Motorola Razr 5G vs Motorola Razr 2022: Here's the biggest changes

Motorola Razr 5G vs Motorola Razr 2019: Here'south the biggest changes

(Prototype credit: Tom's Guide)

Will the 2d time exist the charm for the Motorola Razr? That's surely what the company is hoping, after it pushed out its first revival of the classic flip phone earlier this twelvemonth to middling reviews. While the Razr foldable certainly benefited from a fleck of retro charm, it was simply also inconsistent in build quality, performance and features to justify its astronomical price.

Merely foldable phones are getting better, as Samsung has demonstrated past consistently improving upon its foldable devices with successive iterations. The second-generation Motorola Razr, at present with 5G connectivity, aims to stamp out the original's flaws, while also coming in at price that is still high, admitting slightly easier to stomach. In this Motorola Razr 5G vs. Motorola Razr 2019 face-off, nosotros'll outline the biggest differences between between the showtime flip telephone and its replacement.

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Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Price and release date

Motorola hasn't told united states of america when we'll be able to purchase the new Razr yet, though we do know how much the phone will cost: $1,399. That's $100 less expensive than the showtime Razr was when it launched, which is sure to sprinkle yet more table salt in the wounds of people who purchased the showtime-generation foldable, which released not even ten months ago. Information technology's as well $l cheaper than the Samsung Milky way Z Flip 5G.

Whereas the first Razr was sectional to Verizon, the new model is mercifully available unlocked, and will be sold through AT&T and T-Mobile. Interestingly, Verizon isn't carrying the new Razr, probable because information technology cannot connect to Verizon'southward predominantly millimeter-moving ridge flavor of 5G.

The showtime Razr was available in either Noir Black or Chroma Gilt, but the new model replaces Noir Black with two new shades: Polished Graphite (most similar to black), and Liquid Mercury (more like a silvery). Blush Gold returns once more.

Ane more notation on the subject field of pricing: Motorola has slashed the price of the existing Razr to $999 on its own website. Fifty-fifty with the cost cut, the phone'southward Verizon exclusivity makes it almost impossible to recommend for everyone, though it's perhaps worth entertaining if the upgrades in the new model aren't all that compelling to you.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Design

If y'all're not intimately familiar with the design of Motorola'southward start foldable Razr, you may not exist able to tell the start- and second-generation models apart. There are some giveaways, nevertheless, if you know where to look.

Firstly, with the new Razr shut, nosotros can see it has a redesigned camera module with a more tapered chin that no longer houses a capacitive fingerprint sensor. Instead, that module now resides on the back. Speaking of the back, it's now clad in 3D glass on the new model — a marked comeback over the unpleasant, chintzy-feeling stippled plastic of the offset endeavour. A 7000-series aluminum frame should hopefully help lend an even more than solid, premium feel to a device that previously didn't feel all that solid or premium.

Overall, Motorola says the swivel on the new Razr is rated to withstand 200,000 flips, which should concluding the average user five years by the company's estimation. The hinge on the offset Razr was known to creak and generally be hard to open with one mitt, though Motorola says it has fabricated efforts to mitigate these problems. Additionally, a new teardrop curvature to the folding element of the screen should help the device close fully flush, compared to the disconcerting gaps of the visitor'south earlier rendition.

Having not tested the new Razr yet, nosotros can't speak to how successful Motorola has been in making the new Razr feel more solid and generally better put-together than its predecessor. For that, you'd best stay tuned for our hands-on impressions, where we'll put those claims to the test.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Displays

The new Razr's interior half dozen.2-inch and exterior two.seven-inch displays have been pretty much unchanged in this revision. The large folding screen is notwithstanding protected by layers of plastic, rather than Samsung's Ultra Sparse-Glass. That doesn't instill the well-nigh conviction in the world, given Motorola'southward mantra of "bumps and lumps" being normal in the lead up to the start Razr'south release.

Indeed, we did encounter our share of bumps and lumps when we reviewed the start foldable Razr dorsum in the early on role of this year, noticing an orange-peel result pervading the display and drawing attending to a hard-to-ignore circular depression in the peak half of the panel. To lessen the chances of this, and make the display experience more natural in full general, Motorola says it's pulled the Razr's screen more tightly over the metallic support plates behind it.

The overall look and feel of the Razr'due south folding screen was one of its virtually egregious shortcomings, and so nosotros certainly hope an comeback has been fabricated to that attribute regarding the new model.

While the 2.7-inch Quick View brandish on the Razr 5G'south exterior is identical to the 1 in the original handset, users will now be able to do far more than with it than but glance at notifications and summon the Google Assistant. The Quick View panel tin can now run any app, and while that might seem like a bad idea on such a small screen, Motorola says Razr users dearest the convenience of the phone'southward exterior screen and have actively asked to apply it for as many apps every bit possible.

And and then the new Quick View experience supports everything from placing telephone calls to Google Maps navigation and playback controls for practically any music streaming app you can imagine. And if you're daring plenty to try to run YouTube on that tiny 2.7-inch canvas, well, that'due south your prerogative — Motorola isn't going to stop you.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Cameras

Motorola has never been a company renowned for its imaging engineering, but the single-lens, 16-megapixel shooter on the outside of the get-go Razr was really quite poor. In that location are budget phones that capture better pictures, especially in low light, and the results from Motorola'due south foldable were downright embarrassing compared to other options in the $1,000-plus price range.

