Motorola RAZR 2019 smartphone review - advantages and disadvantages

In this article, we'll talk about the smartphone everyone's been waiting for. The Motorola RAZR 2019 has finally been officially revealed. Motorola is the 3rd manufacturer to launch flexible (foldable) smartphones. The palm in this direction was won by the South Korean corporation Samsung, which presented the Galaxy Fold to the world, as well as the Huawei trademark with its Mate X.

The RAZR 2019 is inspired by the legendary RAZR V3 clamshell phone released in 2004. The 2019 model was developed from scratch, redesigning the device and changing 26 prototypes in 4 years of design.

A bit of history

The RAZR V3 was released in 2004 when Nokia reigned and experimented with form factors, design and button placement. Siemens then presented pear phones, and Nokia provided fans with mobile gadgets in the form of lipstick. Motorola, for its part, set trends and was considered an innovative manufacturer of such devices.

The fans of the brand liked the V3 phone with a display with a resolution of 220x176px, 7 MB of memory, a 0.3-megapixel camera (640x480px) and a cost of 43,800 rubles. The sky-high price tag also brought the phone to a new level.

Model V3 differed from competitors in subtlety. Among other things, the phone was wrapped in a metal case, and the buttons were made of a solid metal plate. This is truly a legendary phone.

All further devices of the company did not deserve the success of the RAZR V3.

In 2006, Motorola released the V3i, which supported micro SD flash drives (the popular Trans Flash standard at the time). Among other things, the developers have improved the camera to 1.3 MP and "taught" the phone to work in 2.5G (EDGE) generation networks.

After a while Motorola released the upgraded V3x, however, the model did not receive many positive reviews. The company lost its chance and gradually began to yield the palm in sales to the South Korean corporation Samsung.

In 2008, the company wanted to "shoot" again by putting "everything" on the RAZR2 V8 and V9 phones with gold in the case. It turned out not entirely successful, because in 2008 the majority of users began to look closely at Apple and its iPhone. Among other things, rival brands tried to successfully repeat the successful Apple release: Nokia with 5800, and Samsung with i8910.

But Motorola did not lose heart and in 2011 again tried to regain its name in the mobile electronics market with the release of the RAZR Droid Maxx model, running on the Android OS. A large display, chopped edges and a lack of demand in the American market are all the success of this model. Since 2011, the RAZR name was no longer used. Until this year ...

Specifications

Equipment

The RAZR 2019 comes in an attractive triangle shape box that the designers have been working on. The package, in addition to the device, includes: a fast charging adapter, a USB cable and headphones with a Type-C connector.

The case is not included in the kit and, probably, it will not be.

Appearance and ergonomics

The body of the smartphone is made of stainless steel, and the developers covered the upper part with a matte finish. When unfolded, the smartphone is small, its dimensions are 172x72x6.9 mm, and when folded - 94x72x14 mm. The weight of the device is 205 g.

The case is splash and dust resistant, which is important for the 2019-2020 models. While it is known that the RAZR 2019 will be sold in a classic black color, which the developers have nicknamed Noir Black.

The model is formed by means of a hinged mechanism, which is not similar to the design of the developers of the South Korean corporation Samsung, used in the Galaxy Fold model.

In the middle there is a flexible LED-type film, which, according to representatives of Motorola, will withstand 100,000 folds and unfolds over three years. No joints were noticed.

The bending bar is noticeable, but inconspicuous, which cannot be attributed to the disadvantages of the Galaxy Fold model. The display is solid. There are no additional layers on top of the display in places where it bends.

The RAZR 2019 flexes 180 degrees. In other words, there are no corners between the parts of the unfolded smartphone, so you can enjoy watching videos or playing the game.

According to the execution, in the unfolded form, the experts immediately critically highlighted the monobrow, which is visible from above. Motorola's developers installed a speaker for conversations and a front-end there.

The frames of the model are large and noticeable. They are clearly visible even if you use the dark OLED panel design all the time. The chin is large, like the RAZR V3. The volume keys were placed on the right, and a button next to it to unfold the device.

