It's (pretty much) confirmed: Motorola will be the star of the foldable market this year

After respectable global sales results in 2025, I believe Motorola could seize even more of the foldable segment's spotlight in 2026.

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This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Motorola Razr (2025) hinge
The Razr (2025) is expected to be followed by a similarly stylish and affordable 2026 foldable. | Image by PhoneArena
If I were to ask you right now what new foldable device expected to see daylight in 2026 you think will generate the most consumer and media interest, most of you would probably reply with one of two names. Either the iPhone Fold (which might make its long overdue commercial debut this year under a totally different moniker) or Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8. Maybe even the "Galaxy Wide Fold" (which I highly doubt will actually carry that name when it goes official).

But I'm here today to talk to you about not one and not two but three other foldables I believe you should be paying more attention to, especially as they're virtually guaranteed to go on sale around the world months before all those super-expensive book-style powerhouses mentioned above. I'd have loved to talk more about a fourth one as well, but unfortunately, it looks like Motorola is completely bungling that particular release.

The Razr 70 already looks like my favorite 2026 foldable...


... and that's before the handset's design is even leaked, let alone officially confirmed. But I know enough about Motorola's next affordable flip phone to get excited and actually consider trading in my conventional "candybar" device for a foldable model this year (I know, I'm a late adopter).


I'm not going to bore you with all the specifications revealed by a Chinese regulatory agency a few days ago, but instead I'll focus on the key details that are currently making me scoff at Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7:

  • 6.9-inch primary screen;
  • Up to 18GB RAM;
  • Up to 1TB storage;
  • 50 + 50MP dual rear-facing camera system;
  • 4,500mAh battery.

Before you even consider that possibility, let me highlight that the data above includes no typos. The "vanilla" Razr 70, which is likely to be released in the US as the Razr (2026), will pack as much as 18 gigs of memory and accommodate no less than a terabyte of data... at least in a top-of-the-line Chinese configuration.

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Now, I don't live in China, and chances are the same goes for the vast majority of people reading this too, but if the Razr 70 offers 12 or 16GB RAM, 512GB storage, and two 50MP cameras in Europe at a reasonable price, my wife might not be able to stop me from throwing my our money at Motorola this time around.

And no, I (technically) do not know how the Razr 70 will look, but that 6.9-inch main screen size, the 3.63-inch secondary panel diagonal, and 4,500mAh battery capacity strongly suggest the Razr 60's design isn't getting a lot of revisions, which is... by no means a bad thing in my book.

Where do you think Motorola will stand in 2026's foldable vendor chart?
12 Votes

That's because the Razr 60, aka Razr (2025), is an objectively gorgeous device (especially for its price), and if said price will not be changed (much), I'm totally fine if the Razr 70 ends up looking "familiar" while further improving an already competent camera system.

Where is Motorola's (realistic) ceiling?


Because I know very well we're not all the same, I don't expect everyone to agree with me and rush to buy the Razr 70, aka Razr (2026), as soon as it's released, thus propelling Motorola to the top spot in the global foldable vendor hierarchy.

That's obviously not going to happen, but since the "regular" Razr 70 will almost certainly be joined to market by higher-end Razr 70 Plus and Razr 70 Ultra models, I actually do think Motorola has a good chance of posting a more than respectable sales total this year.


The brand already made the global podium in Q3 2025, so at least until Apple enters the arena in the fall, I expect that position to be consolidated by the Razr 70 family. Even more impressively, Motorola was predicted to come really close to Samsung's dominant US numbers in 2025, and although I'm not sure that forecast has proven entirely accurate, I think that a competitively priced Razr (2026) with loads of memory, two rear-facing cameras, and a hefty battery could make for a very interesting battle for regional supremacy this year.

Unfortunately... for both Motorola and me personally as a long-time Motorola fan, the odds of the first-ever Razr Fold eating away at the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 8's market share have essentially dropped to zero after the latest pricing news. But hey, Motorola wouldn't be Motorola without the occasional self-sabotaging behavior, and in a weird and twisted way, that makes rooting for the brand year in and year out that much more thrilling.

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