The Motorola Razr Fold isn’t the foldable I wanted — unless the price is right

I’m disappointed that Motorola chose the design it did for its upcoming book-style folding phone.

I heard rumors that the company might decide on a phone like the Microsoft Surface Duo, with two separate hinged screens.

That got me excited because it made a lot of sense. Motorola could provide larger-screen functionality at a reduced cost.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case, and the Motorola Razr Fold is akin to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 — a book-style folding phone with an 8.1-inch internal display.

I don’t mind the phone’s design (despite an alarmingly massive camera hump), and I’m sure it will be a solid performer.

Still, it doesn’t feel like the folding phone the company should be making — unless it delivers in one key area.

We don’t know much about what’s inside the Razr Fold

I expect a tier below flagship

Credit: Motorola

Motorola didn’t share many details about the internals of its new device.

We know it has a 6.6-inch cover screen and the 8.1-inch internal display I mentioned earlier.

It also has a triple 50MP camera setup, with a telephoto lens, and I’d hope so given how gigantic the camera hump is on the back.

The device also has the classic Moto design we’ve seen on the company’s last few phones.

However, the insides remain a mystery.

I’m willing to bet Motorola will use the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. It’ll cut costs while delivering excellent performance.

I’ve used the SD8G5 on the OnePlus 15R, and I have no complaints, even with high-end AAA mobile games.

I expect either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, and the usual storage options.

A silicon-carbon battery would really excite me, but I’m not looking to get greedy, especially since the most important spec for the upcoming Razr Fold isn’t the power under the hood or the technology — it’s the price.

Motorola only wins if it undercuts everyone — aggressively

The company needs to differentiate itself from Samsung and Google

Motorola can’t release a book-style fold, undercut the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7 by $200, and expect success.

I’m hoping the company brings the usual value it has shown over the last several years with every device except the Razr Ultra.

I’ve seen rumors that the new Razr Fold will sell for $1,500, which I think is right on the borderline.

I would’ve loved $1,400, as Motorola would provide a big-screen folding solution for just a little more than you pay for a Galaxy S25 (or S26) Ultra.

I don’t envision Motorola providing a radically different user experience for foldables.

Software isn’t the company’s strong suit, and you’d have to justify customers both taking a chance on a more expensive, folding phone and not going with either Google or Samsung, who are several generations deep.

At $1,500, I’m at least stopping to think, as it saves me several hundred dollars.

Unfortunately, some bad news for Motorola this week will make things even harder to gain traction with Razr Fold sales.

Losing AT&T is a real problem

Carrier outlets are important

Credit: Unsplash

I hated hearing that AT&T stores would no longer feature Motorola devices. The phones will still work fine on the network, but not being on store shelves is limiting.

You miss out on generous carrier deals and trade-in offers, and it’s more difficult for people to make a decision about phones they can’t touch.

Carrier finance payments are also critical, limiting the upfront financial impact of an expensive smartphone purchase.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a massive investment for $2,000, but paying $50 a month on your phone bill makes it less daunting.

Motorola would’ve been able to count on that same psychology.

Even if the company has its usual aggressive sales throughout the year, it’ll be hard for the Razr Fold to sell in meaningful numbers without a carrier store presence.

I don’t know if Verizon will follow AT&T’s lead and stop carrying Motorola phones.

Let’s hope Motorola doesn’t learn the harsh lesson OnePlus did about the need for carrier stores in the US.

I’m hoping I’m wrong about the Motorola Razr Fold

I give the Motorola Razr Fold a 50/50 chance at success. It frustrates me because it could’ve been higher.

However, Moto is willing to bet that there is some familiarity with the form factor by now, and that customers might be willing to take a chance, and that something radical like a Microsoft Surface Duo design would have been off-putting.

Still, I’ll use the device and probably love it, but many consumers will have a difficult decision to make for $1,500.