The Motorola Razr 2022 is finally here, continuing a major week for foldable phones.
Initially, the Razr 2022 was supposed to be unveiled on August 2, beating the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 by a week. Then that launch event was abruptly canceled with essentially no explanation.
But now it’s finally here — and it looks pretty good. The specs are also promising, with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 powering the Fold 4 and Flip 4. Unfortunately, there’s no ETA on when we could get our hands on the new foldable phone. It’s currently only slated for release in China and there’s no hint at a global release. Hopefully, it will make its way to the U.S. like the previous generations.
Motorola Razr 2022 specs and price
Motorola actually unveiled three phones at the launch event, with the Motorola X30 Pro and Motorola S30 Pro joining the flagship foldable. But it was the Razr 2022 that was clearly front and center.
The Razr 2022 is largely the same as the Motorola Razr 2, a trend that mirrors the small, iterative changes we saw at Samsung Unpacked for the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4. The rear camera was slightly upgraded from 48MP to 50MP, though there are still some camera specs that have yet to be revealed. Still, we did get two significant updates.
As previously mentioned, the chip got an upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, which puts it on par with the rest of the foldable — and flagship — market. The Razr 2022 also got a major aesthetic upgrade, with Motorola removing the chin at the bottom of the phone that had made the previous generations a bit clunky.
We also now know the price — at least in China. The 128GB version will cost CNY 5,999, which is roughly $890 and the 256GB will cost just CNY 500 more (approximately $965). For the 12GB RAM/512GB storage option you’ll have to drop CNY 7,299 which translates to about $1,083.
While this pricing will likely not match this exactly if the phone is launched globally, it is currently priced below the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Razr 2022’s main competition. If Motorola does decide to undercut the Flip 4 globally, it could provide serious competition for Samsung.
Motorola Razr 2022 vs Galaxy Z Flip 4
Samsung is the clear competition for Motorola, at least globally. Specifically, the Galaxy Z Flip 4, given the Galaxy Z Fold 4 hits a different price point and form factor. The Fold 4 starts at $1,799 and is more of a foldable tablet with its 7.6-inch inner display and 6.2-inch outer display. By comparison, the Razr 2022 and the Flip 4 are almost identical in price and size.
The Razr 2022 has some advantages over the Flip 4 at first glance. The price is cheaper, the outer screen is 2.7-inches versus the 1.9-inch AMOLED on the Flip 4 (though this may have no impact on functionality) and the camera is a significant upgrade. The Flip 4’s three cameras top out at just 12MP, whereas the Razr’s 50MP main camera and 32MP selfie camera could go toe to toe with the best cameras on a phone today.
Without a global launch, it will be tough to see how Motorola plans to compete with Samsung. Its main competition could ultimately be the Xiaomi Mix Fold 2, which claims to be the thinnest foldable on the market.
According to Android Central, the Mix Fold 2 will feature a 50MP Sony IMX766 lens and its 8-inch inner screen. So, it is probably more of a competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 than the Razr 2022. But as both the Mix Fold 2 and Razr 2022 will be China-only (for now) they are clearly in direct competition for the Chinese foldables market.
