The Motorola Razr revival has had a bumpy road, as the company skipped the US for the Razr 2022, but the Motorola Razr+ 2023 (Motorola Razr 40 Ultra in Europe) hopes to win over foldable phone skeptics with a new design and smarter software than previous versions.
The 3.6-inch front screen on the Razr+ is the largest yet on a foldable model, and you get a whopping 6.9-inch panel when the inner screen is fully open. I can tell during my tenure that Motorola has really focused on improving the user experience on foldable phones. Flex View mode makes it easy to do all sorts of things hands-free, and I love the Photo Booth mode, which is fun for taking pictures with friends and family.
The last-generation Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip isn’t quite as cutting-edge, and the improved 3,800mAh battery is still small compared to other flagships. But the Razr+ definitely has what it takes to make our list of the best foldable phones. Here are the pros and cons of the Razr+ based on my initial impressions.
Motorola Razr+ specs
Row 0 – cell 0 | Row 0 – cell 1 |
price | $999 |
Colors | Infinite Black, Ice Blue, Viva Magenta |
internal width | 6.9-inch OLED, FHD +, 165 Hz |
external display | 3.6-inch OLED, 144 Hz |
back camera | 12MP main (f/1.5), 13MP ultra-wide (f/2,2) |
front camera | 32MP (f/2.4) |
Slices | Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen1 |
ram | 8 GB |
storage | 256 GB |
battery | 3800 mAh |
Wired charging | 30 watts |
wireless charging | 5 watts |
Dimensions | 6.7 x 2.9 x 0.27 in (open), 3.48 x 2.9 x 0.59 in (closed) |
Weight | 6.63 oz |
Motorola Razr+ release date and price
Motorola Razr+ will be available for pre-order on June 16th and the release date is June 23rd. The Razr+ costs $999 and will be available through AT&T, T-Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, Google Fi Wireless, and Optimum Mobile, but not through Verizon.
You can also buy the Razr+ unlocked at Best Buy, Amazon, and Motorola.com.
Motorola Razr+ design
The Razr+ is about as compact as you’d expect, but I particularly like the lack of a gap when this clamshell is closed. The other good news is that there is no chin, so the top and bottom halves of the phone align. This device is also very slim, measuring just 0.59 inches thick when closed and 0.27 inches thick when open.
So what about durability? There’s Gorilla Glass on the front and back, and while the crease is still noticeable on the inner Ultra Thin Glass display, it’s not as distracting as the Google Pixel Fold. Just don’t expect to be overwhelmed or overwhelmed by this fold; The IP52 rating means it can handle a bit of rain or a quick splash of water. Overall, I found the Razr+ fluid to fold and reveal via the teardrop hinge, but this phone doesn’t seem to lie completely flat when opened.
You get three color options with the Razr+, including Infinite Black, Glacier Blue, and Viva Magenta, the latter being Pantone’s color of the year. The purple model also features a vegan leather back as opposed to the glass, which has a more attractive, sleek, and more elegant look. Just note that this color is exclusive to T-Mobile and Motorola.com.
The entire device weighs 6.63 ounces, which is much lighter than the 6.8-inch Galaxy S23 Ultra, although this flagship phone has more cameras.
Motorola Razr+ screens
The Motorola Razr+ has a 3.6-inch front-facing display, which has a refresh rate of 144Hz and gives you a decent amount of space to interact not only with gadgets but with full-fledged applications. Some are better than others. But I love that I can watch TikTok videos on the front panel, as well as get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
If you press and hold towards the bottom of the front screen, you can expand the app to take up the entire panel, including the area around the rear cameras. Doing so can block some content, but overall I didn’t find it awkward or distracting. This is definitely the most immersive experience on the flip side yet.
The 6.9-inch internal display is an FHD+ pOLED panel with a rated peak brightness of 1,400 nits and a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz. And this is a dynamic panel, so shrink back when you need it to save battery life. During my time with it, I found the pad to be a bit long for comfortable one-handed use, but I’ll need to spend more time testing it out.
Motorola Razr + Flex View, modes and programs
If you’re like many people you’re probably saying to yourself, “It’s nice that the Razr+ can fold in half, but what else can it do?” In fact, there’s quite a lot, as Motorola has added a lot of useful software features to help get the most out of both screens.
With the front screen, you can create custom boards and swipe sideways to view them. Options include News, Weather, Contacts, Spotify, and more. And you can choose from several live wallpaper designs and clock styles to customize this device. You can also play games on the external screen, such as Marble Mayhem, which allows you to guide a ball through a maze just by tilting the phone.
