Tag Archives: Moto Razr

How the Motorola Razr+ will finally make you want foldable phones

Posted on by

Foldable phones have been in the market for four years now, and despite Samsung’s aggressive marketing, it is still considered a niche and a very expensive one at that. The “regular” book-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Fold, the OPPO Find N2, and the upcoming Google Pixel Fold definitely spark the imagination and open up new use cases, but they also lack the mass appeal necessary to make the product line a success. In a nutshell, they have a hard time explaining why people would want to cough up a large amount of cash for what seems to be an experimental and unproven device. The new Motorola Razr+, also known as the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra elsewhere, is seemingly saying that you really don’t have to, and its latest design might finally succeed by targeting the market demographic that made the RAZR V3 an icon.

Designer: Motorola

Back when clamshells or flip phones were en vogue, the Motorola RAZR V3 turned heads because of its thin profile and chic design that turned what was normally seen as a business phone into a lifestyle choice. Motorola tried to recreate not only that phone’s magic but also its commercial success, redesigning the now ancient clamshell into a modern foldable phone. After a few tries, Motorola might have finally gotten the formula right, not only with the phone’s design but also with its product positioning.

Right from the start, the new Motorola Razr sported one of the largest external or cover displays for clamshell foldables, but the Motorola Razr+ pushes that envelope even further by having that screen take up almost all of the available space on that half of the phone. It makes it possible to use almost any app in that space, presuming you can stomach the still-small 3.6-inch screen. More than just using it as a camera viewfinder for better selfies, you can also use it to watch Videos, check Instagram, or even type with a full QWERTY keyboard if absolutely necessary. It’s not going to be fun, but the idea is that you won’t have to flip the phone open just to use it like a normal phone, especially when circumstances prevent you from doing that in the first place.

The large screen also opens up more opportunities for styling beyond simple stickers and widgets. Along with the stylish color options that include 2023’s “Viva Magenta,” there is plenty for fun-loving and suave people to like in the Motorola Razr+. In fact, most of the brand’s marketing revolves around a generation who loves to take photos, flaunt their style, and see their smartphones as more than just tools. In other words, the very kind of people that gravitated toward the original RAZR V3.

It also doesn’t hurt that the Motorola Razr+ is expected to cost a lot less than the competition, or at least that’s the expectation when it fully launches in the US. Even if it does cost $1,200, which is pretty much the same price as today’s high-end smartphones, the Motorola Razr+’s stylish design and more flexible functions make the idea of a foldable phone a little bit more normal and definitely more desirable.

The post How the Motorola Razr+ will finally make you want foldable phones first appeared on Yanko Design.

The 2022 Moto Razr doesn’t look that special or cutting-edge anymore…

Posted on by

The Razr seems to have lost its ‘edge’.

In what couldn’t have been a more shitty time to announce the new Moto Razr, the company decided to do it in the same 24-hour period that Samsung announced their new Galaxy Z Flip4 phone. The worst part? The Moto Razr 2022 sort of looks exactly the same as the Galaxy ZFlip 4, with the vertical folding design, and what really seems like a ‘blunter design’, going entirely against the phone’s one defining character – its razor-sharp design. To add insult to injury, the phone only seems to be available to its Chinese audience, so as much as I’d like to see one on the shelves and get a better look at it, that doesn’t seem to be on the cards.

Designer: Motorola

Although the company’s strategy to only focus on the Chinese market seems odd, it makes sense given two reasons – A. The initial folding Moto Razr had a rocky start with various technical and hardware difficulties, and B. China has consistently recorded the highest number of foldable sales ever since the Royole Flexpai – so I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a business decision.

However, just an analysis on the phone itself: Objectively, the Razr 2022 is a pretty great phone. It looks a lot more streamlined and has a larger outer screen and two primary cameras. It also ditches that weird thick chin that the previous phone had, which I appreciate because it allows the folding display to look fuller, but it seems like that chin’s disappearance now makes the phone look thicker in comparison (even though it’s 0.3mm thinner than its 2020 predecessor). Besides, the top of the Razr always had a sharp edge that sat flush against the chin when closed. Without the chin, the top of the phone loses that sharp edge, making it look ‘blunt’. I’m a little confused about how I feel because not only is the Razr phone no longer razor-sharp looking, but it also means the phone looks almost exactly like the Z Flip 4, which also has a larger outer screen, two primary cameras, and a top-to-bottom folding display with a hole-punch camera. In an ideal world where the Z Flip4 didn’t exist, the Razr would look like a pretty remarkable handset, but all factors considered (along with the unshakeable feeling that the new Razr feels less ‘razor-like’), the 2022 Moto Razr just doesn’t seem ‘cutting edge’.

