Motorola Razr Fold Review: One Hell of a First Impression
Motorola Razr Fold look and feel Motorola Razr Fold displays: Double duty Motorola Razr Fold cameras Motorola Razr Fold battery life and performance Geekbench v.6.0 Longer bars indicate better performance Final thoughts: Is the Motorola Razr Fold a good fit for you? Motorola Razr Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold How we test phones When I'm reviewing a phone, I tend to be most critical of its camera and battery life. Those are the features most shoppers care about -- and they matter most to me, too, as someone who snaps tons of photos and spends plenty of time glued to my screen . I was skeptical about both as I began testing the Motorola Razr Fold , the company's first book-style foldable. How good could the camera and battery life be on a first-gen device this thin , where some hardware compromises are almost inevitable? Turns out, pretty damn good. The Razr Fold , which starts at a whopping $1,900 for 512GB of storage, makes a striking debut. The slick, curved cover glass gives it an instantly premium feel , and its slim profile pays homage to the design legacy of the original Razr flip phone . The textured, woven backing on my Pantone blackened blue model is less dazzling, but more on that later. The Fold's camera serves up vibrant, punchy images -- though sometimes a little too punchy -- and the 6,000-mAh battery effortlessly powers through heavy use on most days. The phone sits comfortably in my hands and is satisfyingly smooth to open and close thanks to the stainless steel teardrop hinge. Motorola may be comparatively late to the book-style foldable game, but it's clearly been working hard to nail that critical first impression. It's a good time to hop on the book-style bandwagon . In 2025, foldable phone shipments in North America grew 28% year over year , according to Counterpoint Research. That figure is expected to climb by more than 20% annually in 2026. Motorola reported the highest foldables growth among major phone manufacturers, thanks to its popular clamshell-style Razr smartphones. The Razr Fold extends the company's reach to people who want a larger, tablet-like option. Its launch comes at a strategic moment, as reports suggest Apple could launch a foldable iPhone in the coming months -- a move that could potentially elevate the overall foldables niche while also overshadowing rivals . The Motorola Razr Fold is now available for pre-order in the US at Best Buy and on Motorola's website , with availability starting May 21. It'll also be sold through Verizon, T-Mobile and Xfinity Mobile in the coming months. The Razr Fold feels similar to a standard flat phone when folded shut. Patrick Holland/CNET Motorola Razr Fold look and feel In many ways, the Razr Fold borrows from the ultra-slim foldables that came before it. While testing this phone, I had flashbacks to using the Oppo Find N5 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 , which sport similarly sleek designs. But Motorola's first book-style phone has managed to carve out a distinct identity of its own. The Razr Fold measures 4.6mm thick when open and 9.9mm thick when closed, placing it firmly between the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Google's Pixel 10 Pro Fold in terms of thinness. When shut, it hardly feels any thicker than a slab phone. As one of my friends succinctly put it, "This feels like my iPhone." (The iPhone 17 Pro is slightly slimmer at 8.75mm.) The Razr Fold weighs 243 grams, and paired with its slim design, it feels comfortable to hold for long stretches whether it's open or closed. The Razr Fold's most distinctive design choice is its vegan leather backing. Instead of a traditional glass rear panel, my Pantone blackened blue model has a woven, textured finish that some people may find appealing, though to me it felt a bit like a rugged OtterBox case. I personally prefer the silky matte finish on the Pantone lily white version of the Razr Fold, but that ultimately comes down to taste. The curved edges of the Razr Fold's Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 display give it a polished, premium feel while adding welcome durability -- keeping my device looking pristine even without a screen protector or case. The Razr Fold is just 4.6mm thick when open -- not including the camera bump. