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Motorola Razr+: “Killing” Samsung Galaxy Flip comes with the biggest sacrifice in Android history?

By Martin Filipov

Updated: Jun 11, 2023, 4:58 PM

17comments

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

Motorola Razr+: “Killing” Samsung Galaxy Flip comes with the biggest sacrifice in Android history?

The long wait is now over as Motorola finally took the wraps off the 2023 Razr+ and Razr clamshell folding phones, which were last refreshed (internationally) in 2020. Perhaps this is why the new $999 Motorola Razr+ looks like a massive upgrade compared to the first foldable Razr.

Well, actually the main reason why is the new XXL 3.5-inch cover display of the Motorola Razr+, which wraps around the cameras of the phone to create the most visually striking take on the punch-hole(s) display we’ve seen to date. The cherry on top? The cover screen can run pretty much any app and act as a properly decent camera viewfinder for taking selfie photos and videos with your best cameras (the ones on the rear). But you know there was a “but” on the way. Sorry not sorry.

While the brilliant cover display of the new Motorola Razr+ looks more impressive, more attractive, and (far) more practical than anything Samsung’s ever made, unfortunately, the large cover screen is also what holds the Motorola Razr+ back. In more ways than I'd like.

Somewhat ironically, I’m the same person who said clamshell folding phones can really benefit from larger cover displays (I still want an iPhone of that variety, which I’ll probably never get) but what I didn’t say was that I’m ready to take a mid-range package in a form of a $1,000 foldable phone. And I’m afraid that’s what Motorola's Razr+ might be.

But perhaps you love the new Motorola Razr+ and disagree with me. I guess I’ll see you in the comments section! But before that...

Motorola’s new $1,000 Razr+ clamshell foldable sacrifices everything to challenge Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip; is this the worst $1,000 phone in recent history?

The Motorola Razr+ gained a large cover screen but was it worth all the sacrifice?

Before I proceed, I feel like I must highlight one thing... Whether you agree or disagree with what you’re about to read will depend on how you view folding phones in general…

Folding phones can be viewed as an entirely different smartphone category thanks to their different form-factor

Folding phones can also be considered about as “normal” as any other phone because they don’t fundamentally change the way you use a smartphone - in other words, they can’t fly like a drone, or magically teleport you into a different world like an Apple Vision Pro

Right! On to the story...

As I said in the intro, the Motorola Razr+’s large and very capable cover screen is an absolute blessing for those who want a smaller display they can operate with one hand (I am that person - an iPhone 13 mini user). But the blessing might turn out to be a bit of a blessing in disguise here.

Frankly, the Motorola Razr+ confuses me. On the surface, the $1,000 folding phone looks like the one that could finally convert “normal phone users'' into folding phone users, but once you start digging, it begins to look like Motorola took a “regular” phone, folded it in half, and then stuffed it with a bag full of compromises to make what I find to be one of the most controversial smartphone sandwiches in a while.

Let's see why...

The list of sacrifices Motorola had to make to fit the Razr+ with a large cover display includes last year’s chip, average battery life, ancient camera with lost potential

Is this how you make folding phones mainstream?

Here’s a question you can try answering in the comments: Are the sacrifices you make by buying a clamshell folding phone worth it? If your answer was “no”, Motorola just made matters worse. And if the answer was “yes”, well… This might change your mind. Check out our full Motorola Razr+ review to learn more about the new $1,000 folding phone on the block!

Is this the right recipe for making a “mainstream” folding phone, Motorola?

First things first, the Motorola Razr+ uses last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip instead of the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2; of course, this means the $1,000 foldable won’t give you the best performance on the market, but it also means that the Razr+ will be less efficient than newer Android phones, which is the bigger drawback if you ask me - especially when talking about a folding phone with a small battery

Speaking of battery, the space needed for the larger cover display means the Motorola Razr+ packs a relatively tiny (for today’s standards) cell, at just 3,800 mAh; sure that’s 100 mAh more than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 but considerably less than the 4,400 mAh cell in the Vivo X Flip; our battery tests show the Razr+ might be able to last a day on a single charge, but probably not much longer; although the Razr+ supports wireless charging, this one's capped at 5W, which promises some long waiting times if you charge wirelessly

