; like the Verizon-only Edge Plus, the Edge has only a water-repellent nano-coating

Overall, the Motorola Edge appears to be a competent premium-specification phone for under $700 However, with the iPhone 11 and OnePlus 8 offering true flagship power at the same price, and the OnePlus 8 even rivaling the Edge in terms of 5G support, Motorola's latest unlocked product seems a bit of a hard sell In fact, if Apple can offer a 5G-equipped iPhone 12 for under $700, as rumored, it will be even tougher

Even worse for Motorola, the Edge Plus' camera is only passable, and the lower-spec 64MP main lens on the regular Edge is imagined to be a downgrade In addition, Motorola's insincere attitude toward Android updates raises more than a few concerns about future support

Indeed, the only feather in the Edge's cap seems to be its audio suite: the Edge has a headphone jack not found on similarly priced devices from Apple and OnePlus, as well as the fairly powerful stereo speakers that impressed on the Edge Plus

Motorola has not yet provided any specific information on availability, other than that the Edge will begin shipping later this summer and will be unlocked for use with any carrier A review will be posted within the next few weeks