Introduction
Motorola resumes its efforts in the foldable clamshell segment after a brief respite. The Motorola Razr 2022 is the most recent smartphone in the range and, without a doubt, the most refined. It’s been out for around two months now and has only lately earned an international distribution. Although the clamshell form factor is still alive and well, the Razr 2022 has deviated from the traditional Razr design, probably for the better.
The Razr 2022 no longer has the trademark “chin” on the bottom. Instead, it has a significantly wider display that stretches all the way to the bottom and top bezels, as well as a smaller punch hole for the selfie camera.
The Razr 2022 is not only physically polished, but, unlike its predecessor, the Razr 5G is now a real flagship with internals to match. To mention a few highlights, it has the top-tier Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 CPU, a stunning 6.7-inch, 144Hz, HDR10+ display, and dual speakers.
At a Glance: Motorola Razr 2022 Specifications
Body dimensions: 167.0×79.8×7.6mm, weight 200g; plastic front (opened), glass front (closed, Gorilla Glass 5), glass rear (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminium frame (7000 series), stainless steel hinge (IP52).
6.70 Display “Foldable AMOLED, 1B colours, 144Hz, HDR10+, 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 393ppi; External AMOLED display, 2.7 inches, 60Hz refresh rate, 573 x 800 pixels;
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) chipset: Octa-core (1×3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3×2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4×1.80 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 730.
Memory: 256GB 8GB RAM; UFS 3.1 outside of China.
Android 12 (Operating System/Software)
Wide (primary) camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, 1/1.55 “13 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree, 1.12m, AF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree, 1.12m, AF;
Front-facing camera: 32 MP, f/2.4 (wide), 0.7m
Video recording: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS; 1080p@30/60fps front camera
3500mAh battery; 30W fast charging
Miscellaneous: fingerprint reader (optical, under display); NFC; stereo speakers
Motorola is certainly going all out this time to develop a truly flagship-level foldable to compete with products like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 and the Huawei P50 Pocket. Motorola’s Razr 2022 pricing undoubtedly corresponds to this ambition, leaving us just with the question of whether the Razr 2022 comes up to expectations.
Before we get into that, let’s take a look at the opulent retail box that the Razr 2022 comes in.
Design
The unique design of Motorola’s previous Razr range was undoubtedly its most appealing feature. Up to the 2020 Razr 5G, the revived Razr foldable display models did an excellent job of replicating and recreating that classic look. However, this is not the case with the new Razr 2022.
This year, Motorola chose to refine the design and go with a more “conventional,” for lack of a better phrase, clamshell. One that is more in line with what Samsung or Huawei are producing. This could be a divisive development, and not everyone will like it or think it’s refined. In our perspective, the new Razr 2022 design is far more mature and streamlined in terms of foldable construction than its predecessor.
The characteristic “chin” at the bottom of the phone has vanished. Motorola has instead extended the display all the way down, allowing for a much larger diagonal of 6.7 inches and significantly more screen area this time. Moving away from a display notch and toward a smaller selfie punch hole increases the usable display space.
Surprisingly, the Razr 2022 is significantly broader than typical flip devices, even to the point of being uncomfortable depending on your thumb extending ability.
In another, less noticeable way, the new display is more “polished.” The famous Razr clamshell shape has always necessitated a tight, near-flat fold on the display in order for the two pieces to settle virtually on top of each other with minimum gap in between. To make this possible with older foldable displays and hinge designs, Motorola devised a clever trick of slipping pieces of the display assembly into the phone’s bottom chin while closed. Such tactics are no longer required on the Razr 2022. The display’s r-curve, like the new hinge design, is tight enough to allow for a near-perfect fold-over.
When it comes to the hinge, we have nothing but admiration. It feels very smooth and tension-based, which means that the phone can be partially opened at (nearly) any angle. It has a very pleasant “snap” at both ends and virtually no flex. Nonetheless, the hinge is not too tight or harsh.
The initial force required to open the Razr 2022 is far less than that required to open other flip phones like as the Galaxy Z Flip4 or the Huawei P50 Pocket. We’re not clear what Motorola did with the hinge or who, if anyone else, was involved in its development, but it’s stunning.
Another area where Motorola excelled was the display crease. Creasing is still an issue with current foldable display technology; there is no getting around it. And, while we can’t comment to the mechanism’s lifetime or how the crease will seem after some extended use out of the box, it is so minor that it is scarcely evident. The crease on both halves of the display is lovely and symmetrical. It’s also fairly shallow and wide. The last bit may appear to be a disadvantage, but it isn’t since it results in a very gradual bend down into the centre of the hinge. As a result, the crease is nearly impossible to detect with a finger. Overall, amazing work!
To conclude the design part, we must add that, chin or no chin, Motorola did an excellent job at bending and sloping the outer edges of the Razr 2022 to emulate the family’s trademark feel. We also enjoy the improved camera positioning and how it works with the cover display