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The four-legged Mini Cheetah robot from MIT just got one step closer to earning its epic name, thanks to a style of machine learning that's reminiscent of Neo in The Matrix.
With an unnatural looking gait that only a machine could devise, the robot is now capable of running 8 to 9 miles per hour, a significant increase from its top speed of about 5.5 mph back in 2019. So what changed?
Go, cat, go. MIT's Mini Cheetah quadruped robot.
MIT
Like Neo and Morpheus practicing kung fu in a simulated training environment, the Mini Cheetah was able to take what it learned from simulated trial and error and apply that knowledge to the real world, making it faster and more capable of traversing different terrains.
"We can train the robot to learn from its experience very quickly in simulation, and then deploy it in the real world," said MIT Assistant Professor Pulkit Agrawal.
Fetch. The Mini Cheetah mid-sprint.
MIT
Next, the researchers are planning to use similar machine learning techniques to teach the Mini Cheetah how to manipulate objects in its environment.
To see the Mini Cheetah in action, check out the video in this article.
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2 ways to make almost real espresso without a pricey machine
2 ways to make almost real espresso without a pricey machine
Espresso is a tough drink to make. Brewing the stuff requires lots of steam pressure to push hot water through finely ground beans, and it all needs to happen fast, in about 30 seconds. That's something only elite espresso machines can successfully tackle. The problem is, quality espresso brewers can easily set you back multiple hundreds of dollars.
However, there are ways to mimic some of the delicious qualities of espresso without a fancy espresso machine. In this guide I'll lay out two of these far less expensive methods. While not as good as the genuine thing, the coffee you'll be able to make will be strong, rich, and super concentrated. Sometimes, that's all you need to start your morning.
The Bialetti Moka Pot is an old school brewer that makes very strong coffee.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Option 1: Moka Pot
Invented by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti in 1933, the Moka Pot is a classic that remains popular today. The aluminium brewer sports a distinctive art deco design, and it doesn't even need electricity. Just heat it up on your kitchen stove to operate it.
Start by unscrewing the brewer base from the pitcher. Fill the base with water to the fill line (just below the release valve). In my case I used 5.4 ounces of water (153.1 grams). Next add grounds to the filter funnel. Your grounds should be slightly finer than what you'd use for drip coffee -- a good coffee grinder can help with that.
Once it's full, scrape away any excess grounds and put the funnel into the base. With that done, the amount of grounds in my brewer came to 0.42 ounces (12 grams). Next, screw the base back onto the main brewer body. Now place the Moka Pot onto one of your stove's burners. Pro tip: Try to set the brewer down a little off-center -- this way the handle won't get too hot to, well, handle.
After a few minutes of brewing on the stove, coffee will begin to flow into the main chamber.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Turn the burner on to medium heat and leave the brewer's lid open. After 5 to 7 minutes liquid coffee should start to flow up from the bottom of the brewer through the valve in its top section. Once the flow stops, or begins to sputter, turn the burner off.
Since the Moka Pot is constructed from aluminum, its body can get hot. Take care not to touch any metal parts or you'll get burned. Immediately take the brewer to the sink and run cold water over its base.
Coffee made with the Moka Pot had a brix percentage of 2.9. That comes to a TDS of 1.5%.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Once the base has cooled, pour coffee into your favorite cup. The coffee I made in the Moka Pot was strong and, while not true espresso, it was deep, dark and rich. A quick refractometer reading confirmed this: I recorded a high TDS (total dissolved solids) percentage of 2.5. That's slightly above the ideal range of 1.9 to 2.3%, but not outrageously so. This joe packed a big flavor punch and wasn't bitter at all.
The Aeropress is a cross between a French press and an upside down Moka Pot.
Brian Bennett/CNET
Option 2: Aeropress
Another popular way to create really strong coffee is to use the Aeropress. This inexpensive gadget was dreamed up by the man, Alan Adler, who also brought us the aerobie frisbee-style flying disk. The Aeropress made its debut in 2005, and essentially is a cross between a French press and an upside down Moka Pot.
