- The only thing better than bringing back a classic
is getting a second chance to do it even better.
A little over a year ago,
Motorola reinvented its legendary Razr clamshell
as a bleeding edge foldable smartphone.
But as a first generation foldable, it carried compromises:
high price, carrier exclusivity,
and doubts about dependability.
All it took was some stiff Samsung competition
to render that first Razr reboot an also-ran,
an indignity that Motorola is today able to address.
I'm MrMobile, and this is your first look
at the new Motorola Razr, the Razr 5G.
(upbeat electronic music)
Okay, confession time.
You remember how mere moments after laying hands
on the first Motorola Razr revival last year,
I told you I was buying one?
Well I didn't, because I couldn't justify switching
to exclusive launch carrier Verizon.
And that's one of the first problems the new Razr solves.
Yep, no matter which corner of the box you look at,
you won't find a carrier logo,
because the new Razr is available unlocked
in over 35 markets,
with an actual physical SIM tray this time around,
instead of an eSIM.
Serial SIM swappers, rejoice.
Moving up and around the corner from that addition,
we find a subtraction.
See, in order to streamline the Razr's distinctive chin,
the fingerprint sensor has been moved to the back,
where it's been cleverly combined
with the cutout for the Motorola logo.
It's lower on the body than on most phones,
so the new ergonomics take a little getting used to,
but you can now use it as a notification shade shortcut.
Speaking of ergonomics, man,
this thing is a treat to hold.
It's thicker, wider, and slightly shorter
than last year's model,
with a more rounded flip on its top half
and a new back plate on its bottom,
both made of Gorilla Glass 5.
I'm not crazy about the switch from plastic
when it comes to my polished graphite review sample here,
which slips and slides on soft surfaces
much more readily than the old Razr did.
And as you can see, I've already got a scratch or two
on it after just a few days.
But the two other available colorways swap the glossy finish
for a satin one, and with one of them,
Motorola finally brings back the metallic silver color
of the original 2004 era Razr.
That company calls it Liquid Mercury,
but might as well be called Michael Fisher kryptonite.
Inside, familiar components have been tuned up.
It's the same pOLED display, ensconced teardrop style
within a similar stainless steel hinge,
but the display is now stretched more tightly
across the metal supports underneath,
and the hinge now has fewer moving parts.
Motorola tells me that's meant to cut down
on the potential for the kind of noises
that caused such concern on last year's review devices.
And at first listen, it is substantially quieter
than the Razr 2019 review sample I've carried since March.
Motorola says this new hinge should be good
for 200,000 flips,
or about five years if you flip it 100 times a day.
I'll talk more about how I plan
to evaluate that claim in my full review.
(light electronic music)
On the software side,
the Razr 5G builds on the improvements
that came with the Android 10 update,
which were focused on letting you do things
like send messages from the external display
on the earlier Razr.
That display continues to be the Razr's biggest advantage
against Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip,
and the Razr 5G takes it a step further
by letting you do (chuckles) almost anything out here,
including opening almost any app you want.
Now, why would you want to subject yourself
to this comically compact calendar, say?
Well, battery life.
The more functionality of the phone can offer
on the smaller, easier to power cover display,
the longer the phone will last.
Endurance should also be helped by an 11% boost
in power pack capacity over last year,
and a much newer processor, as well.
That Snapdragon 765G underpins a host of upgrades
across the spec sheet, from doubled storage,
to two more gigs of RAM,
to an all new optically stabilized camera,
to a foursome of low band 5G antennas,
split between the flip's edge and the chin.
Now, as you know, I'm not big on specs.
Too much ink was spilled fretting
about the older silicon under the hood of last year's Razr,
which continues to run just fine.
But I'd be lying if I said
I couldn't tell a difference between these two.
In the time I've had with the new model,
every interaction has been smoother, quicker,
and really, just as fast as you'd expect
from any 2020 flagship.
Remember, this is basically the same spec sheet
as what powers the OnePlus Nord.
I don't mind the lack of a high refresh rate display.
At this point, clamshell foldables don't need
any more battery drains than absolutely necessary,
but I am sad to see that Motorola couldn't find room
for a wireless charging coil in here,
or any kind of charging faster than 15 watts.
For 2020, that's pretty slow.
I'm testing the new Razr over the next few days,
and my review will devote a lot of time
to the camera and battery life,
both of which came up short on the 2019 model.
But when you look at these hardware improvements
and you take them together
with the end of Verizon exclusivity and a new price point
that undercuts the Galaxy Z Flip 5G,
well, that's just the kind
of combination Motorola really needed
to close the gap with the competition,
and reinvigorate a foldable segment that,
for a while there, was starting to look
like it belonged entirely to Samsung.
The new Motorola Razr goes on sale
at Best Buy, B&H, Amazon, Motorola.com,
AT&T, and T-Mobile this fall,
and my full review is coming soon.
Subscribe to the MrMobile on YouTube
so you don't miss that video.
And if you're wondering how these foldables
have held up over time,
check out the two most recent episodes
of my series "Into the Fold" to find the answer.
This video features a review sample provided by Motorola,
but MrMobile works for you, not the manufacturers.
That means Motorola provided no compensation
and was given no opportunity to approve the copy,
or even have an early look at this video.
They're seeing it for the first time right alongside you.
Until next time, thanks for watching,
and remember, we're still in a pandemic,
so stay safe, and mask up
while you stay mobile, my friends.