With Motorola’s Flex View Mode (similar to Flex Mode on the Galaxy Z Flip 4), you can place the phone face down on a desk or anywhere half-folded to take hands-free photos, watch workouts or video recipes, or make video calls. Flex View also allows you to activate the fun Photo booth mode, which takes four photos with a small delay between each photo.
Another advantage of the Razr+ is the fact that you can quickly resume what you were doing on the big screen on the smaller screen. With Continuity, for example, you can continue to get turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps with the main panel closed. And you can decide in the settings which apps you want to keep running on the external screen versus which you want to close when you turn off the phone.
Motorola Razr + cameras
Motorola Razr+ offers dual rear cameras along with a selfie shooter on the main screen. The main camera is a 12MP sensor with f/1.5 aperture and there is a 13MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2) that can also take macro shots. What is missing? Optical zoom, which is fairly standard for phones priced $999 and up. But that’s just one of the tradeoffs of owning a foldable phone.
Last but not least is a 32MP selfie camera with support for automatic smile capture, as well as dual capture via the front and rear lenses. The main camera can record video up to 4K at 60fps and the ultra-wide camera at 30fps. I took a couple of test photos, including a selfie, and the results looked fairly colorful outdoors with plenty of ambient light. The pic was a bit soft in terms of focus.
The Razr+ has plenty of camera features that allow you to take advantage of its foldable design. You can take quick selfies using the external screen to frame shots, as well as let friends and family see themselves through the front screen while looking at the larger screen. Additionally, you can shoot in Flex View mode, with the controls at the bottom of the main screen and the viewfinder up.
If you’re on an older tech, you can fold the screen in half and hold the Razr+ like you would an old camcorder, which I’m sure will be all the rage on TikTok. In this mode, the controls are next to your thumb. Video features include Night Vision for brighter footage and Horizon Lock for steadier clips.
Motorola Razr+ performance
I don’t think most people will notice a huge gap in performance on a day-to-day basis against the best phones, but it’s still a bummer that the Razr+ is powered by a year-old Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip. Other flagships use the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, such as the Galaxy S23 series.
However, the Razr+ packs a fairly solid 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of storage, and I didn’t notice any lag when switching between multiple apps and different usage patterns. I’ll be curious to see how well this phone handles demanding games though once we get it in for review.
Motorola Razr+ battery and charging
The good news is that the Motorola Razr+ offers a larger battery than its predecessor with a 3,800mAh battery versus the Razer 2022’s 3,500mAh. The bad news is that this is still less than the Galaxy S23 (3,900mAh) and is far behind the Galaxy S23. S23 Plus (4700 mAh). So I’m a little concerned that this foldable phone won’t have a lot of power.
We’ll be testing the Razr+ on our web browsing battery test to see if it can earn a spot on our best phone battery list, but I’m not optimistic.
At least it won’t take that long to charge the Razr+. It offers 30W TurboPower charging (though you’ll have to supply your own charger), as well as 5W wireless charging. This is slower than the 15W wireless charging available on the Galaxy S23 series.
Motorola Razr+ vs Motorola Razr 2023
Motorola has another foldable phone coming out later this year called the Razr 2023, and it is expected to be priced significantly lower than the Razr Plus+. So what are the trade-offs between Motorola Razr+ and Motorola Razr (2023)? The regular Razr has a much smaller screen at 1.5 inches versus the Razr+’s 3.6 inches, so the former will be better for getting quick information like notifications rather than launching full apps.
The Razr 2023 also has a 64MP main camera (on paper), but it’s not as good in low light as the Razr+’s 12MP camera. The less expensive Razr has a larger battery though at 4,200mAh versus 3,800mAh, due to it having a smaller front screen. Finally, the Razer 2023 has a less powerful first-generation Snapdragon 7 chip and 128GB of less storage.
Motorola Razr + Outlook
The Razr+ makes a pretty strong statement in the foldable phone space that really needs more competition for Samsung’s absolute dominance. The front screen is a real draw, and Motorola has done a great job with the software to make sure the foldable experience is fun without being overly complicated.
Of course, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 is rumored to be launched this summer, so Motorola will have a tough competition in the battle. But for now, I’m pretty impressed with the Motorola Razr+’s design, multiple modes and (most) of its specs. Stay tuned for our full review of the Razr+.