Samsung rules the roost in more ways than one when it comes to Android phones. Not only does the Korean giant regularly sell more phones than any of its competitors worldwide, it also has an iron grip on the foldable phone market thanks to the popularity and global availability of its Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip devices. This week, it looks like Motorola – maker of the first ever mobile phone – is going to release a device to compete with the might of Samsung’s folding Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Motorola, which is now owned by Chinese tech firm Lenovo, sent out a teaser on social media that said: “Intelligence inside and out. Discover more on 06.25.2024. #FlipTheScript” accompanied by a short video that clearly shows two clamshell style folding flip phones in both blue and orange colours.
Though not confirmed, it’s very likely that we’ll see at least one new Motorola Razr branded folding phone on 25 June, which is this coming Tuesday. Motorola has released several models of flip over the past few years, including the Razr 40 and more premium Razr 40 Ultra, the latter of which had a larger outer display when folded shut and was more functional than that on the Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Though many folding phones are book style with a large tablet screen that folds down the middle and closes into a regular phone shape, flip style foldable are attractive because they open up to regular phone size but close into a much more pocketable, if thick, size.
There’s also a big dollop of nostalgia with this form factor as it harks back to the 1990s and 2000s where old school flip phones were some of the most popular callers around – and the most famous of all is surely the original Motorola Razr, which came out in 2004. It was notably slimmer than its competitors and turned the mobile phone industry into a fashion race to the top after that, and phones became objects chosen for their look rather than function amongst some buyers.
After all, the Razr barely did anything apart from look cool, with a grainy VGA camera and the most basic version of mobile internet over its 2G network connection.
If we do see a new Razr on Tuesday, it could be something special given it’s been 20 years since the original Razr. Last year’s Razr 40 was a cheaper version of a folding flip with a tiny cover screen and stripped back specs as companies experiment with what consumers want from these devices. Surely being cheaper helps, as the Razr 40 Ultra was pushing £1,000 at launch.
Motorola has a little bit of work to do if it wants to tempt you away from Samsung though. Samsung is now committing to seven years of software and security updates with its flagship phones, an industry-best promise along with Google’s Pixel phones. Motorola has a dreadful track record with software updates for even its priciest phones, with two years of Android version updates if you’re lucky. Express.co.uk recently tried out 2023’s Razr 40 Ultra and it was stuck on Android 13 – and Android 15 is expected to launch fully in a few months.
Whether or not Motorola will overhaul the design of a potential 2024 Razr will also be interesting, as the large outer screen doesn’t leave much room for any tweaks. The teaser video shows the ‘M’ logo on the back of the phone much like it was on the 40 Ultra.
Express.co.uk will bring you all the latest as we find out on Tuesday what Motorola has in store.