You know what they say – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And Motorola clearly took this adage to heart with their 2025 Razr Ultra and Razr phones, delivering what is essentially a great refinement rather than a reinvention.
As someone who was a very big fan of the 2024 Razr series, I had high expectations for this year’s offering. Spoiler alert: Motorola delivers once again with a phone that builds upon everything that made last year’s Razr series phenomenal.
Design & Feel: Premium with Purpose
The Razr Ultra feels familiar yet refined in the hand. That vegan leather material on the Rio Red model doesn’t feel much different from last year’s Plus model, but there’s something more substantial about the overall build. It’s slightly heavier at 199g – you’ll notice it if you’re upgrading – but that extra heft actually makes it feel more premium rather than burdensome.
The Razr materials definitely feel sturdier and even more built to last compared to previous generations, this is because Motorola has improved durability with a titanium-reinforced hinge plate that is 4X stronger than surgical-grade stainless steel, and this time around the Razr is designed to withstand up to 35% more folds than before.
The Razr Ultra (and the standard Razr too) now has IP48 rating for dust and water protection – so they it handle submersion in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes, though I wouldn’t make a habit of dunking it.
Motorola continues its tradition of bold design choices, staying true to their history with the original Razr’s style DNA. This year’s color options include PANTONE Rio Red, PANTONE Scarab, PANTONE Mountain Trail (with that lovely wooden finish), and PANTONE Cabaret. While they’re not quite as punchy as I’d like (seriously, bring back that Spritz Orange color from the 2024 standard Razr!), they’re still much more fun and interesting colors than what most competitors offer. I’ve been using the Rio Red version with its lovely vegan leather textured back, and I’ve gotten no less than seven compliments on it while out and about. Try getting that reaction with a basic black slab phone!
Display Delight: Twice the Screens, Twice the Fun
The inner display is a 7.0-inch Foldable AMOLED display – that’s slightly larger than last year’s model. This screen is absolutely stunning with its HDR10+ support, 464ppi, and 120% DCI-P3 color gamut. The 22:9 aspect ratio gives you plenty of vertical space for scrolling through content and its 4500 nits of peak brightness means it holds up well under direct sunlight.
Add in the adaptive refresh rate up to 165Hz which kicks in for compatible games, and everything looks silky smooth whether you’re scrolling social media or gaming. There’s also Dolby Vision support for streaming content that really pops.
The inner display remains gorgeous with an improved crease that is more minimal than ever – you have to really hunt for it at odd angles to spot it. Colors pop, viewing angles are excellent, and that LTPO technology helps conserve battery when you don’t need those high refresh rates.
But the real star remains the 4.0-inch external pOLED display which has been upgraded to be tougher with Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic. It boasts HDR10+ support, has a 417ppi pixel density, and can also hit an impressive 3000 nits peak brightness. The adaptive refresh rate goes up to 165Hz here too, making interactions feel incredibly responsive.
I’ve found myself handling many of my daily phone tasks without ever opening the device. Quick message replies? Check. Listening go Spotify? You bet. Scrolling through Instagram? Absolutely. You can do nearly it all through the external screen, and the entire experience is intuitive to boot.
The Samsung’s Z Flip series is still playing catch-up here when it comes to its external display, and Motorola knows it.
Power Under the Hood: Elite Performance
But the Razr Ultra doesn’t just look good – it’s a true flagship that absolutely flies thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform. This is Qualcomm’s most powerful chipset built on a 3nm process with an octa-core CPU that clocks up to a blistering 4.32GHz, paired with the Adreno GPU and Hexagon NPU for AI tasks. The phone can ultimately handle every task with aplomb, from gaining to streaming and multitasking.
The audio experience deserves special mention too. Dual stereo speakers tuned by Dolby Atmos deliver surprisingly robust sound for a flip phone. Whether watching videos or taking calls on speaker, the audio quality consistently impressed me. The three-microphone array ensures clear voice pickup even in noisy environments.
Camera System: Better But Not Best-in-Class
Let’s talk cameras, which was honestly my biggest hope for improvement this year. The 2024 Razr cameras were very good but not quite flagship quality and while the Ultra shows clear progress, it still hasn’t quite reached flagship excellence.
What we’re thrilled to see, however, is that Motorola brought back the ultra-wide camera to all cameras in the 2025 series, something which was oddly left out from the 2024 Razr+ model.
The main camera on the Ultra sports a 50MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization (OIS), and Quad Pixel technology that combines four pixels into one for better low-light performance. Motorola has also included Pantone Validated Color and Skin Tones, which is a nice touch for accurate color reproduction.
