Unveiling of new Razr models in India suggests U.S. pricing for non-premium Razr (2023)

When Motorola unveiled the Razr+ in the U.S. on June 1st, the clamshell foldable quickly turned heads with its 3.6-inch QuickView display, a nice increase from the previous 2.7-inch external display. The internal p-OLED screen measures 6.9 inches, has an FHD+ resolution of 1080 x 2640, and features a 165Hz refresh rate. Keeping the lights on is a 3800mAh battery that Motorola says will last all day and night. The Razr+ is priced at $999 although you still might be able to find some good deals from U.S. carriers. 

Overseas, Motorola has two Razr models. the premium phone we know as the Razr+ is known outside of the U.S. as the Razr 40 Ultra while there is a more affordable variant known as the Razr 40. Eventually, we would expect Motorola to offer the standard, less-expensive Razr in the U.S. and thanks to the introduction of the Razr 40 Ultra and Razr 40 in India yesterday, we might have a good idea of how much the Lenovo subsidiary will charge for the device in the States.

Per Android Authority, in India, the Razr 40 Ultra is priced at Rs 89,999. That is equivalent to $1,098 or roughly $100 more than the $999 retail price for the Razr+ in the U.S. So with this in mind, the price of the Razr 40 in India of Rs 59,999 (equivalent to $732) could indicate a U.S. price of $649-$699 for the Razr (2023) once the device is released stateside.

Let's look at the Razr (2023) aka the Razr 40. One of the main differences between the premium and non-premium Razr units is that the more affordable version replaces the massive QuickView display with a ticker-style external screen. That one reason alone is probably a good reason to stick with the Razr+/Razr 40 Ultra.

The idea of the QuickView display is to get as much information as possible without having to open the clamshell phone. The smaller external screen on the Razr (2023)/Razr 40 does not allow the user to avoid opening the device as much as the larger QuickView display on the Razr+/Razr 40 Ultra does.

When you open the clamshell of the Razr (2023)/Razr 40, you will still find a 6.9-inch p-OLED display albeit with a refresh rate that updates the screen 144 times per second instead of 165 times with the premium model. Another big change is with the silicon as the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is found under the hood of the more affordable model. Configuration options include 8GB RAM/128GB UFS 2.2 storage, 8GB RAM/256GB storage, and 12GB RAM/256GB storage.

The cameras on the front panel include a Primary camera backed by a 64MP sensor and an Ultra-wide camera driven by a 13MP sensor. The internal screen includes a 32MP selfie snapper and a 4200mAh battery keeps the lights on. The device is protected from sweat, light rain, and splashes.

We don't know when Motorola plans on bringing the lower-priced Razr to the U.S. and we suspect that this delay might be part of a plan to squeeze out every dime it can get with the premium variant first before offering U.S. consumers a cheaper alternative. And of course, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is on the way so Motorola is going to have to take that into consideration even though the rumored late July-early August release of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 would be expected to impact the premium model more.

Samsung has also increased the size of the external "cover display" on the Galaxy Z Flip 5 hiking it from 1.9-inch to 3.4-inch. Thanks to the cutout for the two cameras on the front panel, the Galaxy Z Flip 5's larger external display is shaped like a folder although that shouldn't be a distraction to any users.

When it comes to foldables, the clamshell design is popular. In 2021 and 2022, the top selling foldable was the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 respectively. That might seem surprising to some, but the idea of having a large-screened phone neatly tucked away in a pocket, ready to be opened at anytime, seems to be more enticing to consumers than the idea of walking around with a tablet sized screen in their hands.