Start by adding a paper filter to the Aeropress' filter cap. Next twist the cap onto the brewer's brewing chamber. Add one scoop of ground coffee (coarseness suitable for drip) to the brewing chamber. In my case that came to 0.35 ounces (10 grams). Give the chamber a shake to even out the grounds inside.
Now place the chamber on top of a sturdy coffee mug. Next, add hot water to the chamber up to the "1" symbol on its inner wall. Aeropress recommends water at specifically 175 degrees Fahrenheit (79.4 Celsius), though a minute or so off the boil works, too. The amount of water I used weighed in at 4.25 ounces (120.5 grams).
Stir the grounds for about 10 seconds. Insert the Aeropress plunger into the top of the chamber. Carefully press the plunger down until it reaches the grounds and filter. You should hear a little hiss once that happens. Now your coffee is ready.
Coffee I made with the Aeropress had a brix reading of 1.8%. That translates to a TDS percentage of 1.5.
Brian Bennett/CNET
The liquid brew I made in the Aeropress was strong, too. It wasn't technically espresso, more like a robust French press. That said, it was certainly stiff enough to hit my taste buds with plenty of deep coffee flavor. It wasn't bitter and lacked grit of any kind.
I measured the TDS concentration to be 1.5%. That translates to an extraction percentage of 16. It's also a little under the recommended 19 to 23%. Still, this coffee wasn't bitter and was quite smooth, and I'm sure with a little tinkering I can create an even more powerful, balanced cup. With the right gear, there's no reason you can't as well.
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5 predictions for bitcoin, NFTs and the future of money
5 predictions for bitcoin, NFTs and the future of money
This story is part of The Year Ahead, CNET's look at how the world will continue to evolve starting in 2022 and beyond.
Cryptocurrency made many of the strangest headlines of 2021. Boosters touted digital currencies as a world-changing technology with the potential to create new economies and empower people who don't have access to bank accounts. Critics pointed to crypto's massive environmental footprint, as well as its popularity in online crime. The chasm between these views will be hard to bridge.
Much of the cryptocurrency industry functions as a hype-monster, powered by oddball memes of cute dogs and outer-space emoji. The same industry boasts a staggering amount of funding from venture capitalists and private enthusiasts, along with real technical innovations that could radically alter the way we interact with money. And, as it often goes with innovation, what we get may not be what we expect. CNET asked experts to help us navigate crypto's journey to new lands in 2022. Here's what they told us.
1. Crypto moves further into the mainstream
Big companies are trying to figure out how cryptocurrency fits into their business. Everyone from hedge fund managers to Starbucks executives are making moves that could impact how we use digital money this year.
When we hear about cryptocurrency in the headlines, it's often about Tesla CEO Elon Musk's tweets, overnight millionaires, expensive digital art and hacks. Yet the larger, fundamental changes are often less flashy and attention-grabbing than whatever crypto-hype machine dominates Twitter at any given moment.
"I hope we're going to see a lot more focus on utility," said Denelle Dixon, CEO of Stellar Development Foundation. "Instead of focusing just on a few use cases that create a lot of hype, we'll see more focus on the use cases that drive real value. And more discussion around financial inclusion."
2. NFTs create new ownership opportunities, and remix old ones
NFT, or nonfungible token, is a buzzy term that many of us heard for the first time in 2021. A new way to determine ownership of digital property using a blockchain ledger, NFTs are increasingly popular in the art and collectibles scenes. One of the most notable NFT collections of 2021 was called the Bored Ape Yacht Club. Go figure.
But the potential of NFTs goes far beyond eccentric digital artworks. NFTs are also used for digital land purchases in virtual worlds and for next-generation music ownership, licensing and publishing. Some observers see a future in which NFTs offer access to special sales or limited-edition products. How about using a NFT as a concert ticket? Or when you log into your favorite video game online? Expect to see all of that in 2022.
