Motorola Razr first impression: About that crease…

When the Motorola Razr was first announced, I couldn’t contain my excitement. All I could think about was how freakin’ cool I felt in high school whipping out my red Razr V3m, complete with a charm hanging from the hinge.

I wasn’t sold on foldable phones, though. I’ve seen the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X in person, and they’re both way too big for my tiny hands. And they come with crazy price tags. 

But when I heard Motorola slapped a foldable display on a new Razr, I was in.  And compared to the $2,000+ Fold and Mate X, its $1,500 price tag seemed relatively reasonable. 

Then, early reviews started rolling in and they weren’t … great. Also, the Verizon-exclusive phone was nearly impossible to find in stores, likely due to delays in production caused by popular demand,

I finally got my hands on the Motorola Razr on Friday. While three days isn’t enough time to form a final opinion on the phone, a few things about the phone stood out to me. 

A comfortable form factor

The glass on the front of the Razr has a premium feel. Thankfully, the plastic back makes it easy to grip.

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While the black color gives it a sleek look, I’m bummed it doesn’t come in the same array of bright colors, like pink or red, as the original Razr. I know that might take away from its high-end look, but Motorola could’ve had at least some fun with it.

That luxury feel wore off when I opened the phone. Sure, the foldable screen is cool and all, but the material makes it feel like a toy. 

The new Razr, like the original, sports a clamshell design. But this time around, it’s a little bit wider when shut and more narrow when flipped open. At 7.5 ounces, it’s also pretty heavy. Especially in comparison to the original V3, which came in at 3.35 ounces. The new Razr weighs more than the iPhone 11 Pro, which comes in at 6.63 ounces.

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I really like the size of the Razr, though. When closed shut, the compact style allowed me to easily throw it into my bag or slide it into my coat pocket.

When the phone is flipped open, it’s super easy to type long texts or navigate the device with one hand. Coming from an iPhone 11 Pro (and an iPhone XR prior to that), it felt nice to not have to stretch my fingers far across the display. 

It’s very much a friendly phone for tiny hands. But it’s also a fingerprint magnet. With a secondary display on the front for notifications (which we’ll get to later), you might find yourself wiping off prints more often than you’d like.

Another nod to the original design is the “chin” located on the bottom edge. This houses the fingerprint sensor along with the phone’s antennas and speakers. 

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It feels quick and responsive to the touch. But there were moments where I found myself resting my finger on it when reading a text or email, and I’d accidentally lock the phone. The chin also jets out just enough that I found myself swiping across it when I don’t mean to.

While I’m not exactly sure where I’d rather the sensor be placed (on the back maybe?), I found its current location just a tad irritating.

Satisfying flip with a very creaky hinge

The new version also comes equipped with a “zero-gap” hinge system. That means there’s no space between between both parts of the phone when it’s folded. But if you hold it up to the light, you can see a slight gap. 

While CNET’s durability test might say otherwise, the hinge felt super sturdy. Whether it’s durable remains to be seen.

The hinge is very, very creaky. I often heard the display folding in on itself, which probably isn’t a good sign. Whenever I found myself in really quiet places, I was almost embarrassed to open it because it seemed so loud.

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But if you’re wondering if flipping it open and closed feels as satisfying as you remember, the answer is yes. But it’s not as easy. Since the top half is a lot heavier and the hinge is a lot stronger, it requires a bit more force. 

Regardless, I found myself flipping it open at random moments without even realizing it. I’d sit there on the couch watching TV, and rather than biting my nails, I’d be clicking the phone open and shut. 

It was like using an overpriced fidget spinner and I loved every second of it. 

Punchy display, confusing crease

The aforementioned Quick View display on the front is also super useful. At 2.7 inches, it’s a good size for glancing at notifications without having to flip open the phone. 

On the inside of the Razr is a 6.2-inch “FlexView” OLED HD screen. I’ve had no issues with the foldable display in terms of navigating the phone. It feels responsive and fluid so far. Content also looks sharp, for the most part, and colors look bright and punchy. 

