Verdict
The Motorola Razr ( 2022 ) is n’t just a nostalgic take on the classical flip phone , it ’s also a very capable smartphone with a flagship processor and a fantastic camera – and it can be discover for the same price as the new , less open Razr 40 too .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
Motorola made headline for the first time in a foresighted fourth dimension in 2019 when it announced it would be reimagining its iconic Razr phone as not only a smartphone but as a foldaway – a physical body element that was still very reinvigorated at the clip .
Since then , Samsung has come out with its own modern take on the insolent sound , and while theZ Flipseries was n’t brim with the same nostalgia as the Razr , over four iteration it ’s grown to be one of thebest foldablephones around .
Now , Motorola has delivered a sound that shed some of its nostalgia - beat back design and mid - range specs for something that feel more akin to a true high - end smartphone – a trend that has continued with theMotorola Razr 40 Ultrain 2023 , totally ditch the old Motorola Razr feel .
Design and display
While Motorola has given the Razr an all - round update compare to its predecessor , the foldable display is still the standout feature film on the earphone . Though , the purpose has changed a lot in three year .
While the Razr still has two screens – a bright 6.7 - inch POLED turn up inner showing and a small 2.7 - column inch Quick View cover CRT screen – Motorola has predate a number of design elements that made it resemble 2004 ’s Razr V3 . Instead , Motorola has opted to give the earphone an update expression somewhere in between theRazr ( 2019)and Samsung’sGalaxy Z Flip 4 .
Fold the Razr with a satisfying bam and you ’ll be confronted with the Quick View video display . This smaller display is design to be used to glance at notifications , control music playback and put up quick access to the camera . It comes with a biz , but I would n’t advocate bring anything on the 60Hz display as it get a obtrusive lag when compared with the larger 144Hz projection screen .
It ’s a lineament that Motorola assume to the next degree with its replacement , the Razr 40 Ultra , with a large 3.6 - inch exterior instrument panel with a smooth 144Hz refresh rate , permit you to do even more with the concealment than the Razr 2022 . It ’s one of the biggest reason to opt for the new model over the 2022 model , in my opinion .
The centered camera that was evocative of the iconic Motorola ‘ M ’ has start , as has the big chin at the bottom of the phone . The notch on the interior display has also been traded out for a less obtrusive punch - hole camera . While the young television camera placement and the want of chin more closely resemble Samsung ’s flip phone , Motorola has chosen to hold back the Razr ’s large Quick View show over the Galaxy ’s pocket-size cover covert .
It does feel as though Motorola has sacrificed some of the Razr ’s nostalgia factor to permit the phone to intimately compete with other foldables and I think the modification were deserving it . While the mentum and the tv camera positioning on the Razr ( 2019 ) brought back memories , I think I ’d rather have a phone with hardheaded features and a sleeker pattern if I ’m paying close to a 1000 for it .
In our first impression review of the Razr ( 2019 ) , editor Max Parker noted that there was a slight angle to the upper portion of the display . While the screen on the Razr ( 2022 ) still does n’t quite sit flush with the hinge , it does seem to have ameliorate in this respect . There ’s also no obvious crease when the phone is unfolded – something that can not be say for the Z Flip 4 .
Durability is another orbit in which the Razr has image improvements . Where the 2019 Razr had no informatics rating , the 2022 modeling is certifiedIP52 . This only makes the phone water system - repellent so I would n’t recommend expend it in the pool . It also falls behind Samsung ’s foldables in this deference , but it ’s nevertheless a whole tone up from the 2019 handset . There ’s a blow to IP53 on the newer Razr 40 Ultra , but it ’s still behind Samsung ’s offer .
The speech sound does n’t feel to a fault fragile in the hand either , though a foldaway newbie , I do n’t bed if the fear of closing the telephone set too hard and open it to a break up screen would ever fully leave me .
Lastly , the fingerprint sensor is now on the side – though there ’s face unlock for those who prefer it .
I also found the outer part of the phone to be very prostrate to pick up fingerprints , but it does get with a laborious cause to protect it from smudges , along with any bumps or scratches .
Camera
The 16 - megapixel undivided camera was not a breaker point of stress on the Razr ( 2019 ) , but the camera has been given a fate more attention this fourth dimension around . In fact , Motorola claim at launching that the 50 - megapixel double photographic camera on the Razr ( 2022 ) is the “ most in advance photographic camera envision in a flip phone ” .
The camera comprise of a 50 - megapixel ( f/1.8 ) main detector with OIS and a 13 - megapixel ( f/2.2 ) radical - wide / macro sensor with a 120 - stage area - of - horizon . feature include an Ultra - Res manner , Night Vision , Group Selfie and Dual Capture , while the television camera can also capture 8 kB video at 30fps or UHD at 60fps .
folding display aside , the camera might in reality be my favourite expression of this phone . I found images snapped with the main camera to be sharp and crisp and the colours vibrant and concentrated . The upshot is exposure that strike a proficient balance between realistic and stylistic .
I did notice some deterioration in quality when using the ultra - wide lens , with the image lose some of its sharpness and brightness .
Images shot in the Macro mode are crisp and vivacious . Take nip from afar instead and the Razr supports up to 8x rapid growth . However , push preceding 4x and the photos see a major fall in timber .
I was ingrain by the rear camera ’s low - light functioning , with the Night Mode easily brighten up and fixing any way out I might have otherwise had with the camera in less - than - idealistic lighting .
On the presentation , there ’s a 32 - megapixel ( f/2.4 ) tv camera , which is also a huge upgrade from the petite 5 - megapixel one on the 2019 model . Though the Quick View exhibit means you have the option to take selfies and join video calls using the higher resolution rearward television camera if you prefer .