"The possibilities of NFTs are endless, since they can be used to log ownership of any unique asset," Alex Atallah, co-founder of OpenSea, said in an email. "We're already seeing early use-cases of NFTs being used as event tickets, software licenses, fan club memberships, or otherwise tied to interactive experiences."
Some of America's biggest brands, including Nike, are already working on expanding the application of NFTs. But NFTs used in consumer products may only be the tip of the iceberg. How about using an NFT to prove you are you?
"We've seen some movement from the artist-driven NFTs to NFTs that are focused on access or authorization," said Stellar's Dixon. "There was a party in New York recently where folks got access to the party by purchasing an NFT. So I wonder if we'll see some focus on leveraging NFTs for digital identity."
The $85 billion video game industry may be one of the most fertile areas of potential for NFTs. Some of the larger studios are already experimenting with them. And with all the talk surrounding the metaverse, an immersive 3D digital environment that's been proposed by Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other movers and shakers in the tech industry, NFTs could serve as building blocks for a next-generation digital world.
"Gamers are already accustomed to caring about digital goods, so the potential for NFTs is enormous: a few million NFT users compared to almost 3 billion gamers," said Atallah. "We're seeing some exciting developments when it comes to the intersection of NFTs, gaming and the metaverse."
3. Bigger hacks and bigger ransoms
Cryptocurrencies were used to facilitate millions of dollars of ransomware payments in 2021. That's because digital currencies include features that make them attractive to criminals. They're difficult to track, they're borderless, and once the payment goes through, it's nearly impossible to unwind.
"We should expect to see more criminals turning to cryptocurrency and services that promise to obfuscate illicit funds due to the misconception of total anonymity," Gurvais Grigg, a senior tech officer at Chainalysis, said in an email. "Bitcoin is appealing to criminals for the same reasons it appeals to those using them for legitimate purposes: It's cross-border, instantaneous and liquid."
Grigg and others expect decentralized finance, a nascent but blossoming industry on the cryptocurrency frontier, to be a popular target for cybercriminals in 2022. Decentralized finance, or DeFi, involves finance that works independently of a central authority or institution. Instead of relying on a bank or credit card network, people can connect directly with DeFi products on a distributed network.
Though the industry is still in its early days, DeFi is a fast-evolving, highly technical space with tremendous potential. As such, it's attracted a great deal of attention and investment, making it ripe for criminal activity.
"Criminals are likely to explore DeFi as both a target for hacking and as a means to attempt laundering funds through," said Grigg. "Because of how new DeFi is, and the explosion in adoption in developed markets, these platforms are easy targets for experienced criminals who have conducted similar hacks before."
4. You'll hear more about stablecoins
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have grabbed headlines because of their volatility. You can become a millionaire or lose it all at the hyper speed of the internet. But try buying a latte with bitcoin, and that volatility can make things confusing fast.
Enter stablecoins. This subcategory of cryptocurrency, which is tied to an underlying asset, mitigates much of that volatility. Stablecoins could play a vital role in turning cryptocurrency into something we can easily use to conduct the ordinary transactions of everyday life.
"People should start paying attention to trends in stablecoins both as a medium of payments and as a dollar digital currency. The use cases for cross-border payments, aid relief, instant settlement payments are starting to flourish in 2021 and we will see more of that in 2022," Rachel Mayer, a vice president of product at fintech firm Circle, said in an email.
Transferring assets more efficiently is one of the central values of a stablecoin. This value is powerful for companies that need to move digital assets and cash quickly and efficiently.
"On the payments side, more industries will start adopting stablecoins as a more efficient way to make payments," Omid Malekan, author of The Story of the Blockchain and a professor at Columbia Business School, said in an email. "Stablecoin volumes will continue to grow, but the share of that volume that is only involved in crypto trading will go down."
5. New crypto rules appear on the horizon
Washington lawmakers sense that cryptocurrency is a big and important thing. But they are struggling, perceptibly, to understand it. It may only be a matter of time before crypto gets its "series of tubes" moment from a hapless representative out of their element.
