Motorola Razr 2019 UK: Iconic flip phone updated with a folding screen

Motorola has managed to hit two important points in the zeitgeist with its new Motorola Razr: nostalgia and folding phones.

The company officially unveiled its new version of the iconic mobile phone, a hit in the early 2000s with the likes of David Beckham and Paris Hilton, but has undergone a serious upgrade for 2019.

Now the Razr is officially a folding phone, taking its standard clamshell design and reworking it into something more suited to 2019. The device flips open to reveal a 6.2-inch foldable plastic OLED screen, albeit with that chunky curved chin at the bottom, which now houses a fingerprint sensor and a USB-C charging port.

When the phone is folded, there’s a 2.7-inch glass-covered OLED display, something Motorola is referring to as the Quick View display. Similar to the front of the Galaxy Fold, this front screen can show notifications, music controls and take pictures using the 16MP front-facing camera.

According to Motorola, the company has been working on flexible technology since 2015. And though other folding phone makers, such as Samsung, have had problems with the durability of their folding displays, Motorola has said that in research, the Flex View display will last for the average lifespan of a smartphone – we can assume that’s about two or three years. There’s a one year warranty for free replacements or repairs to the phone, whilst after that, screen repairs will cost around $299.

The main issue looks to be the price, a hefty $1,500 in the US – UK pricing and release date TBD. That may be justified for the design of the phone, but when you take a look inside things fall short. The device features the mid-range Snapdragon 710 processor, with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, along with a 2,510mAh battery. As well, the phone will run Android 9, last year’s Android operating software.

By comparison, the Oppo Reno smartphone runs the same 710 processor, features a 48MP camera and only costs £279.99.

We’ll have to wait to get our hands on the Razr to really see what it’s like. From a first look, it does seem to be a folding phone you could actually use, rather than the Galaxy Fold which is quite bulky and doesn’t seem like a device you can easily slip into your pocket. In fact, Kantar's global consumer insight director thinks this pocketable form could do well as an antitote to the oversized phone trend.

“The release of the foldable Motorola Razr brings back a sizeable slice of nostalgia, for the original Razr was nothing short of iconic. With most smartphones looking near-identical, this clamshell form factor provides a refreshing change and one that consumers looking to stand out from the crowd will welcome.

"Moto still holds brand strength in the US, so it’s likely it will perform well in what was its home market, but international expansion will be tough," added Sunnebo.

Given that Samsung’s Fold is still the only mainstream folding device on sale at the moment, as Huawei regularly pushes back the actual release date for the Mate X, the Razr could do well for those looking to capitalise on the innovative phone trend. Overall, there still might not be enough to convince the world that we need folding phones just yet, but it’s certainly fun seeing the tech companies try.

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