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET One feature that gives the Razr Fold an edge over competing foldables is its support for the Moto Pen stylus -- though it'll cost you an extra $100. Samsung nixed S Pen support on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 in exchange for a sleeker design, so it's commendable that Motorola is offering both a thin design and stylus support. However, despite the premium feel of the Moto Pen Ultra and its woven carrying case, I never found myself reaching for it. The fact you can't store the stylus in the phone, like you can with the Galaxy S26 Ultra , makes it less convenient to use -- and easier to misplace. I'm also not much of a stylus person in general; typing or tapping the screen just feels more intuitive to me. Still, I think it's great that the option is there for those who want it, even if it does cost extra. The Razr Fold carries IP48 and IP49 ratings, meaning it can survive being submerged in water for up to 30 minutes and withstand high-pressure water jets, though it still isn't fully protected against dust and tiny particles. And despite its slim build, the phone feels solid when pressure is applied, whether it's open or closed. It also held up well after being tossed around in my bag, avoiding any major scuffs or scratches. The Razr Fold's 6.6-inch cover display is wide enough to comfortably scroll through and type on. Patrick Holland/CNET Motorola Razr Fold displays: Double duty Let's get this out of the way: Yes, the Razr Fold's inner display has a visible crease. But like most foldables, it practically fades into the background when you're using the screen, so it's not distracting. I stick with the Razr Fold's 6.6-inch cover screen about 80% of the time because it feels like using a standard slab phone, and old habits die hard. It's a more comfortable setup for texting, scrolling through social media apps and firing off emails because there's less screen area to stretch my fingers across. It's also a testament to how normal this foldable feels -- in a good way -- that I often forget there's a larger display tucked inside whenever I need it. I opt for the Razr Fold's more sprawling 8.1-inch main display when working on the train or watching movies in bed. It hits the sweet spot of being more expansive without veering into the colossal proportions of the Galaxy Z TriFold . I also like swiping through my photo gallery on the Razr's larger screen, as it makes it easier to spot more details. But some apps aren't well-suited for this format. Instagram, for instance, awkwardly crops posts and videos on my feed -- a common problem on book-style foldables that I wish would hurry up and get resolved. Split-screen is great for multitasking and supports up to three apps simultaneously. The biggest drawback is the lack of flexible app resizing; unlike on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, I can't control how much space each app takes up on the screen. Hopefully, that's something Motorola addresses in future updates. Another way to multitask is through a mode called Freeform, which places an app in a small floating window that you can drag around the screen -- similar to picture-in-picture mode. This can be helpful if you want to play a YouTube video in the corner or keep a note open while using the entire main screen for browsing or scrolling. I never really found a need for this feature myself, but I appreciate the option. Tapping the upper-left corner opens up quick controls for certain apps. Here, I have an audiobook running on Hoopla. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET App continuity on the Razr Fold is remarkably smooth. I can switch between the cover screen and the main display -- and back again -- without any hiccups. When I open or close the phone, playback is seamless; the audio doesn't cut out and the video transitions between displays without any noticeable lag. I don't even have to unlock the cover screen to keep watching. It's easily one of the Razr Fold's most impressive features. A control nestled in the upper-left corner of both the cover and main displays expands into quick controls for certain apps, letting you pause playback or skip ahead without opening the app itself. I use this extensively when I'm listening to audiobooks and my attention invariably drifts. There's a similar control on the lock screen (which resembles Live Activities on the iPhone) that also lets you quickly control music and audio playback. The Razr Fold has a 50-megapixel triple camera system. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Motorola Razr Fold cameras For Motorola's first foray into book-style phones, the Razr Fold's cameras serve up impressive results. The phone packs a triple 50-megapixel rear camera system with a wide-angle, ultrawide and telephoto lens. There are also 32-megapixel and 20-megapixel selfie cameras, which are notable specs -- particularly for a foldable phone. Pictures are consistently vibrant and detailed. I photographed lush greenery, colorful blooms, glowing string lights and charming street corners. These photos are all vivid and eye-catching, though the shades aren't always true to life. The camera definitely leans toward a bold, saturated style rather than more natural tones, which can sometimes look over-the-top. But it does add richness, especially to photos that could use a little extra punch, like nighttime shots. As one friend remarked when I showed her the camera's saturated colors, "My mom would love that!" It all comes down to preference. Enlarge Image This picutre screams punchy. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image I'm impressed by the sharpness of this nighttime shot. It balanaces all the lights, shadows and colors well. