TechPhonesI tried Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra – it’s the best flip-phone I’ve ever usedMotorola’s flagship flip-phone, the Razr 40 Ultra (or just Razr+ in the States) is flippin' great – here’s whyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesI tried Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra – it’s the best flip-phone I’ve ever usedMotorola’s flagship flip-phone, the Razr 40 Ultra (or just Razr+ in the States) is flippin' great – here’s whyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Motorola’s flagship flip-phone, the Razr 40 Ultra (or just Razr+ in the States) is flippin' great – here’s why
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
This morning I was writing all nostalgically about how I attended the Motorola Razr (re-)introduction back in 2018; the reimagination of its 2004 classic clamshell handset. As I was penning that very piece at the airport, en route tothe Motorola Razr 40 Ultralaunch, the company handed me its latest flagship flip-phone to try out.
And try it out I gleefully have been. So I’ll cut to the chase here: the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is the best flip-phone I’ve used to date. Read that as ‘clamshell only’, though, I’m not talking about thebest folding phonesin general, with the likes of the (far pricier)Google Pixel Foldincoming, joining other more tablet-esque foldables such as theSamsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
The largest cover display
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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
Speaking of appearance, I must say the Razr 40 Ultra does look a lot moreSamsung-like in its design than earlier renditions. I don’t really mind this, but it perhaps shows that despite Motorola getting there first, Samsung has been in the driving seat of foldable sales for a number of years now – and the Ultra is arguably Motorola’s “hey, look over here” moment, asserting that the company can offer something every bit as great.
The Razr 40 Ultra’s cover display is also gorgeously integrated – again in similar fashion to theSamsung Galaxy Z Flip 4in many respects. I love how the panel is covered in a glossy coat so you can barely see where it starts or ends when it’s off; and when it fires up it covers a huge portion of the front, integrating around the dual cameras, and only leaving a larger blacked-out top bezel obscured from view. This is a clamshell as it should be.
A price you’ll flip out over
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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
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Yes, that’s a lot less cash than the £1,049 asking price of the Ultra model, but I think the larger cover display is a critical differentiator in the fight for best flip-phone, especially as that’s what really defines a device such as this. It’s super-responsive here, which is great in use, and the scale means apps are usable. Not that you’ll be firing up full-fat games to play on this smaller screen, but as a glance window, I’d take this over ever wearing one of thebest smartwatches.
Flip ‘er open and the Razr 40 Ultra looks fantastic too. The 6.9-inch display is amply resolute, at 1080 x 2640 pixels, but also delivers really high-end features such as 165Hz refresh and a 1400 nits peak brightness that’s well beyond many of thebest Android phoneson the market right now – ones without a hinge folding mechanism! It’s slim in this format, too, at 7mm, so about on par with the Galaxy Z Flip 4.
So what’s the catch?
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(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)
So far, so perfect, right? Well, not quite. There are still a few unknowns about the Razr 40 Ultra that I’m yet to explore in more detail. The first that certainly gives me some degree of concern is the camera arrangement: a dual 12- and 13-megapixel main and wide-angle (respectively) don’t read spectacularly well considered against today’sbest flagship phones. But I’m hardly surprised, it’s not as though there’s enough space here to plonk in a leading 1-inch sensor, as you’ll find in theXiaomi 13 Pro, for example.
The other ‘TBC’ aspect is battery life. With its 165Hz display and last-gen Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor (not thenewer 8 Gen 2), I do wonder if the 3800mAh cell inside the Razr 40 Ultra’s body is going to be capacious enough to cut it. I’ll find out over the coming days, I suppose, when I move into and review the Ultra as if it’s my own.
The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is on sale right now. That’s right, you can go part with your cash already, if you’ve got £1,049 spare. It’s available in a variety of colourful finishes courtesy of Pantone too: Viva Magenta (Pantone ‘Color of the Year’, apparently), Infinite Black (as reviewed here) and Glacier Blue. I’m going to see if I can track down those fancier colours just to see how much more exciting they appear…
Today’s best Motorola Razr 40, Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip dealsMotorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all pricesMotorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all pricesOPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Motorola Razr 40, Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip dealsMotorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all pricesMotorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all pricesOPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Motorola Razr 40, Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip dealsMotorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all pricesMotorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all pricesOPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all pricesWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best Motorola Razr 40, Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Oppo Find N2 Flip deals
Motorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all pricesMotorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all pricesSamsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all pricesOPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all prices
Motorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all prices
Motorola Razr 40$261ViewSee all prices
Motorola Razr 40
Motorola Razr 40
$261View
$261
$261
See all prices
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all prices
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra$588ViewSee all prices
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
$588View
$588
$588
See all prices
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all prices
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4$999.99ViewSee all prices
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
$999.99View
$999.99
$999.99
See all prices
OPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all prices
OPPO Find N2 Flip$1,135ViewSee all prices
OPPO Find N2 Flip
OPPO Find N2 Flip
$1,135View
$1,135
$1,135
See all prices
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