Motorola Razr 50/razr (2024) review

Vanilla Razr has an ultrawide instead of the Ultra's telephoto

Unlike the Razr 50 Ultra, the 'plain' Razr 50 doesn't have a zoom camera, instead opting for the more common (as in, Galaxy Z Flip-style) main+ultrawide configuration. The main camera is shared with the Ultra, as is the punch hole internal unit, so 2 out of 3 cameras are the same, though the different chipset is apparently imposing limits of its own (or Motorola is), most notably in video recording.

The Razr 50 gets the same 50MP 1/1.95" main camera as the Razr 50 Ultra. That may have been an upgrade for the Ultra compared to its own predecessor (the 40 Ultra and its basic 12MP 1/2.55" unit), but the regular 40 actually had a nicer 64MP 1/2.0" imager, so the Razr 50 takes more of a side step with its primary camera.

The ultrawide has been carried over from the Razr 40, at least in principle - our unit lists both the Hynix HI-1336 sensor of the old model, as well as the very similarly specced Sony IMX 258. Admittedly, neither is an impressive chip, but there is an ultrawide camera and it has autofocus - the foldable Galaxies' ultrawides are all fixed-focus, and the Razr 50 Ultra doesn't even have an ultrawide.

The selfie camera is familiar too - the OmniVision 32MP sensor is a popular choice. The lack of AF here isn't too big of a deal, given the option to use the other two cameras for selfies.

• Wide (main): 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN8 (1/1.95", 0.8µm - 1.6µm), f/1.7, 25mm, PDAF, OIS; 4K@30fps/FullHD@60fps
• Ultrawide: 13MP Sony IMX 258 (or Hynix HI-1336, 1/3", 1.12µm), f/2.2, PDAF; 4K@30fps/FullHD@60fps
• Internal: 32MP OmniVision OV32B (1/3.14", 0.7µm-1.4µm), f/2.4, 25mm, fixed focus; 4K@30fps/FullHD@60fps

The cover screen interface is quite functional for the purposes of picture taking or video capture. It gives you options to switch modes and allows for changing the relevant settings.

Other foldable related use cases are also on the menu, including a split-screen interface for waist level or overhead shooting. Also available is a 'camcorder' mode of questionable utility - it does score points for nostalgia though.

Daylight photo quality

Main camera

Daylight photos from the Razr 50 are alright. We're not particular fans of the overly 'digital' and processed look of detail - sharpening is excessive, random textures look artificial, straight lines have jaggies. There's not much noise to speak of, for what that's worth.

On a global scale things do look better - dynamic range is nicely wide and colors are vibrant without pushing it over the limits of reason.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Natural

The Auto Enhance style might bump the saturation up a notch, but it's not a dramatic difference, and is generally most easily observable in outdoor shots of greenery.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Auto Enhance

People shots look relatively good too, with mostly accurate skin tones in outdoor settings. The 24mm zoom level in Portrait mode looks believable in its background blur and the 35mm mode is also quite likable in its bokeh effect.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera, Portrait mode, 24mm

Daylight samples, main camera, Portrait mode, 35mm

The full-res 50MP samples have more of a watercolor-y look to them or an even more pixelated presentation, depending on the scene. We're not seeing much use in this mode.

Daylight samples, main camera (1x), 50MP

The Razr 50 non-Ultra is missing a zoom camera, but it does have a 2x button at your disposal in the viewfinder. It won't be treating you to impressively detailed shots, but will tend to have a better detail rendition than the 50MP shots above.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x)

Portraits look oddly different when shot in Photo mode at 2x in comparison to their 50mm Portrait mode counterparts. You can expect notably better subject detail in Portrait mode, particularly in better-lit scenes, than you'd get in Photo mode.

Daylight samples, main camera (2x), Photo mode

Daylight samples, main camera, Portrait mode, 50mm

Ultrawide camera

The ultrawide camera is not a particularly convincing performer. It often struggles with white balance, erring on the side of cold and green. Dynamic range is also not a strong suit. Detail is decent, though we're still seeing strong sharpening halos and some aliasing. It's better than nothing, but it's just not particularly good.

