The new Razr will initially be available exclusively through Verizon for $1,499.99, or $62.49/month on a 24-month payment plan. Pre-orders open on December 26, 2019 and then the phone will get a release date during January 2020. In the UK, the 2019 Motorola Razr will be exclusively available on EE, with pre-orders also opening in December. It will also be available in the EU, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.
While we don't yet know what the SIM-free or contract price will be for Razr in the UK, Motorola has confirmed that the European price will be €1,599 (about £1,360).
Motorola Razr specs
- Body: Foldable water-repellent design, glass and metal back, stainless steel frame; Noir Black only.
- Size: 94 x 72 x 14mm folded, 172 x 72 x 6.9mm unfolded, 205g.
- Front camera: 5MP, f/2.0.
- Rear camera: Main: 16MP, f/1.7, dual-pixel PDAF, dual-LED flash; 2160p video recording; Secondary: ToF camera
- Screen: foldable 6.2" P-OLED, 876 x 2,142 px, 373ppi, large notch; secondary 2.7" G-OLED 800 x 600 px.
- Chipset: Snapdragon 710 (10nm)
- Processor: Octa-core CPI - 2x2.2 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6x1.6 GHz Kryo 360 Silver; Adreno 616 GPU.
- Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage.
- Operating System: Android 9.0 Pie (vanilla).
- Battery: 2,510mAh, 15W charging.
- Connectivity: eSIM only, LTE-A, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB-C.
- Misc: front-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Design
Motorola Razr is fits comfortably in your palm or pocket when shut, and flips open to reveal an immersive, full-length touch screen. The new razr is a sleek, modern smartphone unlike any other.
Display and Screen
The two displays are made to work together. Whatever you see on Quick View magically moves to the larger Flex View display the moment you flip open.
Crucial part is the screen, and the Motorola Razr has two of those. When folded, the Razr offers a 2.7" OLED screen just below its main camera. It has 800 x 600 pixels (370ppi) resolution and it allows you to take calls, read messages and emails. You can't have a full-blown Android experience here, heck, you can't even launch the camera, but Motorola has implemented great continuity feature - reading messages and emails seamlessly goes to the main screen once you open the Razr.
Don't worry, you can open the camera when the Razr is in a folded state, but it's with a shake instead of an onscreen shortcut.
Opening the phone, or flipping as we used to say, reveals the large 6.2" OLED screen. Unfortunately, it's not an easy task to flip the upper piece - it is much heavier than the V3's because of the battery inclusion, and the hinge is much stronger.
The main screen is the real treat - it folds well, is bright, and has nice 373ppi density for a sharp picture. It has a wide notch at the top for the earpiece and the 5MP cam for selfies and video calls, although the external 16MP cam is the better selfie shooter for sure.
Camera
Main Camera Hardware
- 16 MP, f/1.7, 1.22um, EIS,
- Dual Pixel autofocus (AF),
- Laser AF, Color Correlated
- Temperature (CCT)
- dual LED flash
Main Camera Video Capture
- MPEG4, H.263, H.264,
- H.265, VP8, VP9
Internal Camera Hardware
- 5 MP, f/2.0, 1.12um,
- screen flash
Camera - it's a 16MP unit with f/1.7 lens and dual-pixel PDAF. It has dual-LED flash and what you can't see, but it's also there, is a ToF camera for the portraits. Motorola was keen to talk about the cool portraits the phone can take.
The part of the back which house the camera is covered with glass, while the other non-functional part is all metal with a grippy dotted pattern and the M logo. In-between is a hinge, which is probably the most important mechanism here and we hope Motorola has tested it thoroughly, and yes, we are watching you, Galaxy Fold.
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Fingerprint
Over at the bottom is the same chunky piece as on the V3, which contains an always-on fingerprint sensor and beneath are all the antennas.
There is a crease on the screen, just like it there as on the Galaxy Fold, and it's inevitable. The screen folds around its center, and while the crease is not visible and readily felt, it's there, and it will probably get worse in time.
The hinge is a bit visible as there are gaps around its ends and dust and crumps can get in there. And if they do, in time they can destroy the screen from within. We hope Motorola has put some kind of protection to stop those from going under the screen, and while we are not getting our hopes high, Motorola claims it has tested it with clothes and cornstarch, and nothing went under. We sure hope so!
Also, opening and closing the Razr feels heavy - you can feel pressure when doing so and hear the loud click when you close it. There are rubbery dots on all ends though, so the two halves aren't smashing on each other without protection.
One interesting thing is that the bottom part of the screen tucks in under the bottom bezel when the Razr is closed. It was a necessary thing to prevent the foldable OLED from forming a sharp kink when folded and thus decreases the chances for a prominent screen crease over time. Oh, and it also allowed for a smaller hinge.
Processor
Inside, razr is loaded with powerful, efficient technology. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor is designed to handle everything you need. Never worry about running out of room, either. With 128 GB of storage, you have plenty of space for apps, photos, songs, movies, and more.
The Razr runs on vanilla Android Pie version with a couple of Moto apps and improvements. For example, you can get have a dialer that's similar to V3's old-school dialer app.
Here is the deal - nobody will be buying the new Razr for its processing prowess, so we can't hold the Snapdragon 710 chip against it. It was a necessary choice as Motorola claims it had heat concerns so the S710 was the right chip for the job as opposed to a flagship processor.
Water Repellency
Don’t let spills, splashes, or a little sweat get in the way. Whether you’re going for a run or taking a call in the rain, a water-repellent design keeps razr protected inside and out.
Thought
With the eSIM limitations, the hefty price tag, and the scarce worldwide availability, we doubt many people will be getting the new Razr, and it is more a proof of concept rather than the next best-selling flagship. But in spite of its issues, imperfections, and concerns - the new Razr makes two things right. It plays with nostalgia very successfully and shows how a foldable phone, not a tablet, should look like. Three of these Razrs take up as much space as only one iPhone 11 Pro Max.
Handling the new Razr indeed brings back memories, but it is also one fresh experience among the rest of regular and even foldable phones. It's certainly something worth trying, and why not owning even if it's just for having the coolest phone on the market today? Because the Razr is the most interesting gadget right now and people will surely notice if that's what's important for you.
And just so you know the phone is a massive fingerprint magnet, but Motorola is not planning to offer it in anything other than Black color.
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