It’s well and truly the year of the thin phone, because after releasing the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge in May and the Apple iPhone Air in September, Motorola entered the fray with the Motorola Edge 70 (known, hilariously, as the Motorola X70 Air in China).
Now, first things first: This is a mid-range phone, not a flagship, so it doesn’t compete with its high-end rivals in terms of raw performance (the current best Motorola phone is the Motorola Edge 60 Pro). But the Edge 70 might just be the best value handset in its design category.
The phone itself is made from aircraft-grade aluminum, it’s covered in Gorilla Glass 7i, and it’s IP68 and IP69 rated against dust ingress and water immersion, so it’s among the most durable handsets on the market right now (neither the Galaxy S25 Edge nor the iPhone Air have an IP69 rating).
It may seem like the Edge 70 has three rear cameras, but there are actually only two: a 50 MP wide and a 50 MP ultra-wide, both joined by a similar-looking light sensor and flash. There is also a 50 MP selfie camera on the front.
Under the hood, the Edge 70 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset and 12GB of RAM. So while performance is no slouch, these specs put it in the mid-range category rather than alongside the flagship Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air.
Where Motorola’s phone wins points is in its battery capacity, which, at 4,800 mAh, is noticeably larger than you’ll find in any other ultra-thin phone. This battery also uses silicon-carbon technology, which allows the Edge 70 to charge at 68W via a wired connection and 15W wirelessly.
The phone is also visually interesting and available in three nylon-inspired finishes: Pantone Gadget Grey, Pantone Lily Pad and Pantone Bronze Green.
The most impressive thing about the Motorola Edge 70, however, is its price. In the UK, this phone costs just £700 in a single 512GB storage capacity, and if you pick it up within the first two weeks of launch, Motorola will save you £250 off that price, making it significantly cheaper than those ultra-thin phones from Apple and Samsung (for reference, the Air starts at $999 / £999 / AU$1,799, while the Edge starts at $1,099 $ / £1,099 / AU$1,849).
But that’s not all! If you pick up the Edge 70 during this two-week launch window, you’ll also get a Moto Watch Fit smartwatch, a pair of Moto Buds Loop wireless earbuds, and a Moto Tag at no extra cost. That’s £995 worth of gear for £450, which is just about the best tech deal you’ll find this side of Black Friday.
We’re still waiting for confirmation of the Edge 70’s availability (or lack thereof) in the US, but if you’re looking to hop aboard the slim phone hype train and don’t want to pay a flagship price to do so, then Motorola’s latest smartphone could be the answer to your prayers.
Stay tuned for our full review of the device, coming soon.
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