Remember the Motorola Razr V3? Motorola’s fashionable clamshell is one of the most iconic phones ever released, and easily on the same level as the Nokia 3310 and the original iPhone. While the original is now just a memory, it’s apparently getting a spiritual successor in the form of a foldable Motorola Razr smartphone that could arrive in the next few months.
This isn’t the first time the Razr brand has been brought back into the spotlight. Lenovo used the Razr V3 to hype a folding Lenovo smartphone in 2016, and the Razr name was originally reused on a series of decent Android smartphones. This will be the first time we’ve heard from the Razr brand in years, and we’re looking forward to seeing more.
Release date and availability
Original reports said Motorola would aim for a summer 2019 release for the Motorola Razr foldable phone, but that obviously didn’t happen. However, an anonymous source tld Cnet that Motorola may try and sneak a release in before the end of the year.
Motorola’s original date was likely aimed at competing with Samsung and Huawei, who were expected to have launched their foldable phones by summer 2019. Dan Dery, Motorola’s vice president of global product, said Motorola “started to work on foldables a long time ago,” and had “no intention of coming later than everybody else in the market.” However, with Huawei’s Mate X launch postponed for the moment and the Samsung Galaxy Fold having only just launched after problems with review units earlier this year, Motorola probably saw prudence in not rushing to market.
Still, a release before the end of 2019 may spell good news for Motorola and could result in lucrative holiday season sales from nostalgia-hungry revelers. However, it’s worth keeping in mind that the source speaking to Cnet is anonymous and such secretive release dates are often subject to change.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lenovo (the company that owns Motorola) has partnered with Verizon to sell the device in the U.S. A price of around $1,500 is likely according to the Wall Street Journal’s sources. The Samsung Galaxy Fold costs $1,980.
Design
What will the folding Razr phone look like? We may finally have our first leak. SlashLeaks obtained what looks to be a marketing image of the new Motorola Razr, and it looks like previous leaks were more or less correct.
In the image, you can clearly see a section of the phone, half-way down, that could be flexible, along with a module at the bottom for housing internal components. According to a previous leak, the phone is expected to come in three colors — white, black, and gold.
We’ve known a Motorola-branded foldable smartphone has at least been in the design stage since June. A patent from December 2018 discovered by 91 Mobiles shows what a folding Moto Razr might actually look like.
The patent images show a design that’s reminiscent of the original Moto Razr, from the curved notch at the top of the screen to the large protruding chin at the bottom. The keyboard has been replaced by an extended, presumably folding screen, but the back of the device is extremely similar to the original, with a smaller screen and a camera lens. The one new addition on the back seems to be a fingerprint scanner placed on the bottom hinge.
Last year, Motorola was awarded a patent on a folding smartphone design that featured a heated central hinge that would “heal” imperfections in the OLED screen caused by bending. It’s entirely possible this design could form the basis of the updated Razr V3. The inclusion of a heated central hinge could also explain the high prospective price tag.
Specifications
Will the folding Motorola Razr phone be a high-end device with top specs? Perhaps not, according to a leaked set of specifications, beginning with the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor. These are not basic chips but are a step down from the Snapdragon 800 series we’re used to using on a top phone. It’s possibly going to be joined by 4GB or 6GB of RAM, and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage space.
When unfolded, the Razr’s screen may measure 6.2 inches and have an unusual 2142 x 876-pixel resolution. On the outside, a small screen with an 800 x 600-pixel resolution will help with everyday use. The leak states the battery will have a capacity of 2730mAh, but both the Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X have two cells inside. It’s possible the Motorola Razr will also have two small 2730mAh cells.
In the days of 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage space, the Snapdragon 855, and 4K resolution screens, the folding Razr may be more midrange than the price suggests.
Updated on September 27, 2019: New source claims we’ll see the Motorola Razr foldable phone before the end of the year.
