A Worthy Rival To Google And Samsung

When it comes to big, fancy foldable phones available in the US, your only viable options for the past three years are from Samsung or Google. Before that, the Korean giant had a lockdown on the market. After spending generations refining its flexible flip phones, Motorola is finally expanding its portfolio with its first book-style contender. While the Razr Fold hasn’t massively departed from the template used by its biggest rivals, Moto wisely combined some of the most popular features from previous foldables. It put them in a modern chassis, resulting in a gadget that capitalizes on what this type of device can offer.

With a chassis based around a 6.6-inch exterior display that opens outwards to reveal an 8.1-inch interior screen, the Razr Fold doesn’t deviate much from what we’ve seen from Samsung and Google. That said, Motorola has added original touches here and there, with curvier, more rounded corners and sides along with a dedicated button for summoning AI apps. The phone also comes with a rather unique texture in back, which on my blackened blue model feels like the kind of ballistic nylon/polyethylene fabric you often find on rugged outdoor gear. I’m just not sure where the blue is supposed to be because all I see is a dark charcoal gray.

One small quirk about the Razr Fold is that it relies on a side-mounted fingerprint sensor built into its lock button.That’s not unusual as this kind of setup is pretty common on big foldables. The weird thing is because the lock key is super narrow, I found it was a bit tougher to use and find by feel compared to the wider components used on both the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7. Thankfully, when you do hit it properly, it feels just as speedy and reliable as those on its rivals.

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Unfortunately, while the Razr Fold (8.6 ounces and 4.7mm) is sleeker than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (9.1 ounces and 5.2mm), it’s still noticeably thicker and heavier than the Z Fold 7 (7.6 ounces and 4.2mm). And after carrying the latter around for the better part of the year, I definitely prefer Samsung’s more streamlined design, even though the extra heft of Motorola’s foldable is tolerable. Furthermore, while the Razr Fold has good water resistance that can handle submersions of up to five feet for 30 minutes, its IP49 rating falls short of the more substantial IP68 dust resistance on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

For a class of device that’s all about packing as much screen space as possible into a pocket-friendly device, Motorola certainly didn’t skimp on the Razr Fold’s displays. Compared to its rivals, both its interior and exterior panels are 0.1 to 0.2 inches bigger while pumping out more than 6,000 nits of peak brightness. And while there is still a hint of a crease, it’s not distracting at all once you get used to it. Simply put, the Razr delivers a world-class viewing experience.

However, for people who like to sketch and take handwritten notes, what really elevates the Fold’s main display is native stylus support, just like you used to get from some of Samsung’s older foldable phones. The main downsides are that Moto’s Pen Ultra costs $100 extra and there’s nowhere inside the device itself to stash a stylus. Instead, you get a dedicated charging case about the size of a Sharpie that requires a wired USB-C cable for recharging. So while I like the functionality, I wish Moto had come up with a slightly more cohesive package that makes its pen easier to carry around. Magnets, anyone?

Even with Motorola investing a ton in its display, the Razr Fold is no slouch when it comes to performance either. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip with up to 1TB of storage and either 12GB or 16GB of RAM depending on the specific config. As you’d expect from a high-end chip, the Razr Fold feels super responsive while boasting speedy load times and strong framerates in games. And while apps like Pokemon TCG Pocket aren’t super demanding, I maintain that big foldable phones are the best way to play digital card games.

As for software, Motorola’s splitscreen system reminds me a bit of OnePlus’ card-based UI on the Open. It makes flipping between two apps super easy and you can easily save frequently used pairs for added convenience. Alternatively, by tapping the little three-dot anchor at the top, you can pop out apps into a free form window, which can be quite handy too.

When it comes to AI, the overall experience feels a bit barebones compared to what you get from Samsung and Google phones. Motorola has its own suite of tools plus pre-installed apps for Perplexity and Microsoft Copilot, so you get basic stuff like the ability to create images using text prompts or automatically save screenshots so you can dig up info later. However, you don’t really get more advanced features like Magic Cue or a proper Audio Eraser.

The Razr Fold’s 50-megapixel main sensor doesn’t capture quite as many pixels as the 200MP primary cam on the Z Fold 7, but I’d argue it offers better image quality. In both bright and low light environments, I found that the Razr’s photos were consistently a touch sharper and more detailed than what I got from Samsung. Colors were more saturated too, which is pretty impressive considering that Galaxy phones often go a bit overboard when trying to recreate vivid hues and tones. That said, in very dark conditions, I’d still give a slight edge to Google’s Night Sight mode on the Pixel 10 Pro Fold (and other Pixel phones).

Elsewhere, the Razr Fold isn’t hurting for other lenses either, as the phone also comes with a 50MP telephoto cam with a 3x optical zoom (that goes all the way up to 100x digitally) plus a 50MP ultra-wide cam that can also shoot macro pics. Meanwhile, for selfies and video calls, you also get a 20MP sensor built into the phone’s exterior display along with a 32MP shooter in the top right corner of its flexible main screen.

By switching to a new silicon-carbon battery, Motorola delivered a major leap in capacity and longevity. Thanks to its 6,000mAh cell, the Razr Fold lasted more than a full day (24 hours and 22 minutes) during our local video rundown test. And that test was completed using its larger main display. In comparison, the Z Fold 7 lasted just shy of 21 hours (20:50) while the Pixel 10 Pro Fold hit 21:20.

The Razr Fold also boasts excellent charging speeds, at up to 80 watts when using a wire or 50 watts with a wireless puck. The one issue is that like a lot of phones these days, you don’t get a power adapter in the box. Furthermore, because Motorola uses a proprietary power delivery standard, you’ll need to shell out extra for one of the company’s TurboPower accessories in order to get those speeds instead of relying on more widely available Qi2 or USB-PD-based peripherals.

Motorola might be a bit late when it comes to big foldables, but its first effort is a major success. The Razr Fold combines excellent screens and great cameras with class-leading battery life and top-notch charging speeds, assuming you don’t mind paying extra for a new set of power adapters. And thanks to native stylus support, Moto is keeping the torch alive for a feature that seemed like it was headed for extinction.

I still prefer the Galaxy Z Fold 7’s design, because on devices like these, every ounce and millimeter matters. And it’s not like Samsung’s flagship is lagging much (if at all) when it comes to performance, image quality and overall usability. On the flipside, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold still has the best cameras, the most helpful AI features and the best durability thanks to its superior dust resistance.

If you’re in the market for a big new foldable phone, the Razr Fold is more than just a third wheel. It’s a great option in its own right, and starting at $1,900, it’s a touch more affordable than the Z Fold 7 too. The main thing that would stop me from getting one out the gate is that Motorola’s two biggest rivals are last year’s models and are due for a refresh this summer. But if you don’t feel like waiting, the Razr Fold won’t disappoint.