Thankfully, the new Razr'southward camera has seen a serious stride up, from 16MP to 48MP. Optical image stabilization and laser autofocus are at present also on tap, which should greatly ameliorate the Razr'due south ability to both capture a steady shot and ensure the bailiwick is properly in focus. Above the display on the inside of the phone, you lot'll find a 20MP shooter which collects iv times the megapixels of the paltry 5MP sensor in the original Razr.

However, if you want the best possible selfies, your safest bet is to use that main 48MP camera with the Quick View display serving as your viewfinder. Motorola claims the Razr volition exist one of the best handsets for capturing selfies on the market, given that its main camera tin can be used for such things. That's indeed a unique advantage most phones cannot lay claim to.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Specs

	Motorola Razr 5G	Motorola Razr 2019
Price	$i,399	$1,499
Interior display	6.two inches OLED (2142x876)	six.2 inches OLED (2142x876)
Exterior display	2.7 inches OLED (800x600)	two.7 inches OLED (800x600)
CPU	Snapdragon 765G	Snapdragon 710
RAM	8GB	6GB
Storage	256GB	128GB
Rear cameras	48MP (ƒ/1.7)	16MP (ƒ/i.seven)
Front camera	20MP (ƒ/2.two)	5MP (ƒ/2.0)
Battery	ii,800 mAh	2,510 mAh
Size (folded)	3.6 x 2.nine x 0.63 inches	three.7 x 2.83 ten 0.55 inches
Size (open up)	vi.vii x ii.ix 10 0.31 inches	six.77 x 2.83 ten 0.27 inches
Weight	6.77 ounces	7.ii ounces

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Performance

Bated from the camera hardware, one of the Razr 5G'south biggest improvements concerns its specs. The first-generation device was hampered past a Snapdragon 710 processor, which, while serviceably fast, wasn't quite up to the level of performance someone dropping $1,500 on a telephone would probably prefer. That device besides made do with merely 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which is also quite underwhelming for the price.

Fortunately, Motorola has stepped up the new Razr'south internals in a big way. The Snapdragon 765G chipset inside the new device isn't simply faster than the silicon it replaces — it too enables low- and mid-ring 5G connectivity. Couple that with an upgrade to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it seems as though the 2d-gen Razr will make far less concessions to operation than its predecessor, despite the fact it'southward $100 cheaper.

The Snapdragon 765G has performed admirably in phones similar the OnePlus Nord and LG Velvet. For an idea of the caliber of performance you can look from the new Razr, the OnePlus Nord delivered 1,948 points in the multi-core portion of the system-wide Geekbench 5 benchmark, while the Snapdragon 710-powered first-gen Razr topped out at 1,406 points.

Both are yet a ways abroad from the 3,294 points of a Snapdragon 865 Plus-powered device like the $1,299 Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, though the 765G should withal offer plenty grunt for regular users who aren't playing the about demanding mobile games.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Bombardment

You tin can only fit a battery and then big in a device every bit compact as the Razr. Thus, it was unsurprising how badly the original model struggled with longevity on a accuse, lasting simply over vi hours in Tom'due south Guide'south custom battery examination every bit a consequence of its tiny 2,510-mAh power pack. The latest iPhones and Galaxy Note devices tend to fall between 9 and eleven hours, so the Razr'south showing was unfortunately disappointing for the price.

For the new Razr, that capacity has been upgraded to 2,800 mAh, which should help back up the new phone'southward slightly more power-hungry 5G radios. Motorola also tells usa Razr users tend to eke better endurance out of their devices on a daily basis than they might with a conventional phone, thank you to the Quick View display's suitability for glanceable notifications that don't force you lot to wake the master display equally often. That'll perhaps exist of some alleviation to any prospective Razr 5G buyers concerned virtually making it through the day on a minimum of charges.

Motorola Razr 5G vs. Razr 2019: Outlook

It's rare to see a phone company release a greatly enhanced version of an existing device less than a year later launch, simply that's exactly what Motorola looks to be doing with the 2d-generation Razr.

This new foldable looks to be an improvement on the company's underwhelming first try in practically every possible manner, from its design, to its cameras, performance and battery life. With 5G connectivity thrown in besides, it comes off as a considerably better value than the original Razr was, at $100 less to boot.

And so on paper, information technology's clear to see Motorola has put the work in. What remains to exist seen is whether those improvements will translate to a Razr that'southward better to utilise in the existent earth. We look forward to getting our hands on the device to discover our for ourselves soon.

Adam Ismail is a staff writer at Jalopnik and previously worked on Tom'south Guide covering smartphones, motorcar tech and gaming. His love for all things mobile began with the original Motorola Droid; since then he's owned a multifariousness of Android and iOS-powered handsets, refusing to stay loyal to one platform. His work has as well appeared on Digital Trends and GTPlanet. When he's not lilliputian with the latest devices, he's at an indie popular show, recording a podcast or playing Sega Dreamcast.