The Motorola Edge 70 Pro brings decent performance and a sleek form factor. But is it enough to survive in this price segment? Let’s find out.
The Motorola Edge series has always been the centre of attraction among the brand's lineup. The Edge series brings a premium design language along with some value-for-money proposition to the masses, while the Pro variant brings some of the flagship series to the table for the users. And now, with the Motorola Edge 70 Pro, the company is planning to further make a strong statement in the mid-premium category. The latest model from the brand offers a slim 6.99mm profile, a vivid AMOLED display, MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme processor, and more.
The latest handset from the brand comes equipped with a price tag of Rs. 38,999 for the base variant with 8GB + 256GB, while the top-end variant with 12GB RAM and 256GB option is priced at Rs. 41,999. That said, the Edge 70 Pro is going to enter an arena where you already have some great gladiators. However, can it survive the competition and become the new champion in the mid-premium segment? Let's find out in this review.
What sets the Motorola Edge 70 Pro apart from the rest of the competition is its distinctive design language. The smartphone features an ultrathin profile measuring just 6.99mm. However, you can easily tell it is a Motorola smartphone without even seeing the logo, thanks to the similar camera module on the rear panel. Although there is nothing wrong with it, it's time for the brand to create more distinction among its different series to make them stand out more from one another.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro is available in three different finishes: a satin luxe finish, a fabric finish, and a marble finish.
That said, the company is following the “if it ain't broke, don't fix it” philosophy with this model as well. The phone does feel premium, and you get three kinds of finishes, which is a rare thing to see from any smartphone brand. The phone comes in Pantone Lily White, with a marble-like finish; Pantone Tea, with a satin luxe finish; and Pantone Titan, with a fabric finish on the back. I got the Pantone Tea colour option for the review, and it sure feels silky smooth when you hold it in your hand.
The smartphone comes with a volume controls and power on/off button on the right, while there is a dedicated Snap key on the left.
The frame is made of plastic, but it does not feel cheap from any angle. The buttons offer good tactile feedback. The phone comes with an IP68/IP69 rating and MIL-STD-810H military-grade certification. This, coupled with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection, provides some sense of security when you handle the device.
Motorola seems to have cracked the display game, and the Edge 70 Pro continues this streak. The latest smartphone features a 6.8-inch 1.5K LTPO Extreme AMOLED display that offers up to 144Hz of screen refresh rate, HDR10+, 5,200nits of peak brightness, and more.
The smartphone features a 6.8-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with 144Hz screen refresh rate.
In real life, the display sure looks one of the smoothest we have tested in this price segment. The colours are punchy and vibrant without oversaturating them. The black appears to be deep, while contrast remains excellent even in darker scenes. Watching ‘Our Planet' was a treat for the eyes. Moreover, with HDR10+ certification, you can easily watch HDR content on Netflix and YouTube, which is a good thing.
The handset also comes with a 144Hz screen refresh rate, which is smooth. You can select one of three options from the Settings menu: Smart and Balanced (Up to 120Hz), Hyper Smooth (120Hz), or Efficiency First (60Hz). Moving on, the brightness is on point, and you will have no trouble using the handset in outdoor conditions, thanks to up to 5,200 nits of peak brightness. However, I do find it a bit reflective when you use it in bright, sunny conditions.
The handset comes with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos branding.
Coming to the audio, the smartphone also makes a mark here. The handset comes with stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos branding. There is a speaker at the bottom, while the top one doubles as the earpiece. That said, the speaker's output is decent, if not great. The bass feels hollow, but the mids and highs are mixed. The loudness is enough to fill a small room.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro runs on Hello UI, which is based on Android 16. The company claims that the latest handset from the brand will come with three years of Android OS upgrades and five years of security patches, which is standard for this price segment.
The handset runs on Android 16 operating system and comes with three years of OS upgrade support.
The user interface is one of the cleanest you will see in this price segment. You still get a near-stock Android experience with this user interface. The icons and animations are close to stock. However, you still get the Indus Appstore, which you can uninstall at any time. But adding it when there is already a Google Play Store doesn't really make sense to me.
You still get Moto AI features that have become a standard in Motorola smartphones. The Moto AI uses different LLM models to summarise missed notifications, messages, and more. You get a summary of all the notifications, which is quite handy, to be honest. We have discussed these features in detail in our Motorola Edge 70 Fusion, which you can check out here.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme processor. The handset also comes with up to 12GB of LPDDR5X and 256GB of internal storage. I have compiled a table of synthetic benchmarks to help you better understand its performance compared to the rest of the smartphones:
| Benchmarks | Motorola Edge 70 Pro | Nothing Phone 4a Pro | OnePlus Nord 6 | iQOO Neo 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display resolution | 1.5K | 1.5K | 1.5K | FHD+ |
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme | Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (4nm) | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 (3nm) | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro |
| AnTuTu v10 | 21,98,686 | 14,51,695 | 22,66,546 | 6,91,275 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 15,953 | 13,390 | 12,132 | 12,102 |
| Geekbench 6 Single | 1731 | 1,382 | 2,083 | 1,013 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi | 6837 | 4,389 | 6,437 | 2,928 |
| Geekbench AI CPU (Quantized) | 3,197 | 3,467 | 3,760 | NA |
| Geekbench AI GPU (Quantized) | 1,173 | 1,196 | 2,637 | NA |
| 3DM Wild Life | Maxed Out | 7,651 | Maxed Out | 3,148 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 14,119 | 7,731 | 17,246 | 3,148 |
| 3DM Steel Nomad Light | 1,483 | 779 | 1,730 | NA |
In real-world use, you will not encounter any issues with the device. The phone feels smooth and responsive for everyday usage. The apps launch right away, and the system stays responsive even when you are multitasking. So, whether you're doomscrolling Instagram Reels or listening to music while reading something online, you won't notice a lag or stutter.
