Post the release of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple iPhone Air, Motorola wanted to bring its take on the slim smartphone concept with the Edge 70. Advertised as a phone that’s as slim as 5.9mm at its slimmest section, the Edge 70 isn’t holding any threat to the iPhone Air’s insane thinness of 5.6mm chassis. That said, it is one of the slimmest phones in its price category, and in a world where buyers want to stand out with their phones, the Edge 70 makes for a compelling choice, at least on paper.
Motorola has also tried to address some other key concerns with slim smartphones, with battery life being a major one. Priced at Rs 29,999, it takes on the segment-favourite OnePlus Nord 5 with a style-centric proposition. But should you buy it? Does the Motorola Edge 70 offer enough to turn away from a package as compelling as the OnePlus Nord 5 or iQOO Neo 10R?
We spent a few days testing out the Edge 70 out in the real world and have summarised some of the major points to consider before booking this sleek new Motorola midranger.
4 reasons why you should buy the Motorola Edge 70
1. Splendid build quality and design
The standout feature on the Edge 70 is the way this phone has been designed. At 159 grams, the Edge 70 is remarkably light, undercutting competitors like the OnePlus Nord 5 and the iQOO Neo 10R. Motorola has swapped the heavy, slippery glass back for a silicone-finish fabric texture, and strengthened the structural integrity with aerospace grade Aluminium in the frame. The result? A phone that feels solid and warm to the touch, offers a superior grip, while effectively hiding fingerprints. Since it packs IP68/IP69 water resistance certification, the Edge 70 should survive most rough and tough situations our country has to offer.
2. Battery champion
Historically, thin phones mean tiny batteries, as is the case with the iPhone Air. Motorola, however, has defied physics here by cramming a 5,000mAh battery into a 6mm frame—outperforming the ultra-slim offerings from Samsung and Apple. While not exactly a two-day phone, it reliably delivers up to 6 hours of screen-on time even with 5G enabled. And thanks to a 68W fast charger included in the box, you can fill it up rather quickly. There’s even wireless charging present here, a feature that most phones in this price segment skip.
3. Pleasant performance
Powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, the Edge 70 is a reliable workhorse for daily use cases. While the chipset may lose out to the OnePlus Nord 5’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in raw performance capabilities, the real-world experience is rather fluid. Motorola has optimised the Hello UI interface based on Android 16 with smoother animations and app screen transitions. Interestingly, it maintains a cool temperature even during 120fps gaming sessions on supported titles like BGMI. The inclusion of smart features in Moto AI definitely wants to make you utilise these AI features in your daily life. The integration with Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot is a welcome addition, although Google’s Gemini 3 works the best with Android’s ecosystem.
4. Cameras you’d like to use
We are glad to see Motorola take feedback and address the usual issues with the camera tuning. The 50MP primary sensor delivers daylight shots with natural skin tones and ample detail, avoiding the over-processed look common in this price bracket. The same can be said for the ultrawide and the selfie cameras. The overall image processing may not be to a professional photographer’s taste, but casual shooters may find it satisfactory for social media uploads.
The trade-offs: 2 reasons to skip and consider the OnePlus Nord 5
1. Cluttered and bloated Android experience
It is surprising to see Motorola letting go of the clean Android aesthetics and choosing a path taken by most Chinese brands like Oppo, Xiaomi, and Tecno. Even though the Hello UI interface resembles the ‘stock Android’ interface seen on Google Pixel devices, there are third-party news feeds integrated into the app tray, and advertisements in the weather widget. Despite skipping out on the Indus App Store installation during setup, the phone had the app pre-installed and continued sending spam notifications all throughout the day. We even found rubbish, poor-quality pre-loaded game folders that advertise questionable apps to be installed. The era of clean Android phones is gone.
2. Lacklustre audio
The Edge 70’s speakers are another of its weakest links. Despite being a stereo setup, the audio is rather flat and lacking bass. Furthermore, an uneven volume curve means the phone sounds surprisingly quiet until it hits the 50% mark, making it a poor choice for those who watch movies without headphones.
Motorola Edge 70: Verdict
Priced at Rs 29,999, the Motorola Edge 70 is a proposition that you’d buy if you care for a slim phone with great looks, solid build quality, a nice display, and a good battery life. The basics aren’t compromised here for a midrange Android phone. Even the cameras are decen,t and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 will keep up with most of your workloads. The only sore point in the Edge 70’s otherwise solid proposition is the bloated OS experience riddled with ads and third-party news feeds. However, for those wanting a slim-phone style statement without paying a premium, the Motorola Edge 70 is worth considering.
