Motorola’s new Razr vs the rest of the folding display competition

                            Motorola’s new Razr vs the rest of the folding display competition

Motorola brings back the iconic Razr. — Picture courtesy of Motorola via AFP

NEW YORK, Nov 15 — On Wednesday night in Los Angeles, Motorola unveiled a 2019 iteration of the classic Razr flip phone that ruled the early 2000s. How does this smartphone — equipped with a folding display — compete with the rest of the rising flexible display competition?

Though the number of smartphones with folding displays on the market right now is still in the single digits, the competition is fierce. While Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X have been battling it out for the title of “Best Folding Smartphone”, Motorola was working on its own rendition of such a device — one that appeals to those who feel nostalgic towards simpler tech times.

The Razr phone that Motorola unveiled Wednesday is reminiscent of the classic slim flip phone of the early 2000s that took the cell phone industry by storm. Though this version has the same form factor of the original model, it has been updated for 2019 with a display that spans the interior of the clamshell design and folds in the centre. So how does this flexible device line up with other segment leaders?

The most obvious difference between the Razr, Galaxy Fold and Mate X is the form factor. While Samsung’s and Huawei’s devices fold inward or outward to become a tablet, the Razr simply unfolds from an extremely compact position into a conventional, contemporary smartphone; it was not designed to function as a hybrid.