Motorola Razr 50 and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra, reviews after first contact with photos.

Motorola knew how to revive classics to suit new times: the Razr family of foldable devices was born. And I was able to try the latest ones, Motorola Razr 50 and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra. It has many more new features than it seems and is ready to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra was one of my favorite folding phones in 2023. And much of the blame lies with its external screen, an aspect that the brand knew how to develop to make it useful. Because if the external screen can perform normal tasks,why use a mobile phone during sporadic consultations? The Motorola Razr 50 has learned its lesson.

Technical data sheet for Motorola Razr 50 and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra

Sleek design and larger screen for both models

The first thing you’ll notice about Motorola’s new foldable devices is their design, especially the outer panel: the diagonal increases in both cases with an evolution that is especially appreciated in the “basic” Motorola Razr 50. The external p-OLED panel allows for expanded mobile phone usage without having to unfold the phone, a feature Motorola has emphasized is appreciated by a significant portion of Razr owners (I agree). In the case of the Ultra, the screen almost covers the edges, the bezels are very small.

This increase in screen real estate makes it a pleasure to see mobile phones turned on: the outer panel is bright, rich in colour, clear and provides an interface that allows almost full mobile phone use. Motorola has improved panel customization, Always On Display and brightness. The result is almost complete experience without opening the phone.

Speaking of opening. The Motorola Razr 50 has an improved hinge that is smaller and more comfortable, making it very easy to open. This can be done with one hand, although it takes practice: while I did this while recording phones, I suffered from them slipping (and the grip, thanks to the vegan leather finish, is very good). The resistance exerted by the hinge is minimal., but the mobile phone remains perfectly half-unfolded from almost any angle. There is some play in this.

The construction of both models is high-quality: the body is made of aluminum, the outer panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, and the inside retains the familiar feeling of plastic flexible panels. The sharpness, saturation and contrast of this panel are very high, it is a great screen and very smooth too. And yes, you can see the fold lip: I had it when I first unpacked it. It’s not annoying or too noticeable, at least at first.

Very powerful and loaded with hardware

The smoothness with which both phones move is enviable, I didn’t notice the slightest slowdown. I was barely able to test the maximum power as the contact was brief, but I found a lot of similarity in performance to the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, which I’m currently reviewing. Actually, Motorola Razr 50 Ultra is equipped with the same processor.. And it’s very capable, I measured this chip.

In the case of the Motorola Razr 50, it’s not that it has a bad SoC: its MediaTek Dimensity 7300X is enough and more than enough for everything that is thrown at it. I didn’t notice any differences either visually or in the response of the phones: During my first test, they both moved equally fast.. I couldn’t test tests or games.

Motorola has beefed up its hardware list to keep its foldable devices on par with the best smartphones (and not just foldables). In addition to the processor, both offer sufficient RAM and internal memory (LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 in the case of Ultra). Except, I found its finish and colors to be as comfortable as they are attractive.: Motorola’s “vegan leather” along with the variety of available colors (four colors on Ultra and three on regular) make the Razr 50 stand out like no other.

The software is very clean and Motorola packs it with a lot of options that add value to the user. And it supports a collection of gestures that I think is unique to Android: open the camera by turning your wrist It’s so practical that I miss it when I change my smartphone. Plus, there had to be artificial intelligence: Motorola created its own brand, Moto AI.

The company has teamed up with Google to offer the Gemini as standard, even with an optional screen. Mobile phones can create their own wallpapers with completely personalized suggestions (a la Midjourney, which surprised me), the built-in assistant is active, and the roots of this artificial intelligence extend throughout the phone, including the camera.

Both the Motorola Razr 50 and Motorola Razr 50 Ultra have the same camera combination: 50 megapixels as main and a second camera that is different. The wide angle of the Razr 50 is quite subdued, while the telephoto of the Razr 50 Ultra is more sparkly. Although the latter lacks OIS, it does detract from points: when zoomed in (2x at optical), the image can look shaky.

I tested the camera and the way the glasses are aimed minimally; although it will still be one of the weakest points of the phone: being a Flip, Motorola is focusing on portability and design. The app includes a large number of options, including a professional mode. The response of the cameras is very fast, I got the impression that the processing still tends to blur the image, and the telephoto Ultra shows some sharpness. Until I can analyze the mobile phones in detail, I will not be able to give a true verdict.

Battery improved compared to previous generation

Folding clamshell devices have to sacrifice autonomy, since the space for accommodating batteries is significantly reduced. However, Motorola has managed to expand the capabilities of the Razr 50 Ultra by raising from 3800 mAh last year to 4000 mAh in 2024. The Motorola Razr 50 remains the same, with a 4200 mAh capacity.

The brand is also improving fast charging without losing value include chargers in the box, which seems to me to be a practice worth emphasizing. There’s 45W fast charging for the Ultra model and 30W for the regular model, plus fast wireless charging for both.

I didn’t notice any excessive battery consumption during the tests; this is one of the points that can least be verified by first impressions. I would say that power consumption when the screen is off is very restrained. And we’ll still have to see how it behaves when graphics are compressed, especially due to the heating of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 installed on the Razr 50 Ultra.

Motorola unveils two foldable Flip devices that could dominate the market

I found them to be two excellent phones, no doubt more than capable of beating even the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip. Super beautiful, with hardware that has tons of potential, the Motorola Razr 50 has significantly increased the external screen real estate. In terms of power, the Ultra is comparable to high-end Android smartphones. and the photo points to many ways. If I were to choose the foldable Flip, the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra would be my winner.

Motorola has created several worthy successors to the legendary Motorola Razr V3, the mobile phone I fell in love with 20 years ago.

Cover image | Ivan Linares

In Hatak | The best mobile phones in terms of price-quality ratio (2024): their analysis and video here.