The Motorola Razr Plus and Razr are back for 2024 with upgrades and fun features. The Chicago-based company (owned by Lenovo) announced new foldable phones on Tuesday with new colors, finishes, improved cameras, larger cover screens, Moto AI and Google Gemini. I got to see and use the new Motorola Razr Plus and Razr for about 30 minutes at a press event in Brooklyn, and what struck me was how much fun these new flip phones are.
I think that was the most important part of Motorola’s announcement: these Razrs are supposed to strike a balance between being fashionable, fun, and innovative. In a world of drab titanium-colored phones, blacks, and grays, every Razr comes in a rainbow of color options that are as fun to look at as they are to hold. The big news on this front is that the Razr Plus now comes in pink, which is a direct callback to the original Razr V3 flip phone from 2004 that came in pink – you know, the one Paris Hilton had!
But are trendy phones enough to entice customers to buy their first foldable phone? At a time when foldable phone shipments account for a share of all phones sold, what seems to have worked for Motorola is offering both a premium Razr Plus at $1,000 and a more affordable Razr at $700, like the The company did this last year. No other phone maker has taken this approach.
Motorola shipped 1,473% more Razrs in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to research data firm Counterpoint. It’s clear that something about Motorola’s strategy is working, even if it’s off a pretty low base. So it makes sense that the company continues this momentum by launching two new versions of the Razr at the same prices as last year, with major upgrades.
Whether Motorola has found the right mix of fun, fashion, and technology to entice people to take a chance on a foldable phone in 2024 remains to be seen. But I look forward to reviewing and testing both Razrs soon.
Look at this: First look: Motorola Razr and Razr Plus 2024 come with colorful upgrades
Design of the Motorola Razr and Razr Plus
The Razr and Razr Plus have many similarities. The phones forgo the glass back panels we’ve come to expect on other devices and have vegan leather backs similar to what we saw last year, but this time in a variety of faux leather textures and even a faux Sweden. In the little time I had with each phone, holding them was a joy. Both Razrs feel like they come with a sleek, cushy case built right into the phone. And the faux leather strip on the back of the two-tone midnight navy Razr Plus really caught my eye.
Motorola pushes this fashionable look and feel, but the design is also innovative. Both phones feature a new hinge that is 30% smaller than last year’s models. A smaller hinge has fewer moving parts, which should ensure long-term durability. The smaller hinge also means there are fewer places for dust to get in. What’s curious is that last year’s Razrs had a modest rating for water resistance, but were the only foldables to be rated for dust resistance.
The Razr and Razr Plus 2024 are rated IPX8 for water resistance, meaning they can survive submerged underwater for 30 minutes, putting them on par with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip. The “X” in the rating means there is no official dust classification this year.
Another benefit of the smaller hinge is that the screen crease is reduced. Oh, it’s still there, but it’s much less visible. I also noticed that the phone is easier to open and close than previous models.
The internal screen on both phones is brighter (up to 3,000 nits), which should be useful outdoors. The internal and cover screens of both phones now feature Motorola’s new water touch technology that allows the phone to respond to taps, touches and swipes even when used in the rain, as we found we saw on the OnePlus 12.
Motorola’s new Razr and Razr Plus look downright chic in vegan leather
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One area where the differences between the two phones start to show is in the refresh rate of the main 6.9-inch display. The Razr Plus’s internal screen has a refresh rate that peaks at 165Hz, while the standard Razr’s screen can go up to 120Hz, which is still impressive. In the half hour I used the phones, it was hard to see a noticeable change in refresh rates from phone to phone. But I know some gaming friends who will be delighted to benefit from the additional 45 Hz offered by the Razr Plus.
Perhaps the biggest changes on each phone are the cover screens. The Razr Plus has a new 4-inch cover screen. This is the same size as the cover screen of the Honor Magic V Flip launched in China earlier this month.
The standard Razr inherits the 3.6-inch screen from the Razr Plus 2023. At the briefing I attended, it’s hard to tell the difference between the two phones from the cover screen alone, but a Hint is that the standard Razr has a small strip of vegan leather on the top of the screen cover.
