The 2023 Razr. That front display is real big.
The inside. When open, these flip phones are not much different from a normal phone.
It comes in three colors.
Working around those cameras will be interesting.
The cheaper Razr model has a smaller front display.
The front display on the cheap model only shows smartwatch-style mini apps.
Motorola is still not giving up on the whole idea of a flexible-display Razr phone, and the company actually has a fourth generation of the device coming up. The launch date is already official, set for June 1. The new Razr line comprises all new-school flip phones that are about the size of a normal smartphone when open, but when you’re done with them, the whole device, including the screen, can fold in half, giving you a smaller square to fit into your pocket.
There are two models of the upcoming device, called either the “Razr 40 Ultra” or “Razr+, and a cheaper model that might end up being called the Razr 40. Legendary leaker Evan Blass has been all over the release of this phone, sharing press images and other details, while MySmartPrice has leaks of the cheaper model. We don’t necessarily know every tiny difference between the two models, but the big difference will be the cover display.
These foldable devices are closed a lot of the time, so an outer display is very useful for the 100-plus times a day you check your phone—it’s nice to just quickly look at it without needing to open up the phone. The Ultra model is going for about as big of a front display as possible, including wrapping around the two primary cameras that live in the bottom-right corner of the front of the phone. Working around all that dead space is going to make for some interesting software design decisions. The cheaper model, meanwhile, has a much smaller display, similar to the first-generation Galaxy Flip. It’s a tiny little thing to the left of the camera array and can only show smartwatch-style widgets.
Enlarge / Motorola imagines you’ll do all sorts of things on the front screen.
These smaller outer screens are tough because they can’t run the normal Android interface, so apps that aren’t specifically designed for them won’t work. A video shared by Blass shows the front screen on the Ultra model displaying the full Google Keyboard with a single line of text input, along with WhatsApp, Google Maps, a media player, and a few other functions. I hesitate to call these “normal apps” because they are definitely stripped down with custom interface work. Google Maps, for instance, strips out the real estate-hogging UI elements like top and bottom bars and just shows a simplified interface. Presumably, Motorola inked some deals with a few companies, and front-display compatibility will be limited.
XDA Developers published a few specs for the Ultra model, which are a bit strange. Headlining the spec sheet is a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. That’s Qualcomm’s mid-2022 chip, and a generation behind the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, though Qualcomm did not deliver a huge improvement year to year. XDA has the inside display listed at 120 Hz and 2640×1080 pixels. The latest leak, from an Egyptian retailer, has the display at 6.9 inches. The cover display is a nearly square 1066×1056 and around 3.5 inches. The Ultra model has 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a grab bag of camera parts, listed as “Primary: 12MP Sony IMX563, Secondary: 13MP SK Hynix Hi1336, Selfie: 32MP OmniVision OV32B40.”
There’s a fingerprint sensor somewhere, presumably in the power button, and NFC support. MySmartPrice hunted down the FCC certification and found a 3640 mAh battery and 33 W fast-charging. These specs are all for the Ultra model only; the cheaper model doesn’t have a clear spec sheet yet.
The price will be a big concern, with some rumors pointing toward $1,000. We’ll know more on June 1.
Listing image by Evan Blass