Daylight samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

The autofocus capability does ensure you can get pretty close to your subjects. Per-pixel detail is naturally better in the default Photo mode at 0.5x than it is in Macro mode (still shot on the ultrawide, but zoomed in digitally to match the main camera's field of view), but either way you'd be looking at some quite decent closeups - something you won't be able to get out of a Galaxy Z Flip (whichever generation).

Closeup samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Closeup samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x), Macro mode

Selfies

The internal selfie camera on the Razr 50 captures decent photos - not as good as the Ultra's but not to be dismissed either. Colors are on point, skin tones are life-like and detail is alright, if not the most natural-looking. Dynamic range is quite wide too.

Selfie samples, internal camera

You'll probably still prefer to use the cover cameras and outer screen for selfies. You'll get better detail and some background separation, plus a touch more saturation.

Selfie samples, main camera (1x)

The ultrawide will get you wider coverage, obviously, or selfie closeups if that's your thing. It won't be the best option in dimmer scenes though.

Selfie samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Low-light photo quality

Main camera

In low light, the Razr 50's main camera images are easier to like, though not quite as good as what the Ultra can muster. There's a tendency for a warmer, orange-ish rendition of certain scenes, where the Ultra would have been more neutral, but overall the Razr 50 does decently with white balance, and saturation levels are quite pleasing. Exposures are also well balanced with good highlight preservation and alright shadow development. Detail is generally good as well.

Low-light samples, main camera (1x)

Things are looking sketchier at 2x and you'll probably prefer not to look at these photos at 1:1. At fit to screen, they're adequate.

Low-light samples, main camera (2x)

Ultrawide camera

The utlrawide prefers better lit scenes and even moderately dimmer settings will result in gloomy underexposed photos. The dedicated Night mode won't be helping much either. The shadows will be very soft, though detail remains okay in areas with more light. Colors are pretty good - once again, when there's more light to work with.

Low-light samples, ultrawide camera (0.5x)

Video recording

The Razr 50 Ultra records video at up to 4K30 with all of its cameras and if you want 60fps you need to settle for FullHD - that applies to the two rear cameras as well as the selfie one. The Razr 50 Ultra does support 4K60 across the board, and so too does the Galaxy Z Flip6 (the Flip5 too, just not on the ultrawide).

The default codec is still h.264, but you can switch to h.265 in settings. There's no option for HDR10+ recording like you'd find on the Razr 50 Ultra. Video stabilization is available in all modes and you can switch it off, if you have other means of supporting the phone.

Video sample playlist

You can check out the playlist below, which includes multiple video samples.

Daylight 4K video out of the Razr 50's main camera is very good for the class. Detail is better than on the Galaxies and in a way better than on the Razr 50 Ultra, even if it's not the most organic rendition of it. Contrast is quite high, perhaps too high - to the point where shadows and highlights can be a little too harsh. At 2x, the Razr 50 is losing the battle to both its sibling (which has a dedicated 2x camera) and the Z Flip6, though it's still a little bit better than Flip5 - it's not great quality video, but let's call it usable.

The ultrawide's 4K footage is pretty soft, though so too are the Galaxies, so it's not like the Moto is notably worse. The high-contrast approach from the main camera continues here too.

In low light, the main camera's footage is quite noisy - noisier than the bulk of main cameras we've seen in recent times. Dynamic range is fairly limited too. The ultrawide is also not a fan of the dark, producing rather soft results.

Stabilization is somewhat of a mixed bag on the Razr 50. The main camera will do very well when just pointed in one direction and will pan smoothly. Walking will still introduce some shake though. It's in many ways a similar story on the ultrawide, with the added annoyance of the occasional focus hunting. Not dealbreaking results, but not entirely trouble-free shooting either.