Part foldable phone, part nostalgia milking machine, the Motorola RAZR has made foldable devices exciting again, following the botched releases of both the Huawei Mate X and the Galaxy Fold. Unfortunately, though, the phone’s nostalgia factor may have been too high, as the reimagination of Motorola’s classic from 2004 is being slightly delayed due to excessive demand.
The company had previously committed to opening preorders the day after Christmas and general availability sometime in January but says it’s now revising its launch window. Verizon, Motorola’s exclusive carrier partner in the U.S., has yet to update its landing page for the RAZR and is still showing the December 26 data for preorders. The company’s full statement reads as follows:
Since its announcement in November, the new Motorola razr has received unparalleled excitement and interest from consumers. Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions.
Motorola has decided to adjust razr’s presale and launch timing to better meet consumer demand. We are working to determine the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to razr at launch.
We do not anticipate a significant shift from our original availability timeline.
Notably, the statement doesn’t clarify when preorders will start again in light of the change, or when phones the will actually make their way to consumers. The bit at the end does give us hope that it won’t be too far into the future.
Despite its exorbitant $1,500 asking price, and its middling specs, which include a processor which would be more appropriate on a $300 midranger from last year, Motorola seemingly has a hit on its hands. Part of that may be due to its iconic predecessor, but at least some of it is the result of its novel design, which uses foldable technology to shrink the modern smartphone down in size, instead of using it to create a 2-in-1 phone/tablet combo in the image of the Mate X and Galaxy Fold. Other companies are also starting to take notice of Motorola’s genius, and Samsung’s seemingly already working on a Galaxy Fold successor that looks a little too much like the RAZR.
Motorola RAZR hands-on: Back to the future
