More brands join Apple and Samsung in the race to launch ultra-thin phones

Earlier this year, Samsung launched the Galaxy S25 Edge, its thinnest smartphone ever. A few days ago, Apple unveiled the similarly thin iPhone Air, which turned out to be thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge. Now, more brands are joining the ultra-thin phone race, with Motorola teasing a similar device.

Yesterday, Motorola China posted a teaser of the Moto X70 Air, which is touted to be its ultra-thin phone. While it isn't clear how thin it would be, it could be sub-6mm thin, similar to the iPhone Air (5.6mm) and the Galaxy S25 Edge (5.8mm). The phone's images were leaked by YTechB, who also revealed that it will be available in two colours: Gadget Gray and Lily Pad.

Apparently, the Moto X70 Air will be launched outside of China as the Motorola Edge 70. The phone reportedly features a 50MP primary camera with OIS and 1.0µm pixels and a 120° ultrawide-angle camera. There is a third camera on the rear but its specifications aren't clear yet.

The tagline of the phone says it is “impossibly thin and incredibly tough.” Since the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S25 Edge turned out to be quite tough despite their ultra-thin form factors, Motorola may want its upcoming phone to measure up to those devices.

Tecno, another Chinese smartphone brand, recently launched a 5.95mm thin phone. Unlike the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge, it’s a mid-range phone. However, it does have a 5,160mAh battery. Next year, Samsung plans to launch an even thinner phone, the Galaxy S26 Edge, which is said to be 5.5mm thin. This would undercut the iPhone Air as well.

While ultra-thin phones typically have smaller batteries and fewer or inferior cameras, some consumers might still prefer them if there are no major compromises in terms of experience and critical specifications. This is because they are easier to carry around and use.