Motorola has brought the iconic Razr series back to the U.S. with two new models: the Moto Razr+ and a more affordable Moto Razr 2023. Both flip phones offer a nearly identical form factor with pretty similar internal specs, but the Razr+ is the more premium of the duo, sporting the largest external display on any flip phone to date.
I’ve spent three months with the Razr+ and I’m now ready to share my feedback. For some additional reference, before testing the Razr+, my daily driver before this was the Oppo Find N2 Flip, and I also own a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, so I’m well-versed in the world of flips.
History of the Motorola Razr smartphone
It has been twenty years since the original Razr was first released. Motorola revealed to us that all of this time they haven’t stopped studying consumer behavior around flip phones. This latest incarnation of the Motorola Razr series certainly demonstrates that.
For a time, the Motorola Razr wasn’t just a phone – it was a fashion statement. But eventually, flip phones faded out in popularity as smartphones took over.
Fast forward to 2019, and Motorola reintroduced the Razr series as a foldable smartphone. At the time of its release, a foldable smartphone with a flip form factor was about as cutting edge as it got.
Unfortunately for Motorola, their first flip smartphone wasn’t well received, with reviewers lamenting that it was riddled with usability issues and that it was too expensive – pricing out at $1499.
The following year, Motorola introduced a second-generation Razr 5G model to much less fanfare. Then in 2022, a third-generation model was launched but was only released overseas.
We’d been wondering for a while now if Motorola would bring back the Razr to the U.S. – and if they did, could they make it a true comeback? Fortunately, the 2023 Moto Razr series, and the Razr+ especially, looks like it’s turning out to be the most promising device launch from Motorola in a while.
Razr+ design and displays
Everything about the 2023 Razr Plus screams high-end. With it, Motorola is targeting not only early adopters but trendsetters too. That makes a lot of sense when you take a look at this phone – because like the original Razr, the Motorola Razr+ is a true statement piece.
That said, Motorola has scrapped the nostalgic Razr “chin” from these new models so that their displays are borderless and not distracting. Fortunately, we’re not missing that chin at all, and the 2023 Razr family still manages to be a head-turner in its own right.
But perhaps what’s more promising is that this time around is that Motorola has focused on usability when designing the new Razr+.
Measuring 3.6 inches, the external display on the Moto Razr+ is the largest of any flip smartphone on the market. Consequently, this external display is not just for viewing notifications, but it’s a truly functional second smartphone display.
The external display is made of a pOLED screen with HDR10+ support, a peak brightness of 1100 nits, and it offers a refresh rate of up to 144hz. To get to the point – this display is just as good as a typical smartphone display and is suitable for most kinds of tasks – even playing games. Motorola expects people to use this external display a lot, so much so, that they may not find themselves flipping open the Razr+ all that often.
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You can easily swipe through the panels on the external display to view calendar entries, check the weather, control Spotify, make calls, send texts, or access Google Maps. You can even bring up an onscreen keyboard to operate it.
Essentially the external display is a true extension of the phone. And thanks to what Motorola is dubbing ‘continuity at will’ – apps being used on the external display can be continued on the inside when you flip open up the phone.
But enough about the external display. The internal display on the Razr+ is also impressive with its barely visible crease. It’s a beautiful 6.9 FHD+ pOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio, HDR10+ support, and a refresh rate of up to 165hz.
The Razr+ itself is just 15.1mm thick, making it the thinnest flip phone on the market. When closed, it’s practically gapless.
Both of the displays are made of guerrilla glass victus and the Razr Plus’ body is made of a 7 series frame aluminum which makes it quite tough and hardy. When it comes to water resistance, the Razr offers IP52 protection which means you can’t submerge the device, but it’s splash-proof.
One thing we especially appreciate about the new Razrs’ design is that most of the models (with the exception of the black Razr+) come with a vegan leather finish.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen vegan leather on a phone. We’ve seen it recently show up on models like the Oppo Find X6 Pro and the RealMe 11 Pro+.
Other notable specs include stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos immersive sound and a triple array mic system for calls.
When it comes to performance, the Razr+ is no slouch either. It’s powered by a Snapdragon 8+ gen 1 chipset alongside 8GB of lLPDDR5 ram and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Razr+ battery life
The Razr+ is able to last a full day and night on its 3800mAh battery. It also supports 30W charging and 5W wireless charging.
Should you buy the Motorola Razr+?
After spending a few months with the Razr+, I can safely say that the Razr folding series has come a long way. The Razr+ is vastly superior to its predecessors.
Its 3.6-inch external display is super practical to use on a day-to-day basis. To that effect, the larger external screen is super useful as a viewfinder in a way that other flips simply can’t compete with. It also offers a full Android experience instead of the more limited, smaller widget experience you get from its competitors. And this full Android experience is very usable. To that effect, I regularly find myself not needing to flip open the Razr+.
The Moto Razr+’s performance is great thanks to being powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, even if that is last year’s flagship chipset. Battery life is solid too and will get you through a full day.
Did we mention what a head-turner the Razr+ device is? It’s absolutely stunning. I can’t stop marveling at how beautiful it is and people keep stopping me to ask about it. In my humble opinion, the Motorola Razr+ most beautiful foldable on the market today.
I also appreciate how easy it is to flip open the Razr+ time around. So it’s clear that Motorola has listened to user feedback from previous generations of the Razr.
Unfortunately, our biggest gripe with the Razr+ series is that its camera could be better. The Razr+ does offer a pretty good camera and granted that most flips can’t compete with flagship cameras, but ultimately you’ll find a better camera on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and a much better camera on the Oppo Find N2 Flip. However, the latter is not available for sale in the U.S.
But outside of its camera chops, in terms of usability and design, I consider the Motorola Razr+ to be superior to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Ultimately, the Motorola Razr+ certainly serves up some serious competition for Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip series and manages to beat it out just enough that we’d say it’s the superior flip phone. Motorola certainly has a winner on its hands this time around.
Motorola Razr 2023 family pricing
The Motorola Razr+ is available now for $999 unlocked at Motorola, Amazon and Best Buy.
The haute viva magenta model is only available from T-Mobile and Motorola directly.
If you buy the device directly from Motorola, you’ll get a free year’s worth of screen damage protection, as well as a free pair of Bose headphones.