I examined Motorola’s new $699 flip cellphone and it is filled with nostalgic goodness

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Motorola Razr (2024) is accessible now for $699. 
• It is a refreshed model of the entry-level foldable Moto launched final yr, with a good larger cowl show, higher efficiency, and all-day battery life.
• The digicam stays the weakest level of the system, and you may solely get three main Android upgrades.

So, you are available in the market for a folding cellphone. Whether or not it is your first one or your second or third — in the event you refuse to return to “regular” non-folding telephones and want to avoid wasting cash within the course of, there is no higher foldable in the marketplace at the moment than the Motorola Razr.

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The most recent model of Moto’s flip cellphone bought all types of upgrades from final yr’s mannequin: an even bigger exterior show, sooner efficiency, higher water resistance, and better brightness, all for a similar $699 worth. Are there some downsides? Certain, however anybody on the lookout for a mid-range foldable ought to look no additional.

View at Motorola

It begins with the duvet display, which has considerably improved over the past technology. The show has grown from 1.5 inches to three.6 inches — the identical dimension because the outer display on the 2023 Razr Plus. This implies you’ll be able to run apps, play video games, and use well-detailed widgets for fast glances at essential info.

For context, none of those options have been accessible on the previous Razr. Certain, you had some widgets and panels to take a look at on its tiny 1.5-inch show, however there is no denying that it bought cramped fairly rapidly. The brand new Razr gracefully avoids that problem with a far bigger display, and it is the improve I’ve appreciated essentially the most. 

Talking of which, the primary show additionally seems to be nice. It shares lots of the similar specs because the previous Razr’s show, resembling the scale, the P-OLED panel, and the Full HD+ decision. The refresh charge is barely decrease at 120Hz versus 144Hz, however the distinction is negligible. What issues most is the elevated brightness; the brand new Razr can go all the best way as much as 3,000 nits, making the display method simpler to see in direct daylight, particularly by sun shades.

In fact, the crease continues to be there, however Motorola has diminished it in comparison with the earlier Razr. It does not really feel as pronounced in particular person, however you’ll be able to positively nonetheless see it. The hinge itself has additionally been upgraded with elevated energy, which is essential for long-term use. 

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Moto additionally had the Razr and Razr Plus IPX8 licensed, which suggests you’ll be able to dunk both of them in a meter and a half of water for as much as thirty minutes. You could be questioning why there’s an “X” the place you’d normally discover a “5” or “6” in that score, and that is as a result of Moto did not check for soiled and dirt safety. Nevertheless, the corporate did inform me that there’s a degree of safety for small particles, so there’s that.

The design additionally consists of some premium supplies on the outside. The Koala Grey model I’ve comes with a vegan suede materials, whereas the Seashore Sand and Spritz Orange (a.ok.a. one of the best coloration) have vegan leather-based. The suede on the grey mannequin feels each clean and grippy, and I have never seen any extra grime assortment. In fact, over time, it is unclear how nicely the fabric will maintain up, nevertheless it appears to be doing nicely in my early testing.

Additionally: The best foldable phones (and how they compare)

New in Moto’s Hi there UX expertise are a number of AI upgrades, together with a complete new Moto Assistant that may reference pictures, keep in mind what somebody stated, and handle your notifications. Nevertheless it’s not right here but. As a substitute, the one “new” AI characteristic I may check was Google Gemini, which is built-in into each the folding and canopy shows. You’ll be able to utterly change the Google Assistant with Gemini and use the identical “Hey Google” command to ask questions or prompts. 

I additionally actually appreciated the battery lifetime of the Razr. Motorola outfitted it with a 4,200mAh cell, and it may possibly ship all-day battery life with 20-25 % left within the tank after a full 16-hour day. It recharges at 30W which, admittedly, is sluggish by at the moment’s requirements, nevertheless it’s advantageous for an in a single day juice-up. You additionally get 15W wi-fi charging which is a pleasant comfort, however there is no reverse wi-fi charging.

The most important draw back to the brand new Razr, nevertheless, is the digicam. The 50MP f/1.7 primary digicam is not essentially unhealthy, nevertheless it’s severely underwhelming. Photographs come out respectable in broad daylight, however they disintegrate rapidly in most different conditions. 

The 13MP ultra-wide digicam is solely unreliable as is. High quality dips tremendously between the 2 sensors, with the ultra-wide failing to seize the identical quantity of sunshine and element as the primary. Video high quality from each seems to be uneven and overprocessed, and the portrait mode is satisfactory. I do respect the very fact you should use the outer display as a viewfinder to your topic, however with cameras this disappointing, it is nothing greater than a nice-to-have the few instances you may be snapping pictures.

Video high quality can also be disappointing, as are selfies taken with the 32MP front-facing digicam. Total, except you have a tendency to use a ton of filters to your images anyway, you may be disillusioned.

I am additionally not a fan of the software program help Motorola has promised. It solely ensures three years of main Android upgrades and 4 years of safety patches, whereas different producers supply 5-7 years of updates. Perhaps you employ your cellphone for longer than three years, possibly you do not, nevertheless it’d be good if Motorola gave you the choice to make use of the cellphone longer than three years with updates.

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Yet one more aspect notice: the Razr had an inclination to get fairly scorching below regular utilization. Perhaps it is simply the additional warmth from the summer time or the very fact I used to be taking extra footage than I normally would outdoors of a evaluation interval, however I seen that it could warmth up fairly usually and never quiet down as rapidly as different telephones. My guess? It is a physics factor involving the specs, battery, and the very fact this factor is on the skinny aspect.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

The Motorola Razr (2024) is a good entry-level cellphone for individuals who are curious in regards to the flip-style type issue. Whereas the digicam is not one of the best, the remainder of the Razr is extremely stable, particularly for the $699 asking worth. Certain, you may discover extra high-end foldables on the market, however if you wish to avoid wasting cash (or maybe choose it up as a secondary cellphone), that is the one to get.