Samsung, Huawei and Xiaomi have all jumped on the folding display bandwagon, with somewhat regular looking smartphones, sans the thickness, which could further unfold into 1:1 full size tablets. The Galaxy Fold is perhaps the only one of these concepts that has made its way into a retail form after ironing out all the early hiccups. It is, without a doubt, the future of the smartphone and tablet industry with a small and restrictively functional display for calls and glancing at notifications and a full tablet experience once you unfold it.
Motorola, however, has taken a completely different approach to the foldable display technology. While it was many, many moons ago, the original Motorola Razr is undoubtedly the most iconic product that ever came out from the company. Banking on that brand, the new Motorola Razr is a classic, old-school flip phone with a clamshell design that you can unfold to get a regular sized smartphone. There is a tiny display which can be used to preview notifications or look at the time when the phone is folded.
Of course, Motorola being Motorola, has provided some deal breakers to complete the package. For once, it costs $1500, which is dangerously expensive, even for a cool concept phone. Further, it is going to be a Verizon exclusive. Oh, and the camera is the same as the 2018 OnePlus 6, which was pretty average back then and definitely not in the league of 2019 flagships. Apart from this, to ensure that the Moto Razr is sleek and slim, Motorola had to compromise with a laughably smaller 2510 mAh battery and the mid tier Snapdragon 710.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxSTFbL9ziw
Should you buy the Moto Razr? No. I cannot think of a single use case where I could recommend the Moto Razr as someone’s daily driver. Perhaps, if money is not an object to you and you like playing with cool gadgets but even then, think before putting down that kind of money.
Where the Moto Razr does shine though, is the exciting new avenues it has opened up for the foldable display. The number of people who want a tablet on the go is far lesser than those who want a more pocketable, compact smartphone. With a phone like the Moto Razr, users can get a smartphone which is easy to carry, without having to compromise with a small display. In my view, this is a more practical and mature use of the foldable display technology. I cannot wait for other players to jump on it.
