Motorola Moto Razr

The 2019 version of the Razr is called Motorola Razr. It features a flexible (but fully developed) OLED HD+ screen that folds in half to impart the clamshell vibe. To add to that, Motorola has also added a secondary screen on the front of the phone – the Quick View external display that allows you to see and access notifications and take selfies. It runs on stock Android 9 Pie and is powered by an octa-core (2.2 GHz, dual-core, Kryo 360 + 1.7 GHz, hexa-core, Kryo 360) Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor. It has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. 

The new Motorola Razr features a 6.2-inch P-OLED display having a resolution of 876 x 2142 pixels and a pixel density of 373 PPI. It has an aspect ratio of 21:9 and a 70.29 % screen-to-body ratio. While you get a 5MP selfie camera, there’s a 16MP camera at the back. It has a 2510mAh battery (relatively small for a big phone of this size). Sensors on the phone include a Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, and Gyroscope. The Fingerprint scanner rests on the front in the bottom chin.

In India, the price of the Motorola Razr is Rs. 108,290. It comes in one color – Noir Black.

The Motorola Razr, when fully opened, looks only a tad bigger than the iPhone 11. So, if you think you will get a more expansive screen space due to the folded size, you are wrong. This is where the Samsung Galaxy Fold has an advantage because it can open out into a full-bloomed tablet. However, the small size of the Motorola Razr also ensures that you can easily fit it within your palms as well as in small pockets and purses (just like the OG Motorola Razr of the yore!). 

The Motorola Razr retains a great deal of its predecessor’s design – from the flip-flat hinge to the chunky bottom chin. However, flipping the phone open is no longer as smooth as it was in the earlier version – the new Razr is denser, wider, and harder to flip open one-handed. Just like the Galaxy Fold’s belabored hinge, the Razr’s central flip mechanism is a masterpiece of craftsmanship that facilitates smooth and creaseless flipping, over and over again. When folded, the phone fits snugly in your palm. You can see the textured metal back and glass cover on the front. Under the Quick View display lies the rear camera that becomes the front camera when closed. Since the rear panel is made of metal, there’s no wireless charging. 

The 6.2-inch FlexView display is 14mm thin, making an almost-even square that can double in length while cutting half in thickness when popped open. What might be concerning is that the display opens up slightly above the centerline. However, it’s hardly visible. The great thing is that the phone is splash-proof – it has a water-resistant nano-coating. At the bottom, you have the iconic Razr chin that houses the antennas, speakers, a USB-C port, and a forward-facing Fingerprint sensor. The phone has no support for facial unlocking. Unfortunately, there’s also no slot for expandable storage or SIM cards, nor a 3.5mm headphone jack. The volume rockers and power button rest on the right side of the frame.

The Razr 2019’s display is an elongated 21:9 ratio P-OLED HD+ screen. While it is tall and wide as the Sony Experia 1, it is not sharp and crisp. This is not something that promises a pleasant and enjoyable viewing experience. The ‘CinemaVision’ aspect ratio lets you watch content in the wider format. For this price, you’d at least expect the display to be sharp and vivid. While the foldable screen has a noticeable hinge beneath, you can hardly feel it when viewing content on the interior display. 

As for the front Quick View screen, it is quite similar to the earlier version of Razr. The only difference in that the new Razr gets a 2.7-inch 800 x 600 display instead of the dated 96 x 80 digital color LCD. So, it is much better than the old Razr and also makes clicking selfies fun – you can tap the screen, or hit the volume button, or turn on “smile for shutter” to take a selfie.

If you are looking for the nostalgic dial-pad feeling, there’s a Retro Razr mode in settings that can recreate the interface of the original Razr. So, you get a keyboard with numbers for dialing. You can even compose SMS on the keyboard. 

Motorola chose to go with the Snapdragon 710 chipset rather than the latest and best-in-class 855 SoC. This ‘compromise’ or choice is primarily due to the phone’s design. Motorola maintains that it chose a 700-series Snapdragon processor to achieve this “all-day” battery while retaining the thin profile. The bigger and more powerful the chipset, the higher would be its strain on the battery. Also, it would definitely generate more heat. 

Although the phone can handle routine tasks like calling, texting, streaming music/videos, browsing, etc., quite well, it is not a gaming phone. While it may be able to run standard mobile games, it cannot deliver a stellar performance for heavy-duty and graphics-intensive games like PUBG. So, that is a big bummer.

First, let’s get one thing straight – if you are buying the new Motorola Razr, you aren’t buying it for the camera. It is not the phone’s strongest suit.

The Razr 2019 has two cameras – a 16MP (f/1.7) shooter that can double as a selfie camera in the clam mode, and a 5MP front-facing camera embedded in the notch at the top of the screen. You also get a ToF camera adjacent to the primary shooter for depth perception. The camera app has all the standard features present in other Motorola devices. 

While the daylight shots captured by the primary camera are decent, the low-light photography is disappointing. In well-lit settings, the camera can capture the right amount of detail with decent color reproduction. However, the photos will hardly be social-media worthy. As for the 5MP selfie cam, it feels like the odd one out in a high-end phone like this. The images aren’t vivid or punchy. They lack detail.

Although Motorola claims that it has designed the new Razr to deliver “all day” battery, it is highly doubtful how a 2,510mAh capacity battery can suffice for an entire day’s power needs. Perhaps the phone’s biggest drawback is its battery that will not even stand half a day for intensive usage – video streaming, binge-watching, bowsing, listening to songs, etc. Such activities will drain the limited battery capacity in no time. Thanks to the 15w fast charging and the TurboPower charger, you can charge your phone quickly. 

Connectivity options on the phone include Wi-Fi 802.11, ac/b/g/n/n 5GHz, Mobile Hotspot, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, FM Radio, GPS with A-GPS and GLONASS. 

The Motorola Razr 2019 isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If you are someone who desires a powerful phone with a top-notch processor, great cameras, and a long battery life, the new Razr isn’t your match. Given the price point, the new Razr seems to be a suitable option only for those who are longing to revisit the nostalgia of the old-school Moto Razr. Apparently, looks are the only thing this phone’s got!