Pros
-
Thin, light and lovely to use -
Eye-catching style and colour options -
Bigger battery than other ultrathin phones -
Gorgeous 6.7-inch 1.5K screen
Cons
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Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 isn’t a great performer -
Camera tuning can be hit and miss -
Only four OS upgrades promised
Key Features
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Review Price: £699 -
Extremely thin and light
At just shy of 6mm thick and 159g, the Edge 70 is a pleasure to hold and use -
All-day battery life
With a 4800mAh cell, the Edge 70 offers much better battery life than the ultrathin competition -
Fast charging
68W fast charging sees a full charge in under an hour
Introduction
Riding on the hype train created by the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, Motorola’s Edge 70 is its take on an ultrathin smartphone. And, reader, this one might actually be a good pick.
The Edge 70 ticks all the boxes for what an ultrathin phone should offer – it’s impressively thin despite the inclusion of a 6.7-inch screen, and it’s super lightweight, while also besting the competition in areas like battery life. And with a price tag of just £699 (no US availability), it’s also much more affordable.
It’s not the perfect phone, with a processor that won’t exactly get your heart racing, but if you want a stylish, ultrathin phone that won’t struggle to get you through the day, the Motorola Edge 70 is well worth considering.
Design
- 5.99mm thick, 159g
- Stylish woven textile-like rear finish
- Surprisingly durable
Ultrathin phones are a hard sell – until you pick them up. While a sub-6mm phone doesn’t sound like much on paper, it makes a striking first impression, and that’s certainly true of the Motorola Edge 70.
The moment you pick it up, you immediately notice how impressively slim and featherlight it feels, measuring 5.99mm (basically 6mm, but Motorola really wants to get beneath that mark) thick and weighing in at just 159g.
That means it’s not the thinnest ultrathin phone around – that’d go to Apple’s 5.6mm iPhone Air, closely followed by Samsung’s 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge – but comparing them side-by-side, there’s very little in it.
We’re talking fractions of a millimetre here, after all, and I’d argue that it’s weight that’s more noticeable when comparing the three. On that front, Motorola is a winner, beating out the iPhone’s 165g and Galaxy’s 163g.
That means that, like the aforementioned competition, this is a phone that’s an absolute joy to use every day. It’s not something you get used to either – the novelty of having such a thin phone continues to impress me whenever I pick it up – and the 6.7-inch display feels easily manageable thanks to its narrow 20:9 aspect ratio.
It’s just a fantastically designed, lightweight smartphone that slips easily into a pocket – so much so that I had to actually check I had the phone in my pocket on a few occasions.
That’s just the size, too; aesthetically, Motorola has absolutely nailed the look of the Edge 70. The woven, textile-like texture on the back is both unique and provides a secure grip, while the Pantone-certified finishes add a splash of personality that Apple and Samsung arguably lack.
I’m a big fan of the Bronze Green colourway sent for review, pairing a rich green tone with yellow gold accents for the buttons and camera rings that really stand out from the crowd. If that’s not to your liking, there’s also Lily Pad and Gadget Grey.
While the thin, lightweight nature of the phone might lead you to believe that it’d be fragile, that’s not the case. Instead, the phone actually offers MIL-STD-810H certification, along with dual IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance, with Gorilla Glass 7i protecting the screen from scratches and impacts.
As such, it feels reassuringly solid in the hand, with no flex or creaking.
Screen
- Big 6.7-inch pOLED screen
- 1.5K resolution provides a pixel-packed experience
- Smooth 120Hz refresh rate, but no LPTO
The Edge 70’s 6.7-inch pOLED screen is a thing to behold; the panel is at odds with the ultrathin nature of the phone, offering the classic big-screen experience without the associated bulk.
It’s a very nice screen too – the 1.5K resolution offers a rather dense 446ppi often seen in proper top-end flagships, and it means that everything from text to icons to images looks suitably crisp and detailed.