The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme processor.
The phone can also handle most graphics-heavy games, such as Call of Duty: Mobile or BGMI. During gameplay, there were no substantial frame drops or stutters, and the touch response was also good.
However, the thermal performance is not the strongest suit for this smartphone. The phone gets noticeably hot when you play games for an extended period. Even when you run benchmark tests like Antutu or 3DMark, the temperature still goes up.
Moving on to the cameras, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro offers some interesting features. The handset comes with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a Sony LYT sensor. You also get a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.0 aperture. There is also a third sensor, essentially a 3-in-1 light sensor, to support the primary camera in low-light conditions. On the front, you get a 50-megapixel shooter for selfies and video calling.
Let's start with the primary sensor. The phone captured good images in daylight conditions. The dynamic range is good, and the colours are punchy. However, I noticed the phone slightly oversaturated the reds and yellows in the images. But apart from that, the photos came out well. However, in the 2x and 3x photos and portraits, you can see a slight difference in quality.
Motorola Edge 70 Pro low-light camera samples taken using the primary camera. (Tap to Open)
In low-light conditions, the primary camera also performs well. The colours are nice and balanced, while noise reduction is not that aggressive. The dynamic range is good, and it can capture the right balance between shadows and light.
Motorola Edge 70 Pro camera samples taken using the ultra-wide-angle lens. (Tap to Open)
Coming to the ultra-wide-angle lens performance, it does a decent job. The colours are balanced, and the dynamic range was decent as well. That said, you will some distortion around the edges. But the overall quality is better than most of the ultra-wide sensors in this price segment.
Motorola Edge 70 Pro low-light camera samples taken using the ultra-wide sensor. (Tap to Open)
Coming to the low-light performance, the sensor handles colours, though the details go for a slight toss. There is a certain drop in details, especially in foliage and grass. Noise reduction seems to be more aggressive. Ultra-wide photos look good at screen size but won't hold up to close inspection.
Motorola Edge 70 Pro selfie camera samples in daylight (below) and low-light (above). (Tap to Open)
The selfie performance is decent as well. The handset can capture fine skin details, though its edge detection clearly fumbles in complex conditions. The low-light performance is also decent, and you can get doable photos with the selfie camera.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro also offers decent video recording capabilities. One can shoot 4K videos at 60fps. The stabilisation is decent overall.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro packs a 6,500mAh battery. The latest handset comes equipped with a silicon-carbon battery, which is a good thing. Although you might feel that the 6,500mAh juice is a bit underwhelming compared to the likes of 7,000mAh and more, you will find it in similarly priced smartphones.
The smartphone is loaded with a 6,500mAh battery and offers 90W fast charging support.
The backup is also quite average, to be honest. In the PC Mark 3.0 Battery Life Test, the phone lasted 15 hours and 48 minutes. For comparison, the Nothing Phone 3a Pro with a 5,080mAh battery lasted for 21 hours and 3 minutes, while the iQOO Neo 10 lasted 23 hours and 17 minutes. The handset also comes with 90W fast charging and 50W wireless charging. The charging is fast, to be honest. You can get 0 to 100 percent of a full charge in approximately 58 minutes.
To conclude, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro tries to stand out from the crowd. The handset features a sleek, premium design language. However, the overall look and feel match the Edge DNA, but it has now become monotonous, especially in the design. That said, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro is still available in different finishes, which is rare at this price point.
The company has also ensured a vivid display that delivers sharp, colourful visuals. Plus, the Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection sure adds some sturdiness, though don't risk testing it out. The performance is decent considering the price tag. However, it does get hot after prolonged usage. Moreover, the cameras are decent for the price, but don't expect them to perform well in different lighting conditions.
The battery is also a bit lagging behind the competition. That said, if you are looking for a sleek, stylish smartphone with a clean user interface, a decent camera setup, and a bright, vivid display, you may consider the Motorola Edge 70 Pro. But it will still face some tough competition with the likes of OnePlus Nord 6 (Review), iQOO Neo 10 (Review), Nothing Phone 4a Pro (Review), Oppo F33 Pro (Review), and more.
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