It goes without saying that the Motorola Edge 70, released late last year, is a mighty impressive smartphone. That ultra-slim design, Pantone-optimized camera, and a display that matches even professional grade screens, are impressive basic pieces. The new Motorola Edge 70 Pro is the newest addition to a portfolio that’s trying pretty hard to live up to that ‘Pro’ moniker. More than anything else, I’d say this is another well-written chapter of low-cost phones ₹40,000 which is good enough to be called a “prime option”, although that phrase seems out of vogue these days.
It also moves into pricing territory as prices begin ₹36,999. This puts the Motorola Edge 70 Pro in direct competition with the Samsung Galaxy A57, OnePlus Nord 6 and the Nothing Phone (4A) Pro. It’s important to mark the trajectory here, as this troika has raised the game significantly, underpinned by superior hardware and software. The more one uses the Edge 70 Pro, the more a layer of inspiration from the impressive flagship Motorola Signature becomes apparent – and that should add value in the grand scheme of things.
The three key elements of the foundation I mentioned continue here with further additions. The ultra-slim design (although the ‘Pro’ requirement means it’s 6.99mm, not 6mm like the Edge 70) is matched by a large 6,500mAh battery. Pantone validated camera image processing for colors and skin tone is met by an equally capable 6.8-inch AMOLED display that can match the camera’s customization. The 4-nanometer architecture MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme chip is met by a large 6,500mAh battery, a combination of performance and battery endurance that seems more than enough future proof from where I assess it today.
To be fair, the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme, with options of 8GB and 12GB of memory (the suggestion would be the latter), is more than adequately priced against the Samsung Exynos 1680 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, while the OnePlus Nord 6 may have a conceptually greater performance headroom with the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4. Unless you intend to compare with synthetic benchmarks, real-world usage is, for the most part. The overall snappiness and fluidity won’t seem to make much of a difference (you also have to take into account software optimizations), but increased multitasking definitely will. The thing is, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro is a fairly future-proof phone, perhaps only matched by the OnePlus Nord 6 in those aspects.
There is some heating on the back panel which is quite noticeable when pressure is applied on the Motorola Edge 70 Pro (North Indian summer afternoons made its presence felt after some sustained camera use). This phone does have a vapor cooling chamber, but its slightly more compact size than some rivals is key to this overview. This has also been seen on flagships in past years during peak summer months, and thermals on either side of the heatwave won’t be much of a challenge. Of course, unless you’re gaming regularly. For regular users, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro will do just fine.
Motorola has made an interesting choice in terms of cameras when compared with its predecessor, the Edge 60 Pro. The Edge 70 Pro continues with a 50-megapixel wide and 50-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, but the third of this troika is not a telephoto but a light sensor (the Edge 60 Pro had a 10-megapixel telephoto; a little more photography versatility). The selfie camera is also 50 megapixels, which will be good news for video calls with friends and family. Sensor choice aside, the overall optimization and positioning of the camera returns very attractive photos. Colors and overall tone play a role, and personal preferences will also play a role.
In my opinion, it would be way ahead of the Nothing Phone (4A) Pro and in the same ballpark as the OnePlus Nord 6 for daytime photos – although the Motorola Edge 70 Pro has an advantage in better contrast, and that helps everything in the frame look better, richer and more dynamic. Low-light photos are where the Motorola Edge 70 Pro takes a more pronounced edge over its rivals, and it must be the light sensor that’s contributing to this difference – the results are clearer, there’s less noise around subjects and looking at the light source doesn’t spoil the photo.
The Motorola Edge 70 Pro’s thinness means the 6,500mAh battery isn’t the highest capacity in this price band (the Nord 6 has a 9,000mAh battery) but still higher than others. This is no small feat for Motorola’s engineers and designers. Fairly stable and acceptable real-world endurance, about 6 hours and 15 minutes of active screen time, even before you plug it in. That’s a 90-watt charging speed, which is fast enough for a quick splash and dash before heading out to the next meeting.
Even before Motorola’s latest spec stack with the Edge 70 and now the Edge 70 Pro hit the headlines, there have always been the advantages of a clean Android experience (most other phone makers can only come close to this, as revenue streams take center stage later). The test the Motorola Edge 70 Pro has faced in the present day is the extra bill of materials cost for memory and storage, meaning there’s no wireless charging or a light sensor, instead a telephoto.
That said, the core experience, built with a very capable Dimensity 8500 Extreme chip, a consistent 6,500mAh battery, and an optimized display, leaves no stone unturned. There’s just the right amount of AI processing for photos and videos, some interesting editing options, and relevant Moto AI features that you’ll find useful from time to time. Between the Pantone Lily White, Pantone T and Pantone Titan color options (somehow, the Pantone Badge of Honor is missing on the back panel), it’s hard to pick a favorite as all three look good. And that, in a way, sums up the Motorola Edge 70 Pro most succinctly – there’s a lot to like about this phone.