Throw in support for HDR10+, PWM dimming tech to make the screen easier on your eyes in dim environments and a 4500nit peak brightness, and you’ve got a screen that ticks most boxes in terms of desirable screen tech.
It’s super smooth too, with a 120Hz refresh rate – though it’s not LPTO-enabled, one of the key hints that this isn’t a proper top-end flagship. That means it’s not quite as efficient as it could be, though with the Edge 70 packing a much larger battery than other ultrathin devices, it’s not as big a problem as it could’ve been.
Still, there’s very little to complain about in actual use; it’s detailed, vibrant and delivers those deep, inky blacks that OLED is famed for. It’s a big, tall 20:9 panel that’s both easy to use one-handed and well suited for most tasks, from mindless scrolling to catching up with a bit of YouTube and even gaming – though the processor could hamper the latter somewhat. More on that later.
There’s also a fingerprint scanner built directly into the display, though its placement is a little odd. It’s much further down the screen than most other phones with similar tech, almost sitting right on the bottom bezel. As such, it’s a little awkward to reach with your thumb, especially one-handed – placement a little higher on the screen would’ve made it much easier.
Cameras
- Dual 50MP main and ultrawide cameras
- Both are surprisingly capable in low-light
- 50MP selfie is fine, but no autofocus
Motorola has been a bit cheeky here. Ultrathin phones tend to be a bit light on camera count – the iPhone Air has a single 48MP lens, while the S25 Edge has a dual-lens setup – but a quick glance at the Edge 70 will lead you to assume it has a quad-camera setup.
It’s not quite that, however. There are actually two proper lenses on the rear – a dual 50MP setup, comprised of a main and ultrawide lens – with the other two camera rings housing a flash and what I can only assume is a dedicated PDAF sensor.
Design aside though, it’s actually a pretty decent setup, especially considering the phone’s ultrathin dimensions. Yes, I still miss my telephoto lens, and Samsung’s alternative is better suited for digital zoom with a whopping 200MP resolution to make use of. However, I think the vast majority of people will be more than happy with what Motorola has to offer here.
Of course, it’s the main 50MP OIS-enabled sensor that gets most of the attention. The fairly large 1/1.56-inch sensor does a great job at capturing plenty of light and detail in most scenarios, with the dedicated PDAF sensor allowing for quick focusing and refocusing.
It delivers a colourful, vibrant image in well-lit scenarios – though I much prefer the more colour-accurate in-camera tuning to the Moto AI-powered image enhancement. The latter boosts colours like reds and greens a little too much for my liking, though there’s no doubt that it makes colourful photos even more vibrant.
With that large sensor, OIS and a wide f/1.8 aperture, it’s also well suited to low-light capture. Some of the shots I captured of Canary Wharf at night look particularly impressive, offering a balanced approach to low-light, rather than trying to artificially boost darkness to look like daylight.
What surprised me more is that the 50MP ultrawide is equally capable in low-light conditions. Ultrawides aren’t usually famed for low-light performance, but the f/2.0 aperture allows that ultrawide sensor to drink in as much light as possible. The results aren’t quite as detailed as the main sensor, but they’re not that far off either. It’s far from the mushy, dark results you often get from ultrawides.
It’s just as good in daylight, with the wide 120-degree angle allowing for easy capture of scenic vistas, tall buildings and the like, without any aggressive distortion around the edges. The colours are also consistent with what you capture from the main lens.
Flip the phone around and you’ll find a matching 50MP selfie camera. It’s a pretty solid snapper for selfies and the like in well-lit environments, but it misses key features like autofocus that make a truly decent selfie camera that you’d want to use for video recording and group selfies.
Performance
- Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 and 12GB of RAM
- Underpowered compared to ultrathin competition
- Solid day-to-day use, with little throttling
The Edge 70 holds its own against the more premium ultrathin competition in many regards, but the same can’t be said for performance. Though I don’t think that’s a bad thing, especially considering Motorola’s option is around £300/$300 cheaper than the competition. Hear me out.
