- It was the Battlestar Galactica reboot
which taught us that all of this has happened before
and all of it will happen again.
See, when Motorola released its first ultra-thin Razr,
the V3, in 2004,
Samsung was hot on its heels the very next year
with its super-slim competition, the A900,
a phone that didn't have nearly as much brand cache
but made up for it with better specs
and better user experience.
Well, Motorola closed out last year by resurrecting the Razr
with a new folding screen model for 2019
and now Samsung has answered again with the Galaxy Z Flip.
I'm MrMobile and I've spent 24 hours flipping these
in the real world.
Let's see which is the folding phone for you.
(upbeat dance music)
All right, let's just come out and say it.
If you're buying based on specs,
your money should go to Samsung.
The Galaxy Z Flip has a newer processor,
more RAM and storage, more versatile cameras,
and a bigger battery,
with wireless charging and wireless power share.
Samsung also uses ultra-thin glass,
instead of plastic, for its display cover
and the display itself is higher resolution.
Somehow, Samsung packs all this into a package
that weighs in at 22 grams less than the Motorola phone.
While we're at it, let's call out pricing, shall we?
The Z Flip is also the cheaper phone by over $100.
Now, given that shower of Samsung supremacy,
it's easy to understand why a lot of people say the Z Flip
is the communicator to beat in this contest,
but there are a few areas where Motorola takes the cake.
To start with, let's talk about these external displays.
Samsung's is roughly the size
of my two pinky nails put together.
It's enough to give you caller ID, bare bones notifications,
and a comically tiny viewfinder for selfies,
but about the best you can say for it
is that it's better than nothing.
Now comparatively, the Razr's external display seems huge.
It's big enough to serve as a viewfinder
that's actually useful and when you're not shooting selfies,
you can triage messages or control audio
or talk to Google Assistant.
Those shortcuts, plus the gestures that open the camera
and flashlight, are all part of the Moto Suite,
the most useful third-party interface on Android.
All this stuff goes a ways toward making up for the fact
that the Razr is running a full generation
of Android behind.
Though, if we're being honest,
that still sucks.
Z Flip has also gotten a lot of credit
for better build quality than the Razr.
For one thing, the hinge isn't squeaky
and creaky like Motorola's.
And I'm sure the Samsung's ultra-thin glass
will wear better over time than the Razr's softer plastic.
But the Z Flip also inherits the most irritating thing
about the Galaxy Fold, this pronounced crease
down the center line.
You can't always see it but you do feel it
every time you move your thumb across it.
The Razr's screen, reinforced underneath by metal plates,
doesn't have quite the same gutter.
Also, Motorola coated the Razr's entire interior
in a water-resistant nano coating
so if moisture gets in, it has less chance of doing damage
to the Motorola phone than the Samsung one.
Samsung, perhaps remembering the Galaxy Fold
initial launch fiasco, opted to focus
on avoiding dust intrusion with these nylon brushes instead.
By the way, full review videos on both of these phones
are coming soon.
Be sure to subscribe to TheMrMobile on YouTube
so you don't miss it.
My last pro-Moto argument is halfway subjective,
so you may disagree here and that's okay.
I just feel the Razr's industrial design is more intentional
than Samsung's kind of generic-looking box.
And it has practical benefits, too.
Because the Razr is textured differently on front and back,
you can feel which side is which right in your pocket.
The Z Flip is so symmetrical
that I routinely pull it out of my pocket
upside down or backwards.
Also, the Razr's plastic back anchors it firmly to a table,
while the Z Flip's glass means it usually slithers
toward the edge.
But despite all that,
folks, there's just no getting around it.
The Z Flip comes back with more than enough advantages
to put it over the top.
Just take a look at these camera samples
from my Chelsea wanderings
with my Android Central and Pocketnow friends today.
I had two big surprises.
I didn't know you could currywurst in New York City
and I didn't realize how far behind Samsung
Motorola still was in image processing,
at least on this hardware.
Factor in Samsung's superior night mode performance
and the ultra-wide options the Z Flip gives you
and, guys, there's just no contest.
The Z Flip owns the Razr.
Then there's the way the Z Flip makes a practical advantage
out of its folding nature.
Open it to 90 degrees and an app like Gallery or Google Duo,
not only will the Flip stay locked there,
but the UI splits the screens,
so you get controls on the bottom and a viewer up top.
Now, that ridged hinge makes the Z Flip harder to open,
like a Starfleet Communicator, than the Razr,
but the trade off is absolutely worth it.
And finally, the battery size does make a difference.
While I only had 24 hours with the Z Flip review sample,
I used the two phones side by side
and did the exact same things on them for most of that day
and the Z Flip maintained an average
of about a 10% advantage over the Razr
throughout the test period,
which probably means the Samsung will outlast the Moto
by about an hour.
But follow me @theMrMobile on Twitter
and I'll report the ultimate dying time of each of these
at the end of the shooting day.
As you know, I don't like declaring winners and losers
in my comparisons.
Look, the Razr will still be a better fit
for those who are on the same nostalgia train as me.
- [Phone Speaker] Hello, Moto.
- [Fisher] Or those who find value
in its more aggressive design, its almost-creaseless screen,
and its very usable external display.
But the Razr is exclusive to Verizon,
while you can get the Z Flip at Sprint, AT&T, or unlocked.
And anyway, most folks will be better served
by the more future-proof spec sheet
and the more mature feature set of the Galaxy Z Flip.
Unlike in 2006, it's Samsung that has the brand cache,
wider availability, and the sheer inertia
to dominate the new flip phone conversation.
Personally, I'm still a fan of the Razr
but professionally, it's the Z Flip I'd recommend
to most people.
Folks, let me know which model you'd go for in the comments.
This comparison was made possible
by review samples provided by Samsung and Motorola
but MrMobile does not produce paid reviews.
Neither company was given copy approval
or advanced preview of this video
and they're seeing it for the first time,
right alongside you.
Please share this video and subscribe
to the channel on YouTube
if you'd like to see more videos like it.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile, my friends.