It’s finally here, a flip smartphone that has a large and very usable outer display! The Moto Razr+ brings back the iconic …
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Moto Razr+ First Look: Best flip smartphone ever?
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Imagine I'll be deciding between Razr+ and Edge+ from 2023. Used to be a OnePlus guy but have been loving my Edge+ (2022), and these newer Moto's look even better!
I was onboard, until $999.99 showed up.
My 3 main complaints:
1. Wireless-ONLY Ready For support (but at least it has Ready For built-in). 👍
2. The USB port is apparently 2.0 instead of 3.1 like the 2020 Razr 5G has.
3. Much smaller battery vs the base Razr 2023 model. 👎
Your videos always leave me wanting more. Keep them coming!
Is the Razr slightly wider than the flip? Or is it just as narrow
Motorola reclaiming it's crown???
Good Day Sir JV 💚
The ultra looks really good. Finally something new in the smartphone market. Hope the price of the "smaller" version is good aswell.
I'm ready to switch to the Razor Plus.
It no longer looks like a Razr. It looks like a Samsung
The cheaper Razr was the one I completely ignored like everyone did for the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat all season. It looks exactly like a Flip 3 and 4 but a smaller cover display at 1.5". But if rumored price at $799, it's got me interested in it a little more.
I probably would still prefer getting the Razr+ mainly for the bigger cover display and better SoC. But I wouldn't mind getting the cheaper Razr as I surprisingly don't use the 2.7" cover display on my Razr 5G a lot except for GMaps and watching videos. I usually open the phone when I want to use it. And who wants to reply to texts using that 2.7" display? The keyboard already takes up half the screen.
The Razr 40 (non-plus) has surprised me with the build quality. No more glass from top to bottom. As Michael Fisher has stated, it has that pleather (plastic/leather) that the BlackBerry Bold 9000 had in 2008. I like that feeling. It looks way more durable than any foldable flip phone I've seen.
It's cheaper.
It's durable.
It has stamina.
I think the cheaper Razr is the way to go for most people who aren't into tech. There are already question marks about the durability with foldables. The cheaper Razr is the one you don't have to spend so much to take on those risks. It has everything the Razr+ has except the SoC and large cover display.
The more budget-friendly Razr will open the doors for more affordable foldables. Samsung will copy this and will eventually release cheaper models of their Z Folds and Flips. Everything always boils down to price for most consumers. When more budget-friendly foldables gets released, we'll eventually get to that sub-$500 barrier.
Razr+ is the better phone. The cheaper Razr might end being the more important release the way the $600 Pixel 6 or A-series did for Google.
I can already tell Michael Fisher is ditching his Samsung foldables after using them exclusively for 3.5 years and will use a Pixel Fold and Motorola Razr+ as his daily drivers for this year. There will be some drawbacks.
Samsung has already built a better ecosystem around their products than Google. Pixel Fold lacks stylus support and something similar to Dex. Samsung’s software optimization is probably still superior to Google as it's Gen 5 vs. Gen 1.
Razr+ uses last year's SoC that the Flip 4 and Razr 2022 already have. Packs only 300 mAh more battery capacity than last year's Razr while powering a higher refresh rate and bigger cover display. Would Mike really want to use last year's SoC for another year? It feels more like a Z Flip 5 Lite.
Google lacks the trade-in deals that Samsung offers during pre-orders. I'm agreeing with Mike that the cheaper model Razr or the one catered to dads might be the more intriguing model to get. What if it's only priced at $599 like a Pixel 6 and 7? This would be the best-selling foldable and flip of this year.
As for me, I'm not really interested in either of them. Phones haven't really wowed me since 2021. Owning a Z Flip 3 since launch, I don't feel I need to upgrade mine. And yes, battery life is fine for my needs since I'll bring 2 to 3 other phones with me, a Vita, and a power bank. I don't mind topping it off daily. I'm aware how more efficient Snap 8+ Gen 1 is but the 888 isn't that horrendous.
The most intriguing smartphone of 2023 for me is really the Pixel Fold but I'll hear horror stories about the Z Fold 3 cracking in the middle with enough times opening it. Then the Z Flip 4 using a weaker hinge. I do like the Razr+ being rounded on the sides. The magenta in real life looks far better than the renders. I do dig that faux leather back.
