Motorola’s $799 Razr (2026) should make Samsung and Apple feel ashamed of themselves
The best new foldable of 2026 is the humblest member of the upgraded Razr trio Motorola is launching this week, and it's not a close contest.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
The affordable Razr (2026) looks very premium in a Violet Ice colorway. | Image by Evan Blass
Would you believe me if I told you my most highly anticipated new phones of 2026 are coming out this week? No, I haven't inadvertently discovered a time-traveling machine that can take me back to early March for Samsung's Galaxy S26 series announcement or several months down the line to witness Apple's long-overdue iPhone Ultra launch.
Instead, as crazy as it might sound to those of you who think the mobile industry is only made up of two brands, I'm more excited about the April 29 introduction of the Motorola Razr (2026) family than any other product unveiling this year. And no, I'm not going to allow the disappointing rumored US price of the next-gen Razr Ultra flagship to kill my enthusiasm over the most affordable member of the new flip phone lineup.
The base Razr (2026) sounds like a dreamy value proposition... for 2026
Like the Razr 70 Ultra, aka Razr Ultra (2026), Motorola's humblest 2026 foldable is expected to go on sale at a higher price than its 2025 predecessor.
But at least stateside, the $100 hike of the "vanilla" Razr (2026) from a starting price of $699.99 to $799.99 doesn't feel like a total dealbreaker... when you consider a few very important things. Number one, the $699.99 Razr (2025) only comes with one 50MP camera on its back, while its 2026 sequel is all but guaranteed to upgrade the secondary rear-facing snapper from 13 to 50 megapixels.
This is easily my favorite Motorola Razr (2026) colorway and finish. | Image by Evan Blass
Secondly (and perhaps even more importantly), the already excellent battery life is expected to be further improved with a cell capacity jump from 4,500 to 4,800mAh. That may not strike you as the most significant upgrade in the history of smartphones, but you have to remember that Samsung's best (and costliest) clamshell-style foldable device barely packs 4,300mAh battery capacity, which brings me to the following question...
Is the Razr (2026) really that much worse than the Galaxy Z Flip 7?
Be honest, you've wondered that yourself ever since you heard that the Razr (2026) is likely to start $300 lower than the Z Flip 7. Of course, Samsung's Exynos 2500-powered flip phone is pretty easy to find at a $200 discount nowadays, but $899.99 is still higher than $799.99... and that's before you consider Motorola's potential deals for its latest foldables, which are likely to come shortly after their release.
The Z Flip 7 is an undeniably good phone, but not quite a great value proposition. | Image by PhoneArena
Simply put, the Razr (2026) is unlikely to lose its affordability advantage over the Galaxy Z Flip 7... in addition to squeezing a bigger battery into a slightly thicker body (with no noticeable difference in weight) and sporting the exact same primary display size.
Granted, the Z Flip 7 will undeniably tower above its budget-friendly rival in the secondary screen real estate department, but I don't think that's enough to warrant a $300 premium.
What about the Galaxy Z Flip 8?
That's where things could get tricky for Motorola, but because this is 2026 and the next-gen base Razr will cost $100 more than the 2025 edition, it feels like there's a very good chance the Galaxy Z Flip 8 will also start $100 higher than its 2025 forerunner.
What should foldable device makers prioritize in 2026?
That would put the Z Flip 7's sequel at $400 (!!!) over the Razr (2026)... without even coming close to the aforementioned 4,800mAh battery capacity... or matching the 30W charging speeds of Moto's latest affordable flip phone.
Before you even think it, no, I don't expect Samsung to follow up the underadvertised and overlooked Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE with a new Fan Edition foldable this year, so the world's second-largest smartphone vendor really believes it can fend off Motorola with minimal effort and maximum profit yet again.
The iPhone Ultra will have an "Ultra" price, but will it also offer "Ultra" value?
I know what you're going to say. I can't compare a book-style foldable with a clamshell. And you're (partially) right. But if Apple's first foldable device starts at around $2,000 (as I think it will), resisting the Razr (2026) will undeniably become even harder for any (open-minded) buyer.
The iPhone Ultra is not expected to look worthy of a $2,000 price tag, at least in my opinion. | Image by FPT
Whether it will end up being named iPhone Ultra, iPhone Fold, or something else entirely, Apple's "revolutionary" Galaxy Z Fold alternative is unlikely to push any meaningful design barriers or bring any mind-blowing innovations to the table, so as difficult as it is to expect that from Cupertino, the first-gen device really should focus more than anything on delivering unrivaled value for your money.
Ironically, Apple reportedly chose not to release a Galaxy Z Flip competitor this year, and I for one hope that decision will spectacularly backfire on the company, forcing it to reconsider as early as 2027.
Surely the Razr Ultra (2026) is the better choice... or is it?
You didn't really think I'd wrap up an editorial with only words of praise for Motorola, now, did you? That's not happening, because the Razr (2026) is obviously not flying solo to the US on Wednesday, and the Razr Plus (2026) and Razr Ultra (2026) look massively disappointing on paper.
Yes, the Razr Ultra (2026) looks even better than the Razr (2026), but not that much better. | Image by Evan Blass
The new Razr+ is almost identical to the old Razr Plus (just $100 costlier), while the rumored price of this year's Razr Ultra flagship is just as shameful as what Samsung is planning for the Galaxy Z Flip 8 (and Z Fold 8) and Apple's decade-long preparation for the "iPhone Ultra."
Naturally, I'm not going to claim that the Razr (2026) will be anywhere near as good as the larger, faster, and more sophisticated in almost every way Razr Ultra (2026), but charging $1,499.99 for the latter would be a massive slap in the face of Motorola's key demographic, especially when the Razr Ultra (2025) is (somehow) still available at $799.99 (!!!) with 1TB storage (!!!!!!) and basically the same specs (!!!!!!!!!!) as this overpriced sequel.
If you're trying to prove you can be as shameless and senseless as your biggest rivals, Motorola, the $1,499.99 Razr Ultra (2026) will hit the mark beautifully.
Follow us on Google News
Popular stories
Latest News
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: