The Motorola Razr (2019) (stylized motorola razr, also known as ''RAZR 2019'') is an Android

foldable smartphone A foldable smartphone (also known as a foldable phone or simply foldable) is a smartphone with a folding form factor. Some variants of the concept use multiple touchscreen panels on a hinge, while other designs utilise a flexible display. Conce ...

produced by

Motorola Mobility Motorola Mobility LLC, marketed as Motorola, is an American consumer electronics manufacturer primarily producing smartphones and other mobile devices running Android OS, Android. It is a subsidiary of the Chinese multinational technology company ...

. Unveiled on November 14, 2019, it was released on February 6, 2020. The device is designed to be reminiscent of the original

Motorola Razr The Motorola Razr (styled RAZR, pronounced like "razor"; codenamed Siliqua) is a series of mobile phones by Motorola, part of the 4LTR line. The V3 was the first phone shown in the series and was introduced in December 2003 and released in th ...

feature phone A feature phone (also spelled featurephone) is a type or class of mobile phone that retains the form factor of earlier generations of mobile telephones, typically with press-button based inputs and a small non-touch display. They tend to use an ...

series and features a horizontally foldable screen (in contrast to other recent folding smartphones which are designed to be folded vertically).

Specifications

The Razr is inspired heavily by the original

line of the same name, and uses a

clamshell design The flip phone or clamshell is a form factor of a mobile phone or other device which is in two or more sections that fold via a hinge. If the hinge is on a long edge the device is more likely to be called clamshell than flip phone (e.g., N ...

to conceal a 6.2-inch 21:9

OLED An organic light-emitting diode (OLED or organic LED), also known as organic electroluminescent (organic EL) diode, is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light i ...

display. The device's exterior features a secondary 2.7-inch "Quick View" display to access selected features (such as notifications) when the device is closed. The screen is protected by a stainless-steel frame, is "scuff resistant", and has no visible crease at its folding point, with a fingerprint sensor located in the lower bezel. In response to concerns surrounding the

Galaxy Fold The Samsung Galaxy Fold is an Android-based foldable smartphone developed by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled on March 20, 2019, it was released on September 6, 2019 in South Korea. The device is capable of being folded open to expose a 7.3-inch ...

, Motorola stated that it had "full confidence" in the durability of the phone's screen, that it would last the "average lifespan of a smartphone", and that they were "not going to go out there and say, consumers should be cautious of how they use the phone". The device was initially sold in a black finish. A second "Blush Gold" option was announced in February 2020. The Razr does not support physical SIM cards, and requires use of eSIM. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 system-on-chip and Adreno 616 GPU, with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of non-expandable internal storage. It uses two batteries which have a total capacity of 2510 mAh, and fast charging is supported at up to 15W over USB-C. A single camera is present on the rear with a 16 megapixel lens, while the front-facing camera has a 5 megapixel lens and is housed within a notch at the top of the display. The Razr shipped with Android 9.0 "Pie", and received an update for

Android 10 Android 10 ( codenamed Android Q during development) is the tenth major release and the 17th version of the Android mobile operating system. It was first released as a developer preview on March 13, 2019, and was released publicly on Septembe ...

in mid-May 2020, adding theme support (carried over from the

Motorola Edge+ The Motorola Edge and Edge+ are Android smartphones developed by Motorola Mobility, a subsidiary of Lenovo. History Renders of the phone were leaked in March, a month prior to the phone's anticipated launch on the mobile review blog ''Price B ...

) and additional functionality to the Quick View display, such as virtual keyboard support, video calling, and

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

support. Motorola committed to supporting

Android 11 Android 11 is the eleventh major release and 18th version of Android, the mobile operating system developed by the Open Handset Alliance led by Google. It was released on September 8, 2020. The first phone launched in Europe with Android 11 ...

as well. The software has a "Retro Razr" mode

easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

which changes the home screen to a recreation of the menu screen and keypad of the original Razr series.

Razr 5G

In September 2020, Motorola released an updated revision of the Razr branded as the Razr 5G, also known as Razr2 (5G), Razr 2 (5G), Razr ''(2nd gen)'' (5G). Its design is nearly identical to the original model, but the fingerprint reader is re-located to the rear of the device. It now uses a Snapdragon 765G system-on-chip, with 8 GB of RAM and support for sub-6 GHz 5G wireless networks. Its cameras were also upgraded, with a 20 megapixel front-facing camera, and 48-megapixel rear-facing camera with laser autofocus and optical image stabilization. In the United States, the Razr 5G is exclusive to

AT&T Mobility AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the thi ...

and

T-Mobile T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic (T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland (T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobile ...

Reception

The Razr was met with mixed reviews at launch, with several reviewers making comparisons to the

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (sold as Samsung Galaxy Flip in certain territories) is an Android-based foldable smartphone developed by Samsung Electronics as part of the Samsung Galaxy Z series. Its existence was first revealed in an advertisement ...

. Common criticisms included the price, poor battery life and camera, sub-flagship level performance, Verizon exclusivity and bloatware, and an unrefined hinge and display, while praise went to the compact form factor, retro design and stock software. Patrick Holland of ''

CNET ''CNET'' (short for "Computer Network") is an American media website that publishes reviews, news, articles, blogs, podcasts, and videos on technology and consumer electronics globally. ''CNET'' originally produced content for radio and televi ...

'' gave the device a 7.5/10, praising the design, form factor and usability. Holland was impressed with the secondary Quick View display, but noted that the wide aspect ratio caused

pillarbox The pillarbox effect occurs in widescreen video displays when black bars (mattes or masking) are placed on the sides of the image. It becomes necessary when film or video that was not originally designed for widescreen is shown on a widescreen ...

ing for apps and movies, and that the user interface was not well optimized for one-handed use. Sascha Segan of ''

PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the present d ...

'' gave the device a 2.5/5, additionally panning the device for weak wireless performance, concluding that "Motorola's gorgeous folding Razr doesn't deliver the performance you expect from a $1,500 phone". Julian Chokkattu of ''

Wired ''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...

'' gave the Razr a 4/10, stating that "Motorola's first foldable smartphone makes a good case for the return of the clamshell design, but the Razr is still stuck in the past". Dieter Bohn of ''

The Verge ''The Verge'' is an American technology news website operated by Vox Media, publishing news, feature stories, guidebooks, product reviews, consumer electronics news, and podcasts. The website launched on November 1, 2011, and uses Vox Media' ...

'' gave the device a 4/10, stating that "if this phone didn't fold, I wouldn't recommend it at one-sixth of its current price". Adam Ismail of ''

Tom's Guide ''Tom's Hardware'' is an online publication owned by Future plc and focused on technology. It was founded in 1996 by Thomas Pabst. It provides articles, news, price comparisons, videos and reviews on computer hardware and high technology. The si ...

'' likewise stated that “ he Razr’smyriad shortcomings — from its fragility, to its performance, to its camera and battery life — mean it's not worth the $1,500 plunge.” iFixit gave the Razr a repairability score of 1/10, deeming it "the most complicated phone-based contraption we've ever taken apart".

Versions

''This information may be incomplete''

References

External links