Motorola Edge 70 review: gorgeous camera phone outshines iPhone Air

The Motorola Edge 70 is the latest, and quite possibly most eye-catching, camera phone from the resurgent Motorola brand. It's quite obviously aimed at lifestyle-conscious people who, in their search for the best camera phone for them, aren't necessarily focused on raw power or earth-shattering camera specs.

And after having my Motorola Edge 70 review unit with me for a couple of weeks, my utilitarian behind might just be feeling a little more aesthetically minded too. Read on to find out why.

Motorola Edge 70: Key specifications

Design and screen

• Beautifully sculpted
• Big screen despite compact form factor

The Motorola Edge 70 nails the look-and-feel brief: a big, vivid screen that somehow stays pocket-friendly, plus a tactile, textured back that makes it a joy to hold.

The Edge 70’s design is a neat bit of sleight-of-hand: a 6.7‑inch OLED that reads huge on paper but, thanks to skinny bezels, the handset feels surprisingly compact in the hand, combining big-screen ambition with a compact footprint to fit smaller pockets.

Meanwhile, the screen’s 2712x1220 resolution and 120Hz refresh pedigree give images and UI animations a silky, punchy quality that suits both photo editing and doomscrolling, while Motorola’s Pantone validation is testament to its impressive colour reproduction.

In real-world handling, the textured back is the unsung hero, offering fantastic comfort when holding it in hand, so you’re less likely to fumble a phone that otherwise tempts you to treat it like a slippery bar of soap.

The camera island is modestly restrained: the camera notch isn’t too protruding, so it doesn’t dominate the rear silhouette or make the phone wobble on a desk. The shape might look familiar, for a good reason: the island closely resembles Xiaomi's recent ones because it's got the same Leica-engineered sensors and lenses inside.

Add a beautiful colour combination to the mix, and you’ve got a phone that looks like everything about it was purposely styled, not merely slapped together. All told, Motorola has balanced screen spectacle with everyday ergonomics, making it a win for anyone who wants a large display without the usual “clumsy brick” trade-offs.

Design score: 5/5

Features and performance

• Middling CPU and GPU scores
• Good battery and fast charging

The Edge 70 is a lifestyle-focused upper‑midranger that favours a smooth, colourful screen and thoughtful battery life over raw benchmark dominance. It's stylish, snappy for everyday use, and built for people who actually hold their phones a lot. But it's not to say it's a slouch.

Motorola outfits the Edge 70 with a 6.7‑inch OLED at 2712x1220 and a 120Hz refresh rate, which translates to buttery UI motion and punchy media playback that feels premium without the flagship price tag. The display is the phone’s headline act here: vivid, sharp, and tuned for everyday enjoyment rather than benchmark bragging. I watched both films, TV and live sports on streaming services, and the processor keeps up with the display's needs well enough. No extended buffering or video-compression periods, and sharp screen performance with great brightness and true blacks.

Under the hood sits the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 platform paired with ample RAM and storage options, which places the Edge 70 squarely in the upper‑midrange bracket. My Geekbench 6 numbers (see table below) weren't mindblowing, but came close enough to the Google Pixel 9 Pro to not worry me. It achieved respectable CPU scores for smooth multitasking and a GPU that handles casual gaming and accelerated UI effects well, but it won’t dethrone flagship silicon in sustained heavy loads. Treat it as a phone optimised for lifestyle tasks: social apps, photo edits, streaming and light gaming rather than marathon 3D sessions.

Unfortunately, the PCMark for Android testing software wouldn't work with the version of Android on board the Edge 70, but I will update this review with those figures as soon as that changes.

Battery life and charging are practical highlights. The 4800mAh cell plus efficient silicon gives solid all‑day endurance, and Motorola’s charging tech keeps downtime short, which is a useful tradeoff for users who value uptime over peak frame‑rate supremacy. Thermal throttling is modest under stress, so performance stays consistent for typical daily workflows.

Camera and AI features lean into convenience rather than pro‑level flexibility. The imaging system is tuned to produce pleasing results for social sharing and quick edits, matching the phone’s overall philosophy: polish and personality over podium‑winning specs.

In short, the Edge 70 performance is aimed at ease of use rather than raw power.

Performance score: 3.5/5

The sound is warm and pleasing without being dull. It's not massive in volume or range, but the drivers handle both rock and dance music, in my experience, well enough to make any washing-up session a joy, even if it may not be at studio-level richness.

Camera

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Motorola has packed the Edge 70 with a 50MP main sensor backed by OIS and a 13MP ultrawide/macro hybrid, plus a 32MP selfie shooter. On paper, that’s a tidy trio, but in practice, the star is the main sensor: it’s surprisingly sharp and bright, pulling detail out of tricky lighting conditions with confidence (the snake plushy above was snapped in near-complete darkness in my kid's room). Even if you’re side‑eyeing the limited lens variety compared to pricier flagships, the sensor quality more than compensates — you’ll rarely feel short‑changed.

Animal portraits, in particular, are a delight. The Edge 70’s AI scene detection and natural colour rendering mean fur textures pop without looking over‑processed, and eyes sparkle with a clarity that feels more DSLR than midrange phone. It’s the kind of result that makes you want to start a pet photography side hustle.

And yes, let’s address the elephant in the room: compared to the iPhone Air’s dual‑camera setup, the Edge 70 wipes the floor. Apple’s Air feels like a compromise machine, while Motorola’s midranger punches above its weight, delivering vibrant, detailed shots that look ready for Instagram without a filter.

In short, the Edge 70’s camera is lifestyle‑first but technically impressive, it makes everyday snaps look polished, and it proves you don’t need a flagship price tag to get flagship‑worthy photos. Just that magical Leica sensor...

On the video side, it also records good-quality moving images, but I was a little disappointed to see that 4K tops out at 30fps (it does FHD at 60fps, but swapping to 4K resolution forces the framerate down to 30). It won't become my video-recording phone of choice, but as for stills? You know, it's up there.

Camera score: 4/5

Price

Motorola has pitched the Edge 70 at around £699 SIM‑free in the UK. That’s not budget territory, but it’s comfortably below the £900+ sticker shock of many flagships. On contract, deals currently hover around £26 per month with a modest upfront cost, which makes it feel more approachable than the premium tier.

Now, stack it against rivals. The iPhone Air comes in pricier, yet offers fewer camera tricks and a less dazzling display. Samsung’s Galaxy A‑series midrangers undercut Motorola on price, but they don’t bring the same Pantone‑validated colour accuracy or the tactile design flair. In short, the Edge 70 sits in a sweet spot: more expensive than bargain Androids, but less punishing than the flagship elite.

Value here is about lifestyle. You’re paying for a sharp, bright camera that embarrasses the iPhone Air, a 6.7‑inch OLED screen that feels compact thanks to thin bezels, and a design that’s genuinely comfortable to hold. Performance benchmarks confirm it’s upper‑midrange, not a gaming beast, but at least Motorola isn’t pretending otherwise.

So is it good value? If your checklist reads “style, screen, camera, battery life” rather than “highest Geekbench score,” then yes. The Edge 70 is a savvy buy that punches above its weight without punching a hole in your wallet.

Value score: 4/5

Buy it if

• You want a big, bright screen that still feels compact
• You value a sharp camera that embarrasses pricier rivals
• You prefer style and comfort in hand over raw benchmarks

Don't buy it if

• You need flagship‑level gaming power or pro video tools
• You’re chasing the cheapest Android deal possible
• You want the widest lens variety for niche photography