Motorola Razr 40 Two Weeks In 2024 Review — I’ve Changed My Mind On Flip Phones
Back in May of 2023 I picked up the Oppo Find N2 Flip. This was my first flip phone and one I was excited to try. I had already tried a full sized foldable with the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 which I enjoyed a lot, so a flip phone was next on the agenda. The Find N2 Flip seemed like a good fit for my wants and needs with it also having a great set of cameras, but it ended up being such a poor experience that I was convinced that flip foldables just weren’t for me. I didn’t even do a review I was that down about the phone.
Fast forward to February 2024 and I was given a Motorola Razr 40 on loan for me to review. Now of course this is not a new device. It released in May 2023 around the same time as the Oppo at a cheaper cost, with lesser hardware in some ways and less capable cameras. So yes I bought the Oppo over the Moto Razr but ended up not liking it. Having tried the Razr however I’m now convinced that I picked up the wrong phone and that I do indeed like flip phones. So here’s why…
The most fundamental part of the hardware on a phone like this is the hinge. And the hinge on the Razr 40 is excellent. It will literally hold at any angle you could need (the Oppo could not!). Very well done indeed and paired with the wonderful inside screen; LTPO AMOLED 1080p/144hz, 1400nits of brightness and with a not so noticeable crease made me very happy indeed. Vegan Leather covers the back of the phone which gives it a much more tactile feel. There’s a side mounted fingerprint reader that’s incorporated into the power button. It’s the fastest I’ve used and something I wish all phones had.
That’s the hardware you can see and feel, but what about the internals and software? Well this is where it gets particularly interesting, simply because the SoC is quite different to the competition. The Razr 40 is running the midrange Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. This is an SoC produced by Samsung Foundry and has similar issues to the 8 Gen 1, lesser so due to it not being a high performance chip. If you’re gaming or doing any other intensive task it is not very efficient. If however you’re a lighter user it isn’t a problem at all and I found the battery to last me a day no problem. That’s even with playing some Pokémon GO running at 120hz, which it has no issue doing.
The software really is a joy to use. Pretty close to stock Android and feels very much the same as using a Sony Xperia or even a Google Pixel, but with Motorola’s particular flavour. Really cool clock widget options, a neat looking font and animated wallpapers. It was just really to my liking and I might even say it’s my favourite version of Android.
The outer screen is quite small but offers up the ability to check certain information like the weather and message notifications. You can read the messages and reply with set quick reply options, but most of the time you’ll have to open up the phone to do anything major. I really liked being able to use that screen for taking selfies with the main camera. More on the cameras now.
I would say the weakest aspect of the phone is the cameras. Two cameras on the back/front depending on orientation of course. A 64MP wide and 13MP ultrawide. There’s a 32MP selfie cam as well on that inside screen. All three of these cameras offer 4K/30FPS video recording with EIS (Electronic Image Stabilisation). The photos produced can be a bit mixed, but overall it’s not at all bad. Skin tones seem to be a particular problem if taking shots with the outer camera, which you can do very easily with a flip phone like this. Strangely the selfie cam produced much better results even though it has a worse sensor. Some samples below compared to much more expensive phones s keep that in perspective. At the end of the day you’re likely not buying this phone for the camera. If that is the most important aspect of a phone for you you’re more likely to grab something like a Pixel 8.
There was only one question I had after using the Motorola Razr 40; who is this phone aimed at? And as someone who is really into mobile photography and likes having the best possible SoC it clearly wasn’t for me. Why would someone pay this much for a phone ($799RRP) when you can get a slab phone for much less with mostly better specs? It all comes down to that folding screen. For people that want a super compact communicator that has a lovely build, a fantastic inside panel and solid performance then this will be an ideal device. A device that just blends into the background and doesn’t have you engrossed in your screen non-stop. I found the outer screen to be great as it saved me going into the phone and then getting distracted opening another app where I’d procrastinate for way longer than I should.
I’ve seen the phone here in the UK selling for £599 on offer which is a solid deal. At the RRP of £799.99 I think it was probably a tough sell, but at this point in 2024 it is unlikely you’ll find it at that price. The only real criticism I have for Motorola and this applies to all of their phones is that the software support needs to be better than two years of OS updates. Security updates are also patchy and although that’s not really a major issue it’s still problematic for people and gives them less confidence in the product. Even with the average cameras I can easily recommend the Razr 40, if this is the particular experience you’re after.
Here’s my video review if you’d like to support me on YouTube.
