Motorola Razr 40 Ultra review

1 June 2023


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The cheaper Razr was the one I completely ignored like everyone did for the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat all season. It looks almost exactly like a Flip 3 & 4 but a smaller cover display at 1.5". But if rumored price at $799, it's got me interested in it a little more.

I still prefer the Razr+ mainly for the bigger cover display and better SoC. But I wouldn't mind getting the cheaper Razr as I don't use the 2.7" cover display on my Razr 5G a lot except for GMaps and watching videos. I usually open the phone when I want to use it. And who wants to reply to texts using that 2.7" display? The keyboard already takes up like 80% of the screen.

The Razr 40 (non-plus) has surprised me with the build quality. No more glass from top to bottom. As Michael Fisher has stated, it has that pleather (plastic/leather) that the BlackBerry Bold 9000 had in 2008. I like that feeling. It looks way more durable.

It's cheaper.
It's durable.
It has stamina.

I think the cheaper Razr is the way to go for most people who aren't into tech. There are already question marks about the durability with foldables. The cheaper Razr is the one you don't have to spend so much to take on those risks. It has everything the Razr+ has except the SoC and large cover display.

The more budget-friendly Razr will open the doors for more affordable foldables. Samsung will copy this and will eventually release cheaper models of their Z-line. Everything always boils down to price for most consumers. When more budget-friendly foldables gets released, we'll eventually get to that sub-$500 barrier.

Razr+ is the better phone. The cheaper Razr might end being the more important release the way the $600 Pixel 6 or A-series did for Google.

    "Aggressive thermal throttling under load."

    8 Gen 2 would likely fix that problem. Good going Motorola

      • f
      • flo
      • 0pn
      • 02 Jun 2023

      second screen biger than the first iphone :D

        I can already tell Michael Fisher is ditching his Samsung foldables after using them exclusively for 3.5 years and will use a Pixel Fold and Motorola Razr+ as his daily drivers for this year. There will be some drawbacks.

        Samsung has already built a better ecosystem around their products than Google. Pixel Fold lacks stylus support and something similar to Dex. Samsung’s software optimization is probably still superior to Google as it's Gen 5 vs. Gen 1.

        Razr+ uses last year's SoC that the Flip 4 and Razr 2022 already have. Packs only 300 mAh more battery capacity than last year's Razr while powering a higher refresh rate and bigger cover display. Would Mike really want to use last year's SoC for another year? It feels more like a Z Flip 5 Lite.

        Google lacks the trade-in deals that Samsung offers during pre-orders. I'm agreeing with Mike that the cheaper model Razr or the one catered to dads might be the more intriguing model to get. What if it's only priced at $599 like a Pixel 6 and 7? This would be the best-selling foldable and flip of this year.

        As for me, I'm not really interested in either of them. Phones haven't really wowed me since 2021. Owning a Z Flip 3 since launch, I don't feel I need to upgrade mine. And yes, battery life is fine for my needs since I'll bring 2 to 3 other phones with me, a Vita, and a power bank. I don't mind topping it off daily. I'm aware how more efficient Snap 8+ Gen 1 is but the 888 isn't that horrendous.

        The most intriguing smartphone of 2023 for me is really the Pixel Fold but I'll hear horror stories about the Z Fold 3 cracking in the middle with enough times opening it. Then the Z Flip 4 using a weaker hinge. I do like the Razr+ being rounded on the sides. The magenta in real life looks far better than the renders. I do dig that faux leather back.

        The bigger cover display has never been a big deal. It's not "2 phones in 1" because you can say the same thing about the Surface Duo and book-style foldables. You're still getting a square display when most apps are built for portrait. You're really only getting half of a slab phone from the outside.

        I think the Razr+ is a nice phone but I'll probably wait for next year's which I hope will have 8 Gen 3 and not a year old SoC. I think the two punch holes from the cover display will get annoying. I do love that they finally added wireless charging. I'll wait for a better design on this and the Z Flip. Don't care for the Flip 5's folder-shaped cover display.

        I'm glad Mike showed his love for Motorola in his video as he's always been a self-proclaimed Motorola fanboy. He'll tell you. He once interviewed Martin Cooper for goodness sakes. Mike will always be partial to the granddaddy of cellular phones. But I do feel the last two gens of Razrs have felt more Chinese than American. More Lenovo than Motorola.

        That cheaper Razr is the more practical one to get. I've lived with a 1.9" cover display for nearly 2 years. I'll use it daily to watch Pluto TV using CoverScreen OS. I can definitely live with 1.5" since I prefer listening to content when I'm streaming. It's cheap and it packs 4200 mAh. That's all I really want from a phone. I want the battery life to last long and I don't want to break the bank for it.

