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The next foldable Motorola Razr might flaunt a completely overhauled design

By Anam Hamid

Jun 14, 2021, 10:32 AM

The next foldable Motorola Razr might flaunt a completely overhauled design

Motorola revealed its first foldable phone in late 2019 and it was followed by a slightly improved version with 5G connectivity - aptly called the Razr 5G - in September 2020. Looking at the release timeline, you would expect the company to release a new foldable smartphone sometime later this year but display industry insider Ross Young says we are in for a long wait.

Motorola Razr 2 alleged release date

Young's company DSCC today published the Quarterly Foldable/Rollable Display Shipment and Technology Report and it says that Motorola has no plans to release a foldable smartphone this year.

At first glance, that might not make sense, given that Motorola was one of the first companies to introduce a foldable phone and multiple reports are claiming new competitors will enter the market this year and forecasts show that the category is ripe for growth.

Although the Razr apparently had a strong start in one key market, we don't know how it performed thereafter, and given Samsung's alleged roaring success, we can surmise the handful of other players didn't do all that well.

That could be the reason why Motorola has held off on releasing the Razr 2, which may not be the final name for the device and is just being used as a placeholder. Today's report says that the company is looking to overhaul the design. A new foldable Razr isn't expected until at least the second half of 2022.

Leak #2 - There will not be a new Motorola Razr foldable in 2021. Razr fans will likely have to wait till 2H'22.
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) June 14, 2021

The first Motorola Razr was a clamshell phone with a 6.2-inches main screen with a capacitive fingerprint reader at the bottom and a 2.7-inches outer display.

The 5G model has largely the same design but the fingerprint reader has been moved to the back and the device has a more premium look and a better hinge. The 5G iteration also has better camera specs (a rear camera array with a 48MP main camera, optical stabilization (OIS), and laser autofocus (TOF) and a 20MP internal camera), a somewhat bigger 2,800mAh battery, and the slightly more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset as opposed to the predecessor's Snapdragon 710 SoC.

For an asking price of $1,499 and mid-tier specs, the OG bendable Razr was deemed too expensive, and although the 5G model was a little more affordable with its $1,399 price tag, it seemingly was no match for Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip, which a report says was even more popular than the flagship Galaxy Z Fold 2.

Thus, instead of releasing a new iteration of the Razr 5G this year just for the sake of it, perhaps it makes sense for Motorola to rethink its foldable strategy and stick to conventional Android handsets this year.