To just get the specifics out of the way, the new 2022 Razr now comes with a 6.7-inch foldable P-OLED FHD+ panel with a 144Hz refresh rate, along with a 2.7-inch P-OLED cover display that works for viewing notifications, accessing unique widgets, and using ad the viewfinder for the two primary cameras. The dual cameras feature a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 50-megapixel OIS-enabled shooter. There’s a third hole punch camera on the inside, which is equipped with a 32-megapixel sensor.

Don’t get me wrong – the Razr 2022 isn’t a bad phone. It’s just not as exciting anymore in visual and overall appeal, also in part because the rest of the world outside China won’t get their hands on it. The phone packs a 3,500mAh battery with support for a 33W fast charger (although I’m not sure if the charger comes with the box). Other features include dual SIM support (which is a big deal in the Asian market), 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and obviously, a USB-C charging port.

The phone is all set to launch on Monday, the 15th, with a price tag of 5999 Yuan (about $890) for a model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage or 7299 ($1,082) for the higher specced model featuring 12GB RAM and 512GB of memory.

The post The 2022 Moto Razr doesn’t look that special or cutting-edge anymore… first appeared on Yanko Design.

The 2019 Moto Razr looks even better in gold!

Posted on by

Take a second, like me to absorb exactly how beautiful the Razr 2019 looks in its new paint-job. Courtesy leaked images by Evan Blass, we’re getting an idea of what the Moto Razr’s variants would look like. In its prime, the original Razr was available in noir-black, silver, gold, as well as a hot metallic pink (which became a favorite with the ladies).

Currently, the Moto Razr 2019 is only available in Noir Black on Verizon’s website, and for a price of $1499. The leak of the gold variant comes at a time when Samsung is getting ready to debut the $1499 Galaxy Z Flip, which is directed at competing with the Razr. Unlike with past Razr phones that came with a radial brush pattern against a metallic body, the 2019 Razr comes with a slight texture that helps it stand out from the common gloss-finishes found in most phones today. Could we possibly see one in hot-pink or rose gold sometime in the future??

Designer: Motorola

Here’s why the Moto Razr is an absolute success but other folding phones aren’t

Posted on by

Post today’s launch and amidst multiple hands-on videos, the 2019 Moto Razr could easily be this year’s most desirable phone… which is a pretty remarkable achievement considering the lukewarm response flexible-display phones have been getting on an average. The phone capitalizes on its history of being the coolest phone of the 2000s, along with the fact that it has a flexible folding screen. The phone hits the shelves in January 2020 for a price-tag of $1500 and my guess is it just might be a runaway success. Here are a few things Motorola absolutely nailed, resulting in such a remarkable piece of tech.

1. Phone first, tech later

Here’s probably the biggest reason why the Moto Razr is such a win. Motorola didn’t force its technology onto the smartphone. It saw the technology, spotted an application, and then proceeded forward… unlike Samsung, Huawei, and Royole, who designed their phones specifically FOR the flexible screen. Motorola just got the timing absolutely right, and the fact that they had the Razr brand to revamp. Samsung’s “develop the technology and force it onto a smartphone” attitude is probably exactly why it isn’t as appealing as the Razr, which just already has that swagger.

2. The clamshell format and its perfect size

The clamshell format has historically always worked better than that mini-book format from Nokia’s Communicator series. Besides, a clamshell phone always results in a smaller phone when closed, whereas all of Nokia’s Communicator phones, just like the Samsung Galaxy, remain pretty large even when closed. If you look at the 2019 Razr, it’s conveniently small when closed, and when opened, is just about the same height as the original Razr, albeit with a nice, long portrait display. Moreover, it still FITS IN ONE HAND (learn a lesson, other companies). Motorola’s understanding of sizes, ratios, and formats just gives Razr the upper edge.

3. A longer display is better than a ‘bigger’ display

Given that almost all of our mobile-based content depends on scrolling upwards and downwards, even so much so that content is now being created in portrait mode more than ever (proof: TikTok), we don’t really NEED bigger squarish displays, to be honest. The square display also doesn’t do anyone any favors. You’re still left with pretty large black boxes on the top and bottom of the videos you’re watching, and the only perceivable advantage of the large display is the ability to multi-task, which personally, hasn’t really caught on yet. Besides, a phone with a hinge along the longer edge results in a longer and more visible ‘crease’. Motorola cleverly made a phone that puts its hinge along the phone’s width, resulting in a crease no doubt, but a relatively much smaller crease.

