Motorola has another foldable phone up its sleeve, and it’s not just an iterative upgrade. If the leaks and teases are accurate, it’ll try to steal the limelight from Samsung this year. Say hello to the Razr 2022, the upcoming clamshell foldable from Motorola, that is ready to break cover at an event on August 2 in China.
Contents
- Design
- Processor
- Cameras
- Battery
- Price and availability
The teasers are already all over the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, and a healthy number of leaks detailing its innards have also surfaced online. The anticipation is high, and from what we have already seen, the third time just might be the golden charm for Motorola’s foldable phone ambitions. Here’s everything we know so far about the Motorola Razr 2022.
Design
The first two Motorola Razr foldable phones clung too tightly to the nostalgia factor, thanks to an elevated chin at the bottom that was lifted straight from the classic Razr clamshell phones of the past. Motorola did put a fingerprint sensor on the chin and also used it as a clever contraption to slide in a portion of the flexible screen, but it was still a divisive design.
In 2022, the chin is going away. A Lenovo executive has already showcased the phone on stage, revealing a design without any chin and symmetrical bezels at the top and bottom. Plus, there is no camera notch for the selfie camera at the top.
While the design makeover is clean, Motorola is still retaining some of the classic Razr design by making the top and bottom edges ever so slightly curved. The outer cover display, which is already noticeably bigger and significantly more functional than Samsung’s Galaxy Galaxy Z Flip 3, is also adding a few millimeters to itself on the Razr 2022.
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The inner foldable panel is a 6.7-inch pOLED screen offering a 120Hz refresh rate, while the cover display is reportedly a 3-inch unit. Another notable change is the dual-lens rear camera setup, but there is no word if more color options will be on the table this year aside from the usual black trim.
Processor
Motorola has already confirmed that the Moto Razr 2022 will come armed with Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, making it the world’s first foldable phone to offer the flagship silicon. That lead won’t last long, though, as the Galaxy Z Flip 4 launching on August 10 will reportedly have the same chip in it.
Motorola / Weibo
While the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 might not offer a major performance leap over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, it is a huge jump for Motorola. So far, the Motorola Razr foldable phones have relied on mid-range chips such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, which makes the Motorola Razr 2022 a massive update for the lineup.
But there is more to the picture here than just the added raw performance. A flagship-grade chip also unlocks new capabilities for the camera and ensures that it stays at the top of the priority list when it comes to rolling out software updates in the long run.
Cameras
In addition to a weak chip, another chink in the Motorola Razr’s armor has been the camera output. Motorola has remained loyal to a single rear camera formula for all its foldable phones so far. And even though the 48-megapixel camera on the Razr 5G delivered solid results, it was just not enough for the original asking price of nearly $1,400 – both in terms of raw quality and lens versatility.
Catch a brief glimpse of Moto Razr 2022 in this quirky Motorola teaser video. pic.twitter.com/EltqqF9SRb
— Nadeemonics (@nsnadeemsarwar) July 26, 2022
Thankfully, Motorola is making positive strides in that department as well. Rumors suggest that the Razr 2022 will rely on a 50MP primary camera. Of course, the megapixel count is not everything, but at least the pixel-binned 12.5MP photos will be a tad better this time around.
More importantly, the main camera is getting an ultrawide companion that will reportedly rely on a 13MP sensor. It isn’t as powerful as the main snapper, but if phones like the iPhone 13, Galaxy S22, and Pixel 6 are anything to go by, that is enough pixels to deliver some impressive photos. Plus, the selfie camera will be a heavy-hitter at 32MP, according to leaker Evan Blass.
Battery
One area where things are not going to change is the battery capacity. Rumors suggest that the Motorola Razr 2022 will come fitted with a paltry 2,800mAh battery, which is just not enough to drive two screens and a power-hungry flagship processor. It would be interesting to see if Motorola has put in place any battery optimizations to balance things out, but keep your hopes in check.
Price and availability
Coming to the pricing, it looks like Motorola will be aggressive this time around. According to a CompareDial report that cites leaker @OnLeaks, the Motorola Razr 2022 will reportedly start at 1,149 euros, which is quite a healthy cut from the 1,399 euro asking price of its predecessor.
Official teaser for the next-gen Motorola RAZR foldable phone. pic.twitter.com/bhchRD7A7B
— Nadeemonics (@nsnadeemsarwar) July 13, 2022
Considering the current euro to U.S. dollar conversion rates, the Razr 2022 might just hit the shelves with a $1,150 asking price in tow. That’s a healthy generation-over-generation price cut and puts it in the same league as Samsung’s own Galaxy Z Flip series phones.
So far, Motorola has only shared plans to launch the Razr 2022 in China. But given the availability pattern of previous Motorola-branded foldable phones, it will likely make its way to more markets, including the U. S., in the coming weeks.