It really is the year of the foldable, it seems. It might even be the week of the foldable, for that matter.
Not only are the rumours for an iPhone “Ultra” Fold ramping up, but Honor also launched an updated take on the foldable book-style of phone-tablet hybrid, as the very thin Magic V6 arrived locally.
But Honor isn’t alone, and hot on the heels, another company with established efforts in the foldable space is launching its own duo, refreshing one of its better handsets and adding another. Motorola has just entered the arena.
A first fold
First up is a new category for Motorola, as it dives into foldable tablet-phones, announcing what we heard about from CES earlier this year, the Motorola Razr Fold.
Like other foldables we’ve checked out in the past, the Razr Fold is two screens connected on a hinge, with a 6.6 inch screen on the outside and an 8.1 inch foldable display on the inside, and a bunch of technology inside.
That includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, the same chip used in the Leica Leitzphone and Samsung S26 Ultra (minus the Samsung tweaks), plus 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, as well as an assortment of cameras. You’ll find a 50 megapixel main wide, a 50 megapixel ultra-wide, and a 50 megapixel 3X telephoto, plus two front-facing cameras depending on if it’s open or closed, covering 20 megapixels on the outside and 32 megapixels on the inside.
There’s also a fairly sizeable 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery under the hood, a little under where Honor’s Magic V6 is set, but Motorola does have something not many foldables offer: stylus support.
It appears to be an optional extra of sorts, but the Razr Fold will support the Moto Pen Ultra as a stylus, though it won’t be found in the box.
There are other features, such as a minor amount of dust resistance and a reasonable amount of water at IP49 (that’s one we don’t see all the time), plus sound tuned by Bose.
A new flip fold
Beyond the tablet fold, Motorola is also returning to the space it was in for foldables beforehand.
You might have seen the Razr revival, which had been going strong in the “Ultra” models, complete with the less ultra offerings. That was until last year, when Motorola skipped a 60 Ultra for Australia, and only launched a more mid-range focused Razr 60.
This year, though, the premium flip phone is back as Motorola’s Razr 70 Ultra delivers what Motorola is calling “the most powerful Razr ever”.
The phone sports the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite 8 found in the Fold, and is set to change the cameras slightly with 50 megapixels for both the main wide camera and 50 megapixels for the ultra-wide, essentially removing the telephoto from the Razr 50 Ultra.
We’re not sure we quite agree with that step, but Motorola has taken the step of including a LOFIC sensor (Lateral Overflow Integration Capacitor) to improve dynamic range and is gradually appearing on larger cameras, and there is also a 50 megapixel camera on the inside, as well.
Like the previous Razr models, there are two screens, using a 4 inch display on the outside with access to full apps, while the inside is a 7 inch, both of which offer 165Hz refresh rates and an “Extreme AMOLED” display, with Gorilla Glass covering the external 4 inch screen.
It’s even coming with a larger battery, sporting a 5000mAh up from the 4000mAh in the Razr 50 Ultra with the newer silicon-carbon technology to fit more life in without increasing the size.
“The Motorola Razr Fold is a landmark moment for Motorola in Australia. We are fulfilling a growing consumer need for a device that goes beyond communication and truly keeps pace with every part of modern life,” said Praveena Raman, Head of Motorola for Australia and New Zealand.
“With the Motorola Razr 70 Ultra, we continue to push the boundaries of what a flip phone can be, delivering flagship performance in a refined, compact form,” she said.
Australian pricing and availability
The two models of foldable are also joined at release with a generation of Motorola’s “Signature” phone that gets Swarovski crystals as do the Moto Bud 2 Plus, arriving in a limited “Brilliant Collection”. Clearly, they’re for folks who like to stand out, possibly when the light catches the crystals and reflects wildly.
In terms of release, the limited edition models will see launch first, coming to Telstra exclusively from July 7 together for $1799, while the foldables are set for release a week later on July 15.
They’ll be priced from $1999 for the Razr 70 Ultra, while Australians can find the Motorola Razr Fold for $2799, both found at JB HiFi and Harvey Norman, though Telstra will also see the Razr Fold shortly, as well.
