Motorola’s third attempt at a folding phone leaks, and it’s not the Razr we’ve come to know

Compared to Samsung, Motorola hasn’t been much of a player in the foldable smartphone market, unless you consider that they technically do sell folding phones. Samsung and other companies like Huawei have been able to dominate the early market to great success, but that doesn’t mean Moto will be giving up any time soon.

The Razr returns

• Motorola’s next-generation Razr has leaked in new photos, courtesy of Evan Blass at 91Mobiles.
• The device is rumored to feature flagship specifications and more cameras, along with a different design.
• There’s no word on how much it’ll cost when it goes on sale later this year.

The company’s next folding phone, presumably the Razr 3 and codenamed ”Maven,” has leaked in photos provided by Evan Blass through 91Mobiles. The images depict a device that’s unlike the previous two generations of Razr foldables, falling in line with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 design-wise than anything. The corners are much more square, the chin is no more, and the fingerprint reader is in the power button. Admittedly, it’s not quite at the level of Samsung’s Z Flip 3 (you can still tell this is a Motorola phone), but it’s definitely a much different look compared to the classic Razr aesthetic Moto went for with its early incarnations.

Blass provides a good amount of specs in his report which suggest the new Razr will come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. He notes that a “Plus” variant of the new Razr will also likely ship, although it’s unclear what its specs will be.

There will be dual cameras on the back, with a 50MP f/1.8 main lens and 13MP ultra-wide that will double as a macro camera. The selfie shooter will be a 32MP sensor which will live in a notch inside the main Full HD+ display. Speaking of which, there’s no evidence to suggest that the sizes of the panels will change this generation, so expect the same 6.2-inch and 2.7-inch screens as before.

We’re still missing a release date and price for the new Razr, but Motorola is expected to start shipping the device in China this summer.

My takeaway

I’ve never used a Razr but I’ve read a lot of the reviews, and it’s not a stretch to say that Motorola has some work to do to get their foldable into fighting shape. Many different areas like the camera, software, battery life, and performance have been less than stellar since the Razor’s inception, so the device has been in need of upgrades for quite some time. After all, the last time Moto announced a new version was in 2020 with its 5G-equipped successor.

If Motorola improves any of those areas, the next Razr might actually be worth considering over something like the Z Flip 3. Whether Motorola can actually ship a foldable that goes neck-and-neck with Samsung is unclear, but we’ll find out sooner than later.