After the foldable Motorola Razr debuted to a rough reception earlier this year, Motorola is going back to the drawing board to figure recapture the excitement that met the phone at its initial unveiling. One possible answer? A bigger display.
That’s according to Ross Young, founder and lead analyst of DisplaySearch and DSCC, who tweeted out the possible spec change for the next version of the foldable Razr. Young says that the Motorola Razr 2 will feature a 6.85-inch screen, up from 6.2 inches on the original Razr.
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Screen size wasn’t quite the problem with Razr when we reviewed it earlier this year. Instead, Motorola’s foldable phone suffered from poor build quality, a short battery life and a subpar camera. That was a lot to swallow for a phone that cost $1,500.
Ready for a new display leak? Motorola Razr 2 size was changed, will now be 6.85" unless it is changed again. This delays the launch some as well. Still expected in Q1'21 for now.August 6, 2020
But bumping up the screen size does address one area for the Motorola Razr 2 — it would give the phone a larger screen than the Galaxy Z Flip. That Samsung device sports a similar flip phone design to the Razr, but opens up to reveal a 6.7-inch display.
A larger display could mean that Motorola has to increase the size of the Razr, but it could make room in other ways. A recent leaked Motorola Razr 2 image showed off a phone with a smaller chin and bezel, which would allow Motorola to offer more screen real estate.
The Razr 2 was initially tipped for a fall launch by a Motorola executive, but subsequent reports suggest that delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic had pushed the launch back into the early part of 2021. Young says the switch to a larger display will cause a further delay, though he still expects the Razr 2 to ship within the first three months of next year.
But will next year be too late for a foldable flip phone? The Galaxy Z Flip 5G, a 5G-capable version of Samsung’s flip phone, hits stores Friday (August 7). Samsung also showed off its other foldable device, the Galaxy Z Fold 2, at this week’s Unpacked event, with more details about that phone coming September 1. The Fold 2 is expected to ship in September, meaning Samsung will have two new foldable devices out while Motorola continues work on its follow-up phone.
The Galaxy Z Fold 2 is getting a larger screen as well, both on the inside and outside of the phone. (The interior screen has a modest jump to 7.6 inches, up from 7.3 inches, while Samsung is going with a 6.2-inch cover display on the outside of the Fold 2.) So it could be that larger screen sizes are a must for folding phone updates.
Whether consumers looking for a foldable handset are willing to wait for the Razr 2 when other options are available remains to be seen. But it’s clear Motorola will need to come up with additional changes to prove that the second time is the charm with its foldable phone.