The ultrawide camera is also 50MP (f/2.0) with a 122° field of view that doubles as a macro vision camera for close-up shots. It too uses Quad Pixel technology for better low-light capability. Macro photos on the Ultra come out quite good, and aren’t just a gimmick.
In practice, the rear camera setup is noticeably better than last year’s model – I’m seeing more detailed shots, improved color vibrance, and better white balance in most lighting conditions. Night shots and portrait photos in particular show a big improvement.
But – and this is a meaningful but – the camera still lacks that polish you find on flagship Samsung or Google devices.
The selfie camera, despite its impressive specs, remains thoroughly mediocre in actual use. You’re much better off flipping the phone closed and using the rear camera with that lovely external display as your viewfinder. This actually ends up being one of the best selfie experiences on any phone, which is a neat trick Motorola pulls off.
The camera features are impressive: Action Shot, Group Shot, Signature Style, Long Exposure, Super Zoom, Ultra HDR, Auto Night Vision, and many more. Video capabilities are equally robust, with support for 8K recording at 30fps, 4K at up to 60fps, and some impressive slow-motion options including 4K at 120fps.
AI Features: Actually Useful!
I’ve grown deeply skeptical of AI features on phones lately – so many seem like solutions hunting for problems. But I’m pleasantly surprised by what Motorola has implemented here.
The AI tools feel practical and intuitive rather than flashy tech demos. I’ve particularly enjoyed the Catch Me Up feature which summarizes notifications. The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s dedicated Hexagon NPU handles these AI tasks efficiently, so there’s rarely any lag when using these features.
Battery & Charging: Living Large
The Ultra packs a substantial 4700mAh battery – a significant step up from previous models. This translates to real-world endurance that consistently gets me through heavy use days with 20-30% remaining. That’s a substantial improvement over last year’s Plus model, which would sometimes leave me nervously eyeing the battery indicator by dinner time.
The charging capabilities are equally impressive. The 68W TurboPower charging is blazingly fast (though you’ll need to buy that charger separately). When using that fast charger, 15 minutes should give you roughly 50% battery.
Wireless charging at 30W is another welcome upgrade, nearly twice as fast as many competitors. There’s even 5W reverse wireless charging for topping up earbuds or other small devices in a pinch.
Value Proposition: Premium Price, Almost Premium Experience
At $1,299, the Razr Ultra isn’t cheap. That’s flagship territory, and while this is unquestionably Motorola’s best flip phone ever, that price point can’t help but invite some scrutiny because the camera, while improved, still isn’t quite matching what you’d get from similarly priced flagships. And the design, gorgeous as it is, isn’t drastically different from last year’s Plus model which retailed for $999.
If you bought the 2024 Razr Plus (now available at a serious discount), you’d still be tremendously happy with it. So the 2025 Ultra isn’t a must-have upgrade but rather a collection of welcome refinements to an already excellent formula.
Razr Ultra vs Standard Razr: What’s the Difference?
The standard Razr ($699) offers the flip experience at half the price of the Ultra ($1,299), but with some trade-offs. The Ultra brings flagship-level specs with a larger, brighter, faster display (7.0″ vs 6.9″ main, 4.0″ vs 3.6″ cover), a significantly more powerful processor (Snapdragon 8 Elite vs MediaTek), double the RAM (16GB vs 8GB), slightly better cameras (dual 50MP vs 50MP+13MP), and faster charging (68W vs 30W).
Having used both, I can testify that the standard Razr doesn’t feel or look like a midrange phone and its trade-offs are not all that significant. As a matter of fact, I’m confident that most people can choose to opt for the standard Razr over the Ultra and they’ll be thrilled.
I also love the color choices of the standard 2025 Razr which include Spring Bud, Gibraltar Sea, Parfait Pink and Lightest Sky, but at the same time I dearly miss the Orange Spritz color option from 2024.
The Final Flip
The Razr series has come a remarkably long way from its humble reboot beginnings. With the 2025 Ultra, Motorola hasn’t reinvented the wheel – and they didn’t need to. Instead, they’ve made thoughtful improvements to an already winning formula.
Is it perfect? No. I still wish the camera system was as stellar as the rest of the phone. But is it still, without question, the best flippin’ phone on the market? You bet your bottom dollar it is.
My two weeks with the Razr Ultra have been a joy. It’s a testament to Motorola’s commitment to this form factor, and their expertise in creating devices that blend style and function seamlessly. Once again, Motorola has proven the Razr line is flipping fantastic.
For anyone shopping for a premium flip phone in 2025, the Motorola Razr Ultra should be at the very top of your list – if you can stomach the price tag. For everyone else, the standard 2025 Razr model will also delight you. Not to mention that last year’s models at their newly discounted prices remain phenomenal options.