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image The picture that made my friend say her mom would like this camera. The background looks lush, and Raneem is in sharp focus. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image Punching out to .5x zoom doesn't weirdly warp objects too much. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image These are some bold colors, which is nice, but they border on overwhelming. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image That said, I prefer this shot in 2x portrait mode. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image This nighttime shot boosts the different hues so nothing looks overly shadowy. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image A selfie taken on the cover screen camera. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Enlarge Image And a selfie taken on the inner screen camera. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET There are some Razr Fold camera features that take advantage of the phone's expansive screen space. On the main display, you can use Quick Review to see a live feed of the photos you're snapping on one side of the screen. You can also open the phone and use the rear camera for higher-quality selfies, while previewing the shot on the cover screen. Phones such as the Pixel 10 Pro Fold have similar features that take advantage of the dual-screen design. I can usually get about a day and a half -- and sometimes a little more -- out of the Razr Fold before needing to recharge it. Abrar Al-Heeti/CNET Motorola Razr Fold battery life and performance The Razr Fold packs a 6,000-mAh silicon-carbon battery , a next-generation lithium-ion technology designed to last longer and charge faster. But there's a catch. The phone doesn't come with the proprietary charging brick needed to unlock full-speed 80-watt wired charging, which Motorola calls TurboPower charging. You'll have to shell out around $100 for the right brick , and Motorola wasn't able to send one my way during my testing. I ended up using my 140-watt MacBook charging brick to tap into as much power as possible, and the results were underwhelming. The Razr Fold's battery went from 0% to just 37% in half an hour, and it took around 90 minutes to reach a full charge. I got similar results when I used a more modest 67-watt power brick from Google. For comparison, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 reached 42% in 30 minutes, and also took about an hour and half to reach full battery in my testing -- and that was with 25-watt wired charging. Both phones recharge slower than premium Android flat phones such as the Galaxy S26 lineup and the Pixel 10 series. Otherwise, the Razr Fold's battery holds up well during the day, which is especially noteworthy given the phone's slim build. (The Z Fold 7's biggest drawback is its relatively meager 4,400-mAh battery.) Because silicon-carbon batteries are more energy-dense, they can store more power in less space. On one of my heaviest-use days, which included joining a video call over cellular data and spending a good chunk of time sending emails and scrolling on Instagram, the Razr Fold went from 100% at 9 a.m. to dead by 2 p.m. the next day. Other days reflected more typical use. On a workday spent mostly on Wi-Fi and bouncing between my usual apps -- Instagram, Gmail, WhatsApp, Audible, YouTube and the camera -- the phone dropped from 100% at 6:53 p.m. Wednesday to 26% by 9:02 a.m. Friday. On a more relaxed Sunday spent mainly watching YouTube and listening to an audiobook, it went from fully charged at 11 a.m. to 14% by 5:40 p.m. the next day. In CNET's 45-minute endurance test, which involves streaming, scrolling through social media, joining a video call and playing games on the inside display, the Razr Fold's battery went from full to 94%. That aligns with how competitors fared in the same test: The Galaxy Z Fold 7 finished at 93%, and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold ended at 96%. In a 3-hour streaming test over Wi-Fi, which involved playing a YouTube video in full-screen mode at full brightness on the inside display, the battery dropped to 86%. For comparison, the Z Fold 7 reached 84% and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold hit 78%. So there are some noticeable -- if relatively minor -- gains from the silicon-carbon battery. The Razr Fold is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, and arrives with Android 16 on board. Motorola guarantees "7 OS updates and up to 7 years of security updates starting from the global launch date," putting it in line with other high-end phones from Samsung and Google. Like any premium smartphone on the market today, the Razr Fold comes packed with AI features , including a mix of capabilities from Google Gemini, Moto AI and Perplexity. There's even a dedicated side button that lets you quickly trigger tools for summarizing notifications, generating images or creating playlists. I personally don't find any of these features necessary, helpful or time-saving (I prefer to read my friends' texts and create my own playlists, thank you very much), so I didn't put them to much use
Source: CNET