Taking snap with the Quick View silver screen without getting your finger in them is emphatically a practised attainment . Still , both the clout - hole and rear tv camera produced keen and saturated selfies I would be happy to post on societal medium . However , the punch - mess photographic camera definitely fight more in humiliated light .
Performance
As far as software goes , the Razr scarper Google ’s now - yr - onetime Android 12 , though an update to Android 13 is promised sometime in 2023 . irrespective , it comes with all the common app support and widgets you ’d gestate from Android and the Play Store . There are also a decent amount of customisation feature to be found on the earphone through both the setting and the Moto app .
Aside from the themes and adjustments available in the Moto app , there are also gesture control like Three - digit Screenshot , Lift to Unlock and the power to open up the camera by shaking the speech sound twice .
There ’s also quick For – a Motorola feature of speech that makes it potential to synchronise your telephone with your TV or microcomputer to edit documents , play plot and get together picture calls on a bigger sieve – build - in , as well as supporting forDolby Atmosaudio .
Like the camera , a flagship chipset was n’t a priority for the 2019 Razr . The sound was kitted with the mid - range Snapdragon 710 chipset with 6 GB of RAM and no 5 gigabyte support .
Thankfully , that has change with this yr ’s update . The Razr ( 2022 ) is powered by theSnapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1processor with 8 GB of RAM and 5 constant of gravitation supporting . Interestingly , Motorola opted for the same chipset on the newer Razr 40 Ultra , so you wo n’t be get any more power by opt for the newer example .
I put the sound through a number of benchmarking tests and find that the central processing unit achieved a multi - core score of 3987 on Geekbench 5 , while the GPU oversee a score of 10,148 during the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test .
To put that into perspective , that ’s just eminent than the 3656 multi - core score the Z Flip 4 received on Geekbench 5 , but lower than the 4543 and 5491 scores the iPhone 14 andiPhone 14 Prorespectively got during the same benchmarking mental testing .
In my real - earthly concern economic consumption , I find the execution to be still and snappy with no retardation or noticeable issues while browsing , streaming or gaming . That is , as long as I did so on the main show and not the Quick View screen which I came to incur is n’t really designed to handle much beyond have notifications , snapping moving picture and very basic functions .
One interesting update for 2022 is the restoration of the forcible SIM tray . Motorola has go the diametric way to Apple this year and actually brought back the strong-arm SIM after doing forth with it on the 2019 Razr .
Battery life
Another key update on the Razr ( 2022 ) is its larger stamp battery and quicker charging – at least in comparison to the 2510 mAh battery and 15W charging found on the 2019 model .
The Razr now has a 3500 mAh battery with reinforcement for 30W TurboPower charge , which I find to be very speedy , though not as tight as theSuperVOOCcharging found on some Oppo , OnePlus and Realme phones .
I tested the assault and battery while streaming 1080p videos on YouTube to test how long it would last and find the battery dropped around 10 % every 60 minutes doing this . The phone hit 90 % in just over 1 hr , 80 % in 2 hours and 11 arcminute and 70 % in exactly 3 hours .
At this rate , the phone should last 10 hours with this more intensive use or longer with more light use . For example , I discover the phone well lasted a daytime when using it to graze the web and click photos around central London .
Despite the update in battery aliveness and fast charging , one feature film still missing is wireless charging . During the press briefing , a illustration for Motorola explain that the company choose to prioritise riotous charging and celebrate the equipment pocketable over adding the lineament .
I do n’t mean this was necessarily a bad selection , but it would have been good to see wireless charging on board as this has become a monetary standard many have come to expect among mellow - close phones these day .
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Should you buy it?
The Razr has dropped some of its more novelty feature , prioritising improvements to its camera , barrage fire and chipset . It ’s still very costly , but the Razr ( 2022 ) find significantly more like a £ 1000 headphone than its precursor did .
While the rear photographic camera has seen substantial improvement this time around , it still ca n’t vie with some of our preferred photographic camera phones , including the rapid growth on theSamsung Galaxy S22 Ultra .
Final Thoughts
This is n’t just an incremental update for Motorola . The Razr has experienced some major modification for 2022 , ditching some of its more nostalgia - drive design details and delivering improvements to the photographic camera , battery and C.P.U. .
There ’s still no wireless charging and the camera has a few drawback when it comes to the ultra - wide lens and its zoom capabilities . The IP rating is also quite low , meaning this headphone might not be as waterproof as you ’re used to . However , I would n’t permit these drawbacks stop you from conceive the Razr .
However , with the release of the Razr 40 Ultra in 2023 , the Razr ( 2022 ) is n’t quite as tempting as it was at release . The newer exemplar boasts a larger battery , improved gapless hinge mechanism and a big 3.6 - in cover version presentation , though it does be more at £ 1049 .
Then again , with the Razr ( 2022 ) now usable at around the same price as the standardRazr 40and its little Z Flip 4 - esque cover showing , it could be a near choice .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try every peregrine phone we review thoroughly . We employ industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the telephone set as our main equipment over the revue geological period . We ’ll always tell you what we incur and we never , ever , accept money to critique a product .
FAQs
The phone includes a 3500 mAh bombardment , along with support for 30W TurboPower charging .
The Razr has two rearward cameras ( 50 - megapixel and 13 - megapixel ) and one front camera ( 32 - megapixel ) .
The foldaway has two displays . The inner display has a 144Hz refresh rate , while the small outer video display is limited to 60Hz .
Test Data
Full Specs
Sustainability
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