Motorola’s Edge 50 (review) is a close competitor of the popular OnePlus Nord 4 (review) in the sub ₹30,000 segment. While both are powered by different processors based on Qualcomm’s 4nm mobile platform architecture, the results are quite surprising. After our battery comparison, we bring you the performance comparison of the Moto Edge 50 and the OnePlus Nord 4, to find which one is better value for money.
Geekbench
In our Geekbench test, the Motorola Edge 50 scored a single-core score of 1,117 points and a multi-core score of 3,048. Its competitor the OnePlus Nord 4 with a more powerful Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chipset, scored 1,744 and 4,365 points for single-core and multi-core tests respectively.
This indicates that the OnePlus Nord 4’s processor with newer cores clocked at a higher frequency will perform better at all sorts of tasks, be it casual web browsing or app launching for more complex tasks like photo and video editing.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
Antutu
Unlike Geekbench, the AnTuTu benchmarks are more comprehensive. It tests the phone on several parameters, including Memory (RAM + Storage), User Experience (UX), and CPU and GPU.
In terms of CPU and UX score, the Nord 4 is only slightly ahead of Moto Edge 50, but it is the GPU and memory performance where Nord 4 outshines the Edge 50.
Winner: OnePlus Nord 4
CPU throttling
The Burnout test measures how well a phone performs under stress for 8 minutes. The OnePlus Nord 4’s performance dropped to 48.8%, while the Motorola Edge 50 retained 77.0% of performance under strenuous tasks.
As can be observed in the screenshots, the CPU throttle graph of both phones went downhill, but the Edge 50’s CPU performance was better than Nord 4’s CPU. In terms of graphics, Nord 4’s GPU is more capable, whereas the Edge 50’s NPU outperformed Nord 4’s NPU by a considerable margin.
Winner: Motorola Edge 50
Gaming
In our gaming test, to assess the real-life gaming and thermal performance of phones, we played graphic-intensive titles like Call of Duty Mobile, Real Racing 3, and BGMI for thirty minutes each at the following settings.
| Game | Motorola Egde 50 | Avg. FPS (After 30 minutes) | OnePlus Nord 4 | Avg. FPS after 30 minutes |
| COD-M | Very High + Max | 52.74 | Very High + Max | 57.6 |
| Real Racing 3 | Standard Graphics | 56.5 | Standard Graphics | 58.84 |
In terms of FPS, both phones deliver close to 55FPS in COD Mobile and Real Racing 3. However, with a better GPU, the OnePlus Nord 4 can play BGMI at “Ultra HDR” graphics and “Ultra” frame rate. This gives an edge to Nord 4 when it comes to gaming.
After thirty minutes of gameplay, the temperature of the OnePlus Nord 4 rose by 10.2 degrees, 4.4 degrees, and 8.8 degrees in COD Mobile, Real Racing 3, and BGMI, respectively. The Moto Edge 50 recorded a temperature rise of 9.2 degrees, 6 degrees, and 8.3 degrees, respectively. The Motorola Edge 50 performed better in real-life thermal management.
Winner: Motorola Egde 50
Verdict
The OnePlus Nord 4 is powered by Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3, with newer, faster cores that excel in raw power, as reflected in the Antutu and Geekbenech test results. For gaming, the OnePlus Nord 4 also has a slight edge in terms of graphics support in BGMI.
However, the Motorola Edge 50 with Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 does not fall back much. The burnout and gaming test are clear indicators of Edge 50’s better performance under prolonged usage and stress, with better thermal performance while gaming.
Smartphones tested by: Aditya Pandey and Ujjwal Sharma
