Phone companies are making their products thinner and thinner, with Motorola the latest to join the party. The company has launched the X70 Air in China, entering the fray alongside the Samsung S25 Edge and the iPhone Air.
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The X70 Air, which is now on Lenovo’s China website, is 5.99mm thick and weighs about 159 grams. For comparison, the iPhone Air is 5.6mm thick and weighs 165 grams, and the Samsung S25 Edge measures in at 5.8mm and 163 grams.
Motorola’s X70 Air is currently available only in China but is likely to reach North American shores within the next few months. The phone could be rebranded the Motorola Edge 70 for its launch here, according to an unconfirmed Sept. 22 report from Evan Blass on X. A representative for Motorola didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Aside from its sleek sizing, the X70 Air comes in three colors — gadget gray, lily pad green and bronze green — in a matte finish.
Apparently, Motorola hasn’t sacrificed strength for thinness: the X70 Air is resistant to dust and water, with IP68 and IP69 ratings. That is as good as the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, Apple iPhone 16 series and Google Pixel 10 series, all of which have IP68 ratings. “IP” refers to “ingress protection,” which is basically how well a phone’s design prevents dust and water from entering the phone. The first number after IP refers to how well the phone keeps out dust, and the second number refers to how well it keeps out water.
In terms of other specs:
- Battery: The X70 Air battery is significantly larger at 4,800mAh than that of the Galaxy S25 Edge (3,900mAh) and iPhone Air (3,149mAh). The X70 Air supports 68-watt fast wired charging, compared with the Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air (both about 25 watts).
- Storage: Powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, the X70 Air boasts up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
- Display: The X70 Air has a 6.7-inch pOLED display with a 1,220×2,712-pixel resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits.
- Camera: The X70 Air has three cameras, one in the front and two in the back. Each one is 50MP.
- OS: As with all Motorola phones, X70 Air runs on Android, the latest iteration being Android 16. There is a built-in AI agent and an updated Smart Connect for cross-device integration.
Why is thin so in?
CNET senior writer Abrar Al-Heeti “started as a thin-phone skeptic” but was sold on the concept after reviewing the Oppo Find N5, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air.
“It’s refreshing to use something that feels innovative, and I’m surprised at how much more comfortable it is to use a lightweight phone,” Al-Heeti said. “With all the thin phones I’ve tested, it’s that feather-light feel that stands out to me even more than their thinness.”
Al-Heeti, who has written numerous phone reviews for CNET, prefers devices with bigger batteries and better cameras, even if they’re thicker.
“But nothing beats the feel of an ultra-thin phone in my hand or pocket, and I’ve learned I’m much more willing to compromise on certain features in exchange for something a bit sleeker,” Al-Heeti said.
Although 2025 has “become the year of the ultra-thin phone,” Al-Heeti said it’s unclear whether ultra-thin phones will have staying power.
“There can be trade-offs that many consumers aren’t willing to put up with, like shorter battery life and scaled-back cameras,” Al-Heeti said. “The challenge for phone makers is to limit those compromises, so that thin phones can be more appealing to a wider range of people.”
