The Razr Fold has a lot going for it, but like all foldables, it's wildly expensive.
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Motorola Razr Fold review: Looking for an edge
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The really impressive thing would be if they could find a way to fold the price in half.
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That's simple, just wait two years for the inevitable Woot firesale and it will probably go for $400.
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adrianovaroli
Ars Tribunus Militum
These sentences should not appear in a review about a luxury product that costs about 2.000 US dollars.
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After the nightmare my family has dealt with trying to get warranty repairs for peeling screens in the Razr folding series, I don't trust this thing.
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For those of you wondering what colour haematite is, I agree.
Mountain View, on the other hand is, as expected, that found in California.
I notice that bright light snaps look brightly lit and overcast ones are suitably subdued but shady looks bright and night look bright. Is that how it should be?
Mountain View, on the other hand is, as expected, that found in California.
I notice that bright light snaps look brightly lit and overcast ones are suitably subdued but shady looks bright and night look bright. Is that how it should be?
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The official page shows 7 years of OS and Security updates. I remember it being reported as such when the phone was announced. I wonder what happened.
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Agreed, but someone who is willing to throw $2000USD at a phone in the first place is unlikely to care, or have any patience for such objective opinions.
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IP49 is a hard pass for a device that lives in my pocket. Especially considering the amount of lint currently packed into my USB-C port.
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How the heck did this not make it to the “The Bad” or better yet a “The Ugly” section?
Isn’t the whole point of a foldable that you can quickly swap between small and large screen sizes for the times that you want a bigger display but not have to lose context / your place by switching to a tablet or computer?
The only scenarios I see that being a killer feature are productivity apps, social media, and content consumption (videos/photos). In any of those scenarios restarting the app is going to lose my spot in the document, refresh my media feed, or add a lot of friction (streaming apps usually bury resume watching links because they want to get to hooked on their new content and thus stay subscribed).
If I have to take the time to get back to what I was doing all over again just to get a bigger display, I’ll just not do those things on my phone and instead use my tablet or computer from the start. I’m not going to spend double on an objectively worse phone (cost, durability, IP rating, battery life, size) just for the novelty or coolness factor when I get by just fine with a normal smartphone today.
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Hey Moto, here’s a product idea for you, gratis:
How about a phone with a normal screen, but also with a slide-out, tactile keyboard? I’ll bet you could find some prior art in how to make those!
Asking for a friend—literally.
(…And everyone else who suffers from ‘zombie fingers’)
How about a phone with a normal screen, but also with a slide-out, tactile keyboard? I’ll bet you could find some prior art in how to make those!
Asking for a friend—literally.
(…And everyone else who suffers from ‘zombie fingers’)
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One thing I didn't see in the review about the battery (though it was in the spec sheet) - that son of a biscuit charges at 80 WATTS, three times faster than the Galaxy (25w). Super-fast wired charging is a must-have feature for me and would probably tip my hand toward the Moto.
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Interesting. I'd never heard that term before.
https://nelsonmillergroup.com/zombie-finger-an-introduction-to-this-touchscreen-phenomenon/Mr. Nelson Miller Group said:
Mr. Group further suggests as a solution, "use a resistive touchscreen."
Yes, I'll get right on swapping out my screen.
Also, there is a phenomenon known as "The Screen is Not Working Properly." I discovered this on a preowned iPad. It sometimes decides not to accept input from one of my hands unless I sleep/wake it. This often leads to "You've Driven Straight into a Wall" Syndrome in the hit app, Disney Speedstorm.
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I'm trying to figure out what this means in the spec table
So it has the hardware/software for wireless charging. But you can't, or shouldn't use it?
So it has the hardware/software for wireless charging. But you can't, or shouldn't use it?
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Okay, on the one hand, it's "only" $500 more than my equivalently-specced (512GB/16GB) iPhone 17 Pro Max.
On the other hand, based on my experience with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I expect to get many, many more years out of the iPhone than one can possibly hope to get out of a foldable at this point.
So, you know, a cost of ownership of~$300/year, rather than $1900/year.
Okay, that's mean. I'm sure with an expensive service plan (which I also have on my iPhone, and which I am not factoring into the cost) I can count on a $600-$950/year cost of ownership. Its not that I couldn't afford it if I wanted to, but it really doesn't feel like a good use of my money...