In December, executives from six cryptocurrency companies were called to testify before the House Financial Services Committee, where they discussed potential paths for future legislation. Lawmakers in the US have expressed interest in a range of topics -- whether stablecoin issuers should be considered banks, when to tax cryptocurrency and how to craft functional rules in a highly technical and complex industry. This is tricky stuff. Creating the right standards will take time.
"I think there's going to be a lot more conversations around crypto and blockchain," said Dixon, one of the executives who testified before the House committee. Dixon previously testified on the issue of net neutrality before a House committee during her tenure at Mozilla in 2019 and harbors no illusions when it comes to regulating new technology. Some discourse will be positive and some will be negative, "but I just think that [by] having these conversations, we're going to see policymakers and regulators be more focused, and hopefully, more traditional businesses will be more focused on that."
There could be more milestones to reach before Americans see a comprehensive framework for crypto-focused legislation. But if industry leaders and elected officials can work together, regular cryptocurrency users and investors may benefit while environmental and security concerns are addressed.
"It's important to understand that the cryptocurrency industry wants to be regulated, but wants to ensure that proposed regulatory frameworks are feasible," said Grigg. "Governments globally are working with industry players to create legislation that protects consumers and fosters innovation."
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How the mining industry is using Minecraft to get into kids' heads
How the mining industry is using Minecraft to get into kids' heads
In the UK, "Tufty" the squirrel taught kids about road safety. In the US, McGruff the Crime Dog encouraged children to "take a bite out of crime" by locking their doors.
Cute mascots have always been useful educational tools, teaching life skills in an easily digestible manner. But in 2014, children in the Mackay region of Queensland, Australia, were confronted by an eldritch horror abomination of a mascot: Hector, the human-size lump of coal.
Hector, with his hard hat, yellow hi-vis and gap-toothed smile, was the brainchild of Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, a company responsible for exporting 60 million tons of Australian coal in 2013.
Hector attended sports events and visited schools and libraries like regular mascots. He also had his own TV slot on one of Australia's major free-to-air stations, teaching kids how to save energy, water and -- crucially -- how to most effectively brush their teeth.
He was part of an attempt by the mining industry to weave itself into the consciousness of school children in Queensland, a state with a mining industry worth nearly $28 billion. School trips, sponsorship of local sports teams, after-school programs... the mining industry has tried it all. The short-term goal is branding, but the mining industry was also playing the long game: Children who grew up brushing their teeth with Hector the lump of coal could end up working in the mining industry.
But nowadays, mascots aren't going to cut it. Thanks to a growing resentment of the fossil fuel industry and its part in the climate crisis, the mining industry is in the throes of a potentially damaging labor shortage.
A younger generation of students, inspired by Greta Thunberg, are pounding the pavement in school strikes. In October, more than 3,000 students marched for the cause in Brisbane, Queensland's capital city. These young people don't want to work for industries they believe contribute to one of the planet's biggest existential threats.
"The youth climate movement is very genuinely freaking out the fossil fuel industry in Australia," says climate analyst Ketan Joshi.
The mining industry's solution? Video games.
Starting this year, the Minerals Council of Australia -- the mouthpiece for the mining industry in Australia -- has gotten into video games. In August, it announced two games designed and built for the school curriculum. Games designed to "build awareness of opportunities in the modern technology-driven Australian minerals industry."
"We are unashamed of our ambition to employ more Australians and promote careers in mining to all Australians," Tania Constable, CEO of the Minerals Council, said in a statement sent to CNET. She said the Australian mining industry employed 256,000 people, with wages 54% higher than the industry average.
Supported by Australian mining company BHP, one of the planet's biggest polluters, with 9.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted since 1965, a pilot program using these games is running in 57 primary and secondary schools across Australia. BHP didn't respond to multiple requests for comment.
The effort is more subtle than an adult-size lump of coal in a hard hat, but the goal is the same: Embed the mining industry in the minds of children as early as possible and potentially plant the seeds of skills required to counter an ever-expanding labor shortage.
