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

	Motorola Razr (2020)	Motorola Razr (2019)	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip	Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Display size, resolution	Internal: 6.2-inch, foldable pOLED; 2,142x876p pixels (21:9) / External: 2.7-inch glass OLED, 800x600-pixels (4:3)	Internal: 6.2-inch, foldable pOLED; 2,142x876p pixels (21:9) / External: 2.7-inch glass OLED, 800x600-pixels (4:3)	Internal: 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED; 2,636x1,080-pixels / External: 1.1-inch Super AMOLED; 300x112-pixels	External 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED; Internal: 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED; External: 2260 x 816 pixels Internal: 2208 x 1768
Pixel density	373ppi (internal screen)	373ppi (internal screen)	425ppi (internal) / 303ppi (external)	386ppi + 373ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	Folded: 2.86x3.61x0.63 in, Unfolded: 2.86x6.66x0.31 in	Unfolded: 6.8x2.8x0.28 in / Folded: 3.7x2.8x0.55 in	Folded: 2.99x3.44x0.62 ~ 0.68 in / Unfolded: 2.99x6.59x0.27 ~0.28 in	Folded: 2.67x6.26x0.6 in (Hinge) ~ 0.54 in(Sagging), Unfolded: 5.04x6.26x0.27 in(Frame) ~ 0.23 in(Screen)
Dimensions (Millimeters)	Folded: 72.6x91.7x16mm, Unfolded: 72.6 x 169.2 x 7.9mm	Unfolded: 172x7 2x6.9mm / Folded: 94x72x14mm	Folded: 73.6x87.4x15.4 ~17.3 mm / Unfolded: 73.6x167.3x6.9 ~ 7.2 mm	Folded: 68.0x159.2x16.8mm (Hinge) ~ 13.8mm(Sagging), Unfolded: 128.2x159.2x6.9mm(Frame) ~ 6.0mm(Screen)
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	6.77 oz; 192g	7.2 oz; 205g	6.46 oz; 183g	9.95 oz; 282 grams
Mobile software	Android 10	Android 9 Pie	Android 10	Android 10
Camera	48-megapixel (exterior)	16-megapixel external (f/1.7, dual pixel AF), 5-megapixel internal	12-megapixel (wide-angle), 12-megapixel (ultra wide-angle)	12-megapixel (main) + 12-megapixel (wide angle) + 12 megapixel (telephoto)
Front-facing camera	20-megapixel (interior)	Same as main 16-megapixel external	10-megapixel	10-megapixel, 10-megapixel
Video capture	4K	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G	Qualcomm Snapdragon 710	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus	Snapdragon 865 Plus
Storage	256GB	128GB	256GB	256GB
RAM	8GB	6GB	8GB	12GBRAM
Expandable storage	No	None	None	No
Battery	2,800 mAh	2,510 mAh	3,300 mAh	4,500 mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Back	Below screen	Power button	Side
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	No	No	No	No
Special features	5G enabled, Foldable display, Dual SIM, Time of flight sensor, OIS exterior camera, splashproof	Foldable display, eSIM, Motorola gestures, splashproof	Foldable display; wireless PowerShare; wireless charging; fast charging	5G enabled, Foldable display, 120Hz refresh rate, wireless charging support,
Price off-contract (USD)	$1,400	$1,499	$1,380	$2,000
Price (GBP)	£1,399	£1,000	£1,300	£1,799
Price (AUD)	Converts to AU$2,470	AU$1,799	AU$1,999	AU$2,999

Originally published Sept. 14

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Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip Could Be Even Better

Samsung, the Galaxy Z Fold and Flip Could Be Even Better

What's happening

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 are Samsung's best foldables yet, but there's room for improvement when it comes to design, camera quality and battery life.

Why it matters

Companies like Samsung are betting big on foldable phones being the next major evolution of the modern smartphone. But high prices and other setbacks have limited their appeal so far.

What's next

Samsung is hosting its next Unpacked event on Aug. 10, where it could unveil the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4.

Foldable phones have come a long way since 2019, when Samsung debuted its original Galaxy Z Fold. Last year's $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 3 and $1,000 Galaxy Z Flip 3 are the most polished versions of the company's foldable devices yet, with improvements to their software and cover screens. 

But there's a lot that Samsung could do to make these devices even better, and I'm hoping to see such changes in the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4.

Both phones are expected to debut during Samsung's Unpacked event on Aug. 10. They'll represent Samsung's latest gambit to hold its position as the frontrunner in the nascent but growing foldable phone market. 

Read more: Samsung Unpacked Is Wednesday. Here's How to Watch It Live

TM Roh, the head of Samsung's mobile experience business, said almost 10 million foldable phones were shipped in 2021. That generally lines up with estimates from market researcher IDC, which says 7.1 million foldables were shipped in 2021, representing an increase of 264% over 2020. 

These figures suggest foldables are starting to appeal to more than just early adopters and tech enthusiasts. But there are still some obstacles that Samsung and other companies need to overcome before foldables can become as ubiquitous as standard smartphones.

More from Samsung Unpacked

Lower prices

Samsung's foldables come at a premium compared to their standard smartphones, which can make them a tough sell. That's been changing in recent years, with the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in particular being one of the most affordable foldables yet. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 starts at $1,000 without a trade-in, making it the same price as the Galaxy S22 Plus. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is considerably more expensive, with a usual starting price of $1,800 without a trade-in, although that's still a welcome improvement from the $2,000 Galaxy Z Fold 2.

New software features

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Galaxy Z Fold 4 foldable designs certainly set them apart from most phones. But the software needs to catch up to the hardware.

Samsung is off to a good start in this regard. Both the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip have a feature called Flex Mode, which reorients and optimizes certain apps to fit the device's screen when folded halfway. For example, Flex Mode shifts some compatible apps to the top half of the screen while displaying navigation and playback controls on the bottom portion.

