Motorola's Edge 70 measures thinner than a pencil. At 5.99mm, you could stack three of them and still have room before matching the thickness of an iPhone 16 Pro Max. The company has been running ads comparing it to office stationery, which tells you everything about where their marketing priorities lie.
Here's the thing. After spending years convincing buyers that bigger batteries are better—5,500mAh became the new baseline, 6,000mAh the flex—why would anyone want a phone that looks like it's on a crash diet?
The answer, apparently, is ₹29,999.
The Thin Phone Experiment Returns
Ultra-slim phones aren't new. Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge earlier this year at 5.8mm. Apple followed with the iPhone Air at 5.6mm. Both cost more than ₹80,000 in India. Both have batteries smaller than phones from 2020.
The Motorola Edge 70 enters this conversation with a different proposition entirely. At roughly one-third the price of its premium competitors, it's targeting buyers who want the aesthetic without the financial commitment—or the battery anxiety.
But wait. There's a catch that makes this more interesting.
Motorola didn't just shrink the phone and call it a day. The India variant packs a 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery—larger than both the iPhone Air (3,149mAh) and Galaxy S25 Edge (3,900mAh). Silicon-carbon tech allows for denser energy storage in smaller spaces, and Motorola actually used this to add capacity rather than just slim down.
That's not typical behavior for this category.
What You're Actually Getting for ₹29,999
The spec sheet reads like Motorola is overcompensating for the thinness—and honestly, that's not a criticism.
The 6.7-inch pOLED display pushes 4,500 nits of peak brightness, which is genuinely class-leading. For context, the Galaxy S25 Edge maxes out at 2,600 nits. In Chennai summers or Delhi winters with glaring afternoon sun, this difference matters.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset sits comfortably in mid-range territory. It's not going to compete with the 8-series silicon in the OnePlus Nord 5, but for social media, streaming, and moderate gaming, it handles everything without drama. The vapour chamber cooling helps keep thermals in check during extended sessions.
Camera setup is where things get interesting—and frustrating.
You get three 50MP sensors: main with OIS, ultrawide with autofocus (which doubles as macro), and a 50MP selfie camera. All three support 4K 60fps video recording, which is uncommon in this segment.
Here's what Motorola isn't emphasizing: the Edge 60 had a telephoto lens. The Edge 70 drops it entirely.
If you frequently zoom in on subjects—kids at school events, wildlife, distant architecture—you're now relying on digital crop from the main sensor. Up to 5x looks acceptable. Beyond that, quality degrades quickly.
The Durability Question
Remember Bendgate? The iPhone 6 Plus taught the industry that thin phones and structural integrity don't always mix. A phone this thin naturally raises concerns about whether it'll survive Indian public transport, accidental sitting, or enthusiastic toddlers.
Motorola's answer is aggressive certification: IP68 plus IP69 water resistance, MIL-STD-810H military-grade testing, Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and an aircraft-grade aluminum frame.
The IP69 rating specifically means it can handle high-pressure water jets—the kind used for industrial cleaning. Is that overkill? Probably. But it suggests Motorola anticipated the skepticism.
Sound familiar? The company seems to have learned from Apple's mistakes and Samsung's compromises.
Where It Falls Short
No phone at any price is perfect, but the Edge 70's compromises are worth acknowledging before you hit "Add to Cart."
The speakers are disappointing. Dolby Atmos support exists, but the actual output is flat and lacks the stereo separation you'd expect from a 2025 mid-ranger. If you consume a lot of content without headphones, this will annoy you.
India gets 8GB RAM while Europe gets 12GB. The ₹29,999 price point explains this, but it still stings for power users who keep multiple apps running.
The fingerprint scanner placement is awkward. It sits lower on the display than most phones, making one-handed unlocking less intuitive.
Video recording can stutter. Early reviews report occasional choppiness, particularly in 4K modes. This may improve with software updates, but it's not ideal for content creators.
The Real Competition
At ₹29,999, the Edge 70 doesn't compete with other ultra-slim phones—the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are in entirely different price stratospheres. The actual competition is conventional mid-rangers like the OnePlus Nord 5 (₹31,999).
The Nord 5 wins on raw performance with its Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, offers a brighter 6,500-nit display with 144Hz refresh, and carries a substantially larger 6,800mAh battery. For gaming enthusiasts, the choice is obvious.
But the Nord 5 weighs 211 grams—nearly a third heavier than the Edge 70's 159 grams. It lacks wireless charging. Its IP65 rating is modest compared to the Edge 70's IP68+IP69 combination.
This becomes a lifestyle question, not a spec sheet battle.
Do you want the phone that disappears in your pocket, or the one that dominates benchmark charts?
The Verdict Nobody Wants to Hear
The Motorola Edge 70 is a genuinely impressive engineering achievement that most people shouldn't buy.
Here's why.
For the average Indian smartphone buyer, a thicker phone with better speakers, more RAM, and a telephoto lens will deliver more practical value. The OnePlus Nord 5, Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, and even Motorola's own Edge 60 Pro offer more conventional packages with fewer compromises.
But—and this matters—not everyone optimizes for the same things.
If you've held thick, heavy phones for years and felt the fatigue set in, the Edge 70 represents genuine relief. If you prioritize comfort during long calls, one-handed texting, and a phone that slides into any pocket without creating a bulge, this is your device.
The 5,000mAh battery means you're not paying the endurance penalty that usually accompanies slim phones. The 68W fast charger in the box (something Apple and Samsung skip at higher prices) gets you to 50% in under 15 minutes.
For the right buyer, this phone is almost perfect. For everyone else, it's an interesting experiment that proves ultra-slim doesn't have to mean ultra-compromised.
Motorola will update the Edge 70 to Android 19 with security patches through 2029. That's respectable longevity for a mid-ranger, ensuring this phone remains relevant for users who don't upgrade annually.
Sales began December 23, 2025, on Flipkart, Motorola.in, and offline retailers. Launch offers include a ₹1,000 bank discount bringing the effective price to ₹28,999.