back to article Weird flex but OK... Motorola's comeback is a $1,500 Razr flip-phone with folding 6.2" screen

At a pseudo-rave slash launch party in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, Motorola revealed the 2019 Razr, an update on a flip phone that wowed people 15 years ago. Today, perhaps... not so much. Back in the old days, the Razr was the consummate flip phone – a well-engineered piece of kit that took design cues from the StarTAC …

  1. getHandle

    Want one

    Won't buy one - too expensive at half the price! Still want one though...

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Want one

      The good news is that in a few years this is what we who slum around the mid-to-budget range will be getting.

      ( Although I'm still waiting on the Moto G?+ range to get wireless charging )

      1. batfink

        Re: Want one

        Agreed @Disgusted. I'd happily go back to the Motorola flip-phones, but am happy to wait a couple of years while the price drops to "more humanly affordable".

      2. Captain Scarlet Silver badge

        Re: Want one

        I thought the whole point of the G range was you get a basic phone with bits you need, do you really need wireless charging?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Want one

          The G range isn't as simple as that, there's the G7 Play ( cheap ), G7 ( normal ) G7+ ( nicer ) although they're all budget-mid.

          The G7+ ( not sure about the Play or the G7 ) comes with NFC and a rear fingerprint scanner, a massive screen, decent performance.

          I don't know anything about the G8 except that it doesn't have wireless charging as I'm not in the market for a new phone for another year, but I wanted to know that.

          1. Captain Scarlet Silver badge

            Re: Want one

            Oh yeah sorry I am thinking back to the G3, I had a G3 and now have a G7 Power, so actually yes I should expect the high end model to have wireless charging.

    2. Warm Braw

      Re: Want one

      too expensive at half the price

      The conundrum about folding phones is that you could get half the phone for considerably less than half the price.

    3. Steve Button Silver badge

      Re: Want one

      I want one too. But it's too expensive, so I'll probably get something better value (Pixel?). However, I predict that these will sell like hot cakes (assuming they don't have major reliability issues like Samsung did).

      People (particularly millennials or hipsters) want something a bit different to the ubiquitous "slab" which all smart phones look like today. And it flips.

      Just my prediction, let's see what happens next year when they are actually available.

    4. tmTM

      Re: Want one

      Looks cool, but it ends there.

      Unfolded the screen isn't massive, plenty of non-folding phones are just as big.

      1. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

        Re: Want one

        Feels like you're missing the point, and target market, of this phone.

        It gives you the size of regular slab when open, with the portability and pocketability of a device half the size when closed.

        1. John 104

          Re: Want one

          But my mobile phone is already portable...

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: Want one

            Indeed. Mine fits in my pocket just fine. I'm not seeing the advantage here.

            Back in the day when decent ones were available on the gray market, I did prefer slider phones - but that was because they offered full mechanical keyboards.

            A folding touchscreen is about as appealing to me as, say, edible furniture: it's not that I can't imagine use cases, it's just that they're extremely implausible, of very small incremental value, and likely to have bad failure modes.

            I don't see this doing well. As a novelty, it's far too expensive, even if it proves reliable. Yes, there are some people willing to spend stupid amounts of money on a phone, but that market is limited. Making it a Verizon exclusive in the US won't help with that. On the other hand, it's not exclusive enough to be a Veblen good. It's conceivable some tastemaker will get it to go mainstream but I wouldn't bet on it.

        2. DropBear

          Re: Want one

          But I can already buy a regular slab, and I'm not interested. I want a regular slab that I can open to TWO regular slab size, or else what's the point...

          1. Trixr

            Re: Want one

            ...and you don't think that a mega-slab won't be one of the offerings in this kind of product line in due course?

            I mean, as a manufacturer, you'd be pretty stupid making your first release a huge piece of kit that already has somwhat less of a customer base and significantly more hardware expense.

            I want a folding tablet too one day, but this looks like a good start.

        3. Shez

          Re: Want one

          Half the size, but twice the thickness

          1. zuckzuckgo Silver badge

            Re: Want one

            "Half the size, but twice the thickness"

            I'm good with that. Much better for the pocket.

            1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

              Re: Want one

              Not for my pockets, all of which are certainly broad and tall enough to accommodate any phone I've ever had. What's the advantage in having the phone project further from the body when it's pocketed?

          2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: Want one

            Coming in 2021: Motorola's Perfectly Spherical Phone.

            That, at least, has the advantage of being more amenable to thought experiments.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Want one

              Could become a prison hit too, on account of fewer snaggable corners..

              /me walking away singing "Under pressure" by David Bowie..

  2. Richard Jones 1
    WTF?

    At £150 perhaps I would consider it, at £1,500 for 'just a mobile', no thank you. I guess I am just not in the target demographic since I am a very marginal user of even my present three-year old Motorola device.

    1. Steve Button Silver badge

      What's your point? I assume you go onto Koenigsegg reviews and go saying "2 million quid for one of those? If it was 15 grand I might perhaps consider it. It's just a car. "

      Why even bother reading the review (price was in the headline), as you knew straight away that you are in the budget category. Nothing wrong with that, it's your choice.

      Do you walk into a Ferrari showroom and carefully explain to them that your 8 year old Ford is good enough for you?

