First Motorola Razr hands-on image leaks alongside press images

UPDATE: The first hands-on image of Motorola's first foldable smartphone has leaked. The updated story complete with a gallery of press photos continues below.

It's not very often these days that people get excited about new Motorola phones, but the upcoming foldable Razr is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated devices of 2019. And today, with less than two weeks to go until the smartphone's global debut, the first official-looking press images have leaked.

The leaked press photo above, which arrives courtesy of Evan Blass, showcases the next-generation Motorola Razr in all its glory. The angle at which the product is folded and the way it's being held in the shot does limit what's on view but, fortunately for us, the folks over at MobielKopen have obtained even more press photos. Additionally, Motorola sent PCMag an invite which further corroborates the final design.

At first glance, the foldable smartphone looks virtually identical to the RAZR V3 that Motorola debuted fifteen years ago way back in 2004. But upon further inspection, it's clear some important modifications have been made. The trademark chin, for example, now appears to be a little smaller and houses an important feature that'll ensure the phone meets 2019 security standards – a fingerprint scanner. 

This setup is accompanied by a 6.2-inch flexible OLED display that can be folded in half with the help of a redesigned hinge. As suspected, the new screen now extends all the way from the bottom and features a wide notch towards the top which houses the in-ear speaker and a variety of other sensors. Don't, however, expect to find a 3D facial recognition system like the one used on Google's Pixel 4 or Apple's iPhone 11.

Also part of the package is a 2.7-inch secondary display that shows interesting bits of information such as the time, date, weather, and notifications. Rumors suggest it can also be used in combination with the Night Mode-supporting single rear camera that's unfortunately not been detailed. Nevertheless, Motorola seems to be a fan of 48-megapixel sensors this year so perhaps it'll include one on the Razr.

Although the official spec sheet is yet to leak, early reports indicate the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 710. This chipset was introduced in mid-2018 and has since been succeeded by the newer Snapdragon 730, but it should still provide a fairly decent level of performance. For reference, it has been used in the past to power the Nokia 8.1, Xiaomi Mi 9 Lite, and HTC U19e.

Joining the processor may be 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage as standard. If that isn't enough, though, a version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is reportedly in development. Completing the internal configuration is reportedly a 2,730mAh battery that'll probably provide questionable battery life results. On the upside, support for some sort of fast charging technology is to be expected.

Regarding the official announcement, Motorola recently sent out invites to an event on Wednesday, November 13. The company promises to unveil a 'long awaited and reinvented icon.' As for the phone's official release, it's largely expected to take place before Christmas, albeit in limited quantities and in a small number of markets. In the US, the Motorola Razr should be available unlocked or via Verizon with a price tag in the region of $1,500. It'll, therefore, cost noticeably more than standard premium devices but significantly undercut Samsung's Galaxy Fold which costs $1,980.