The Motorola Razr+ may be the phone that finally convinces you to buy a foldable device. Seriously, I’ve spent some hands-on time reimagining the iconic Razr and it’s impressive in so many ways. The Razr+ gives you a pocket-friendly design and a massive 6.9-inch screen when you need it. Even better, the front screen is the largest yet on a foldable phone.
Motorola has also upped the ante when it comes to design, specifications, and especially software. But at $999, the new Razr+ isn’t for everyone. If you’re curious about this new clamshell phone and whether it’s the best foldable phone for you, here are 5 reasons to buy and 3 reasons to skip the Motorola Razr+.
Reasons to buy Motorola Razr+
The largest display on the flip cover
At 3.6 inches, the Motorola Razr+’s cover screen is the largest on any foldable phone. For context, the Galaxy Z Flip 4 tops out at 1.9 inches, though the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is supposed to have a larger panel when it arrives later this year.
Yes, you can quickly access things like notifications, weather, and play Spotify music on the Razr+’s external display, but you can also launch full apps like Google Maps and get turn-by-turn directions. And you can scroll through TikTok and play videos without opening the home screen.
The Razr+ also lets you occupy the entire front panel (including the area around the cameras) with a long press for a truly immersive experience, though some apps look better than others when you do this. Motorola also deserves credit for curating and improving many of the games that work well on the cover plate.
Ultra-compact design (and chin is gone)
Raise your hand if you’re tired of lugging a brick in your pocket just to have a big screen. With the Razr+, you get a giant 6.9-inch 165Hz display when fully open, but a compact device that slips into your pocket when closed. We’re talking just 3.48 x 2.9 x 0.59 inches when fully folded, and the Razr+ weighs in at 6.6 ounces.
Another advantage of the Razr+ is that there are no gaps when the clamshell is closed, so there’s less chance of debris or lint getting stuck inside. Motorola also got rid of the chin at the bottom of the design so that the top and bottom halves of the device align.
If you’re looking to stand out in a crowd, go for the T-Mobile-exclusive Viva Magenta color, which also features a vegan leather back. But the Infinite Black and Glacier Blue options with Gorilla Glass Victus backing also look great.
Great flexibility in the camera
One of the main benefits of the Razr+’s design is that you can take advantage of its flexibility when taking photos. For example, you can place the phone on a table or shelf and take a picture from across the room — no tripod required. Having trouble making some friends or family smile? You’re almost guaranteed to have better luck letting your subjects see themselves through the front screen while shooting.
Other great photo features include Photo Booth, which takes a series of four shots three seconds apart, which is good for spontaneous fun. And if you remember what camcorders are for, you’ll be able to use the Razr+ to record video with the front half folded as a viewfinder and the controls on the other half of the screen.
The overall camera quality should be pretty solid too, as you get a 12MP main sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide camera that doubles as a macro camera, and a 32MP front-facing camera.
Continuity of the application correctly
You may be wondering what happens when you use an app on the Razr+’s home screen and then turn off the phone. Does it continue on the front screen or does it turn off? In fact, you decide.
By default, the Razr+ will pop up a small dialog on the front screen asking if you want to continue using the app, but you can also dive into the settings and set up your personal preferences via the app. So maybe you want to close the Phone app when you hang up and hang up the phone, but you want Google Maps to persist.
Huge home screen with a high refresh rate
The Razr+ packs one of the largest screens on any phone at 6.9 inches, which is larger than the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch screen and the 6.8-inch panel on the Galaxy S23 Ultra. So you’ll have plenty of space to surf the web, watch videos, play games, and more. And since this screen has a dynamic refresh rate of 165Hz, you will be able to enjoy smooth scrolling and overall performance.
Reasons to skip the Motorola Razr+
last generation processor
The Razr+ is powered by the older Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, which started appearing on phones in December 2021 and were the brains behind the Samsung Galaxy S22 series in 2022. Here we are in 2023 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the fastest chip for the best Android phones.
With 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the rest of the Razr+’s key specs should be a fairly responsive phone. But I worry about the gaming demand as well as how efficient this chip is in terms of power savings.
Battery capacity is still low
Motorola’s Razr+ doesn’t have a large battery. It has a capacity of 3,800mAh, improving on the 3,500mAh capacity on the previous Razr but falling behind the regular Galaxy S23’s 3,900mAh pack. And the larger Galaxy S23 Plus (4,700 mAh) is in a league of its own. Both of these Samsung phones did well in our battery test, but of course they had the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to help with power management.
We’ll have to see if the Razr+ can hang with the devices that earn a spot on our best phone battery life list, but I’m not getting my hopes up. However, if the Razr+’s more versatile external display lives up to the hype, you might not need to use the power-hungry main screen as often.
Not completely waterproof
If you haven’t heard of the IP52 protection rating that the Razr+ is certified for, you’re probably not alone. This means that the folding can only withstand splashes of water and cannot be submerged. IP68 protection is typical of the best phones, especially in the $999 range, so this is definitely a trade-off.
Motorola Razr + Outlook
We still need to test the Motorola Razr+ — especially the cameras — to see if it’s worth the $999, but based on what I’ve seen so far, this foldable phone should be a formidable competitor to the likes of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. And honestly, it’s great to see Samsung get real competition for foldable phones in the US
Stay tuned for our final Razr+ review, but in the meantime check out our hands-on Razr Plus review for more details on this entry-level foldable phone.
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