A pioneer in the sector, Motorola does not dominate the market for smartphones with a folding screen, but it does not want to abdicate either. Against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4, the Oppo Find N2 Flip and other modern clamshell models, the American manufacturer wants to show that its Razr still has something to compete with. And even twice.
A year after offering a Razr with a larger screen, with an admittedly iconic, but dated design, Motorola has revised its copy and offers two models that are decidedly in step with the times. Even to the point that we could mistake them for the competition. But the Razr 40 Ultra and the Razr 40 present defensible arguments: the largest external screen on the market for the first, a price below 900 euros for the second.
The Razr 40 Ultra thinks even bigger
The Motorola Razr 2022 was not a bad smartphone, far from it. Efficient, quite effective in photography, fluid in use and equipped as a plus with the largest external screen on the market, it only had one problem: its retro design, with the chin at the bottom of the internal screen, a legacy of the original. Razr flip phone.
The message has obviously been heard and a line drawn in the past. The Razr 40 Ultra (to be in line with the brand’s premium smartphones alongside the Edge 40) now has a look that leans clearly towards Samsung, with more rounded edges a la Oppo. New overall look with a bubble hinge that allows the Razr 40 Ultra to be positioned at 90°, but also at 35° and 135° if needed. The hinge could perhaps have been a little stiffer and not give the impression of tilting, but then it would have had the consequence of making the screen crease a bit more.
We were able to carry the smartphone in hand and it must be recognized that, as in its predecessor, an effort has been made to make it much less visible than in the Galaxy Z Flip4, within a large 0.9-inch 6 pOLED FHD+ screen that gains in length with sharpened edges to the maximum. A screen that also offers a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz to adapt to different needs and uses, but also not to weigh too much on overall autonomy.
Available in Black, Vivid Magenta with Pantone, and Ice Blue, the Razr 40 Ultra shines especially with its OLED external display that looks bigger at 3.6 inches (with a 144Hz refresh rate), double the than competition. And from this expansion comes a multitude of uses. Because it is a true mini-screen that is offered, with icons, various notifications that can be displayed, Motorola or third-party applications such as Spotify that can occupy the entire surface and perfectly encompass the two photo sensors (the controls then the music appears). . You can display a navigation bar at the bottom and let the app take up the top two-thirds.
Touch use is made easier, information is displayed much better and now it is even more practical to use without having to unfold the smartphone, even to send a message. And the display of this home screen is extremely customizable, you can even play with a gallery of suitable games on offer.
The two photo sensors (main 12 Mpex and ultra wide angle/macro 13 Mpex) are a little less efficient on paper than last year’s. But Motorola promises that they will be just as qualitative. Along with the large external display, they’re also perfectly positioned to provide a preview just below the person you’re shooting or for potential selfies. The Photo Booth mode, which is inspired by photo booths with 4 photos in a row, should please. Inside, the 32 Mpex sensor will also allow for good rendering.
On the performance side, Motorola did not go for the latest processor like last year. Here we find a still ultra-efficient Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage) that will allow this 5G smartphone to be able to support demanding games such as 4K video, productivity or open multiple applications at the same time. Same time. We find the same configuration as in the Razr 2022. Efficiency.
Available in June, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is announced at 1199 euros.
Razr 40, some compromises to adjust the price
To accompany its premium version, Motorola, which wants to firmly believe in a foldable market that is democratizing, puts its stone on the ground with a more affordable version: the Motorola Razr 40.
Therefore, to position itself at 899 euros, it was necessary to make concessions. Obviously they are in the strong point of his older brother, the external screen. Here it goes down to 1.5 inches and will be used mainly for reading the time and your notifications. We go back a bit to the prehistory of mockups with this simple “view tab”. It is true that it accepts some widgets to work and a touch screen to swipe in all directions to go to settings, notifications, time, etc. Therefore, the interest of the Razr 40 in use lies above all in its compact format, with a rounded design like the Ultra version, in a green, purple or black vegan leather version, light weight (186 g).
It has two photo sensors right next to the time and notifications (64 Mpx and a 13 Mpx ultra wide angle/macro), but above all Flex View mode to keep the device at 90° and be able to use it hands-free for video calls. Identical in design, inside there’s also a 6.9-inch borderless display, but with a reported 144Hz adaptive refresh rate. Other concessions also pertain to the processor. The Razr 40 is slightly less powerful (Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, but with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage), but it largely holds its own against many premium smartphones.
Like the Razr 40 Ultra, it can be used with the Ready For feature, which transfers your content to a monitor or TV for ease of use. It also has a larger battery than its companion (4,200 mAh vs. 3,800 mAh), with 33W fast charging and wireless charging compatibility (only 5W). And it also runs Android 13 and supports WiFi 6E.
The Motorola Razr 40 will be available at the end of June 2023 for 899 euros.
Source: BFM TV
