What a difference five years makes: I remember being at the Motorola Razr (re)-introduction back in 2018, and as nostalgically impressed as I was back then (the original Razr released way back in 2004), the latest top-tier rework of Motorola's classic, known as the Razr 40 Ultra, is a flip phone to behold. It could be the best folding phone ever, based on the spec.
What's particularly standout about the Razr 40 Ultra is twofold (pardon the pun): it's got a massive 3.6-inch cover display on the front, which is far bigger than the earlier Razr 2022 device and grander than what you'll find on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4; but it's also still among the slimmest folding phones, at just 7.58mm when unfolded.
The thing I've typically found with clamshell foldables is that they feel super-thick in the pocket. Of course in a bag or purse they can make sense, plus that interior screen is protected given the design. So for the larger-screen Razr 40 Ultra to be slimmer than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 when folded is impressive for a 6.9-inch device.
Motorola really isn't mucking about when it comes to the screens' specifications either: that interior 6.9-inch panel offers a 165Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1400 nits, and its 1080 x 2640 resolution puts it in line with the best flagship phones on the market today.
The cover display also sounds like a marvel: its 3.6-inch scale puts it a step ahead of even the Oppo Find N2 Flip's 3.26-inch panel (a device which I didn't find too responsive anyway, so size isn't everything), and offering a 1056 x 1066 resolution for really decent sharpness.
In terms of raw power, the Razr 40 Ultra features the same Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor as found in its 'baby brother' Razr 40 model (which is the cheapest flip phone launch to date, impressively), which while not the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, I don't think will make a giant difference to overall flagship performance.
If there's one part of the spec sheet that sounds rather underwhelming, however, it's got to be the cameras: Motorola has been rather yo-yo in its approach on the photography front over the years, and the pair of 12- and 13-megapixel main and wide-angle (respectively) snappers is hardly at the top end of the chain. Although, at the time of writing I'm yet to use either device, of course.
Still, some corners have got to be cut, right? And given the £1,049 asking price for this top-tier flip phone, I suspect that was the part that was pushed somewhat aside. No, the Ultra model is hardly cheap, but given that the Galaxy Z Flip 4 launched at £999, it's still pretty remarkable value for a handset that, on paper, outsmarts its Samsung competitor at every apparent turn.
The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is on sale right now. Unlike its little brother, the Razr 40, it's available in a variety of different finishes: Viva Magenta (Pantone 'Color of the Year'), Infinite Black and Glacier Blue. I certainly look forward to seeing this folding phone in the flesh.
