Motorola Edge 70 Wins Over Reviewer Despite Missing Telephoto Camera

The reviewer had doubted whether ultra-slim smartphones could work after using the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. According to Android Authority, the S25 Edge made too many compromises: a 3,900mAh battery, 25W wired charging, and only two rear cameras, a 200MP wide-angle lens and a 12MP ultrawide lens, with no telephoto lens. At launch it cost $1,099, more than the base Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus. The review said the slim form factor came at a premium price while offering worse battery life and a less versatile camera setup than Samsung's other flagships.

The Motorola Edge 70 changed that view. Android Authority said the phone measures 5.99mm thick, only slightly thicker than the 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge, and weighs 159g, a few grams less than Samsung's 163g competitor. The reviewer described the device as comfortable to hold during long sessions, especially compared with the reviewer's 234g Galaxy S23 Ultra, which served as a secondary phone. The reviewer used the Edge 70 to play Pokémon Go and said the lighter device was easier on the wrist.

The review said the Edge 70's daily performance exceeded expectations. It has a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, which Android Authority said handled multitasking and games without difficulty. The phone also has a 4,800mAh silicon-carbon battery and 68W wired charging. The reviewer said the battery held up during Pokémon Go events where the game ran for multiple hours. For comparison, the review noted that Samsung's S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery and 60W wired charging.

On cameras, Android Authority said the Edge 70 offers a 50MP front camera and a dual rear camera setup with two 50MP lenses. The main camera produced clear and vibrant shots, and the macro mode helped with close-up subjects. The reviewer also said the phone handled moving subjects, including cats, well. But the device lacks a telephoto camera, a drawback it shares with the Galaxy S25 Edge. The Edge 70 provides 2x optical-like zoom through cropping, which the review said is not a true substitute for a real telephoto lens. The reviewer said the lack of optical zoom was limiting, especially when a subject is just outside the ideal range.

Android Authority said the omission appears to be a sacrifice for the slim design. The Motorola Edge 60, the phone's predecessor, had a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a larger battery, but it was bulkier at 7.9mm thick and 179g. The review also said smartphones with capable cameras and thin profiles often struggle with camera wobble, though the Edge 70 balances this well with its camera bump placement. The reviewer said a telephoto lens would have added versatility and hoped manufacturers would eventually fit such cameras into ultra-slim devices, though that is likely to remain a challenge for some time.