Motorola skipped the US market with last year's Razr, but it's coming back — and there may be reasons to consider the company's latest foldable phones over Samsung's rival Galaxy Z Flip series.The company has introduced a 2023 Razr family headlined by the Razr+ (Razr 40 Ultra in Europe), a flagship-level model whose centerpiece is a comparatively huge 3.6-inch, 1,056 x 1,066 external display running at up to 144Hz. The extra real estate allows for quick access "panels" (including a dedicated Spotify panel) and even mini games.
The folding action is also improved. Like the Z Flip, you can now open the device at different angles for hands-free recording and video viewing. A redesigned hinge also makes this the thinnest foldable phone on the market when closed, Motorola claims. The internal 6.9-inch, 165Hz 1080p screen (slightly larger than the 6.7 inches of before) is "nearly creaseless" at the same time, and you'll find spatial audio that includes Dolby Atmos support.
The Razr+ isn't any faster than the 2022 model with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip and 8GB of RAM. Motorola is rethinking its camera approach, mind you. The new phone includes 'just' a 12MP main camera, but dual-pixel autofocus and a wide f/1.5 aperture could make it well-suited to low-light shots. You'll also find a 13MP ultra-wide cam that doubles as a macro shooter, and a 32MP selfie camera sits in a cutout in the main display. The clamshell should last longer, too, thanks to a larger 3,800mAh battery that reportedly lasts all day and night with wireless or 30W wired charging.
The price may be as much of a draw as the phone itself. Motorola will sell the Razr+ with 256GB of storage on June 23rd through its website, AT&T, Google Fi, T-Mobile, Optimum Mobile and Spectrum Mobile for $1,000, or $41.67 per month in a two-year instalment plan. In Europe, it's available now for €1,200. That's well below the price of past US models, and makes it competitive with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 you can buy as of this writing. It's just a question of whether or not you like Motorola's hardware enough to avoid waiting for the likely Galaxy Z Flip 5 launch this summer.
There will also be a rare option for the budget-conscious, or those who simply want to reduce the temptation to check their phones. The plain Motorola Razr (Razr 40 elsewhere) has a 6.9-inch, 144Hz 1080p main display with the same hinge tech as the higher-end model, but carries a much smaller 1.5-inch external screen that provides just the essentials — in a sense, it harkens back to older Z Flip models.