When it comes to clamshell foldable smartphones in the US, you likely think of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series as your main point of reference. Sure, Motorola dabbled in the segment, but its Razr 5G fell short of the Korean brand's offering, and the Razr 2022 was never released in the US. Thankfully, all of that has changed with Motorola's new Razr+/40 Ultra, which launched with the largest external display seen on a clamshell, which, perhaps more importantly, is useful in everyday usage.
We've spent some time with the Razr+ (as we will call it from now on), and here is our review of Motorola's latest foldable. Long story short? It feels like using a normal phone, even when it's folded.
“…the greatest thing I can say about my time with the Razr+ is that I never felt like I was making a compromise”
Design
Our review unit is in the vibrant Viva Magenta colorway, which, in our opinion at least, is the standout option. One thing I must say is that the Razr+ is the most asked about review unit I've ever had, regardless of whether I was with non-techy friends or colleagues from other publications, everybody wanted to admire it.
Slightly slimmer than Samsung's offering, the Razr+ feels comfortable in the hand with no sharp edges with control buttons in easy reach whether the phone is extended or not. The inner display is flat with not a curved edge in sight, and the crease is much less noticeable than on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. But, while it's somewhat diminished, it is still present despite the redesigned teardrop hinge, which allows the phone to fold shut without leaving a gap. The Razr+ features protection against dust ingress (IP52); however, there is no official rating on water resistance, so don't go jumping in the pool with it.
On our review unit there is a neat inscription on the hinge saying “PANTONE Viva Magenta”, just in case you forget that the phone is in the bold and beautiful red hue. This time around, Motorola incorporated the fingerprint sensor into the power button on the right-hand side, and it works so much better than where it was on the Razr 5G.
With the preinstalled screensavers and animations for the external display, there was always some reason to look at it. It also performed well during meetings where it was in tent mode, with the outer display showing a livestream of a match without anyone being the wiser.
Hardware
| Razr+ | |
|---|---|
| Software | Android 13 |
| Display | Interior: 6.9-Inch FHD+ pOLED display, 22:9 Aspect Ratio, 2640 x 1080 Resolution, 165Hz Refresh Rate, LTPO Exterior: 3.6-Inch pOLED display, 1:1 Aspect Ratio, 1066 x 1056 Resolution, 144Hz Refresh Rate |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| Memory | 8GB LPDDR5 |
| Storage | 256GB UFS 3.1 |
| Rear Cameras | Main camera: 12MP (f/1.5, 1.4μm), OIS; Ultra-wide camera: 13MP (f/2.2, 1.12μm), Ultra-wide + macro, FOV 108° |
| Front Camera | 32MP (f/2.4, 0.7 μm) 8MP (f/2.4, 1.4um) QuadPixel |
| Battery | 3,800mAh |
| Charging | 30W Wired, 5W Wireless |
| Connectivity | 5G (no mmWave), LTE, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 |
| IP Rating | IP52 |
| Dimensions | Open: 73.95 x 170.83 x 6.99mm; Closed: 73.95 x 88.42 x 15.1mm |
| Weight | 188.5g |
| Colors | Infinite Black, Glacier Blue, Viva Magenta |
| Price | $999 |
Performance
Powered by 2022's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, the Razr+ has more than enough grunt to get through whatever is thrown at it. Sure, it's a shame that the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor wasn't used, but that would have driven up the price noticeably beyond the all-important $1,000 threshold.
With OLED panels inside and out, the Razr+ viewing experience is excellent. The outer display has a really slick 165Hz refresh rate, while the outer panel makes do with just 144Hz. Needless to say, the user experience is excellent when navigating the software or playing games – regardless of which display you are using. The inner display is bright enough for viewing well in direct sunlight, and the crease, well, it's still there but difficult to see unless you are actively looking for it.
Battery
I wasn't expecting the Razr+ to excel in the battery department, but thanks to the usefulness of the outer display, I managed to get around 4 hours of screen-on-time (using mobile data) with the battery around the 20% mark. The 30W charging gets you around 20% in 20 minutes, which is decent, although the 5W wireless charging is more of a convenient top-up when sat at the desk as opposed to something you might rely upon as your main method of charging.