Others believe it's the proverbial canary in the coal mine. A last-gasp gambit to convince a growing generation of young people that the mining industry has any part to play in a future where limiting the effects of climate change is top priority.
Old as Dirt
Google any derivative of "mining + young people" and you'll be bombarded with think piece after think piece, reflecting an anxiety surrounding a looming skills shortage in the mining industry.
"Young people increasingly don't believe fossil fuels are part of their future," Ian Davies, director of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association and CEO of Senex Energy, said at a conference in 2019.
And he's right.
A recent survey by the Red Cross indicated that 80% of people ages 10 to 24 were either concerned or extremely concerned about the threat of climate change. When asked for potential solutions, transitioning from fossil fuels to clean energy was top of the list. In a recent poll by the UN, 69% of people ages 14 to 18 agreed that climate change is a global emergency. One global study reported that two-thirds of young people reported feeling sad, anxious and afraid about climate change.
A climate protest, in Melbourne, in November while the COP26 conference was taking place.
William West/AFP via Getty Images
In other words, children and teenagers have developed an increasingly negative perception of mining, particularly when it comes to coal or any type of fossil fuel. To the next generation of young people coming into the workforce, the industry is part of the problem.
The mining industry is hoping video games can sway the tide. Two games, to be precise.
The first is Resource, Respond, Rescue, a game built using the Minecraft Education Edition platform, targeting 11- to 12-year-olds. The second is Old as Dirt, a game designed to explain the "pit to port journey of iron ore" to 13- to 14-year-olds in high school.
(Microsoft, which purchased the Minecraft intellectual property for $2.5 billion in 2014, declined to comment on this story.)
Should industry bodies like the Minerals Council of Australia have this kind of access to children through the school curriculum? Jeremy Moss, a professor at UNSW Sydney and a co-author of the book Climate Justice and Non-State Actors, says no. He believes campaigns like this are "egregious."
"I really don't think the education department should be approving this kind of thing," he says.
'I don't think this is about STEM'
When reached for comment, education departments across Australia were mostly tight-lipped. The ones that did respond spoke not of promoting mining, but science and engineering.
"We are supportive of schools using programs that encourage students to take an interest in STEM subjects from an early age," says Martin Clery, executive director of statewide services in Western Australia's Department of Education.
School staff made decisions about the resources used in teaching and used tools and programs that best suit the needs of their students, he says.
The Minerals Council used similar language, stating that its ultimate goal was the promotion of STEM subjects in schools across Australia.
Minecraft, one of the most popular video games ever made, is used extensively in education.
Mojang
"It is hoped that students will select STEM subjects in later years of study to preserve pathways to high-paying and highly secure STEM careers," says Constable, the Mineral Council's CEO.
Moss thinks otherwise. He says projects like this have little to do with the promotion of STEM and everything to do with the promotion of the mining industry, which is in increasingly desperate need of future employees.
"Last time I checked, they already taught science and maths at school," he says. "And I'm sure they already do a good job.
"I don't think this is about STEM. This is really about promoting the mining industry."
Documents reviewed by CNET show the mining industry is wrestling with a problematic labor shortage. Young people are showing less and less interest in mining as a career path. The number of graduates in mining engineering subjects has declined from a high of 333 in 2015 to 104 in 2020.
In a submission to an Australian curriculum review in July, the MCA openly railed against proposed changes to the Earth sciences curricula it believed would impact "the future success of the minerals sector."
In that document, it revealed plans to fund video games designed for Australian schools to help stem the tide and, in the long term, drive university graduates back to mining. It openly discussed a strategy that involved school trips to mines to "demonstrate the contribution of the resources sector to the Australian economy, local communities, and the importance of extracted minerals to everyday life."
According to Ketan Joshi, the climate analyst, initiatives like these are absolutely about fixing the skills shortage. "Graduates from fossil fuel-focused subjects are dropping, and they are desperate to try and reverse this," Joshi says.
But even if students study the relevant subjects required to fill the skills gap, young people simply don't want to work in the fossil fuels industry.
"Teenagers nowadays want to work in tech," says Dan Gocher, director of climate and environment for the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. "It's just more exciting."
