Photos: Motorola’s Edge 70 is the Model for the Next Generation of Thin Phones

[justseyi]

I’ve never been a believer in thin phones. For years, I’ve asked the same question everyone does: why give up battery life and camera performance just to make a phone a little slimmer? That’s exactly what went through my head when Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year.

But Motorola’s new Edge 70 might finally have changed my mind. It’s a more affordable rival to the S25 Edge and Apple’s iPhone Air — launching now across the UK and Europe for £699 / €799 (about $920) — though Motorola’s head of global product marketing, Nicole Hagen, says it “won’t be a US device.”

At just 5.99mm thick, it’s practically the same size as Apple’s Air, only a third of a millimeter thicker — a difference you’ll never feel. Yet Motorola’s design takes direct aim at the shortcomings of other thin phones, packing in a larger battery and tougher build without losing the sleek profile. It creates a few new trade-offs, sure, but as a template for where thin phones should go next, it’s the most convincing one yet.

Slim Build, Big Battery
It seems we’ve officially entered the silicon-carbon battery era, because this is the second phone in just a few weeks that’s impressed me for fitting a lot of power into a small space. Oppo’s Find X9 Pro used the tech to squeeze a massive 7,500mAh battery into a regular-sized frame. Motorola has flipped that idea — it’s using the same battery chemistry to fit a normal-sized battery into an extraordinarily thin phone.

The Edge 70’s 4,800mAh battery is on par with many flagships, handily outlasting the iPhone Air’s modest “all-day battery” claim and easily stretching well into a second day of use. Even heavy users will find it difficult to drain in one go.

That’s the main concern most buyers have about ultra-slim phones — and Motorola has completely solved it. Compared to the 3,149mAh iPhone Air and 3,900mAh Galaxy S25 Edge, the Edge 70 wipes away the idea that thin equals weak.

Charging is no slouch, either. You get 68W wired fast charging and 15W Qi wireless, though not the newer Qi2 standard. Still, Motorola throws in a magnetic plastic case in EMEA regions to mimic that experience for those feeling a little Qi2 envy.

Elegantly Built and Surprisingly Tough
Of course, the moment you slip on that magnetic case, you lose a bit of the magic — but even so, the Edge 70’s thinness never stops being impressive. After a week of using it daily, I still catch myself marveling at how impossibly light and comfortable it feels in the hand.

Where Motorola sets itself apart is in construction. The Edge 70 sports an aluminum frame and a textured silicone rear, a design choice that feels far sturdier and less fragile than the glass-backed iPhone Air or Galaxy S25 Edge. It’s also the only one of the bunch with both IP68 and IP69 water-resistance ratings, and it meets MIL-STD-810H durability standards — rare for something this thin.

That doesn’t make it indestructible, of course. The front glass — Gorilla Glass 7i — isn’t as shatter-resistant as the ceramic coatings Apple and Samsung use. But since there’s no glass back to worry about cracking, you can use it more freely without immediately reaching for a bulky case.

Not Perfect, but Closer Than Anyone Else
If you’re expecting perfection, you’ll still find a few cracks in the frame. The cameras are the most obvious compromise — but they’re better than expected. The 50-megapixel main shooter performs admirably in daylight and holds up decently in low light, though it struggled a bit with bright floodlights during an evening soccer match.

Unlike the iPhone Air, you get an ultrawide camera, but still no telephoto. What appears to be a third lens is actually just a light sensor. You’ll find true zoom lenses in cheaper phones like the Galaxy S25 FE or Xiaomi 15T Pro, so camera buffs may feel shortchanged.

Under the hood, Motorola went with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 — a solid, efficient midrange chip. It’s powerful enough for daily multitasking and moderate gaming but falls behind true flagships on paper. Still, unless you’re a competitive gamer, you won’t notice.

Software That Works Against the Hardware
Motorola’s biggest misstep isn’t hardware at all — it’s software. The company’s Android skin feels bloated, overly commercial, and increasingly frustrating.

You’ll find at least 14 Motorola-branded apps already installed, plus preloaded extras like Candy Crush Saga, Microsoft Copilot, Pinterest, Monopoly Go, and a few randoms like Toon Blast. Even the app drawer has its own “Games” folder that doesn’t contain games you own, but rather suggestions for more you could download — such as Stack Ball or Block Blast.

Then there’s the “Suggestions” bar that mixes useful recommendations with apps you never asked for, like MoneyGram or Simply Guitar.

The worst offender, though, is the Live Lock Screen. Motorola offers it during setup as a personalization feature, but it’s really a carousel of ads disguised as “interest-based content.” You’ll scroll through lifestyle and tech blurbs only to be hit with a full-screen Temu ad every few swipes.

Yes, you can disable all of it — but you shouldn’t have to. For a £699 phone, it’s embarrassing.

The Future of Thin Phones Starts Here
Even with its flaws, the Edge 70 feels like the first thin phone that actually makes sense. It delivers solid performance, impressive battery life, and enough durability that you can enjoy its sleekness without fear.

It’s not perfect — the software is messy, the cameras are fine but not stellar, and the chip could be faster. But for a device that’s the third-thinnest phone released this year, it nails what truly matters: it’s comfortable, capable, and genuinely enjoyable to use.

Motorola may not have beaten Apple or Samsung in every category, but it’s given us a smarter blueprint for the future — one that proves slim doesn’t have to mean small sacrifices.

The silicon-carbon battery is clearly the breakthrough that’s going to shape what comes next. The Edge 70 keeps its slimness without compromising endurance and feels tough enough to use case-free — exactly how a thin phone should be enjoyed.

You don’t buy something this sleek expecting raw power; you buy it for how it feels, how it lasts, and how effortlessly it fits your life. On those counts, Motorola absolutely nailed it.

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