The Edge 70 packs the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 along with 12GB of RAM and 256- or 512GB of storage – a chipset that’s not exactly going to get your heart racing.
The chipset is typically found in mid-range devices like the Realme 15 Pro, highlighting its limitations – especially when compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the S25 Edge and the A19 Pro in the iPhone Air, two of the most powerful chipsets available.
It’d be easy to dog on the Edge 70 then, but there’s a problem with putting a big, beefy chipset inside an ultrathin phone: heat generation.
The phones are very thin, and as such, the heat generated by the chipset when performing demanding tasks doesn’t have anywhere to go, and performance is throttled quite quickly. It’s an issue of both Samsung and Apple’s alternatives – but not the Edge 70.
With a less powerful chipset, the phone doesn’t get quite as warm as its competitors. Yes, it won’t be able to provide the same top-end performance, but when it’s throttled so quickly, does it really matter? I’d wager not.
This is all borne out in benchmark testing, where the Edge 70 trails behind both the ultrathin competition and similarly priced phones in both CPU and GPU tests; however, that doesn’t accurately reflect day-to-day use.
In actual use, the Edge 70 feels about as rapid and responsive as you could hope for. Apps open in a flash, there’s no stuttering or lag when scrolling through apps, and the camera processing is equally as rapid.
It can handle basic games like Archero 2 in its stride, and while you won’t get the best performance if you crank the graphics settings up to max in titles like Call of Duty Mobile, it runs admirably at lower graphics settings while only getting mildly warm, not uncomfortably hot.
So, yes, it’s technically a downgrade compared to the ultrathin competition, but will you actually notice it in day-to-day use? I very much doubt it.
Software
- Near-stock Android 16 experience with small tweaks
- Moto AI adds a sprinkling of AI features
- Only four OS upgrades promised
The Android 16 software experience is largely your standard Motorola affair – which is to say that it’s close to stock Android with a few Moto-themed tweaks.
This is great news for Android purists as it’s pretty far from the highly stylised alternatives from the likes of Oppo, Honor and Xiaomi, offering something close to what you’ll get from the Google Pixel 10 – albeit with Motorola’s own take on AI features.
These all fall under the Moto AI 2.0 umbrella and come in a few different forms. Tools range from those we’ve seen in practically every other phone in 2025, including audio recording transcription and the ability to generate images using AI, along with more niche options.
Update Me, for example, provides a summary of your notifications, while Remember This allows you to store screenshots, videos, thoughts and more for later recollection. None of these are exactly game-changing, but they all have niche use-cases where they’re helpful.
We’ve already seen these features on recent high-end Motorola phones like the Razr 60 Ultra, but the company promises more features soon as part of the Moto AI 3.0 update. However, what that update will actually introduce is unclear at the time of writing.
Along with a smattering of AI tools, you’ll find the fan-favourite gesture support, allowing you to karate chop to turn on the torch and twist the phone to activate the camera. There’s also a big focus on customisation, allowing you to tweak the UI colours and add widgets to your lock screen to your liking.
Essentially, it’s business as usual for Motorola – and business is good.
The commitment to four OS upgrades and six years of security patches is fine, meaning it’ll eventually get the Android 20 update – but it still falls short of the seven years of OS upgrades offered by a growing number of brands.
Battery life
- 4800mAh silicon carbon battery
- Much bigger battery than other ultrathin phones
- Fast 68W wired charging
Battery life is the key area where the Motorola Edge 70 stands head and shoulders above the competition. Why? Because it has done what I’ve been begging manufacturers to do for months – utilise silicon carbon battery tech. This allows the Edge 70 to pack a smaller, denser cell into its thin chassis without compromising battery life.
As such, the 4800mAh cell within the Edge 70 is leagues bigger than the iPhone Air’s 3149mAh and the S25 Edge’s 3900mAh, and it’s evident in everyday use.