'Don't be scared'
Scott Morrison, the prime minster of Australia, has been a huge target for young protesters.
William West/AFP via Getty Images
When it comes to the fossil fuel industry, Australia isn't necessarily like other countries.
This is a country where the prime minister, Scott Morrison, once brought a literal lump of coal into Parliament and waved it at fellow members, proclaiming "don't be scared."
A country where Gina Reinhardt, a mining magnate and Australia's richest woman, with an estimated wealth of $22 billion, can make speeches at Australian schools and tell students to guard themselves against the "propaganda" of climate change.
A country where Morrison's chief of staff is John Kunkel, formerly the deputy CEO of the Minerals Council of Australia. The same Minerals Council that's funded, developed and created mining-focused video games for the Australian school curriculum.
In Australia, the government and the mining industry are uniquely connected in multiple problematic ways. From 1999 to 2019, Moss said, the mining industry donated over $130 million to Australian political parties.
"These groups not only donate substantial funds to political parties, but there is also a revolving door of appointments," Moss says.
"If I was the Minerals Council and someone asked me, 'Am I happy with the representation of the mining industry in government?' I would be delighted. I would be orgasmic."
After the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, in November, when China and India controversially forced a coal-related language change from "phase out" to "phase down," elected representative Matt Canavan -- whose Twitter profile features a photo of his face smeared with coal -- appeared on national television, in front of a screen saying "GLASGOW: A HUGE WIN FOR COAL."
He called the language change a "green light" for Australia to build "more coal mines."
In the context of Australia's inextricable links between the mining industry and government, do video games even matter? Not really, says Gocher, from the Australasian Centre for Corporate Responsibility. The ease with which the Minerals Council was able to inject video games it funded into the school curriculum is the real issue. And that issue has deep roots in the foundational culture of Australia as a nation.
"That's more dangerous than the Minecraft stuff," he says.
Ultimately, both Gocher and Moss are optimistic. Not because of the situation, not because of the minor progress made at conferences like COP26, but because of the resilience of the audience the Minerals Council of Australia is targeting with these video games. Both were resolute: Regardless of any efforts to sway public opinion, the next generation of workers is far too savvy and too invested in the future well-being of this planet to be impacted by something as simple as a video game.
"I don't think it'll work," Moss says. "I think it's a rather desperate attempt to change the overwhelmingly negative perception of the fossil fuels section of the mining industry.
"That is something that, really, they're fighting an uphill battle against."
Motorola Razr 2020 review: The iconic flip phone has done it again, this time with 5G
Motorola Razr 2020 review: The iconic flip phone has done it again, this time with 5G
The new Motorola Razr 2020 addresses most of the issues I had with the Razr (2019) that came out in February. Overall it's a better phone. The new Razr gets a slew of upgraded specs, but lacks the top of the line ones found in the Motorola Edge Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. But neither of those phones can fold into something incredibly small.
With the Razr you're paying $1,400 (£1,399, which is about AU$2,470) for a foldable screen. And that's important to remember because there isn't wireless charging or a high refresh rate display, or a gigantic battery or IP-rated water and dust resistance, or a headphone jack or headphones or the most powerful Snapdragon processor. If you want to fold a 6.2-inch phone into something the size of a small drink coaster in 2020, you're going to pay a lot of money.
The Razr's refined foldable flip phone feels fantastic to use. With the new cameras, addition of support for 5G and all the useful enhancements to the external display, the Razr feels like a "normal" phone that can do "normal" everyday stuff with its "anything but normal" foldable build. If I were to compare the Razr to a car, it would be a fun two-seat convertible.
But not everything is rosy with this new Razr. The speaker in the chin is OK, but doesn't produce great-sounding audio at louder volumes. The glass on the back of my review unit has accumulated a few scuffs over 10 days. They're barely visible, but they're there. A case could have prevented these and Motorola will sell a nifty $50 case for the Razr.
