What’s happened? The Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola has listed its iPhone Air rival in China ahead of an official launch. The Motorola X70 Air, which is supposedly hitting the international markets as the Edge 70 (h/t GSMArena), is the latest mainstream entrant to the new and emerging ultra-thin smartphone category.
- The most striking part of the design is the phone’s waistline, which stands at just 5.3 millimeters across. To put that into comparative perspective, Motorola’s phone is slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (5.8mm) and the iPhone Air (5.6mm).
- The phone also offers IP69-tier ingress protection, which is a step up compared to the IP680-level dust and water resistance on the iPhone Air.
- At 159 grams, the phone is lighter than its direct competitors, let alone the regular flagships. Despite maintaining such a thin and light profile, the handset features a 4,800 mAh battery (the biggest in the category) that supports 68W wired charging.
- Other specifications include a 6.7-inch pOLED display (120Hz refresh rate, 4,500 nits peak brightness), runs on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 SoC (with Adreno 722 GPU), up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and three 50MP cameras.
Why is this important? The Motorola X70 Air also addresses a crucial pain point for slim phone enthusiasts — the battery capacity. It seems Motorola’s phone won’t quite leave buyers with a case of battery anxiety, or even face troubles with the charging pace.
- The X70 Air solves the battery mileage issue with its close-to-normal 4,800 mAh battery (for the mid-range segment). In theory, the battery should outlast those on the premium offerings, mainly since the phone features a less powerful chip. Moreover, support for 68W fast charging puts it way ahead of its Samsung and Apple rivals.
- It also addresses the camera conundrum. The iPhone Air only features a single rear camera despite its hefty price tag. Motorola’s phone offers a more versatile imaging hardware that includes a triple-lens array at the back, headlined by a 50-megapixel main sensor, and a 50-megapixel camera for selfie and video calling duties, as well.
Why should I care? If you’ve been eyeing the ultra-thin form factor for a while, but the price tag has held you back, the X70 Air’s arrival in the United States could give you a taste of it without emptying your wallet. Practically speaking, the phone should be able to handle all your day-to-day tasks without feeling too heavy or bulky in your hand or pocket. Additionally, it carries an IP68/IP69 rating and complies with the MIL-STD-810H standard, making it exceptionally durable.
OK, what’s next? For now, the Motorola X70 Air will go on sale in China on October 31, 2025 (via The Verge), and an ‘Edge’ model that’s arriving in Europe on November 5, 2025. I’m hoping that the handset comes to the United States in the coming months, introducing a high-capacity battery and an affordable price tag to the thin-phone category, effectively changing consumer expectations. This could also encourage other brands to jump onto the thin-phone bandwagon in the future.
Update: A previous version of the article mentioned that the Motorola X70 Air is cheaper than the iPhone Air. Motorola is yet to officially confirm the phone’s price. The error is regretted.