The software and interface of the cover screen have been updated. You can open any Android app there, and there are improved software panels that are easier to navigate, including a new “all panel view” that you trigger by pinching and swiping out.
Motorola Razr and Razr Plus cameras
The Motorola Razr and Razr Plus in cases with straps. Both phones have two external cameras integrated into the cover screen.
Both phones have two external cameras integrated into the cover screen. I really like how it looks, it’s very striking. Each phone’s main camera has a new, larger sensor with 50 megapixels and optical image stabilization. The standard Razr retains the same 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera from last year.
But the Razr Plus replaces last year’s ultrawide with a new 50-megapixel 2x telephoto camera. Motorola told me that the reasoning behind the change was that the company found that its users took more zoomed photos than ultra-wide photos. Personally, I like telephoto and ultra-wide lenses, and it would be difficult for me to choose one over the other. But I would probably prefer to have a telephoto lens.
Motorola Razr and Razr Plus battery and processor
To complement each device, the Razr Plus runs on a Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chip and has a 4,000mAh battery with support for 45-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, and 15-watt reverse wireless charging. 5 watts. In contrast, the standard Razr runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300x chip, has a 4,200mAh battery, and supports 30-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging. These numbers by themselves don’t mean much; we’ll see how long their battery life is during our testing.
Moto AI on the Razr Plus
Four different colors of the Motorola Razr Plus: (left to right) Spring Green, Midnight Blue, Hot Pink, and Peach Down.
It wouldn’t be a 2024 phone launch without a mention of AI. The Razr Plus runs Moto AI, which is done both on-device and in the cloud, and will offer camera features like enhanced portraits, autofocus in videos and long exposure images . I’m especially excited to try out the Razr Plus’s new cameras to see how and if the new hardware, Snapdragon chip, and Moto AI improve things.
There will also be features like “Pay Attention” where the Razr Plus will record and transcribe a conversation, on demand, and a feature called “Style Sync” which generates an original wallpaper for your phone that matches or complements the clothing that you are wearing. which sounds funny – that word again.
The Razr Plus will come with Google Gemini built-in and will be fully accessible through the cover screen if necessary. You’ll also get three free months of Gemini Advanced with the purchase of the Razr Plus.
Moto AI will not be available on older models and is limited to the Razr Plus. Motorola says more Moto AI features will be added in the coming months and years.
This is a good time to mention that the Motorola Razr and Razr Plus run Android 14 and the company is promising major software support for the operating system for three years and bi-weekly security updates for four years. This is a decent commitment from Motorola, but it falls a year short of Samsung’s four years of major Android software updates and five years of security updates on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
The Moto Tag is breathless
The Moto Tag is a Bluetooth tracker with ultra-wideband support that works with Android phones, not just Motorola devices.
Perhaps one of the most surprising things Motorola announced was the Moto Tag, which actually elicited an audible gasp from a handful of journalists during my briefing. It works on Google’s Find My Device network, supports ultra-wideband, and is compatible with all Android phones with Bluetooth.
The Moto Tag can be found with any paired Android phone, but it also has a built-in button that you press to locate your phone. The same button can be used as a remote shutter release to take a photo – again, another fun feature. The Moto Tag comes in two colors, green and blue, and will launch in the United States on August 2 for $30.
Motorola Razr and Razr Plus price and release
The Motorola Razr 2024 in Beach Sand (left), Spritz Orange (right) and a Razr Plus in Midnight Blue.
The new Motorola Razr Plus will be available for pre-order at T-Mobile, AT&T, Motorola’s website, Amazon and Best Buy on July 10 for $1,000. The standard Motorola Razr is also available for pre-order at T-Mobile on July 10 for $700, then will be available unlocked at Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola on July 24.
I have to hand it to Motorola: the company has certainly made a splash with what it’s added and improved on the Razr and Razr Plus. I look forward to testing each of them soon to see how these new additions and features actually work and whether Motorola was able to surpass last year’s excellent Motorola Razr Plus. But something tells me I’m going to have a lot of fun in the process.