Motorola Razr 50 review: So far all foldable phones have been in the flagship category even though the form factor means compromises in more aspects than one. Motorola, one of the first companies to launch foldable smartphones, given its legacy with this form factor going back decades, is now attempting to make foldables popular at prices much lower than where they had been placed so far. This is interesting given that rival companies look at this range as the one to upsell, taking their average selling price up significantly. But does the concept of a mid-range foldable work? I took the Motorola Razr 50 on a spin and found four reasons this phone might work.
When folded, it can fit into the smallest of the jeans pockets. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
1. A practical design: The Motorola Razr 50 has a practical design, given that it offers a size that fits in your hands well despite its large 6.9-inch screen and a flip form factor that offers multiple use cases. The Spritz Orange colour I got for review was stunning, and that is putting it mildly. Also, I don’t think any other company has so far added a case in the box that fits so well with the phone itself. The phone also comes with a fingerprint scanner in the power button to unlock which might seem a bit old-fashioned but works well when you are trying to open the phone in different types of environments.
The foldable smartphone also comes with a few tricks up its sleeves. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
2. Practical use cases: I found the flip and fold design simplifies some use cases, primarily because of how Motorola configured the 3.6-inch external screen. For instance, while in the US for the iPhone launch, I could create videos easily by keeping the phone half folded with the external screen facing me and thus recording videos using the main camera. All I had to do was tap the external screen to get the recording started. There is also a handy cam mode, where you hold the phone semi-folded like a video camera and use the part near your thumb to switch on recording or to zoom with a swipe motion as you get the video preview on the part facing you.
One of the biggest cover displays on any flip-style foldable. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
3. A full external screen: The 3.6-inch external screen is almost fully functional and can run all the apps you would on the full screen. In settings, you can decide which apps you want to open on this screen when the phone is folded. Plus, Motorola has added games exclusively for this screen. I loved the simple Marble Mayhem game that reminded me of my childhood. You can pinch in on this screen to see all the tabs you have there from weather to calendar and tap on the one you need to jump to. Simple, but practical. It is good that Motorola has not added any gimmicky stuff here. And even when the phone is folded, you can tap on the screen to click a quick selfie.
The phone can shoot 4K videos. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
4. Pretty powerful: The Motorola Razr 50 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor that is capable of handling everything you throw at it. I did not experience any lag, especially when the phone had to change its form factor on the fly from a full screen to a semi or fully-folded device. While you are gaming, or recording long 4K videos, the phone does not heat up. Overall, Motorola has maintained a battery life of well over a day with the Razr 50.
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Motorola Razr 50 camera sample. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
Are there any negatives with the Motorola Razr 50?
When folded, it might feel a bit thicker. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
The one thing that I did notice is that with the cover, this feels like a thick phone even though it is not much heavier than regular smartphones. While I won’t recommend using any foldable without a cover, you should keep this in mind.
Despite Motorola adding a lot of unique tweaks to the phone, the Razr 50 too does not come with a UI that is made for foldable. It just adapts the smartphone UI — in this case more in the realm of pure Android — for a folding screen or a smaller external screen.
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Should you buy the Motorola Razr 50?
One of the most affordable folding smartphones in 2024. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/The Indian Express)
I would say yes if you have been itching to get foldable and haven’t been able to afford it. This phone makes sense if you are someone who likes a compact device, shoots a lot of videos of yourself and others, and loves to experiment with technology. At the Rs 49,990 sale price during the Amazon Great Indian Festival, this is a good phone to consider if you tick the boxes above.
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