The Motorola Razr+ brings a pretty ancient 12 MP 1/2.55-inch camera sensor, which would be considered small even in 2018, let alone today; my early impressions are that photos from the Motorola Razr+ send you back in time (in line with the dated sensor) with an oversharpened look, lack of detail, and mediocre low-light performance, which can’t produce a usable photo without Night Mode (which really helps here); of course, we don’t have a dedicated zoom camera, nor a sensor-crop zoom, because of the 12MP native resolution; the cherry on top is that you can’t use the entirety of the 12MP main cam sensor to take selfies - instead, you get a 1:1 or a 4:3 crop, while videos taken with the rear cameras are capped at 1080p, which basically defeats the purpose of shooting with the rear camera in selfie mode (what?!)

And voila! There’s your $1,000 Motorola Razr+, which takes three out of the four most important pillars of a great phone and sends them right back to 2022 (performance), 2020 (battery), and 2018 (camera). Is this the right way to make a $,1000 folding phone that’s supposed to go “mainstream”? I don’t know. You tell me.

Motorola Razr+ large cover display - bigger isn't always better

Motorola Razr+’s awesome cover display also means now you have another awesome display that’s absolutely awesome until… you drop and crack it; it’s an unavoidable flaw that simply comes with the design but I figured it’s worth mentioning

This one's totally subjective but I can’t skip mentioning another potentially negative aspect of the large cover display many people don’t always consider - if by buying a clamshell foldable your goal was to be less distracted by your phone, and less likely to get sucked into the scrolling game, the Motorola Razr+’s large cover screen will now make this more difficult

The Motorola Razr+ also lacks comprehensive water-resistance as it comes with an IP52 rating, which means it should be able to withstand splashes, spills, and rain but not being immersed into water like the Galaxy Z Flip 4; on the bright side, Motorola's foldable is dust-resistant, which is where it beats the Galaxy

Good old Motorola made a good new folding phone that raises the same old question: Why pay $1,000 for a mediocre folding phone when you can get the best phone on the market for the same price?

Motorola didn't really do anything wrong. There's no way to make a folding phone as good as a non-folding one. At least not today.

In the end, all the compromises Motorola’s $1,000 folding phone brings mean this one might actually have a really limited target audience - people specifically interested in an Android folding phone with a large cover display, ready to ignore the major compromises that come with the form-factor.

It (clearly) doesn’t take a genius to tell that this isn't how you sell (many) folding phones. Respectively, this also means Motorola’s recipe for a clamshell foldable might not be the one to help make foldables “mainstream”. Unless the company had a noticeably cheaper foldable. Oh, wait… It does. But we aren’t here to talk about the cheaper Motorola Razr 2023 now (this story is on the way).

At the end of the day, the $1,000 Motorola is asking for the new Razr can get you the best battery life in the business; the best camera, the best chip, and the best anything really - if you are okay with a “normal” phone that doesn’t fold in half. And you get none of that with the Moto Razr+.

Now, some might say: “Yes, but the new Razr has the best cover display and the largest inner display on a clamshell foldable, and that’s sort of the whole point of it!” To which I’d say, sure… Of course it does, because everything else was built around the displays, and had to take a backseat

Imagine your house had the largest, flashiest pool in the neighbourhood but to build that pool you had to give up a kitchen, an extra bedroom, a garage, and your entire backyard. That’s what the large cover display is to the Motorola Razr+.

Still, it's crucial to note that all of the criticizm I have about the Motorola Razr+ revolves around the general flaws that come with clamshell folding phones. I don't blame Motorola for making the decision it made. Again, I love the idea of a large cover screen on a foldable. I really do. I simply didn't expect it to come with so many compromises. But I guess that's on me?

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Martin, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, brings a unique blend of humor and insight to his work. His fascination with smartphones began with a Galaxy Young and evolved through a series of trades and upgrades, making him a self-proclaimed smartphone nerd. Martin's content often combines current analysis of market trends with historical references and future predictions. Whether it's a deep dive into technical issues or a first-person commentary on industry events, Martin's articles are designed to inform and engage. His critical perspective is driven by genuine curiosity and a desire to keep readers informed, not by any corporate sponsorship.