AI is making phones pricey, and hence, choosing your next phone is crazy tough, especially if you are staying away from the iPhones. In the labyrinth of Android phones sits the Motorola Edge 70 Pro Plus – a phone which Motorola promises will deliver a highly sought-after premium experience without paying an actual premium. For almost Rs 50,000, this phone has got everything, competing with the likes of the Google Pixel 10a, OnePlus 15R and Samsung Galaxy S25 FE.
Seemed tempting, which is why I decided to live with the Edge 70 Pro Plus for a couple of days to see what all the hype is about.
It surely looks nice to begin with. Measuring 7.19mm thin and weighing 190 grams, it is comfortably the slimmest phone in its class. Dressed in a silk-inspired, deep velvety red finish, this phone oozes elegance, both visually and physically. It can take some punishment from India’s harsh weather too – the IP68, IP69, and MIL-STD 810H durability ratings suggest it will survive rain, dust, accidental drops and most abuse you can throw at it. No other phone in this class offers this combo.
The design, however, forces compromises. The finish is incredibly slippery, and because the curved edges offer almost nothing to grip, the phone feels nervous in the hand. There’s no case in the box to alleviate the concerns too.
How does it perform in daily loads?
Sandwiched inside is a MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme chipset, paired with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.1 storage. For the uninitiated, this is a performance-centric midrange processor, which essentially translates to day-to-day multitasking, productivity use-cases, and can do decent gaming too. I observed mild heating during gaming, but for most other use case scenarios, it never felt uncomfortable, as far as my usage is concerned.
Flip the phone over, and you are greeted by a 6.8-inch quad-curved AMOLED display. With a 1.5K pixel resolution and up to 144Hz refresh rate, scrolling through UI animations or watching high-dynamic-range content is an absolute joy. Thanks to a high peak brightness rating, outdoor legibility is great too, thus ensuring easy usage under direct sunlight. Sadly, the curved edges create ergonomic stumbles, with accidental palm touches being a common pain point.
Photography is another area where the Edge 70 Pro Plus shines in some aspects but stumbles in others. It sports a versatile triple 50MP camera array, headlined by a Sony LYT 710 main sensor and a highly coveted 3.5x optical periscope zoom lens. In bright daylight, the primary camera captures good-looking photos with near-natural colour science, well-suppressed noise and ample detailing – all of which easily surpasses most competitors, like the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro. When the Sun goes down, its dedicated night mode controls lens flares and manages exposure well for vibrant nightscapes. The 50MP selfie camera works nicely in daylight situations and features autofocus, a rarity at this price point, but struggles in low and indoor lighting at times to manage exposure.
However, when it comes to portrait mode, the software struggles under scrutiny. Edge detection is inconsistent, frequently blurring out stray hairs, and skin tones can look artificially altered compared to the more natural processing found on other devices from the competition.
Decent battery but software needs tweaking
Then there’s the battery stamina, which seems decent for a phone of its class. Motorola managed to squeeze a massive 6,500mAh silicon-carbon battery into this razor-thin frame. In general usage patterns, which include 3-4 hours of social scrolling, occasional camera usage, calls and texting, and casual gaming, the phone managed to end most days at 35-40 per cent charge. The anxiety of a draining battery is managed by a 90W TurboPower wired charging, which refuels the battery in under 50 minutes. Since this is the ‘Pro Plus’, you also get the flagship convenience of 15W wireless charging.
I have a gripe with the software experience, though. Motorola’s once-beloved, clean “Hello UI” (running on Android 16) is now bogged down by an uncharacteristic influx of pre-installed bloatware, recommended game folders, and ads baked right into the search tools. The Taboola newsfeed section can’t be opted out of, and basic elements like the weather widget leading to a website instead of a dedicated app, ridden with ads, just seem unjust.
This is a standard precedent for all Edge series phones this year, and while you can manually remove some of them, it tarnishes the clean software experience Moto fans have come to expect from the brand.
Beyond the bloatware situation, though, the phone is otherwise pleasant to use, with smooth animations and clever multitasking management. Moto AI features are fun to play with, but most of you may find Google’s Gemini suite or ChatGPT services to be better at utility.
Verdict
I think the Motorola Edge 70 Pro Plus is a compelling all-rounder for a phone that starts at Rs 47,999. It looks great and, despite the minor design impracticalities, manages to impart the same kind of experience as modern-day flagship phones. The camera performance is another reason to consider it, and I can state the same for the software experience to an extent, provided you are content with the bloatware situation. The battery life is decent too, with fast charging making it a better value.
When you look at the overall picture in this segment, especially with phones like the slightly underpowered Google Pixel 10a, a bloat-laden OnePlus 15R with a subpar camera, and a dull-looking Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro Plus ends up being a good recommendation for most people seeking a premium experience without spending a fortune.
Disclaimer: The views expressed are the author’s own and do not reflect the official policy or position of Financial Express Digital.