Motorola Razr+ Foldable Revealed With An External Display That's Truly Useful Now
The iconic Motorola Razr was the envy of all flip phones in the early 2000s. Building on this legacy, the company reintroduced the Razr brand in 2020 as a foldable smartphone. But despite being one of the first clamshell smartphones, the initial Razr-branded foldables failed to make a mark because of lackluster internals, significantly overshadowed by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series that has received more judicious updates. Motorola is looking to change this with the new Razr+ 2023 foldable smartphone, which launches in the U.S. today with a scintillating new outer display.
Motorola is really banking on the look of the Razr+. The external display is now much bigger at 3.6 inches, resulting in an almost square shape. Another key highlight of the display is its the high resolution of 1066x1056 pixels paired with the high refresh rate of 144Hz, which would improve on the cramped outer displays with limited functionality of other flip phones.
The outer display wraps around the dual rear cameras to maximize screen real estate. The large screen also expands utility, from web browsing to using it for watching videos and using it as a large viewfinder for the rear camera. The external display also lends itself to opening and switching between apps in an experience similar to the full screen.
Incredible displays — inside and out
Similarly, the inner display also gets a slight bump in size and now measures 6.9 inches compared to the Razr 2022's 6.7-inch display. The internal display has a 2640x1080 pixel resolution, which boasts a tall 22:9 aspect ratio with an even higher refresh rate of 165Hz, making it the smoothest to exist on a clamshell foldable. The display is capable of up to 1400 nits of brightness.
Motorola also notes the foldable AMOLED display supports LTPO technology, which means it will be able to switch to lower refresh rates on low-demand applications like reading on a webpage, watching video content, or when the Always On Display is triggered, translating to lower battery consumption.
Both the inner and the external displays are certified for HDR10+ but do not have support for Dolby Vision.
In terms of design, the Motorola Razr+ is protected by Gorilla Glass Victure on the front- and rear-facing surfaces on the Infinite Black and Glacier Blue models, while the mid-frame is crafted with 7000 series aluminum. Meanwhile, the back of the Viva Magenta variant is stacked with a layer of vegan leather. The phone is rated IP52 with water-repellant (as opposed to water-resistant) properties, and Motorola claims it features a seamless hinge to eliminate gaps when the phone is folded.
Compelling design to make up for underwhelming internals
Despite the exciting features on the outside, the internals of the Motorola Razr+ may disappoint. This is because the phone is powered by last year's Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset — same as the Razr 2022, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and the Galaxy Z Flip 4, all announced in August 2022. In addition, the Motorola Razr+ packs 8GB LPDDR5 RAM with 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage without an option to expand.
In terms of charge, the Motorola Razr+ has a 3,800mAh battery, which is about 10% larger than its predecessor's. The wired charging speed, meanwhile, stays the same at 30W. The Razr+ also gets wireless charging at 5W but without any mention of reverse wireless power share to charge accessories such as wireless earbuds.
The Motorola Razr+ features two cameras on the back, including a 12MP primary camera with a substantial f/1.5 aperture, a pixel size of 1.4 microns, and OIS. This is paired with a 13MP ultrawide-angle shooter with a 108-degree wide field of view, according to its spec sheet. Inside, the Razr+ features a 32MP selfie camera with 4-in-1 pixel binning to capture brighter 8MP images by default.
Motorola Razr 2023
Along with the Razr+, Motorola also announced a relatively affordable Razr 2023 with a much more compact, 1.5-inch colored AMOLED outer display. Except for the slightly lower refresh rate at 144Hz, the inner display gets the same specs as the more premium Razr+.
The Motorola Razr 2023 is powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset for higher mid-range devices. It also gets 8GB of RAM but with a reduced amount of stoage at 128GB. However, it gets a bigger 4,200mAh battery with 30W wired and 5W wireless charging.
In terms of cameras, the Razr 2023 gets a 64MP primary shooter with OIS along with a 13MP ultrawide lens. Inside, we see the same 32MP selfie camera as the Razr+.
Motorola
Design-wise, the Motorola Razr 2023 has IP52 protection, Gorilla Glass over the cover display, and a 7000 series aluminum frame. It comes in three colors — Sage Green, Vanilla Cream, and Summer Lilac — all wrapped in vegan leather on the front and back.
Regarding software, both the Motorola Razr+ and the Razr 2023 get Android 13 out of the box with customization features, including themes and Motorola's flip or chop-chop gestures.
The carrier-unlocked Motorola Razr+ 2023 will be sold for $999.99 in the U.S., with pe-orders starting on June 16th. The phone will be available beginning June 23 through online retailers and carriers. Meanwhile, the pricing of the affordable Razr 2023 will be revealed when it goes on sale "in the coming months," according to Motorola.