Foldable phone fans are in for a treat this month. Samsung only just pulled back the curtain on the Galaxy Flip 4 – and now Motorola is back with a clamshell of its own. The 2022 Motorola Razr has been revealed in China as a proper top-tier device, with the latest Snapdragon silicon and a potent pair of rear cameras.
Just like the original reborn Razr and Razr 5G, this third-gen phone pairs a small outer display with a larger, folding internal one – only here Moto has ditched the ugly notch of its predecessors. The 2022 Razr has a 6.7in display that covers the entire inside of the handset, and it’s a bit of a peach on the specs front too. We’re talking 10bit colour, HDR10+ video playback and a whopping 144Hz refresh rate – that’s more than you’ll find on any other foldable. Moto reckons it has minimized how visible the screen crease is by using a hinge mechanism that folds the flexible OLED panel into a teardrop shape.
That hinge can hold the phone half-open, so you can use it as a tiny tripod for hands-free photos, or angled for watching videos without having to prop it up or buy a stand. Motorola is promising Dolby Atmos sound, too, so the built-in speakers should pack a punch.
On the outside, the 2.7in external display gets a handful of new widgets, which should mean you don’t have to flip the phone open quite as often as with the previous-gen model. It’s flanked by two cameras: a 50MP main snapper with optical image stabilization, and a 13MP ultrawide with autofocus – which Moto says is good for macro shooting as well as wide-angle pics. There’s also a punch-hole 32MP cam on the inside for selfies and video calling.
Power comes from a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU, paired with either 8 or 12GB of RAM and your choice of 128, 256 and 512GB of storage. That’s a big step up from the outgoing phone, which used a distinctly mid-rung processor. A 3500mAh battery is a welcome step up from the previous gen, which suffered with comparatively short lifetime away from the mains. Expect 33W wired charging.
The 2022 Razr will be hitting China, with prices starting from 5999 Yuan (around £750). Motorola has reportedly said it was designed for that market specifically, and won’t be heading elsewhere – we’ll have to see if the company changes its mind later this year. If it does eventually make it to the UK, Europe and USA, don’t expect that exchange rate to be quite so reasonable.
