Motorola Razr Foldable Smartphone
Motorola always knew the moment flexible displays became possible, they had just the iconic device to make the best use of this new technology. With the 2019 Razr, Motorola now has possibly the most desirable, and practical foldable smartphone on the market.
With current foldable offerings from ZTE, Samsung and Huawei all focusing on folding out to bigger handsets the Razr sticks to its Clam Shell roots and closes inwards.
Features
As travellers, many may prefer a device that folds out into a tablet which means you could possibly leave one device at home. If not though, the devices you do travel with need to be as small and as light as possible.
That’s where the Razr smartphone and its foldable display steps in.
Fans of the original Razr will offer different reasons as to why they loved the handset so much, and this was before smartphones were smart. For me, it was the sound of the snap of the phone closing or popping open in your hand.
Display & Hinge
To make this foldable smartphone possible, Motorola needed to focus on the hinge mechanism.
The zero-gap hinge allows razr to close with both sides perfectly flush, a cohesive design that also protects the main display.
Motorola.
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It’s been built to remain unseen, not leave any visible gaps but to fully support the display. Motorola claims the device can be opened/closed 100 times a day for over two years without any impact on the mechanism and foldable screen.
When open, the Razr has a 6.2″ pOLED Cinematic display and surrounded by a thin bezel. At the base is a thicker ‘Chin’ area for the Home button.
On the outside, there’s a second ‘Quick View’ 2.7″ gOLED screen which is a touchscreen, so you can reply to messages and other fast tasks, without the need for opening the handset up.
A Mid-Market Smartphone
For all the goodness and pleasure many will get from having a foldable smartphone in 2019, there will be many more who will point out the short-comings of the Razr.
It’s price, for example, will put it firmly at the very high-end of the phone market but, foldable aside, the other numbers will struggle to justify the cost.
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Camera
The main camera is a single-lens 16MP. It does have an active night vision feature for better photos in low light settings, but in 2019, that’s not much!
Below the main camera, or on the other side as we are talking clam-shell here, is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for security.
Power & Software
There is a modest 2,510mAh battery pack which should last a full day. But with 2 displays, I’m interested to see if this would be true for the average traveller.
Out of the box, the Motorola Razr will be running on Android 9 and I would expect it to be a clean, bloated add-on app free environment like many other new Motorola devices.
Specifications
For some, the mid-market features will not justify the price tag of the new Razr. However, there will be many who are happy to pay for a more distinctive look and nostalgic feel.
What I like the most about the new Razr is the amount of enthusiasm and nostalgia it has generated.
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Owners of the original 2004 device had cell phones to stay in touch but none of us was as connected as we are today, at least not when on the move. Yet it’s now clear there are many people who did own and love their old Razr handset.
Could this foldable smartphone be the one to break the mundane smartphone market? As Lenovo, the parent company to Motorola, says, Different is Better!
- Dimensions –
- Folded – 72 x 94 x 14mm
- Unfolded – 72 .x 172 x 6.9mm
- Weight – 205g
- Colour Options – Noir Black
- Display –
- Main – 6.2″ Foldable pOLED
- External – 2.7″ gOLED
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 Processor
- 128GB Storage
- 6GB Memory
- 2,510mAh Battery
- 15W Quick Charge
- Rear Camera – 16MP Dual Pixel Auto-Focus
- Front Camera – 5MP with flash
- Splash-Proof Coating
How Much Does the Motorola Razr Cost?
At launch, the Motorola Razr foldable smartphone will only be available in select markets.
In the US Verizon are the launch carrier of choice whilst in the UK it will be EE. The device is expected to retail at around $1500/£1600/€1599 and preorders will begin in late December 2019.
Join the Conversation
What do you think about this new style of handsets? Does the new Motorola RAZR Foldable Smartphone make you want to upgrade?
Would you prefer a foldable smartphone that increases in size rather than decreases?
Comment below or join the conversation on Twitter.
For further information visit motorola.com.
If it weren’t for the ridiculous price tag I’d be interested. It certainly looks impressive, and I still have a soft spot for ‘old’ phones, especially flip ones.
Caz x
I was hoping for a sub $1000 price. High enough to justify the new foldable technology but lower than the high-end top-spec handsets currently leading the market. But it’s landed where I feared it would. It is a great looking device though, and the design team have done a great job of staying true to the original!