The Motorola RAZR flip phone makes a comeback around 15 years later in the form of the Motorola razr. (Yes, it's all lowercase now.) And yes, it’ll be heading here. MobileSyrup reports that the phone will be coming to Canada in early 2020. There isn't a specific date, though. We'll keep you posted for any updates. For now, let’s talk about the device itself.
The form factor celebrates its predecessor in the most nostalgia-inducing way. It still looks pretty much like the old RAZR. You get a thick, curved chin that gets modernized with a fingerprint sensor and a USB-C charging port.
When you flip it open, there is a 6.2-inch foldable pOLED display, which has a 2,142 x 876 resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio. Motorola believes the screen will last the average lifespan of a smartphone. The company coated it with proprietary material to make it "scruff resistant." It's also been coated with a material to make it splash resistant. Not enough to let you take it for a swim, but enough for just, well, a splash.
The company is also very confident about the durability of the hinge. The folding mechanism uses two smaller hinges along with a series of sliding plates to make it more stable. This move makes the creases on the screen hardly noticeable, unlike the other folding devices that came before it. Another upside is the device lays flat, whether you have it open or shut in half. It's too early to tell if there might be issues with any gaps. Hopefully, it holds up.
When the Motorola razr is folded in half, there is a smaller 2.7-inch display in the front fold. This Quick View display shows you notifications as well as lets you do things like control music, respond to messages, or use it as a display for selfies. Motorola claims it's working with Google to make the transition from the smaller screen to the big one more seamless. Here's to hoping more apps and functionality come to that display.
The Motorola razr has two cameras: the 16-megapixel primary camera on the front lid with f/1.7 aperture and a 5-megapixel internal camera. It's not much, but that's what's allowed to help keep this device compact.
Another big sacrifice Motorola has to make is in terms of specs. The company couldn't put top-of-the-line specs because it might pose a problem when it comes to heat management and power consumption. The razr is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and Android 9 Pie. The handset supports an eSIM.
The razr doesn't have a big battery, to begin with. At just 2,510mAh, the Motorola razr is on the smaller battery capacity side of smartphones. But the company promises you can still get a full day's use. And that its 15-watt TurboChargers can help charge the phone quickly.
The price is another issue here. As was shared in the leaks, the Motorola razr retails for US$1,499 (around CA$1,987). It will be a Verizon exclusive, and it'll be available for pre-order starting December 26th.