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But … we have to talk about the crease.

Many initial impressions of the Razr said the crease was unnoticeable. And, well, that’s true if you quickly look at the phone. 

This thing plays tricks on you, though.

When I first started using the Razr on Friday night, I was convinced I couldn’t see a crease. But that’s because I think my eyes were so mesmerized by the phone itself that I just wasn’t paying attention. 

Also, the keyword here: “night.” On Saturday morning, I was laying down on the couch, right in front of the sliding glass door in my living room where plenty of light was shining in. It was then, as I was scrolling through Twitter, that the crease suddenly became the only thing I could see. 

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I was in such denial that I turned to my brother and said, “Uhh, I see a crease. But … I think it depends on which way you’re looking at it.” As if the crease were some kind of illusion that only appears if you angle the phone a specific way.

In attempt to prove my point, I sat straight up. The crease was still there. I walked over to the other side of the room, away from the light, and it was still there. I even changed the background on my phone to make it less noticeable, and yet, it was all I could focus on. 

Even when I couldn’t see it, I could feel it. When I swiped down on the shortcut menu or through Instagram stories, my finger slightly dipped into the display.

A mediocre camera

The Razr features a 16-megapixel camera on the front that also doubles as the rear-facing shooter when you unfold the phone. On the inside, there’s a 5-megapixel selfie camera.

For a $1,500 phone, the camera system is severely lacking. In comparison, you can get an iPhone 11 Pro for $999 or a Pixel 4 for $799—both of which come with triple-camera setups.

The quality of the photos aren’t awful, but the Razr’s camera specs remind me of the budget phones I used to review. 

Image: brenda stolyar/mashable

The photo of my dog above is actually pretty impressive. You can see minor details like the gray hairs around her eyes, and her whiskers fairly look sharp. The texture of the blanket is also super defined and the blue really pops.

Night Vision mode is a bit disappointing. While the shot on the right is a lot brighter, there’s no hiding the blurriness. The tops of the branches look like they’re blowing in the wind, but I can confirm they were standing still when I took the shot.

When it comes to selfies, the photo taken with the rear camera is likely a lot more realistic when it comes to my skin tone (aka, as pale as a ghost). But I think it washes me out a little too much. I definitely prefer the one on the right, which brightens my face.

As I continue further testing, I’m curious to see how these photos compare to similarly priced phones. 

Performance and battery life remain to be seen

Under the hood, the Razr is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 chipset, which is what you’ll find on most mid-range phones, and runs Android 9.0 Pie. 

For now, I can say that performance has been pretty snappy. I have yet to encounter lag when opening apps or scrolling through social media. 

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As far as battery life goes, the Razr packs a 2510 mAh battery. On both Saturday and Sunday, I was able to get about 12 hours out of the phone before reaching low battery. It also comes with a TurboPower 15 wall charger, so if it does lose juice, you can power it up pretty quickly.

But I like to disconnect on the weekends, so that means I’m not texting, Slack messaging, or checking emails nearly as much. Instead, I’ll occasionally scroll through Instagram or send a few texts to friends.

The true test will be how well it pulls through during a work week.

Thoughts, for now

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I’ve had a few people ask me how I feel about the phone so far, and my answers have been really wishy washy. I find myself answering a similar way each time: “It’s really not TERRIBLE. But not worth $1,500.”

It’s a lot more comfortable to carry around than the Galaxy Fold or the Mate X. And foldable display itself is super responsive and enjoyable to use.

But it has its faults: a visible crease, a creaky hinge, and mediocre cameras. 

Which brings me back to the price. If I was about to spend my own money on it, I’d certainly hesitate. For something this expensive, I shouldn’t have to compromise on so many things. 

We’ll see if my opinion changes within the next few days. As of now, I can easily say the nostalgia factor might not be enough to make the investment worthwhile.