- [Michael] The year is 2004,
Facebook is launched at Harvard University.
Across town, the Boston Red Sox win the World Series
for the first time since 1918.
Meanwhile I'm down in Virginia driving what Cake?
♪ A white Chrysler La Baron ♪
(record scratching)
- [Michael] Also in 2004, Motorola releases a cell phone,
it's harder to use, less comfortable to hold,
and more expensive than almost any that came before it.
Yet the Razr V3 becomes
the best selling clamshell of all time.
Because no one has ever seen anything quite like it.
Flash forward 16 years and it's surprising
just how much the new Motorola Razr has in common
with it's progenitor.
The aggressive lines, the pronounced chin,
the single carrier exclusivity,
there's even a retro mode that emulates the original.
- [Phone Voice] Hello moto.
- [Michael] The trouble is it's still
not a very good phone.
But the question is whether that will matter
to the target audience.
(driven tech music)
Like it's forerunner, the Razr of 2020
is all about the look.
Instead of a metallic keyboard
and tiny plastic screen though,
the chassis now supports a full sized display
that deploys to 6.2 inches.
And, well, it's still made of plastic,
we'll come back to that.
But this means that when it's open
it's a little narrower, a little taller
than what you're probably used to,
otherwise the Razr feels like most Android phones.
That includes performance, for years
I've been pushing people to look beyond the spec sheet
and judge a device on its whole package.
But I guarantee you right now
there are comments down below from people talking about
how two-year-old processor is a deal breaker
'cause you shouldn't pay that much for old Silicon.
Well, I've been using the Razr for eight days
and I've never felt like I was waiting on it.
I've never wished it was even a little bit faster,
and look, I'm a nerd.
For the type of customer the Razr is aimed at,
the opposite of a nerd,
the processors matters about as much as
the bubble wrap the box comes in.
As for design, this chin down at the bottom
may be divisive, but it makes talking on the phone
feel somehow more natural.
And it offers a convenient platform for the single speaker,
antenna array, and the finger print sensor.
The finger print sensor is very good,
it's quick and reliable.
That single speaker, eh, it could be louder.
Where the Razr stands out besides nostalgia
is in how small it can become.
Fold the flip down
and the display curls into the hinge
until it's fully enclosed within the steel frame.
And just like that, the phone is literally half the size.
It fits in chest pockets, sleeve pockets,
even those little backpack compartments
I use for business cards.
And what's nice about the Razr in particular is
you can still make a lot of use out of it
when it's closed.
Moto display, just as handy today
as when it was released in 2013.
It lets you read and respond to messages,
control your music, talk to Google Assistant.
While the Moto gestures jump you into the flashlight
with a chop, or the camera with a twist.
And the Razr's problems begin there,
rather, where it follows the formula
of its forebear too closely.
The 2004 model had a terrible camera,
even for its time, and um, so does this one.
Slow to focus, drab color science,
just a single focal length.
Folks I'd take you through a whole roll of samples
like usual but the simple fact is
the camera is so lack luster
that I preferred not to used it for the past week.
There are special features like spot color
and cinemagraph that are genuinely cool
but with fundamentals this poor, they just don't matter.
And speaking of fundamentals,
in 2020 shipping the old Android 9 on a phone
is not a great look for any manufacturer.
Especially one with a spotty history of software updates.
The compromises continue,
the battery is small by modern standards
and while I didn't have as much trouble
making it to the end of the day
as some of my fellow reviewers,
I was still always scrapping single digits by bedtime.
Motorola also wasn't able to find space
for things like wireless charging
and it even replicated the old Razr's terrible side keys.
Which are too small to feel out and will frustrate you
pretty much everyday.
Lastly, there's that big durability question.
Now look, some of this worry is overblown,
yes, you could stick a fingernail beneath the display
while you're closing the phone
and rip it off if you wanted to.
Or some dust could fly in there
if you're opening it in a sandstorm.
But I don't think those are credible concerns.
You only spend a second opening or closing the thing
and when it's shut, that display is pretty well protected.
That's part of what made clamshells so popular
the first time around in the early ons.
What worries me are the issues
Android Central's Nirave Gondhia
and Engadget's Chris Valezco raised
about the screen lifting or flexing in spots.
Or Mashable's Brenda Stolyar calling out this truly
awful squeaky screen door sound from her Razr's hinge.
- [Brenda] Oh!
- [Camera Man] Let's do that again.
Just prove it.
- [Brenda] Oh my God, that's the display!
- [Camera Man] Oh, that's bad.
- [Michael] And of course, now failure is so dramatic
as Input's Raymond Wong's
review devise display delaminating.
Now my review devise has none of these problems
with the exception of a slightly noisy hinge
but there's no denying that Motorola
has some quality control issues here.
To say nothing of actually shipping devices
to customers on time.
Ultimately, the Razr's greatest challenge
is that it's no longer alone.
When it was announced it was
the only clamshell folding phone,
an entirely different take on the category
than the Samsung Galaxy Fold
and that gave it real power.
Just like back in 2005, Samsung is right on Motorola's heals
with a Razr competitor.
I filmed a video comparing the two,
please subscribe to the Mr. Mobil on YouTube
if you missed it.
But the upshot is that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
is more fully featured, more future proof,
better in almost every respect than the Motorola Razr.
And as if that weren't enough, it's cheaper
and available on more carriers, too.
So, should you spend $1500
and possible switch to exclusive carrier Verizon
for your chance to bata test a Razr.
I'm obligated to say probably not.
As I've told everyone who's ogled my Galaxy Fold in public,
foldables are a great idea
and personally, I love them.
I'm in it with both feet
because I love being on the bleed edge
and it's part of my job.
But you should probably wait for the next version
before you spend your own money on it.
The problem for Motorola is that,
and I think most people will feel like that next version
is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.
And unless you were old enough to be around
for the first Razr and you really crave
that icon in your pocket once again,
it's just a tough sell
given all you have to put up with in exchange.
This review was made possible by a Razr review sample
provided by Motorola.
But Mr. Mobile does not produce paid reviews,
Motorola didn't receive an early preview of this video,
nor was it granted copy approval.
The company is seeing it for the first time
right along side you.
Please subscribe to the Mr. Mobile on YouTube
so you don't miss my forthcoming review
on the Galaxy Z Flip
and of course, every foldable phone coming in 2020.
Until next time, thanks for watching
and stay mobile my friends.