Motorola launches RAZR 2023 phone with Samsung Cant Beat feature

The latest foldable phones have just been announced by Motorola. One goes on sale later this month, the other is coming later. Both are full-sized phones when unfolded, but fold in half to become more pocket-friendly. Here’s everything you need to know.

What’s in a name?

Motorola just unveiled its foldables for 2023, the Motorola RAZR and the Motorola RAZR Plus. Both phones are launching in the US, and that’s what they’ll be called.

Just to keep you on your toes though, these phones go by different names outside of the US, being called the Motorola RAZR 40 and Motorola RAZR 40 Ultra, respectively. I’ll call them by their US release names here.

What is the difference?

The Plus has a faster processor, a higher price, and most importantly, a larger external display. Let’s start with that.

The largest external display on a foldable phone

This is a very interesting trend in satchels. The excellent Oppo N2 Flip had a large external display and the RAZR Plus takes it to new heights. It has the largest coverage screen ever, measuring 3.6 inches. It really dominates the exterior of the phone, with the cameras popping out to maximize the full screen effect. It is significantly larger than the rival Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4.

It means, like on the Oppos phone, that it’s great for taking photographs because as you shoot, your subject can see what they look like. If you’ve ever taken photos of someone, only to hand them their phone to witness their utter disappointment in your work, that problem is now solved. They can approve the framing of the shot, adjust their appearance and more before you press the shutter.

Besides that, it’s big enough to read emails, send messages, and more without even opening your phone.

By comparison, the RAZR’s 1.5-inch display is fine, but it’s nowhere near as impressive.

Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor

Here’s what’s in the RAZR Plus, a fast and highly capable chip, which should also appear in the Nothing Phone (2). The RAZR has a decent but slightly slower chip, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.

And the price?

Not all prices have been disclosed yet. The RAZR Plus costs $999, or 1,049.99 in the UK. The cost of the regular RAZR hasn’t been revealed for the US, though the UK price might give us an idea: it’s 799.99, which is more than the 20% less, so maybe we can expect something in the $750-$800 range.

What do phones have in common?

Both have 6.9-inch internal OLED displays, though the Plus has a faster refresh rate, 165Hz versus 144Hz on the cheaper phone. The zipper is designed to stay in almost any position, yet folds back completely so dust or lint from the pocket won’t get inside.

The RAZR Plus has a 12MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and a 32MP selfie camera. The RAZR has a 64MP main camera, but the other two match the Plus.

One advantage to the RAZR is that the smaller display means there’s room for a slightly larger battery.

The RAZR Plus goes on sale later this month, followed by the RAZR.

Both phones look great, but the Plus is the one that will see Samsung looking over its shoulder and figuring out how to raise the bar.