At Motorola’s Make It Iconic event, I got to see all the new features with its new Razr 2025 lineup. Out of the trio of new releases, I naturally gravitate toward the Razr Ultra 2025 for the superior specs, cameras, and performance to make it a best foldable phone contender.
I’m seriously considering the switch to a flip-style phone as my daily driver after all these years because of what I saw with Smart Connect running on the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025. That's a software feature that lets the Ultra work seamlessly with other devices, like a tablet, computer, TVs, and more. Smart Connect is more than just your standard screen mirroring function, as Moto AI is integrated into the experience.
Similar to my experience of ditching my laptop for a Galaxy Z Fold 6, Motorola’s Smart Connect feature with the Razr Ultra 2025 could boost my productivity and how I work across different devices. However, it has one flaw.
A virtual phone on your computer
At its core, Smart Connect lets you access the Razr Ultra 2025 through a computer, which could also be connected to other devices as well. The example I was shown at the event involved the Razr Ultra connected to a Windows laptop and a separate Android tablet as well, which you can watch in the video above
Through Smart Connect, I could arrange all three screens so that they can essentially provide me with a multi-screen setup — the laptop is the main work area, while the desktop is extended to the Android tablet and the Razr Ultra acts as a virtual phone running on the laptop. Another more promising function is the ability to use the Razr Ultra in a virtual space with a Meta Quest headset complete with virtual displays.
These are examples that have me excited because of the ability to use the Razr Plus and access all of its apps and functions on my laptop — like replying to text messages, sending emails, and running any of the apps I have installed. I’m also impressed by how Moto AI is integrated into the experience, letting me use a simple voice command to stream my phone to a TV (assuming they’re on the same Wi-Fi network).
Likewise, I also like how Moto AI can search for files across different devices and open it in a specific one. The example I was shown involved asking Moto AI to find a recipe stored on the Android tablet and having it open on the laptop. With the simple voice command, Moto AI did it right away.
Smart Connect won’t replace my laptop completely
Ever since I owned my first smartphone, I dreamed of a time when it could effectively replace my laptop. While Smart Connect is a killer feature for the Razr Ultra 2025, it’s flawed due to the fact that there’s no way for the Smart Connect feature to work independently through its USB-C connection. Thus, it can't really be a laptop replacement.
I’ve leaned on Samsung DeX countless times to do work when I forget to bring my laptop to the office because all I need to do is connect a monitor directly to the USB-C port on my Galaxy Z Fold 6. From there, I’m given a desktop PC-like experience that could almost replace my laptop — complete with a connected keyboard to type and a mouse to arrange multiple windows.
Since it doesn’t appear that the Razr Ultra 2025 will have proper video-out support through USB-C, it effectively eliminates my hope of using my Xreal Air 2 Pro smart glasses with it.
Outlook
I might be a little critical about this overlooked ability, but sometimes I just want plug-and-play access, as opposed to wireless because I’ve sometimes experienced laggy responses with Samsung DeX. Smart Connect is aiming to unify the experience across multiple devices, while also making it a seamless experience for the user. However, I would really love to see Smart Connect as a standalone interface that could be readily accessed through a direct, wired connection.
I’m not saying that I’m going to pass up on the Razr Ultra 2025, especially when I could still pair it with a keyboard for those times when I need extra productivity. It would be so much simpler in my opinion if I could just connect the Razr Ultra to my monitor and have it run much like how Samsung DeX does it.
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