The bigger cover display has never been a big deal. It's not "2 phones in 1" because you can say the same thing about the Surface Duo and book-style foldables. You're still getting a square display when most apps are built for portrait. You're really only getting half of a slab phone from the outside.
I think the Razr+ is a nice phone but I'll probably wait for next year's which I hope will have 8 Gen 3 and not a year old SoC. I think the two punch holes from the cover display will get annoying. I do love that they finally added wireless charging. I'll wait for a better design on this and the Z Flip. Don't care for the Flip 5's folder-shaped cover display.
I'm glad Mike showed his love for Motorola in his video as he's always been a self-proclaimed Motorola fanboy. He'll tell you. He once interviewed Martin Cooper for goodness sakes. Mike will always be partial to the granddaddy of cellular phones. But I do feel the last two gens of Razrs have felt more Chinese than American. More Lenovo than Motorola.
That cheaper Razr is the more practical one to get. I've lived with a 1.9" cover display for nearly 2 years. I'll use it daily to watch Pluto TV using CoverScreen OS. I can definitely live with 1.5" since I prefer listening to content when I'm streaming. It's cheap and it packs 4200 mAh. That's all I really want from a phone. I want the battery life to last long and I don't want to break the bank for it.
The Motorola I really want is that Rizr concept shown in CES. That looks like a phone 10 years into the future. That makes foldables look ancient. Foldables are becoming "been there, done that." I can do a lot of the same things on my Pixel 3 than on my Razr 5G. "Oh, wow. I can watch Netflix from a 2.7" display. Big whoop!" The novelty for folding screens wears off eventually.
I'm happy with what I got. I'm using my Flip 3 as my main phone again. My Razr 5G to play movies or TV shows in the background. Then sometimes I'll bring my Pixel 3, iPhone SE (2022), and a modded Vita when I feel like it. Those are 5 of my favorite things I own. I wish Motorola would return to the Razr design from 2019-2020. The 2022-2023 ones are RINOs: Razr In Name Only.
2023 Phone Watchlist
1. Google Pixel Fold
2. Motorola Razr+
3. Motorola Razr (2023)
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
5. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Razr 5G remains the best-looking foldable flip phone so far. Ok, maybe you can argue Razr 2019 looks better but that had issues and was e-sim only and a Verizon-exclusive. Vivo X Flip might have the 3rd best design and the best among non-Moto foldable flips. Flip 3 and 4 would rank in the top 10. Not sure Flip 5 surpasses their design but will definitely surpass them in practicality.
A $600 Razr 2023 would get me intrigued. Because I expect it to be $300 only 6 months after release. This would change the game the way a $400 Steam Deck did. A 7 Gen 1 is nearly equal in efficiency as the 8+ Gen 1 according to nanoreview.net. I tolerated a 765G for nearly 2 years and with 2800 mAh. Razr 2023 should last longer.
Good news: The cheaper Razr will have wireless charging. Yay! Add the 1400 bigger battery. Tired using wired ones for my Razr 5G. My biggest pet peeve about it.
Video out over USB-C ?
How bright the phone get in and out
2:50 Hold Up! Danny's kinda sus ngl 🤣
* Bernie Sanders voice * I am once again asking you where you got that flannel.
Yikes! I wasnt expecting Moto maki g such improvements. Now I have to wait for the Flip 5 to make a comparison before deciding.
Puts the Flip 4 in the shade. Can the Razr Plus make and receive calls on the front screen only. The Flip 4 inability to do this was a deal breaker for me.
2:52 Don't want to even know what that guy in the back is doing.
That cover screen looks like a great idea in theory but personally I don't see why I need a cover screen that big because it kinda defeats the purpose of having a cover screen if it can run apps normally.
But I love that Motorola is essentially perfecting a concept that they introduce since the first Razr foldable
The video quality is quite nice. This is definitely one of the best NOVELTY phone.
Moto has been stepping it up recently! Love to see them have a bit of a resurgence in the market. Hope that leads to further software support, which has been a weakness for them. Love moto gestures though, and any competition to Samsung and Google is a good thing.
Foldables are getting better