We may have just gotten our first official look at the upcoming Motorola Razr 3, as Motorola hopes that the third time will be the charm in its quest to take on Samsung for the title of best foldable phone.
Right now, that's a category Samsung dominates, thanks to the success of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. With successors in the works — we could see new foldables from Samsung next month at a rumored August 2022 Unpacked event — Samsung figures to continue to be the first phone maker people turn to when looking for a foldable device.
Motorola clearly wants to change that with its latest attempt at a foldable version of the iconic Motorola Razr. It had been widely rumored that Motorola was working on a new version of the phone after two lackluster attempts at a foldable, and parent company Lenovo apparently confirmed the presence of the product by posting images of the phone on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
That's Lenovo Mobile GM Chen Jin holding aloft the new Motorola Razr, according to a report from GSM Arena. The phone depicted in the Weibo photos has a much less prominent chin than past foldable Razrs, mirroring what we saw in a leaked video posted in May that claimed to show off the new phone.
In an age where displays stretch from one end of the device to the other, the bulky chin on the Motorola Razr came in for some criticism, even if the design was somewhat true to the original. It seems that this time around, Motorola is putting an emphasis on designing a sleeker phone to go up against the Galaxy Z Flip 4. That rumored flip phone is said to have a lighter design, thanks to a new hinge that Samsung plans to unveil next month.
The photos of an executive holding a new Razr aren't the only sign we're getting closer to a launch. There's also a teaser video on Weibo showing off the device along with its likely name — the Motorola Razr 2022.
The phone isn't that visible in the video, though you can make out dual cameras and what appears to be a larger cover display. That feature keeps you abreast notifications without requiring you to flip open the phone.
The Motorola Razr 2022 is rumored to be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 system-on-chip. That's a fairly significant upgrade from the previous processors Motorola has used in the Razr, and it would match the rumored silicon slated for both the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Samsung's other upcoming foldable. We've tested the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 in the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro and found it produced the best benchmark scores we've seen from an Android device, though the Asus phone does come loaded with RAM.
With the design changes and more powerful processor, Motorola would seem to be trying to tackle some of the biggest complaints about its earlier foldables. That would leave just the battery life as an issue to address, though the latest Snapdragon silicon is said to have better power-management features.
With more teaser videos and photos of the Motorola Razr 2022 appearing, it would suggest we're getting closer to the phone's launch. Earlier rumors had suggested a summer release, so we could find out soon whether Motorola's latest Razr has what it takes to challenge Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip.