        The Motorola I really want is that Rizr concept shown in CES. That looks like a phone 10 years into the future. That makes foldables look ancient. Foldables are becoming "been there, done that." I can do a lot of the same things on my Pixel 3 than on my Razr 5G. "Oh, wow. I can watch Netflix from a 2.7" display. Big whoop!" The novelty for folding screens wears off eventually.

        I'm happy with what I got. I'm using my Flip 3 as my main phone again. My Razr 5G to play movies or TV shows in the background. Then sometimes I'll bring my Pixel 3, iPhone SE (2022), and a modded Vita when I feel like it. Those are 5 of my favorite things I own. I wish Motorola would return to the Razr design from 2019-2020. The 2022-2023 ones are RINOs: Razr In Name Only.

        2023 Phone Watchlist
        1. Google Pixel Fold
        2. Motorola Razr+
        3. Motorola Razr (2023)
        4. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
        5. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

        Razr 5G remains the best-looking foldable flip phone so far. Ok, maybe you can argue Razr 2019 looks better but that had issues and was e-sim only and a Verizon-exclusive. Vivo X Flip might have the 3rd best design and the best among non-Moto foldable flips. Flip 3 and 4 would rank in the top 10. Not sure Flip 5 surpasses their design but will definitely surpass them in practicality.

        A $600 Razr 2023 would get me intrigued. Because I expect it to be $300 only 6 months after release. This would change the game the way a $400 Steam Deck did. A 7 Gen 1 is nearly equal in efficiency as the 8+ Gen 1 according to nanoreview.net. I tolerated a 765G for nearly 2 years and with 2800 mAh. Razr 2023 should last longer.

        Good news: The cheaper Razr will have wireless charging. Yay! Add the 1400 bigger battery. Tired using wired ones for my Razr 5G. My biggest pet peeve about it.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • 0p}
          • 01 Jun 2023

          Razr 2022 = 1/1.56"
          Razr 40 Ultra = 1/2.55" (while Razr 40 has larger 1/2")

          😒

            • B
            • BMT
            • xpf
            • 01 Jun 2023

            Anders, 01 Jun 2023Pros... "Great main display with a rather unobtrusive ... moreIt's not hard to take a photo that shows it less clear(if they wanted to lie) that photo in lab test part IS for showing this problem to you. And you can see the difference between this one and z flip4 in last part.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • 0p}
              • 01 Jun 2023

              bormat, 01 Jun 20231200€ for last gen chipset and tiny main camera sensor. ... moreWait Apple make one based on non-pro iphone and ask €1849 for 128GB.

                I just came here after watching MrMobile's (Michael Fisher) hands-on review, and I'm impressed with the device overall. It looks far better than the pics here make it seem. Motorola has done a lot to enhance it's looks, and it's something you can immediately notice. It has a really premium look & feel to it that previous foldable flips were lacking.

                Also, overall it nails on all essential smartphone tasks. Even battery life doesn't seem so bad either. Ignore the overall endurance rating, and look at individual times (12h web, 15h vid). Those are pretty decent numbers. The overall rating is low due to slightly lower standby time, but standby time doesn't really matter to the most of us who are unfortunately already addicted to our phones. So screen-on numbers matter more to us.

                I'm not saying this phone is perfect or anything like that. I'm just saying this seems like a solid phone & a progressive step for foldable flip phones.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 0p}
                  • 01 Jun 2023

                  How can 7g1 be rebranded 778 when it does not have A78/55 cores?

                  🤦🏻‍♂️

                    Rakesh, 01 Jun 2023What is this battery life. Joke. Facepalm Laughs in Pixel 7a

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • x0k
                      • 01 Jun 2023

                      Anders, 01 Jun 2023Pros... "Great main display with a rather unobtrusive ... moreThe crease doesn't matter in real life use. Your brain starts noticing it very quickly

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • x0k
                        • 01 Jun 2023

                        I had a flip 4.
                        It was cool for a few weeks

                        The form factor is not worth the compromises versus a traditional flagship imo

                          • R
                          • Rakesh
                          • Sec
                          • 01 Jun 2023

                          What is this battery life. Joke. Facepalm

                            They had to squeeze the high 165hz refresh rate.... typical Motorola, although this isn't a complaint

                              • b
                              • bormat
                              • 6w0
                              • 01 Jun 2023

                              1200€ for last gen chipset and tiny main camera sensor.

                              It's absurd!

                                So it's simply a Galaxy Z Flip 5 less good and also cheaper. I think it's a good alternative if you want a foldable phone without paying a fortune. And if you are also ready to have a product that is probably less qualitative, but which does the job. It remains to be seen how it will last over time and normal use.

                                  Pros... "Great main display with a rather unobtrusive crease."

                                  It's not unobtrusive at all. We can see the pictures, so your lies are pointless. The crease is very obvious

                                    • k
                                    • kek
                                    • GBh
                                    • 01 Jun 2023

                                    >No crease
                                    >there's a photo showing the crease and it's color banding

                                    Next year maybe, Moto.

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