Software
What good is the largest external display seen on a clamshell phone if the software can't make the most of it? On that point, there are no worries about the Razr+ because Motorola has done it proud by giving it the ability to run almost any app of your choice on the outer screen. Plus, when you enable an option, you have it so that the app you are using on the inner display will automatically switch to the outer display when you close the handset. How neat is that?
Motorola really put some effort in to make the experience the benchmark for its competitors, there are cute animations, a range of usable widgets on offer, and then you get the option of choosing which apps can be used on the external screen. Using the outer display on the Razr+ feels like using a small smartphone rather than the compromised experience when using a Galaxy Z Flip 4 or the slightly more capable Oppo Find N2 Flip. You can check and reply to messages, check the latest scores surreptitiously, take excellent selfies, and even play the pre-installed games, which are quirky but fun. The added bonus is that because the outer display is so usable, the 3,800mAh battery lasts so much longer that you don't feel like you've compromised over a normal candy-bar smartphone.
That said, there are some quirks when using full apps on the cover display, such as when the dual camera cutouts block something you'd like to see or press, thanks to the app's UI not being optimized for the smaller panel. Typing is more than possible and perfectly fine for short messages, but if you are sending more than a couple of sentences, you will need to hide the keyboard at some stage to check the contents. It's also not the best experience for scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, but that's just common sense, right?
There are much-appreciated nods to Motorola's original Razr clamshell phone, such as the Retro Razr interface, which is accessed exclusively via the Quick Settings panel, so don't go hunting in the actual Settings app as I did. The Retro Razr aesthetic is pretty cool and is perfectly usable if that's your want.
Motorola has packed in a wealth of customization options for both the outer and inner displays, one of which is the circular analog clock widget which, when long-pressed and expanded, turns into a rectangular digital widget with more information (as seen above).
I don't think Motorola could have done much better than it did. There are so many options on tap with which to make the Razr+ your very own, and yet it's not overwhelming. Everything, except for the Retro Razr mode, is exactly where you would expect it to be. There are quirks and limitations to the cover display's capabilities, but none that are dealbreakers.
In terms of software updates, Motorola has committed to offering three OS upgrades and four years of security patches for the Razr+, which, while not quite up to Samsung's standard, is still acceptable.
Camera
With a 12MP main camera and a 13MP ultra-wide lens housed within the outer display, the Razr+ isn't going to go head-to-head with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Possibly the phrase to use when describing shots taken by the Razr+ is ‘perfectly acceptable'. Images are great for social media purposes, especially in decent lighting conditions. Weirdly enough, when snapping in portrait mode, the shutter speed seems to be faster than in auto mode. The bokeh effect is at acceptable levels.
When you've closed the phone and accessed the camera app on the outer display, you can take selfie pictures with the main cameras, resulting in better quality images than the dedicated 32MP sensor on the inner display. And, if your subject is easily distracted, you can get them to focus better thanks to the option of showing them a live preview of the shot on the outer display. There's also a cute animation you can use if all else fails.
Overall, the Razr+ cameras do the job they are meant to at mostly acceptable, sometimes excellent levels.
Verdict
It's no secret that I enjoyed reviewing the Razr+ despite my preference for the larger Fold-like foldables. The outer display is like having access to a mini-phone in your pocket, useful for all manner of things but whose limitations could be viewed as a benefit in that you reply to a message or check an app but don't get sucked in with checking all the usual apps. It's also great for surreptitious content viewing if you remember to turn the sound off.
The battery got me through a day without topping up, the displays were bright, and the eye-catching design caught my attention every single day. Sure, the camera department could have done with a few more megapixels, although there were enough, and it would have been nice to have Sub6 5G compatibility, but as a whole, I think that Motorola made the right choices where hardware is concerned.
Possibly, the greatest thing I can say about my time with the Razr+ is that I never felt like I was making a compromise. There are more capable phones at the $999 price point, but none have the character of the Razr+ or the feeling it brings when you hold it in your hand. If seeing yet another black slab is depressing, Motorola's Razr+ will brighten up your day every single day, especially if you snag one in Pantone's Viva Magenta colorway.