Also, when I opened and closed my 2019 Razr review unit in February it made this weird loud squeak. For the most part, this new one didn't. I say for the most part because when I was filming the unboxing video for the Razr, I didn't hear a squeak. But when reviewing the footage, one of my video producers noticed that my mic picked up a small squeak.
Aside from the squeak (more on that below) my experience overall has been good with the new Raz. I have to give Motorola a ton of credit for all the changes and implementations they made.
As far as the price, this isn't a phone for everyone, especially with the financial hardship so many people are enduring right now. If you were seriously considering the Motorola Razr (2019) and didn't get it and you have the cash, you should consider this version. It's a refinement in nearly every way over that phone. But know that you're paying a lot of money for a phone that folds in half.
The body of the new Razr is made of aluminum and Gorilla Glass 5.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The new Razr's aluminum and Gorilla Glass 5 body feels solid
During my time with the new Razr, I used it like a regular phone. I didn't feel the need to be careful with it. I wiped the foldable screen on my jeans. I keep the phone in my pocket or in my bag.
Some of that assurance comes from its build. When you close the phone, the sides sit flush, encompassing and protecting the display. But some of that is my perception. I want to be confident that if the Razr is in a pocket with my house keys, that it won't get destroyed. That confidence and trust is huge, and I didn't feel that all-the-time when I reviewed the 2019 Razr.
The new Razr is built from aluminum and Gorilla Glass 5 and feels solid compared to the prototype feel of the February version. Also that plastic back is gone!
To reinforce the phone's robustness, Motorola invited me to visit one of their testing labs and see one of the 40 different testing machines it uses to test the Razr (wearing a mask and socially distanced, of course). I got to see a machine that folds the Razr in half to simulate years of use in just a matter of days. The idea is most people will never fold this phone enough to hit Motorola's 200,000-fold lifespan.
Read more: Motorola claims the Razr can fold 200,000 times. We get a peek at how the phone is tested
This is one of four new Motorola Razr phones on a machine that opens and closes it once every four seconds. Over the course of 10 days the phones will be folded 200,000 times.
Patrick Holland/CNET
My time with the Razr has largely been squeak-free… until Friday. I don't know if it's the humidity or what, but there's a little squeak anytime I open or close it. The only time I don't hear it is when I flick the Razr open one-handed. The squeak isn't as loud as the 2019 Razr. But when I hear it, I feel conflicted. I feel disappointed.
I asked a friend how they felt about the squeak and they said it didn't bother them. I guess when it comes to screen notches, foldable screen creases and now foldable phone squeaks, some of you will get used to these things while others will be wildly annoyed.
I should add that the squeak comes from the hinge mechanism, but doesn't indicate any mechanical problems.
Quick View display separates the Razr from the Galaxy Z Flip 5G
Perhaps my favorite feature is the Quick View display which got a lot more useful with the new Razr. Fundamentally this is where the Razr and the Galaxy Z Flip couldn't be more different. There are basically three modes to the outside display: The first is a Peek Display mode that lets you see notifications just by pressing and holding on an icon. The next is like a Peek Display plus mode where you can press and hold an icon, then swipe up to reveal multiple notifications and respond to them. The keyboard basically takes up the entire screen, but after a few uses I got better at typing on it.
But it's the third mode -- let's call it mini-Android mode -- where the true power of the Quick View display gets unleashed. When the Razr is closed and unlocked, you can swipe down to get to the control panel, swipe up to see something similar to the notification shade, swipe to the left to go to the camera and swipe right to see a grid of apps and swipe to the right again, to see contact favorites.
The Quick View display on the Razr is officially the smallest screen I've ever played PUBG Mobile on.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The phone can curate a list of apps that work well on the smaller external screen. Apps like Gmail, YouTube and Messages can be used complete with a mini keyboard. Also, you can go back and forth between the Quick View display and the interior display and pick right up where you were at.
