Motorola Razr: Did We Even Ask for It?

2019 was a showdown of so called ‘AI’ cameras getting those additional megapixels to get you the ‘pop’ in the pictures you click. As if that wasn’t enough, we had to witness the rise in the number of rear cameras. We had something like this–

To something forgettable like this–

But the focus has changed folks. Moving from the camera, the newest turf war for smartphone manufacturers is (drum roll)

Foldable smartphones!

It’s as if innovation took a twisted turn, smartphone manufactures have fallen to this new fad, investing their time and money in their precious R&D to get their phones to fold. I mean, yes, the flip phones with their foldable elegance were a thing about 10 years back. But there’s so much that has happened since then.

Just solely banking on Nostalgia and trying to bake that element into a modern day high end smartphone sounds like a novel idea. But do we really need it?

Ever since Samsung Galaxy Fold was released at $1,980, Motorola has been long teasing to revive it’s flip phone from the early 2000s. And oh boy, they finally unveiled it.

The Motorola Razr is set to launch December 26, and is priced at $1,500, which we know you’re likely to steer away from it. The initial look suggests that the Razr’s fold is way better than Samsung’s Fold and looks more practical. The Galaxy Fold raised a few eyebrows with its eccentric front camera placement and the fold crease which was very much visible unlike the Razr.

The Motorola Razr’s official site also tells us that the phone boasts two screens, one when closed and the main screen when open. The screen that appears when the phone is closed is touted as ‘Quick view’ that is touch responsive at 2.7 inches. It lets you check notifications, answer calls, take selfies, check battery/signal status and a bunch of other useful stuff without even flipping your phone open.

The phone is narrower with 6.2 inch screen, and as per initial assesment by CNET, can fit into your pocket with ease.

The major downs of Motorola Razr:

The phone packs a meagre 2500 mAh battery that is a source of concern. However to address this, you can shell out an extra $500, and at $2000 you get an amped up battery at 4375 mAh and 6 cameras (instead of 2 cameras in the $1500 model)

Also, the presence of crease while folding means that it’s subject to dust and hey, it’s after all a mechanical part with screws. No matter how rigorously they’ve tested it, it’s always a chink in the armor that is just too hard to ignore.

Another area where they could have bolstered is the processor. The Motorola Razr sports a Snapdragon 710 which is a huge let down, considering you’re paying one and half grand for it along with a weaker battery.

Now, the question– Do we really need Motorla Razr?

As much as we’d like to go back to our good old days of the open-type flip phones, but we don’t. Though it excels in the looks and aesthetics department with dual screen, it fails us miserably in the two most crucial departments in a smartphone– Battery and processor. Not to mention that its steep pricing, will pinch your pocket if you’re planning to get one.

Trying to revive something we all love–I am not against that. But cutting corners by providing sub-par hardware is acceptable. Even if it isn’t flagship, the hefty price tag of $1500 should at least get me Snapdragon 845 with at least 3500 mAh battery, but no. Motorola decided to cut corners on this one.

The performance and the technical reviews are yet to arrive, so we cannot give an unbiased verdict yet. But needless to say, if you’re looking for a good smartphone, you have better places to look at.