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Verizon's foldable Moto RAZR 2019 leak pegs a holiday release, $1500 price, yet ho-hum specs

By Daniel Petrov

Updated: Aug 20, 2019, 6:25 AM

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Verizon's foldable Moto RAZR 2019 leak pegs a holiday release, $1500 price, yet ho-hum specs

Oh la la, the foldable Motorola RAZR 2019 is coming to Europe, too! A rich scoop received today by the Dutch from LetsGoDigital fleshes out not only the RAZR's release across the Atlantic, but also the price and features of the hotly anticipated RAZR heir remade for the foldable era.

Motorola RAZR 2019 release date

We just previewed all the rumors about it so far a few days ago, and now we will have to add to that treasure trove the actual release date and the confirmed price of the handset. As expected, the Motorola RAZR will be the last of the big three names in foldable phone design - Samsung's Galaxy Fold, Huawei's Mate X being the other two - to be launched. The release date in Europe is scheduled for late December or early January, "shortly after the release in the US," so there is still hope that the RAZR will land in Verizon's portfolio in time for the holiday shopping spree, as it should.

Motorola RAZR 2019 price

Just as expected, the pricing in Europe is set at about 1500 EUR, which will make it the cheapest such foldable phone when announced, unless Xiaomi surprises us in the meantime. The price in Euros usually translates to the same number but in dollars on this side of the pond, thanks to the 20% or so import taxes on electronics in the European Union, so the rumored $1500 tag on Verizon might hold water, after all.

Motorola RAZR 2019 specs and features

Here we arrive at the juiciest bits regarding the design and specs of the new RAZR. Well, those Motorola patent-based 3D renders that graphics designer Sarang Sheth made for the renowned Yanko Design shop turned out to be true. The source claims that they are very near to what the insider told them the RAZR would end up looking like, so take a peek below.

Regardless of whether you fold them inwards or outwards, bending the phones around the vertical axis makes them thick, tall, and uncomfortable to carry around in pockets, and the problem is pretty evident with the Galaxy Fold or the Mate X.

Folding on the shorter, horizontal axis, would have the resulting phone be more compact, and that's why Motorola's new phone is tipped to be exactly what it says on the tin - a true spiritual successor to the RAZR clamshell, but with an invisible hinge on the interior. There exist two rumors about the size of the display when unfurled - 6.5" or 6.2" - but there will also be a small secondary display on the outside for notifications and the like.

Interestingly enough, Motorola will be positioning the bendy handset as a midranger, as it won't carry a flagship processor or a giant battery. That's quite an intriguing concept, as the RAZR will indeed be a midranger compared to the Fold or Mate X which are expected to be decked to the gills with the latest and greatest (and expensive) hardware. Those two will cost about $2000 and $2500, respectively, so an eventual $1500 price tag for the 2019 RAZR may seem like a bargain in the world of foldable phones.

In the real world, however, that's the price of the highest end 5G phones with the tons of storage, so it will be interesting to see how many customers can Moto attract as early adopters for the RAZR. It will be a sort of a litmus test for the future potential of cheaper foldables that will inevitably arrive after the first wave of top-shelf ones is absorbed.

Samsung is also rumored to work on a Fold 2 that will bend around the horizontal axis, with a much smaller, 6.7" display compared to what the original Fold has, so it will certainly be following the eventual success of the new RAZR with bated breath.

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.