On the other hand, based on my experience with the iPhone 13 Pro Max, I expect to get many, many more years out of the iPhone than one can possibly hope to get out of a foldable at this point.
So, you know, a cost of ownership of~$300/year, rather than $1900/year.
Okay, that's mean. I'm sure with an expensive service plan (which I also have on my iPhone, and which I am not factoring into the cost) I can count on a $600-$950/year cost of ownership. Its not that I couldn't afford it if I wanted to, but it really doesn't feel like a good use of my money...
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Zombie fingers like you, or essential tremmor like me. Using a Razer+ 2024 + clicks keyboard case. not the best solution, but decent enough
Waiting for minimall phone 2, with colour e-paper
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It doesn't slide, but Unihertz has made multiple smartphones with physical keyboards, one of which is currently finishing a Kickstarter campaign and should be on the market in a couple weeks/months. If I didn't already have a decent phone, I'd be willing to plonk down the cash for it.
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The OnePlus does 100w and I can vouch for it's insane charging speeds.
If you don't need foldable, the OnePlus phones are worth a look.
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So, it looks like Moto PR misunderstood when I asked for clarification about this and only sent the timeline for the flip phones. I believed that was for the Fold as well. It looks like the Fold is still seven years. I'm following up to double-verify this, but seems like just a miscommunication.
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Foldables are one of those few product categories where I think a warranty / protection plan like AppleCare really makes sense. Those hinges and thin bendable screens for a product that costs as much as a mid-tier gaming laptop... Yikes. That said, will be first in line to buy the iPhone Fold (or whatever they call it) because I am a weak man with limited impulse control.
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I was always firmly in the "who would buy these things?" camp with respect to folding phones. Between the failing screens horror stories of older models, and general dust/liquid/fragility sensitivity, they just don't seem like a phone you can throw in a case and slip in your pocket and not worry about. And, that was all before the generally ridiculous pricing approaching $2000 for something that the industry wants you to upgrade every year...
That said, I got to handle a Samsung variant while waiting for my kid's watch repair at a T-Mobile store, and I was impressed (in some ways). I think the biggest draw is the ability to have a sizeable screen for watching videos or reading articles, without the added burden of needing to fetch or carry around a tablet to use for that purpose. Having split-screen capability and throwing on a Bluetooth keyboard could make this a decent travel work device for people who just need to write emails, take video conference calls, and read reports. I can understand the appeal now, but that price tag is still just insanely high for a device that needs to be babied.
That said, I got to handle a Samsung variant while waiting for my kid's watch repair at a T-Mobile store, and I was impressed (in some ways). I think the biggest draw is the ability to have a sizeable screen for watching videos or reading articles, without the added burden of needing to fetch or carry around a tablet to use for that purpose. Having split-screen capability and throwing on a Bluetooth keyboard could make this a decent travel work device for people who just need to write emails, take video conference calls, and read reports. I can understand the appeal now, but that price tag is still just insanely high for a device that needs to be babied.
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I was very optimistic about foldables. I've long been waiting for a device which turns my phone into a computer.
Got a Galaxy S 5 and the larger screen is so great while traveling, I didn't need to take a laptop at all and just paired it with a Bluetooth keyboard.
That being said, day to day, with my PC around, I don't really use the folding screen as much. And with the battery being unreplaceable this is basically a use and throw device.
I would love to have a foldable running Graphene OS or Linux to be used as a PC but as it stands, the fold isn't really needed day to day unless you really need a big screen on the go
Got a Galaxy S 5 and the larger screen is so great while traveling, I didn't need to take a laptop at all and just paired it with a Bluetooth keyboard.
That being said, day to day, with my PC around, I don't really use the folding screen as much. And with the battery being unreplaceable this is basically a use and throw device.
I would love to have a foldable running Graphene OS or Linux to be used as a PC but as it stands, the fold isn't really needed day to day unless you really need a big screen on the go
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I really love my Razr 2025. Easily my favorite phone in years and It's holding up fine exactly 1 year in.
I would strongly consider buying another razer phone and this one looks awesome... but it's about $900 more than I would ever pay and I have a self enforced 2 year minimum phone ownership requirement. Maybe they'll have something more interesting next year.... but anything over $1000 is insane.... Hell. Anything over $800 is crazy.
I would strongly consider buying another razer phone and this one looks awesome... but it's about $900 more than I would ever pay and I have a self enforced 2 year minimum phone ownership requirement. Maybe they'll have something more interesting next year.... but anything over $1000 is insane.... Hell. Anything over $800 is crazy.
