Motorola Edge 70 Pro review: Great hardware, but some missing features raise questions

Motorola has built a strong reputation over the past two years by focusing on clean software, thoughtful design and competitive pricing. On paper, the Motorola Edge 70 Pro continues that formula. At 6.99mm, it's among the slimmest smartphones in its segment despite packing a 6,500mAh battery, weighs just 190g, and features a 6.8-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and up to 5,200 nits of peak brightness. It also comes with the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme, IP68 and IP69 ratings, MIL-STD-810H certification and Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection.

It checks almost every box buyers would expect in the under-₹40,000 segment. But once you look closer, particularly at the camera hardware and charging features available in other markets, it becomes clear that the Indian variant makes a few compromises that are difficult to ignore.

Pricing and availability in India

The Motorola Edge 70 Pro launched in India on April 22 at ₹38,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and ₹41,999 for the 12GB + 256GB model.

Design

Design continues to be one of Motorola's biggest strengths. At just 6.99mm, the Edge 70 Pro feels remarkably slim considering the battery packed inside. We tested the Tea colour variant, which features Motorola's signature fabric-inspired finish on the back. It offers good grip, resists fingerprints and gives the phone a premium feel without relying on glossy finishes. The phone is also available in Lily White and Titan, each using a different texture under Motorola's "Collections by Motorola" design language.

The curved rear panel blends well into the frame, making the phone comfortable to hold despite its large display. Although the frame is plastic, it feels sturdy and does a convincing job of mimicking metal.

Motorola has also gone beyond the usual durability checklist. Alongside IP68 and IP69 ratings, the phone carries MIL-STD-810H certification, making it one of the more rugged devices in this segment.

While yes, this design is indeed clean there has to be a comparison for users looking for something more radical. Nothing Phone 4(a) Pro features a more useful glyph matrix at the back which also makes it stand out. We mention it because the device falls in the same price range.

Display

The Edge 70 Pro features a 6.8-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support and a claimed peak brightness of 5,200 nits.

It's an excellent panel for every day use. Colours look vibrant, scrolling feels fluid and outdoor visibility remains strong even under harsh sunlight. Motorola has also reduced the display curvature compared to previous Edge devices, making accidental touches less common while retaining the premium curved-screen look.

The panel uses LTPS instead of LTPO, so refresh rate management isn't quite as efficient as flagship devices. However, unless you're specifically looking for adaptive refresh rate behaviour, this is unlikely to affect everyday usage. Overall, it's among the better displays available in this price range.

Software

Software has become another area where Motorola has steadily improved. The phone runs Hello UI based on Android 16, offering an experience that remains close to stock Android while adding genuinely useful features. The interface feels smooth, animations are well tuned and there is very little pre-installed software beyond a handful of removable apps.

Motorola also continues to offer thoughtful additions like its gesture controls, including the familiar double-chop flashlight shortcut, along with AI-powered productivity features integrated into the new shortcut key. The update policy, however, feels less competitive. Motorola promises three Android OS upgrades and five years of security updates. While that is an improvement over previous generations, competitors like Samsung now offer significantly longer software support in this price segment, making Motorola's commitment feel relatively conservative.

In terms of AI, the usual suspects like circle to search and Gemini voice search work perfectly. The AI image editing is also very well enabled, however you can expect slight delays since on-device AI is fairly limited.

Performance and battery

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8500 Extreme, paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, the Edge 70 Pro delivers smooth day-to-day performance. Apps open quickly, multitasking is effortless and games like BGMI run comfortably at high settings.

During longer gaming sessions, the phone does begin to warm up, particularly under sustained GPU-heavy workloads, although everyday usage never presents any performance issues.

Battery life is another highlight. The 6,500mAh battery comfortably lasts well beyond a full day and can stretch close to two days with moderate usage. The bundled 90W TurboPower charger also keeps charging times short, with Motorola claiming a day's worth of power from just a few minutes of charging.

One omission stands out, however. While the global version supports 15W wireless charging and 5W reverse wireless charging, those features are absent on the Indian model.

Camera

The camera hardware is where the Edge 70 Pro feels a little less complete. The rear setup includes a 50MP Sony LYT-710 primary camera with OIS and a 50MP ultrawide camera that also doubles as a macro shooter. The third cut-out houses Motorola's new 3-in-1 light sensor rather than a dedicated camera.

Image quality from the primary camera is generally good. Daylight photos capture plenty of detail, while low-light performance is reliable thanks to optical image stabilisation. The 50MP autofocus selfie camera is also among the better front-facing cameras in this segment, supporting 4K video recording and Motorola's Horizon Lock stabilisation feature.

The bigger discussion is what's missing. Previous Edge Pro models offered a dedicated telephoto camera, and the global Edge 70 Pro also includes one. The Indian variant doesn't. If optical zoom is important to you, that's a noticeable omission at this price point, especially when competing smartphones offer dedicated telephoto lenses.

Verdict

The Motorola Edge 70 Pro gets a lot right. It combines an excellent design, one of the best displays in its segment, dependable performance, long battery life and a clean software experience into a well-rounded package.

At the same time, some of its omissions are difficult to overlook. The absence of a telephoto camera and wireless charging, along with a software update policy that trails key competitors, makes the Edge 70 Pro feel slightly less complete than its hardware otherwise suggests.

If your priorities are design, battery life, durability and a clean Android experience, the Edge 70 Pro remains one of the strongest options under ₹40,000. However, if camera versatility or longer software support rank high on your list, it's worth comparing it with alternatives from Nothing, Vivo and Samsung before making a decision.