4. No technical snags like the Samsung Galaxy Fold (Plus, they nailed that hinge)

Take a look at how Motorola designed the screen to fold inwards without an air-gap like in the Samsung Galaxy and you’ll realize how Motorola did it right. Admittedly, it’s been just a few hours since the release, but not a single reviewer has complained about dead pixels, bumps, and faults in the Moto Razr, especially given how quickly and carelessly people close that clamshell hinge. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, on the other hand, required being extremely careful, and even despite that, almost every early reviewer ended up destroying that flexible display. Call it great engineering on Motorola’s part, or just shoddy engineering on everyone else’s part, but hot damn, that phone’s had an absolutely track record so far.

5. That sweet retro app

Possibly one of my favorite parts of the 2019 Razr is the retro app, that gives the phone its classic old-timey interface, complete with that edgy Tron-esque keyboard. Motorola recognized the power of nostalgia, and I’m pretty sure people will be bootlegging this app onto their Pixels and iPhones just for the nostalgia-factor! Good job, Motorola!

6. The price tag

Here’s why I think the Moto Razr won’t just be popular, but will also be a commercial success. It has an incredibly low barrier of entry, with a price of $1500, which is considerably lower than the Huawei Mate X which retails for $2600 and the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which retails for $1980. The fact that it’s better, cheaper, and more desirable than its competition in the folding phone market just means that Motorola’s taken the time and energy to get absolutely everything right, from the phone’s design to its tech, engineering and price… and Motorola knows it has a winner on its hands. I mean, even the theme music in the video above has the lyrics “they don’t make ’em like me no more”.

This article’s pretty much a hat-tip to the guys at Motorola for absolutely nailing this beauty, and a love-letter of sorts to the company from a complete tech enthusiast and someone who’s done his fair share to build the hype for the smartphone *wink wink*. Hey Motorola, if you’re feeling generous, and want to reach out to me with a small token of appreciation, feel free to hit me up via email!

Lenovo stole a fan’s video to promote the foldable Motorola RAZR

Posted on by
Yesterday, Lenovo shared a promotional video for the rumored foldable Motorola RAZR. While the 30-second teaser was shared with members of the media during a group interview and was accompanied by the Lenovo logo, it appears that the company used vid...

The Moto Razr 2019 is the perfect fusion of futurism and nostalgia

Posted on by

motorazr_2019_1

The interweb has been buzzing with a certain piece of news leaked by the Wall Street Journal only last week. Motorola plans to build a 2019-appropriate version of their iconic Razr phone. Details are incredibly scarce, and the only taste of the phone we’ve got is via images from their patent registration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation in December 2018.

The 3D visualization of the 2019 Razr bases itself on these patents. The new Razr will be more squarish (when closed) than its predecessors, but that’s only because it comes with a flexible folding display that runs all the way from the top to the bottom, with what we can only assume is an aspect ratio of 19:8, along with curved edges and even a notch (the notch design has always been a part of the Razr series, if you recall). Flip the phone on its back and you see the secondary display and the single-lens camera on the upper half of the phone, and a fingerprint sensor on the lower half. The presence of two screens means you can A. use the camera as both a front and backwards facing shooter, as well as B. access the phone’s notifications without opening out the flexible display. There’s no word on whether the secondary display will be touch-enabled. There’s also the absence of volume buttons in the patent drawing (and subsequently left out of the visualization), as well as a power button, but given the phone’s flip nature, I doubt we’d need a power button on this beaut.

Through the years, the Razr has always been a symbol of cutting-edge futurism. Unsettlingly thin when it launched, the Moto Razr was an immediate object of desire, with its slim profile, and the fact that it was probably the only phone to come bundled with iTunes long before Apple closed their ecosystem. The 2019 Razr builds on that philosophy, retaining the slim profile, and introducing a new bit of futuristic tech, with the flexible display. A rare combination of cutting-edge (wordplay!) innovation and fond nostalgia, the Razr 2019 could easily be this year’s most awaited phone (and the year’s just begun!)

Designer/Visualization: Sarang Sheth

motorazr_2019_2

motorazr_2019_3

motorazr_2019_4

motorazr_2019_5

motorazr_2019_6

motorazr_2019_7