Recently, Motorola released its latest foldable smartphones called Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra. These clamshell foldables are available in multiple countries across the world.

The Razr 40 is currently the most affordable foldable smartphone in the world. On the other hand, the Razr 40 Ultra offers the largest cover screen on a clamshell foldable to date.

These devices stand out from their competitors due to the specialties mentioned above. Truly speaking, the Galaxy Z Fflip 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4 are the only challengers to them as most others are limited to China.

But it is worth noting that a few days from now, Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Z Flip 5. The South Korean company’s next-gen clamshell foldable is also expected to sport a giant cover screen.

So the question arises whether you should buy any of the Motorola Razr 40 series smartphones or simply go with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip models. We try to answer this question.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra
Motorola Razr 40 Ultra (Review)

Is Motorola Razr 40 worth buying?

The Motorola Razr 40 series consists of two models, namely Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra.

The Razr 40 is the most affordable foldable smartphone that you can buy. The device starts at ¥3,999, ₹59,999, and €799 in China, India, and Europe, respectively. It retails at around the same price in other markets as well.

For this price, it comes with specs that match a regular mid-range slab smartphone. But the highlight is that it can fold. Thus, the handset takes up less space in your pocket, purse, or bag.

Clamshell foldables are today’s compact smartphones. Due to space constraints, they are not as good as the normal smartphones in the specs department.

But the Razr 40 is super aggressive, just like the Chinese competitors Oppo Find N2 Flip and Vivo X Fold. It has one of the largest batteries and supports both wired as well as wireless charging.

Yes, it is run by a less powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 SoC. But since the chip does not need more power, the phone can last longer.

Further, clamshell foldables are well suitable for those who want to bring down their screen time. The Razr 40 helps a lot in this regard as it has one of the tiniest cover displays.

On the other hand, the Razr 40 Ultra has the largest cover screen on any clamshell foldable phone. Motorola lets you do almost everything on this display. Hence, you don’t even need to unfold the main screen. It also houses a much more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip.

The Razr 40 and the Razr 40 Ultra are the only clamshell foldable smartphones that run software that is closer to stock Android. So if you are one of those stock Android loyalists, these are the sole options you have got.

As for pricing, the Razr 40 Ultra starts at ¥5,699, ₹89,999, and €1,199 in China, India, and Europe, respectively. It is costlier than the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in most markets.

Why you shouldn’t buy Motorola Razr 40?

There are a few reasons why you should not buy Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra.

First and foremost, these handsets are not as water resistant as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip models. They only come with minor splash resistance.

Secondly, stock Android is not for everyone. Also, Motorola only guarantees 3 Android updates and 4 years of security updates as opposed to 4 Android upgrades and 5 years of security patches by Samsung.

Further, though Motorola was the first to announce a commercial clamshell foldable phone, it lags behind Samsung in terms of both availability and after-sales service. 

Finally, older-gen Galaxy Z Flip models are sold at heavily discounted prices after the launch of a new-gen model. For instance, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is currently being sold at a cheaper price than the Razr 40 itself.

Previous-gen models definitely lack new features and upgrades but when you can get them at a more affordable price than a budget foldable, they are more preferable.

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