It might be 15 years since the original Razr, but now Motorola has gone back to it for inspiration for its new foldable phone. Rather than go with the trend for horizontal folds like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, the new Razr does it vertically mimicking the clam shell setup of the original and effectively making it the first handset to fold a smartphone in half.
Two Displays
When open, the full-length P-OLED display is not much bigger than a standard smartphone display of 2019 at 6.2”. But there is a second 2.7” G-OLED display that is visible when the Razr is closed. This lets you check up on things like calls, texts, emails and music without needing to open the phone up.
Underneath this smaller screen is the main 16MP, f/1.7 camera which you can also use as a selfie camera when the Razr is closed. Whilst the 5MP, f/2.0 selfie camera sits at the top of the main screen.
Compromises Due To The Design
So, how is the Razr specified and does it stand up to comparison with other flagships? There have been some compromises due to the design and overall thinness of the phone that have impacted the specifications and hence the performance of the Razr 2019.
Firstly, the processor is the not quite brand-new Snapdragon 710. You would expect the same 855 processor as in the Galaxy Fold, but this has not been used due to the amount of heat it generates.
Secondly, the battery is only 2510 mAH, a bit on the small side for such a device. But there is only just 7mm of space available when the screen is open, so a thinner and smaller battery is a necessity.
The people at Motorola don’t reckon this will be a problem as they believe that you will be using the smaller outside screen for a lot of the tasks you would normally use the big screen for, helping to prolong battery life.
Is It Worth £1,500
The Razr is splash proof and comes with 128GB of memory and an on-screen fingerprint sensor, so overall not badly specified. However, here’s the rub – it is currently shipping in the USA for $1500, so is likely to be not much less in £ when it comes over here.
Would you be willing to pay that amount for a phone with a screen roughly the same size as the iPhone 11? Yes, it will turn heads when you get it out of your pocket and flip it open, but is that worth paying £1000 for?
Your choice!