You can also do what I did and go into the Manage apps setting and turn on unlimited which allowed me to try pretty much any app I wanted on the Quick View display. So I decided to try PUBG Mobile. I could barely make out the controls, but it is possible to play PUBG on the Quick View display. I also played Alto's Odyssey and Super Mario Run. Not every app is optimized for that small of a display. But this iteration of the Quick View display marks an enormous step in the right direction for Motorola.
Razr has a new 48-megapixel main camera
Then there are the cameras both of which got a solid upgrade. The selfie camera atop the internal display is much better and works great for Zoom meetings and taking selfies. Though video recording on the selfie camera does top out at 1080p.
The exterior camera has 48-megapixels and uses pixel-binning to create good 12-megapixel photos. This camera is much better than the 2019 Razr. And thanks to the optical image stabilization and a time-of-flight sensor, I got an acceptable rate of in-focus and sharp photos.
The HDR mode works rather well without it being too heavy-handed. It kept the faded blue of the pickup just right.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was taken with the digital zoom at 2x. It's remarkable the detail it was able to capture. It also shows off the lens' natural bokeh.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here's another photo where the Razr went into HDR mode.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This is a selfie I took with the exterior 48-megapixel camera with the phone closed.
Patrick Holland/CNET
But the Razr's cameras are not on the same level as the iPhone 11 or Google Pixel 4A. Unless Motorola added a Note 20 Ultra-sized camera bump onto the Razr (please don't do that) there is only such room for a sensor and lens inside something this small.
Low-light and zoomed in photos are soft and look like a painting because of noise reduction. There is a Night Vision mode that can help, but I find it works best in medium-to-low lighting versus situations where it's dark.
Here is a 5x digital zoom of the John Hancock building off in the distance. The details are definitely soft.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This photo was taken in the regular photo mode.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This photo was taken with Night Vision. This is the best Night Vision photo I took with the Razr. That said, the sky looks painted on.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The main camera also shoots 4K video and the quality is decent. Video definitely doesn't have the same dynamic range as photos and suffers from image noise and artifacts. But I'm happy with the clips I was able to record. Check some out video clips I shot below:
OK battery life, sub-6 5G and Snapdragon 765G
Motorola claims a benefit of using the Quick View display more is it doesn't tax battery life as bad as using the main display. And that's good news. In my use, the new Razr gets me barely through a day. I typically find myself topping off at dinner time. And that's while I'm connected to 5G. I'm getting about 7 hours, 30 minutes of screen-on time and in a test with continuous video playback on Airplane mode the Razr lasted 15 hours, 53 minutes, that's 1 hour, 50 minutes more than the 2019 Razr lasted in the same test. And that's 53 minutes more than the Galaxy Z Flip.
The new Razr has a larger battery than the 2019 Razr and some of that is to compensate for use on 5G, which can eat up battery life. The Razr can work on sub-6 flavors of 5G like on AT&T and T-Mobile. I've been testing this Razr on T-Mobile's 5G here in Chicago. Sometimes I get speeds over 100Mbps for downloads (that's outdoors) and other times I get speeds that are 4.55Mbps (that's also outdoors). Both of those results were well within the 5G coverage on T-Mobile's map and speaks more to T-Mobile's 5G network than it does the phone.
Powering all this is 8GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 765G processor. There will be some who will write the new Razr off because it doesn't have a Snapdragon 865 processor. But as we've seen in other Android phones this year, the 765G is a solid processor. In the Razr, it handled gaming, videos, photo edits, multitasking really well. And in benchmark tests, the Razr scored right on par with the LG Velvet.
3DMark Slingshot Unlimited
Motorola Razr (2020)
Motorola Razr (2019)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench v.5.0 single-core
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Geekbench v.5.0 multicore
Motorola Razr (2020)
Motorola Razr (2019)
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Note:
Longer bars indicate better performance
Even with all these improvements, it's hard to recommend a $1,400 especially one that is still very much a concept waiting to live up to its hype in the real world. The same can be said about the Galaxy Z Flip 5G. That said, I'm excited for Motorola and hope they make as big a step forward with the next Razr as the company did with this one.
Motorola Razr (2020) specs verus Motorola Razr (2019), Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