Display

The screen is protected by 3D Corning Gorilla Glass and is made using P-OLED technology, the manufacturer of which is LG. The unfolded screen resolution is 876x2142px, the diagonal is 6.2 inches, and the pixel saturation is 373 PPI.

When unfolded, the display covers 71% of the front panel surface.

What I liked was the aspect ratio of 21: 9. This is what Sony did in its flagship Xperia 1 smartphone. It turned out to be the best resolution for watching video content and enjoying the gameplay.

An additional screen - external - is made using G-OLED technology. The resolution is 600x800px, the diagonal is 2.7 inches. It is quite convenient to use it to make a call or send a message. Among other things, using this miniature external screen, selfies are taken, display parameters are adjusted.

The Always on Display function is available, however it functions exclusively on an external small display.

Performance and memory

The new product was equipped with an SDM710 Snapdragon 710 processor from Qualcomm. The 8-core chip is made using a 10-nanometer process technology. Two of its cores operate at 2.2 GHz (Kryo 360 Gold), the other six - at 1.7 GHz (Kryo 360 Silver). Responsible for the graphics Adreno 616.

The chip does not differ in increased performance, but for such a smartphone it is a good option. The fact is that usually, folding smartphones are not purchased in order to play, although here the RAZR 2019 will cope with everything.

There are no memory modifications, only 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of ROM. There is no tray for a flash drive.

Cameras

The novelty has 2 rear cameras:

1. 16MP sensor with 1.22 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF.
2. TOF 3D module for high quality portraits.

The smartphone records videos in 2 160p format at 30 frames per second or in 1 080p format with a frame rate of 30 FPS. There is electronic image stabilization.

Photographic potential is clearly not the strong point of the new RAZR from Motorola. Its highlight is its small size and portability. Among other things, the smartphone can easily cope with the user's daily tasks.

The front camera is a 5-megapixel sensor with a 2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 1.12 microns. The front camera, like the rear camera, records videos in 1080p format and supports HDR.

Another feature of the smartphone is the interesting ability to take selfies. In order to take a shot, you just need to shake your smartphone.

Communication and sound

In terms of communication capabilities, everything is enough:

• NFC;
• Bluetooth 5.0;
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, working in two frequency ranges;
• Navigation GLONASS, A-GPS and GPS;
• USB 3.0

As for the sound, it is worth highlighting 2 nuances:

1. The phone lacks a 3.5mm jack, and neither does the radio.
2. There is no point in waiting for the purest sound, since stereo and Dolby Atmos are also missing. The volume, of course, is good in the smartphone, but there are some errors in quality.

There is a fingerprint sensor, but it is made in the old version - a physical sensor installed in the lower frame under the screen.

From the factory, the new product runs on OS Android 9.0, where the developers have integrated their own Retro mode - it imitates the legendary RAZR V3.

Battery

Given the size of the novelty, there was no point in waiting for a capacitive battery. The smartphone has a 2 510 mAh battery. The model supports 15-watt fast charging (Turbo Power). There is no wireless charging, as you might guess.

• the forgotten form of the clamshell is a classic;
• high-quality, bendable 6.2-inch screen, made using OLED technology;
• Retro mode for users who miss the legendary V3 clamshell;
• the package contains high-quality headphones;
• designer box, attractive.

• battery 2 510 mAh;
• mediocre "filling";
• no tray for a traditional SIM card;
• no slot for micro SD;
• overpriced, at the start, cost.

How much and when will it be released

The smartphone was shown on 11/14/2019 in America. Pre-order will start on 12/26/2019, and sales will start on 01/09/2020. Initially, the new product will be exclusive to the operator Verizon. In the US market, a smartphone will cost users 1.5 thousand dollars (95 800 rubles).

There is no information about sales in Russia yet.

In conclusion, it should be noted that in Russia, due to the fact that the model does not support traditional SIM cards, hardly anyone will buy Motorola RAZR 2019. Only fans of the brand, I guess. Otherwise, the device deserves your attention and even, in some way, intriguing.