I struggled to get through the day without scrambling for a charger with the S25 Edge, but the same can’t be said for the Edge 70. It’ll get me through the average day with around 3-4 hours of screen time without complaint.
Now don’t expect anything like the impressive stamina from the likes of the Oppo Find X9 Pro’s 7500mAh cell – you can still drain this thing flat if you’re doing a lot of gaming, video recording and the like – but it doesn’t feel like as much of a worry.
Even if it does need a quick charge to get you through busier days, it’s speedier than the competition with support for 68W charging that, in my experience, delivered 34% in 15 minutes, 69% in half an hour and a full charge in 50 minutes. There’s also 15W wireless charging for those who want a slower but more convenient way to top up throughout the day.
If you want an ultrathin phone with solid battery life and decently quick charging, the choice is clear here.
Should you buy it?
You want a thin phone with good battery life
The Motorola Edge 70 packs a much larger 4800mAh cell into its thin chassis than options from Apple and Samsung.
You want the best performance
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 within the Edge 70 isn’t anywhere near as powerful as the flagship chips in other ultrathin phones.
Final Thoughts
Ultrathin phones, in my mind, aren’t true flagships, despite the fact that they usually cost close to a grand. They don’t offer the same high-end camera hardware, processing power takes a hit in such a thin chassis, and the battery leaves much to be desired.
That’s why Motorola’s Edge 70 feels like the first slimline phone that makes sense. It’s not a flagship, with a much more comfortable £699 price tag that makes the ultrathin compromises much easier to swallow.
And even then, Motorola has managed to up the competition in the all-important battery life and charging department, which alone should make the Edge 70 a tempting alternative to the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
The only real chink in its armour is the chipset. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 isn’t exactly a powerful chip, and that’ll immediately put some off. However, the less powerful chipset doesn’t get nearly as hot as the top-end alternatives from Samsung and Apple, and it still performs well in everyday use, so is it really a significant problem? I’m not so sure.
Essentially, if you’re looking for that ultra-thin, lightweight design without sacrificing battery life, the Motorola Edge 70 is a great choice.
Trusted Score
How We Test
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry-standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
- Used as a main phone for over a week
- Thorough camera testing in a variety of conditions
- Tested and benchmarked using respected industry tests and real-world data
FAQs
Yes, it offers both IP68 and IP69 dust and water resistance.
While you’ll need to source your own 68W charger, it can be fully charged in under 50 minutes.
Motorola has committed to four OS upgrades and six years of security updates for the Edge 70.
Test Data
| Motorola Edge 70 | |
|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single core | 1325 |
| Geekbench 6 multi core | 4116 |
| Time from 0-100% charge | 50 min |
| Time from 0-50% charge | 22 Min |
| 30-min recharge (no charger included) | 69 % |
| 15-min recharge (no charger included) | 34 % |
| 3D Mark – Wild Life | 2084 |
| GFXBench – Aztec Ruins | 35 fps |
| GFXBench – Car Chase | 46 fps |
Full Specs
| Motorola Edge 70 Review | |
|---|---|
| UK RRP | £699 |
| Manufacturer | Motorola |
| Screen Size | 6.7 inches |
| Storage Capacity | 256GB, 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 50MP + 50MP |
| Front Camera | 50MP |
| Video Recording | Yes |
| IP rating | IP69 |
| Battery | 4800 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Yes |
| Fast Charging | Yes |
| Size (Dimensions) | 6 x 74 x 159.9 MM |
| Weight | 159 G |
| Operating System | Android 16 |
| Release Date | 2025 |
| First Reviewed Date | 14/11/2025 |
| Resolution | 1220 x 2712 |
| HDR | Yes |
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
| Ports | USB-C |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Colours | Gadget Gray, Lily Pad, Bronze Green |
| Stated Power | 68 W |
Trusted Score
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