Motorola Razr+ And Razr (2024) Hands-On: Big Flip Phone Update, Same Price

Name: Moto Razr (2024)
Brand: Moto

by Myriam Joire — Tuesday, June 25, 2024, 01:48 PM EDT

Moto's Razr+ And Razr (2024) Deliver Significant Updates For The Same Price

Today in New York City, Motorola announced a pair of new folding flip phones – the $999 Moto Razr+ (2024) and the $699 Moto Razr (2024). Both will be available from the company’s website, select retailers, and select carriers on July 24, with pre-orders starting on July 10. These handsets replace last year’s Moto Razr+ (2023) and Moto Razr (2023) and deliver significant updates for the same price.

In terms of weight and size, the Razr+ (2024) and Razr (2024) are very similar to their predecessors. Both phones have almost identical chassis designs, and share a new, improved hinge that’s easier to open and close. The Razr+ (2024) gets a larger 4-inch cover screen, while the Razr (2024) sheds last year’s postage stamp-sized cover display to inherit the 3.6-inch front panel from the Razr+ (2023).

Moto Razr 2024 09 — Moto Razr+ (2024) cover screen

Both handsets are IPX8 water resistant (vs. IP52 last year) and feature 6000 series aluminum frames, Gorilla Glass Victus on their cover displays, and either vegan leather or vegan suede on their backs – depending on color. Speaking of which, the Razr+ (2024) is available in Midnight Blue, Spring Green, Peach Fuzz, and Hot Pink, while the Razr (2024) comes in Koala Grey, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Moto Razr 2024 22 — Moto Razr (2024) cover screen

Like last year, these two phones share the same beautiful 6.9-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080 pixels, 10-bit, HDR10+) LTPO pOLED main screen. Refresh rates top out at 165Hz for the Razr+ (2024) and 120Hz for the Razr (2024). This display still keeps the crease to a minimum, but it’s a lot brighter than before, peaking at 3000 nits. You’ll find a 32MP f/2.4 0.7-micron selfie camera in a center punch hole on both handsets.

Check out more of these details in our hands-on video guided tour...

The larger 4-inch 165Hz LTPO pOLED cover screen (1272 x 1080 pixels, 10-bit, HDR10+) on the Razr+ (2024) makes a significant difference when running apps on the outer display thanks to the additional real estate. Meanwhile, the 3.6-inch 120Hz pOLED cover display (1056 x 1066 pixels, 10-bit, HDR10+) on the Razr (2024) delivers the same front panel experience as with last year’s Razr+ (2023) for $300 less.

Moto Razr 2024 14 — Moto Razr+ (2024) partially folded

Under the hood, the Razr+ (2024) boasts Qualcomm’s new flagship-tier Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC, paired with 12GB of LPDD5x RAM and 256G of UFS 4.0 storage. The Razr (2024) packs MediaTek’s latest midrange chip – the Dimensity 7300X – alongside 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage. While there’s no microSD support, both phones feature sub-6 5G, Bluetooth 5.4, aGPS, and NFC.

The Razr+ (2024) comes with WiFi 7 and the Razr (2024) gets WiFi 6E. Power for the Razr+ (2024) is provided by a 4000mAh battery that supports 45W fast wired charging and 15W Qi-compatible wireless charging (with 5W reverse wireless charging). The Razr (2024) offers a slightly larger 4200mAh battery that charges at 30W (wired) or 15W (wireless). Unfortunately, there’s no charger included in the box.

Moto Razr 2024 27 — Moto Razr (2024) partially folded

On the imaging front, both phones feature a new 50MP f/1.7 0.7-micron main shooter with omni-directional PDAF and OIS. Strangely, the Razr+ (2024) swaps its predecessor’s 13MP ultrawide with AF for a 50MP f/2.0 0.64-micron 2x telephoto with PDAF (but without OIS). The Razr (2024) retains last year’s 13MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 120-degree ultrawide with AF (which doubles as a macro camera).

We’re not sure that replacing the Razr+ (2023)’s ultrawide with a 2x telephoto is a good idea – especially without OIS. Moto tells us its data shows that the audience for the Razr+ (2024) values portraits images and zooming in more than wide angle shots and zooming out, but frankly, we’re skeptical. Most modern 50MP sensors enable lossless 2x magnification by cropping in-sensor, with minimal loss in quality.

Moto Razr 2024 12 — Moto Razr+ (2024) main screen

Both handsets feature a capacitive fingerprint sensor embedded in the power/lock key, a linear vibration motor, and stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos. As you’d expect, build quality is excellent, and the phones feel great in hand. This year again, we’re big fans of the selection of hues available – the green Razr+ (2024) and orange Razr (2024) look especially striking. It’s refreshing to see phones with fun colorways.

When it comes to software, these two handsets run Hello UX – Moto’s lightweight skin – on top of Android 14. The cover screen experience gains a few welcome new tricks, including a widgets panel and a pinch gesture to show all panels. Finally, the company plans to roll out a set of generative AI features in the coming months – similar to what Samsung, Apple, and others have unveiled – under the “Moto AI” moniker.

Moto Razr 2024 24 — Moto Razr (2024) main screen

Overall, we’re happy with what the Razr+ (2024) and Razr (2024) bring to the table. Both phones received meaningful updates across the board without costing more, which is good news in this time of rampant inflation. The only questionable change is with the Razr+ (2024), which drops the ultrawide shooter for a telephoto camera. You’ll have to stay tuned for our full review to find out if this is a dealbreaker or not.

The $999 Moto Razr+ (2024) will be available for pre-order on July 10 from T-Mobile, AT&T, Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy, and will be available for purchase from these stores on July 24. Pre-orders for the $699 Moto Razr (2024) will start on July 10 at T-Mobile, and sales will start on July 24 at T-Mobile, Consumer Cellular, XFinity Mobile, Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy – with more carriers to follow.

Last but not least, Motorola is launching Moto Tag – a smart tag compatible with Google’s Find My Device network. It features a button that serves both as a convenient phone locator and a remote camera shutter button. Moto Tag ($29 for 1, $99 for 4) will be available on August 2 from Motorola.com.