Motorola’s Next Smartphone Targets Samsung and Apple With a Sub-6mm Ultra-Thin Design

Ultra-slim smartphones are making a dramatic comeback — and Motorola is positioning itself as the next major player in this growing trend. Following the debuts of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple’s newly launched iPhone Air, Motorola’s upcoming device appears to be pushing thinness to the absolute limit.

Renowned leaker Evan Blass has shared a marketing image of the Moto Edge 70, and while the name may sound familiar, the design certainly does not. As seen in the angled promotional shot, the Edge 70 retains many core elements of its predecessor but aggressively refines its chassis to achieve a sleeker profile. The tagline — “Impossibly Thin. Incredibly Tough.” — makes the phone’s focus unmistakably clear.

From early impressions, the design looks striking, though it’s difficult to gauge just how much thinner it is compared to the previous model. Overall, it feels like a natural evolution from this year’s Edge 60 — complete with a textured back finish and the return of Motorola’s AI shortcut button. The camera module remains mostly unchanged, featuring a raised housing and an additional lens. Motorola is also sticking with the series’ signature curved side panels.

Interestingly, the slimmer frame doesn’t seem to come from a radical redesign but rather from reducing the overall device thickness. The Edge 60, at 7.9mm, wasn’t particularly slim, leaving room for significant improvements in both size and weight. On a side note, Motorola’s continued collaboration with Pantone is a welcome touch.

This is a market Motorola knows well. The company has a legacy of producing ultra-thin smartphones — neither the Galaxy S25 Edge nor the iPhone Air has managed to out-thin the original Moto Z, released nearly a decade ago. Of course, expectations for smartphones have evolved dramatically since then, and with no sign of support for the modular Moto Mods ecosystem, the Edge 70 may not be quite as groundbreaking.

It’s still unclear when Motorola plans to officially unveil the Edge 70. Its predecessor launched just this past April, but the marketing renders suggest the new model is close to completion. Don’t expect flagship-level specs, though — the mainline Edge series traditionally targets the mid-range market.

Update – October 3:

Evan Blass returned with more details, revealing that Motorola’s next Edge entry measures under 6mm in thickness, putting it in the same class as the 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge and 5.6mm iPhone Air.

A 30-second promotional reel offers a brief preview of the device. Aside from its ultra-slim build, the phone looks very familiar to recent Motorola releases. The teaser highlights three color options — teal, green, and a classic black/navy finish — as well as AI-powered features like Playlist Studio, which debuted with this year’s Razr lineup. A shot of the battery also appears, though it’s unclear whether this hints at a switch to silicon-carbon technology or simply emphasizes “all-day battery life” — a phrase now standard in Samsung and Apple marketing.

From what we’ve seen so far, the Edge 70’s design is shaping up beautifully — especially the teal variant with its striking red camera accents. There’s still no word on an official release date or whether the device will launch in the U.S., but one thing is certain: Motorola is ready to jump head-first into the ultra-thin smartphone race currently dominating the industry.