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Looks like a great phone, but I’m not willing to sell a kidney to buy one. On a more serious note Motorola has a reputation for poor software updates, which for me is a big issue.
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I will admit that I'm surprised at the continued existence of foldable phones. I honestly expected them to be a flash in the pan and then disappear without fanfare, but apparently there's enough of a niche for them. I like the concept of a phone that can become a bigger screen I suppose, but not enough to put up with price and other limitations.
Also I'd love an explanation of this camera bump era we are in. Isn't that, like, the worst part of the phone to be protruding? I could be wrong but it seems like a great way to get lens cover scratches. Maybe they're not that sensitive anymore.
Also I'd love an explanation of this camera bump era we are in. Isn't that, like, the worst part of the phone to be protruding? I could be wrong but it seems like a great way to get lens cover scratches. Maybe they're not that sensitive anymore.
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I'm a bit curious if they've managed to address the screen protector issue. I'm not interested in this phone specifically - not at that price range - but if they've resolved the screen protector bubbling issue their 2024 phone had I could be interested in the Fold's little cousin.
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I feel much the same way with the ones that unfold into a tablet. However, the ones that fold from a standard phone size into a near-square is surprisingly nice. It's not an automatic sell for me, mind, but my partner and others really like the increased portability and it feels entirely understandable having seen the benefits first hand.
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Never having owned a folding-screen phone, I can't speak from experience. But just deductive reasoning and a TINY amount of knowledge of how materials are tells me that physics will win in the end (via fatigue). So no matter how long the screen is supposed to last, it will be a shorter time for any non-folding phone simply because it's subjected to far more stresses than a non-folding phone.
Time and movement wears out everything faster than JUST time alone.
I expect it will PROBABLY last as long as they expect it to, but then you'll need a new phone. In my experience, having a Moto G I got in 2015 or 2016, and used for like 5 years, and then had my room-mate use for another 4, with it STILL WORKING (albeit not as long given battery fatigue), I defy any folding phone to physically last a third as long.
An at the price points they want, that fucker should last 50 years, but has no chance of that.
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To me, the killer feature of a foldable is making it a lot harder to shatter your screen.But never fear! They've all addressed this by putting a big ass screen on the outside so that you can continue breaking it to your heart's content.
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Seven years of updates? With a motorola phone?
Best case scenario?
Two or three major updates, each a year late of course, with 2 years of sparse security updates and then Motorolla will call it a day.
Best case scenario?
Two or three major updates, each a year late of course, with 2 years of sparse security updates and then Motorolla will call it a day.
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Exactly on point, Android 16 for my Razr+ 2024 landed less than a month ago, and security dated jan 2026. Granted, a week later, the march security patch for androdi 16 landed.
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I would love to see the market research that was done on this product. I never see these things in the wild.
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No. I'm not waiting for one.
It's also not something the average smartphone user cares about: poll results commissioned by CNET here. It's plainly another feature that's in search of a market. It appears to me, who personally would like a genuinely rollable phone instead of a folding one, that smartphone makers are in a search mode for a feature that will revive growth-at-all-costs models to please investors in an otherwise saturated product market. Otherwise, like a lot of phone users, I couldn't care less if a phone can fold. I'm certainly not going to pay extra for the privilege whether it's a slab, rolls up, or folds.
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Looks interesting, but their products include things with Android 11 and 13. That seems a bit sad.
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I bought the Samsung Z Fold 3 in 2021 and I'm still rocking it. After 5 years the battery is about 60% as strong; there is a line down the screen because I open it dozens of times a day; and the hinge doesn't open flat since I dropped it in the sand pit two years ago. It's still my favourite phone in thirty years of phone ownership.
Why I like it over a regular phone: Split screen apps and screen real estate. I carry a Bluetooth keyboard and it's like a tablet/laptop in my pocket. I can journal, write, code and chat with ease. It's not sluggish at all despite being loaded with services and apps and being so "old". I can imagine getting another year even two out of it before I give in and get another foldable.
Why I like it over a regular phone: Split screen apps and screen real estate. I carry a Bluetooth keyboard and it's like a tablet/laptop in my pocket. I can journal, write, code and chat with ease. It's not sluggish at all despite being loaded with services and apps and being so "old". I can imagine getting another year even two out of it before I give in and get another foldable.
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