ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Motorola Razr (2024) is accessible now for $699.
- It is a refreshed model of the entry-level foldable Moto launched final yr, with an excellent greater cowl show, higher efficiency, and all-day battery life.
- The digital camera stays the weakest level of the gadget, and you may solely get three main Android upgrades.
So, you are available in the market for a folding cellphone. Whether or not it is your first one or your second or third — for those who refuse to return to “regular” non-folding telephones and need to avoid wasting cash, there is not any higher foldable available on the market right now than the Motorola Razr.
Additionally: The best flip phones of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed
The newest model of Motorola’s flip cellphone will get all types of upgrades from final yr’s mannequin: a much bigger exterior show, quicker efficiency, higher water resistance, and better brightness, all for a similar $699 value. Are there some downsides? Positive, however anybody searching for a mid-range foldable ought to look no additional.
It begins with the quilt display screen, which has considerably improved over the earlier era. The show has grown from 1.5 inches to three.6 inches — the identical measurement because the outer display screen on the 2023 Razr Plus. This implies which you could run apps, play video games, and use well-detailed widgets for fast glances at necessary info.
Additionally: I replaced my Pixel 9 Pro with Google’s $1,800 foldable for a week – and can’t go back
For context, none of those options have been accessible on the previous Razr. Positive, you had some widgets and panels to have a look at on its tiny 1.5-inch show, however there is not any denying that it acquired cramped fairly rapidly. The brand new Razr gracefully avoids that subject with a far bigger display screen, and it is the improve I’ve appreciated essentially the most.
Talking of which, the primary show additionally appears to be like nice. It shares most of the identical specs because the previous Razr’s show, corresponding to the scale, the P-OLED panel, and the Full HD+ decision. The refresh fee is barely decrease at 120Hz versus 144Hz, however the distinction is negligible. What issues most is the elevated brightness; the brand new Razr can go all the way in which as much as 3,000 nits, making the display screen approach simpler to see in direct daylight, particularly by way of sun shades.
After all, the crease remains to be there, however Motorola has decreased it in comparison with the earlier Razr. It would not really feel as pronounced in particular person, however you possibly can positively nonetheless see it. The hinge itself has additionally been upgraded with elevated power, which is necessary for long-term use.
Additionally: The best Android phones you can buy: Expert tested
Motorola additionally had the Razr and Razr Plus IPX8 licensed, which implies you possibly can dunk both of them in a meter and a half of water for as much as half-hour. You could be questioning why there’s an “X” the place you’d normally discover a “5” or “6” in that score, and that is as a result of Moto did not check for grime and dirt safety. The corporate did, nonetheless, inform me that there’s a degree of safety for small particles, so there’s that.
The design additionally contains some premium supplies on the outside. The Koala Grey model I’ve comes with a vegan suede materials, whereas the Seashore Sand and Spritz Orange (a.okay.a. the very best colour) have vegan leather-based. The suede on the grey mannequin feels each clean and grippy, and I have never seen any extra grime assortment. After all, over time, it is unclear how nicely the fabric will maintain up, nevertheless it appears to be doing nicely in my early testing.
Additionally: I tested Motorola’s new Razr Plus (2024) and it made the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip feel outdated
New in Motorola’s Hey UX expertise are a couple of AI upgrades, together with a complete new Moto Assistant that may reference photographs, bear in mind what somebody stated, and handle your notifications. Sadly, it isn’t right here but. As an alternative, the one “new” AI characteristic I may check was Google Gemini, which is built-in into each the folding and canopy shows. You may utterly exchange the Google Assistant with Gemini and use the identical “Hey Google” command to ask questions or prompts.
I additionally actually favored the battery lifetime of the Razr. Motorola geared up it with a 4,200mAh cell, and it may ship all-day battery life with 20-25 p.c left within the tank after a full 16-hour day. It recharges at 30W which, admittedly, is sluggish by right now’s requirements, nevertheless it’s tremendous for an in a single day juice-up. You additionally get 15W wi-fi charging, which is a pleasant comfort, however there is not any reverse wi-fi charging.
The largest draw back to the brand new Razr, nonetheless, is the digital camera. The 50MP f/1.7 important digital camera is severely underwhelming. Pictures come out first rate in broad daylight, however they disintegrate rapidly in most different conditions.
The 13MP ultra-wide digital camera is solely unreliable as is. High quality dips tremendously between the 2 sensors, with the ultra-wide failing to seize the identical quantity of sunshine and element as the primary. Video high quality from each appears to be like uneven and overprocessed, and the portrait mode is satisfactory. I do recognize the actual fact you need to use the outer display screen as a viewfinder on your topic, however with cameras this disappointing, it is nothing greater than a nice-to-have the few occasions you will be snapping photographs.
Additionally: Motorola’s $399 Razr is the cheapest foldable phone deal right now
Video high quality can also be disappointing, as are selfies taken with the 32MP front-facing digital camera. Total, until you have a tendency to use a ton of filters to your pictures anyway, you will be dissatisfied.
I am additionally not a fan of the software program assist Motorola has promised. It solely ensures three years of main Android upgrades and 4 years of safety patches, whereas different producers provide 5 to seven years of updates. Possibly you have got used your cellphone for longer than three years, or perhaps you have not, nevertheless it’d be good if Motorola gave you the choice to make use of the cellphone longer than three years with updates.
Yet another facet word: the Razr tends to get fairly sizzling underneath regular utilization. Possibly it is simply the additional warmth from the summer season or the truth that I used to be taking extra footage than I normally would outdoors of a evaluation interval, however I seen that it heats up fairly usually and would not calm down as rapidly as different telephones. My guess? It is a physics factor involving the specs, battery, and the truth that this factor is on the skinny facet.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
The Motorola Razr (2024) is a superb entry-level cellphone for individuals who are curious concerning the flip-style type issue. Whereas the digital camera is not the very best, the remainder of the Razr is extremely strong, particularly for the $699 asking value. Positive, you will discover extra high-end foldables on the market, however if you wish to avoid wasting cash (or maybe decide it up as a secondary cellphone), that is the one to get.
ZDNET’s evaluation group spends upwards of a yr testing the ins and outs of each main cellphone launch, evaluating the day-to-day efficiency, digital camera high quality, battery life and endurance, and particular options. Here is a breakdown of each issue we contemplate earlier than we make suggestions:
- Design and ergonomics: How good a cellphone appears to be like and feels performs an enormous function in lots of customers’ shopping for journeys, so we contemplate these points closely when testing.
- Efficiency: A number of components have an effect on a cellphone’s efficiency, together with LTE/5G sign, battery life, and background duties. Due to this fact, we sometimes start our evaluations with a totally charged handset, with all background duties closed, and with as secure of a cell connection as doable.
- Digicam high quality: ZDNET exams cellphone cameras by capturing tons of of pictures and movies of varied topics and in numerous lighting circumstances. We additionally examine the output to that of older fashions.
- Battery life and charging: It is also necessary for us to guage how lengthy telephones final underneath mild, average, and heavy utilization, how lengthy they take to recharge, and the way they do it (wired, wi-fi, or each).
- Particular options: These options distinguish examined gadgets from a bustling smartphone market and hopefully deliver added worth to customers, not the alternative.
- Pricing and availability: Past finances issues, we additionally word if a cellphone is accessible within the US or solely internationally.
For a extra intensive breakdown, try our complete phone testing methodology page.
This text was initially revealed on July 8, 2024, and was up to date on September 17, 2024.