Motorola Razr 2022 just leaked — and it targets Galaxy Z Flip 3’s weak spot

Update: Motorola Razr 2022 directly targets Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 with launch date.

The first-generation Motorola Razr foldable was an expensive misfire. Packing aging internals into a fragile frame at an exorbitant price, it was sensibly overlooked by most people, as Samsung became the dominant force in the best foldable phones with its Z Flip series proving superior in every way.

While the second-gen Motorola Razr 5G was an improvement, it looks like the Motorola Razr 3 is where the company will really take the battle to Samsung. Prolific and usually on-the-money leaker Evan Blass has revealed the Motorola Razr 3 (codenamed “Maven”) in a piece for 91mobiles, and it looks like parent company Lenovo could well be onto a winner here.

First off, the specs are flagship enough to justify the presumably high)price, with the phone using either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Plus variant of the chipset. Blass says that originally the plan was to launch versions with both chips, but that may change due to rumored production delays. Either way, we’re looking at “several configurations” with a mixture of 8/12GB RAM and 256/512GB storage.  

So far that should at least match the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, but Motorola will reportedly have an ace up its sleeve: a powerful sounding camera. Blass claims that the foldable will feature a 50MP, f/1.8 primary lens blacked up with a combination 13MP wide-angle and macro sensor. The selfie punch-hole camera, tucked inside the foldable FHD+ display, will be no slouch either, coming in at 32MP.

While we don’t know what Samsung is planning with the camera array for its upcoming Flip, we do know that photography has been something of a weak spot for the company’s foldables. And, if Blass’s information is correct, the Razr 3’s camera setup comfortably beats the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3’s two 12MP rear cameras and 10MP front-facing snapper. On paper, at least.

With flip phones attracting attention as fashion statements as much as smartphones, a lot comes down to design taste, of course. Blass highlights that Motorola will be pursuing a boxier, more squared off design than before, though managing to eliminate the ‘chin’ in the process. It certainly looks appealing in the leaked shots included here, and it will also be available in “Tranquil Blue” if the “Quartz Black” color scheme doesn’t appeal.

What will ultimately make or break the phone is pricing, and this is certainly a potential pitfall. Samsung has been aggressively slashing foldable prices to ensure its market dominance, and it’s simply not clear whether Motorola can compete. We should find out later this year, as Blass says the handset will ship to China in “late July or early August” with a global rollout following afterwards.

Intriguingly, Blass teased that the best may be yet to come, too:

More foldables in the works? We’ll have to wait and see.