Foldable phones may be niche, but Motorola’s Razr lineup stands out as a leader in the category. With fun colors, varied textures and that satisfying flip-phone snap, clamshell phones are a popular choice for people looking to get away from more predictable mobile designs. It’s likely we’ll see the next generation of Razr phones later this month, hopefully with some key upgrades that could help the devices stand out even more.
The Razr Ultra is Motorola’s most premium clamshell offering. Last year’s model had a 4-inch cover display and a 7-inch internal display, two 50-megapixel rear cameras (as well as a 50-megapixel selfie camera) and a generous 4,700-mAh battery. As CNET’s Patrick Holland put it, the 2025 Ultra was also “flipping expensive,” at $1,300. But those first-rate features make it a worthy rival to Samsung’s $1,100 Galaxy Z Flip 7, another popular choice in the foldable phones space.
Motorola is doubling down on foldables with the imminent release of its first book-style phone, the Razr Fold. With a sleek design and an impressive 6,000-mAh battery, it’s likely to give Samsung a run for its money in another foldable sector as comparisons with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 inevitably pour in. The Razr Fold is slated to launch in North America this summer.
In the meantime, we’ll likely learn more about the 2026 Razr Ultra as the anticipated springtime release date looms. That gives me some time to dream up what I’d like to see Motorola add to its premium flip phone to make it an even stronger contender in an increasingly competitive space.
A lower price would be great
Phones are expensive, and foldable phones are even more so — which is why many people avoid getting one in the first place.
The 2025 Razr Ultra’s $1,300 price is prohibitive, even if it is a great phone that comes with an impressive 512GB of storage. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 isn’t much better at $1,100 for 256GB of storage, but that still shaves off several hundred dollars. (Motorola has now discounted last year’s Razr Ultra to $800, presumably as it clears stock ahead of upcoming releases.)
It would be great if Motorola made the Razr Ultra’s pricing a little more competitive not only against the Z Flip 7, but compared to other premium slab phones. That might entice more people to dip their toe into foldable waters if they’re on the fence. Yes, there are more affordable options such as the 2025 baseline Razr and the Razr Plus, but the Razr Ultra being priced the same as Samsung’s top-of-the-line S26 Ultra powerhouse is hard to justify.
As phones become more advanced, they’re also getting pricier — and that’s without a RAM shortage that threatens to hike prices as well. The Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus start at $100 more than last year’s, though the baseline model now comes with a higher 256GB base storage level. I hope Motorola steers clear from finding reasons to up the cost of its phones, too.
More years of software and security updates, please
Part of why the Razr Ultra’s $1,300 price tag was so hard to swallow last year is that the phone only comes with three years of software updates and four years of security updates. Compare that to the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s seven years of software and security updates and it’s hard not to feel a little shortchanged with the Razr Ultra.
Most premium Android phones, foldable or otherwise, come with seven years of support. In fact, even Motorola’s upcoming Razr Fold will have that extended support timeline. It’s time the clamshell Razr phones hop on the bandwagon. That’s especially true for the ultra-pricey Razr Ultra.
Bring back the thin design of the OG Razr
OK, this one’s a bit of a pipe dream, but with the thin phone craze gripping the mobile industry, it’s not totally impossible. What made the original, non-smartphone Razr stand out most was its sleekness, and it would be great to see the Razr Ultra adopt a similarly thin design.
Samsung only slimmed down its book-style Galaxy Z Fold 7 last year, but I’d like to think clamshell phones such as the Z Flip 7 and Motorola Razr will someday experience a similar evolution. It may not happen this year, but I’d be thrilled if it did. Notably, Motorola released the Edge 70 in international markets last year to compete with other thin phones including the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple iPhone Air, so it’s possible that general blueprint could show up in future clamshell Razr phones.
I’m not getting my hopes up, though. OnLeaks and XpertPick reportedly got access to CAD renders of this year’s Razr Ultra, which looks to be slightly thicker than last year’s phone. While the 2025 Razr Ultra was around 15.7mm thick folded and 7.2mm thick unfolded, the renders suggest the upcoming phone could measure 15.8mm folded and 7.8mm unfolded — a difference people would admittedly hardly notice. But that’s still not the direction I’d ideally like to see.
The slightly larger dimensions could be the result of more camera hardware or a larger battery. Those would be welcome updates, so a thicker phone isn’t so bad a tradeoff. But it would be great if we could have it all: improved battery life, more powerful cameras and a thinner phone. I’ll keep dreaming until it (hopefully) comes true.