T
he new Razr is a great design
concept, but its execution
leaves several things to be
desired. The ambition and potential
are there – and perhaps it will be
realized in a successor device – but
for now, it’s tough to recommend
the Razr at its current high price.
On the plus side, it’s the first
clamshell foldable to market, with
an unprecedented format that
halves the smartphone’s footprint
and cashes in on nostalgia with a
design that evokes the original Razr
V3, while unfolding to reveal a
modern smartphone display.
But the drawbacks are equally
apparent, with underwhelming
specs and cameras, an older
operating system (Android 9) out of
the box, and questionable design
choices that make the phone
somewhat cumbersome to use.
We’re looking forward to seeing
a refined interface, display, and
specs that match this phone’s
design promises in a Razr 2. As it
is, it’s tough to recommend
this Razr to folks who aren’t
completely smitten by the
physical flip phone flow.
Something important to note,
in case you plan on popping your
old nanoSIM card into this phone:
the new Razr doesn’t have a SIM
slot, instead relying on an eSIM. In
the UK it’s exclusively available
through EE, and only on a contract
starting at £94/month with an
upfront fee of £100 – all told, that’s
£2,356 over 24 months, and that’s
only the cheapest option.Design
The Razr’s design is a mostly great
execution of an idea so ludicrous
it’s either laughable or genius: flip
phones for the smartphone era. Of
course, this was shrewdly pitched
as homage to the 2004 Motorola
Razr v3, one of the most instantly-
recognisable phone designs ever.
The result is a foldable that bears
a strong resemblance to its famouspredecessor, retaining its flip
mechanics while allowing for an
interior display as big as that on
most modern flagship phones.
When closed it’s a thick sandwich,
but with a footprint half the size of
most handsets.
Design-wise, it’s a success...
mostly. The hinge works, which is
welcome to hear after the only
other foldable released to most
world markets, the Samsung Galaxy
Fold, ran into issues with its display
and concerns over its durability.
When we first saw the Razr back
in November 2019, the screen left
a gap over the hinge when it
unfolded, but it’s seemingly been
refined to make the screen sink
inward. There’s still a concern over
whether dirt or particles will fall
into the phone and muck up the
gears. We haven’t noticed this in
our short review period, but we’ll
stay vigilant.
But the big concern here is the
display: in the week or so that we£1,350 | $1,500 http://www.motorola.com
The Razr folds, but at a high price
Images : Motorola84 |^ |^ April 2020