Motorola Razr 2023: The Cheapest Folding Phone
Flip-style folding phones’ only perceived advantage over a “normal” smartphone is that they can fold in half. But one thing that makes flip-style foldables “better” than larger foldables is price. So let’s focus on the aspect of folding phones that makes/breaks them, yet doesn’t have anything to do with durability… price.
The flagship Motorola Razr+ (right) has the largest cover display amongst clamshell foldables. The $500 Motorola Razr… not so much.
The Motorola Razr 2023 launched at $700 in the US, making headlines as the most affordable folding phone (ever) available in America. But something very important has changed since we tested the Razr 2023, and this is the price of the phone.
The $500 Motorola Razr is now a game-changing phone with a price tag that makes it accessible to the vast majority of people who are used to paying “normal” prices for “normal” phones, and that’s true whether you’re in the US, Europe, or the UK. But it has one major problem I simply can’t look past.
If you’re a regular PhoneArena reader, you’d know I already asked for a low-price, mid-range folding phone from Samsung. And while the South Korean company hasn’t answered my request (yet), Motorola did instead.
The Motorola Razr 2023 now starts at $500, and this makes the criticism of the mid-range SoC relatively undeserved. It still provides a great deal, considering you’re getting the benefit of the novel form-factor, a brilliant screen, and decent battery life.
Only if there wasn’t a tiny problem that holds me back from recommending the $500 Motorola Razr to some people… The lack of a fully-fledged cover screen makes it less ideal for one-handed use, which is something I particularly appreciate in a smartphone.
However, the $500 Motorola Razr is an important phone that does two very important things for the folding phone’s image: it changes the perception of how much a folding phone should cost and gives the average consumer a chance to experience a truly innovative device that makes the smartphone a bit more exciting.
So, I guess the Motorola Razr 2023 will be the $500 folding phone champ for a while?
