Motorola Razr (2020)


The Motorola Razr is an Android foldable smartphone produced by Motorola Mobility. Unveiled on November 14, 2019, it was released on February 6, 2020, The device is designed to be reminiscent of the original Motorola Razr feature phone series and features a horizontally foldable screen.

Specifications

The Razr is inspired heavily by the original feature phone line of the same name, and uses a clamshell design to conceal a 6.2-inch OLED display. The device's exterior features a secondary 2.7-inch "Quick View" display to access selected features when the device is closed. The screen is protected by a stainless-steel frame, is "scuff resistant", and has no visible crease at its folding point, with a fingerprint sensor located in the lower bezel. In response to concerns surrounding the Galaxy Fold, Motorola stated that it had "full confidence" in the durability of the phone's screen, that it would last the "average lifespan of a smartphone", and that they were "not going to go out there and say, consumers should be cautious of how they use the phone". It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 system-on-chip and Adreno 616 GPU, with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of non-expandable internal storage. It uses two batteries which have a total capacity of 2510 mAh, and fast charging is supported at up to 15W over USB-C. A single camera is present on the rear with a 16 MP lens, while the front-facing camera has a 5 MP lens and is housed within a notch at the top of the display. It only supports eSIM. Initially, it was only sold in Noir Black, but gained an additional Blush Gold finish in the spring of 2020.
The Razr shipped with Android 9.0 "Pie", and received an update for Android 10 in mid-May. The software has a "Retro Razr" mode easter egg which changes the home screen to a recreation of the menu screen and keypad of the original Razr series.

Reception

The Razr was met with mixed reviews at launch, with several reviewers making comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Common criticisms included the price, poor battery life and camera, sub-flagship level performance, Verizon exclusivity and bloatware, and an unrefined hinge and display, while praise went to the compact form factor, retro design and stock software. Patrick Holland of CNET gave the device a 7.5/10, praising the design, form factor and usability. Holland was impressed with the secondary Quick View display, but noted that the wide aspect ratio caused pillarboxing for apps and movies and that the user interface was not well optimized for one-handed use. Sascha Segan of PC Magazine gave the device a 2.5/5, additionally panning the device for weak wireless performance, concluding that "Motorola's gorgeous folding Razr doesn't deliver the performance you expect from a $1,500 phone". Julian Chokkattu of Wired gave the Razr a 4/10, stating that "Motorola's first foldable smartphone makes a good case for the return of the clamshell design, but the Razr is still stuck in the past". Dieter Bohn of The Verge gave the device a 4/10, stating that "if this phone didn't fold, I wouldn't recommend it at one-sixth of its current price". Adam Ismail of Tom's Guide likewise stated that “ myriad shortcomings — from its fragility, to its performance, to its camera and battery life — mean it's not worth the $1,500 plunge.”
iFixit gave the Razr a repairability score of 1/10, deeming it "the most complicated phone-based contraption we've ever taken apart".

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