My favorite example of this mode being put to good use is in the Galaxy Z Flip's camera app. When the device is propped open halfway, the shutter button, photo settings and other controls sit on the bottom half of the screen while the top half serves as a viewfinder. Flex Mode combined with the Z Flip's ability to stay open on its own make it a great camera-tripod combination.

Other than Flex Mode, the Galaxy Z Fold can also run multiple apps on screen at once to take advantage of its tablet-sized screen. 

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 can run multiple apps on screen at once.

Patrick Holland/CNET

These are great additions, but there's plenty of room for Samsung to do more. It feels like the software is conforming to the hardware when it should be the opposite. While Flex Mode and the Z Fold's multitasking features are a great start, they're not enticing enough alone to justify buying a foldable phone. 

I'd like to see Samsung develop more compelling software features. Even though I wouldn't recommend buying the Surface Duo 2 because it doesn't work very well as a regular phone, I think Microsoft is on to something when it comes to software. 

The way the Surface Duo 2 splits compatible apps between screens almost feels like you're using an app in an entirely new way. The Amazon Kindle app transforms the Duo into a digital book, Xbox GamePass turns it into a Nintendo 3DS-style handheld gaming console and Outlook's split-screen view turns it into a mini-laptop. There's a lot of promise with foldables, and I hope Samsung finds more ways to tap into it. 

Longer battery life

Battery life is one of the most important characteristics of any phone, and foldable phones are no exception. Unfortunately, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 both had underwhelming battery life. My colleague Patrick Holland could barely get through a day with the Galaxy Z Fold 3's 4,400-mAh battery capacity. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 only made it about 11 hours before requiring a charge. 

I'm hoping Samsung will improve the battery life or develop new ways to work around it on the next iterations of the Z Fold and Z Flip. And by "work around it," I mean Samsung could boost the devices' fast charging speeds or make improvements to their power saving modes. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 charges at up to 25 watts while the Z Flip 3 charges at 15 watts, neither of which is anything special. The Galaxy S22 Plus and S22 Ultra, for example, both have a 45-watt charging speed. 

Better cameras

Camera quality is right up there with battery life when it comes to what matters most in a phone. The cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 are good, but there's room for improvement. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a 12-megapixel wide and 12-megapixel ultrawide main camera setup, which as my colleague wrote in his review is "the equivalent of the cameras you'd find on a $700 phone." The Galaxy Z Fold 3 has a triple camera system that adds a 12-megapixel telephoto lens in addition to the 12-megapixel wide and ultrawide lenses. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3's cameras

Sarah Tew/CNET

These cameras are fine for most people. Anyone who's considered buying one of these phones is obviously most interested in the display rather than the cameras. But for the price, I'd like to see camera quality that at least matches, if not exceeds, Samsung's best non-folding phones. As my colleague Patrick puts it: "the Z Fold 3 has B+ cameras at an A+ price." That especially holds true for the Galaxy Z Fold 3's under-display camera, which is the selfie camera for the phone when being used in tablet mode. 

Luckily, rumors suggest the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will come with some serious camera improvements that bring it up to speed with the Galaxy S22 lineup. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 folded shut.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Design improvements

Even though the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 are Samsung's most refined foldables yet, phones with bendable screens are still relatively new. As such, it takes time to get the ergonomics just right, and Samsung still has some work to do here. 

Let's start with the Galaxy Z Fold. The Z Fold's biggest drawback is that it still feels somewhat awkward to use as a regular phone when closed. Samsung made some design improvements to the Z Fold 3 that make it both lighter and slimmer than its predecessors. But it's still an abnormally bulky phone when closed, which can cause some inconvenience when using it in one hand. 

Anyone who has purchased the Z Fold has likely done so because of its large interior screen, not the cover screen. But consider how many times you take out your phone to quickly check a notification or respond to a text message. In some situations, these tasks are much more convenient to accomplish when the Z Fold is closed, such as when you're on the go and unfolding the device feels impractical. 

Another design upgrade I'd like to see on the Z Fold is the ability for the S Pen to magnetically connect to the device's hinge. A stylus storage slot like the Galaxy S22 Ultra's doesn't seem like a plausible solution since it would add to the Z Fold's thickness. 

The Galaxy Z Flip already feels a lot like a standard phone, but one improvement I'd like to see is a larger cover screen. The Z Flip 3 is a major upgrade compared to the original Z Flip in this regard. While Samsung's first foldable flip phone had just a tiny pill-shaped cover screen, the Z Flip 3's is big enough to fit widgets for the weather, music, alarms and more. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3's cover screen.

Sarah Tew/CNET

But I'd still like to be able to see more lines of text and widgets on this screen. A larger display would also make it easier to quickly take selfies without unfolding the phone, since the cover display can serve  as a camera viewfinder. Thankfully, rumors suggest Samsung is planning to increase the cover screen's size with the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

I'm also hoping Samsung will find a way to make the crease less obvious on both the Galaxy Z Fold and Galaxy Z Flip. The creases on Samsung's current foldables aren't too distracting but they're definitely noticeable -- both to the eyes and the touch. Chinese tech giant Oppo found a way to work around this on its Find N foldable by implementing a "water drop" hinge, which makes the device's crease harder to see and feel when opened. Motorola's teardrop fold hinge design similarly makes the foldable Razr's crease less noticeable. 

Samsung's Z Flip and Z Fold phones are gradually inching closer to standard, non-foldable phones in terms of price, and I'm hoping that trajectory will continue. Foldable phones will likely always require some type of trade-off, whether it's to their camera quality or device thickness. I'm just hoping the list of compromises will get smaller over time, starting with the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4.

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