      1. Richard Jones 1
        Happy

        @Steve Button

        The point of advertising is to sell or upsell an item. The point of revues is to clarify and amplify the advantages or disadvantages of a new item. This Reg revue achieved its aims of clarifying and amplifying the advantages to my satisfaction so well done The Reg. However, the presentation was not enough to overcome the prices disadvantage. As for the car showroom reference, since showrooms are few and far between and since both family cars have done well under 6000 miles, my need to visit car sales points is not so clear. This may not stop me from reading a car revue, though perhaps not of a Ferrari or similar, where both my wife and I would face access issues and for us, reliability counts for far more than image.

        1. Steve Button Silver badge

          Re: @Steve Button

          Don't feed the trolls. ;-)

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: @Steve Button

          This Reg revue achieved its aims

          Look, I know the El Reg hacks should try to keep us commentards somewhat entertained, but I think expecting them to start a song and dance routine interspersed with a few dodgy jokes is a little unfair...

      2. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge

        Koenigsegg

        What's your point? I assume you go onto Koenigsegg reviews and go saying "2 million quid for one of those? If it was 15 grand I might perhaps consider it. It's just a car. "

        Buy a £2million Koenigsegg (assuming I could pronounce it to be able to ask the salesman for one), and in a couple of years time I'd still have a supercar worth £1.n million. Some depreciation, but that's the cost of ownig a big boy's toy.

        Buy a £1200 mobile phone and in a couple of years time I'd have a worthless lump of disposable consumer tech. Total depreciation, the price of being a sucker for the latest shiny thing on the market.

        1. Matt 13
          Flame

          Re: Koenigsegg

          If I spent £2million on a koenigsegg I fully expect the phone to be worth more in 2 years time!! probably sooner!!!!

        2. DiViDeD

          Re: Koenigsegg

          Koenigsegg (assuming I could pronounce it

          As Top Gear have already proven, the trick is not in knowing how to pronounce Koenigsegg, but in learning when it's time to stop pronouncing it.

          1. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            Re: Koenigsegg

            It's the "banana" of auto marques.

      3. Matthew Taylor

        The all new Motorola Veblen

        It's ok to be taken aback by a preposterously high price, especially when the phone's namesake wasn't priced so highly (in relative terms).

        1. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

          Re: The all new Motorola Veblen

          "It's ok to be taken aback by a preposterously high price, especially when the phone's namesake wasn't priced so highly (in relative terms)."

          I agree the price is preposterous, and I am in fact taken aback. But actually, when the Razr came out in the US, it initially was something ridiculous like $700. That cash for (other than looking cool) was a typical "dumb phone" (although with good reception)... camera, texting, calls, that's it. My mom wanted one bad; she checked in a few months, $400 or something; a few more months, $250. Basically about 10 months after it was $700, it was like $90, the store was already wanting to clear the remaining ones out to make room for the new phones.

      4. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

        "What's your point? I assume you go onto Koenigsegg reviews and go saying "2 million quid for one of those? If it was 15 grand I might perhaps consider it. It's just a car. ""

        Yeah but the Koenigsegg is a nice supercar; it's appearance will stand out, it's faster, handles better, brakes harder than pretty much any other car. This is a phone that folds in half, with no outstanding specs other than the folding in half, that Motorola is having a go at pricing way up. I don't blame them for doing it, if people buy a phone as soon as it comes out at any price, go for it. But it's fair to call them out for the price.

  3. hammarbtyp

    My wife was seriously wedded to her Razr, refusing for may year my entreaties to get a smart phone, and as a piece of design it was hard to beet, from the lazer cut keypad to the display panel on the outside. I still believe that if it had a continouos upgrade program (better screen, camera and processor) it would have a niche today

    Not sure about this one. I like the outside notification screen, but the folding screen seems like an overkill where two screens would of been easier and more flexible (sic). And the price....

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @Symon - The Reg's domain suffix dictates that it's actually spelt "laser".

        Additionally, "should of" rather than "should have" is incorrect regardless of your preferred English language variant.

        Hugs xx

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            "FFS., has everyone's sarcasm meter broken this morning?" - @Symon

            No ;-)

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              "This [original] post has been deleted by its author "

              Looks like Symon is as broken as our sarcasm meters supposedly were this morning.

              Peace and love to you Symon xx

          2. Jellied Eel Silver badge

            FFS., has everyone's sarcasm meter broken this morning?

            Sarcasm should be measured in inches. $1,500 for a phone though. The world's gorn mad!

            1. zuckzuckgo Silver badge

              >"$1,500 for a phone though. The world's gorn mad!"

              My 1989 Motorola MicroTAC folding phone was $2,500. In current dollars that would be even more silly. That was back when most cell phones were bolted to cars and my company would foot the bill.

        2. Alister
          Headmaster

          @xpz393

          The Reg's domain suffix dictates that it's actually spelt "laser"

          Irrespective of where you are in the world, laser is the only correct spelling.

          It is an acronym of the following phrase:

          Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation

          There is nowhere in the world where stimulation is spelled with a Z

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            > There is nowhere in the world where stimulation is spelled with a Z

            My husband manages it with a zzzzz.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              But the sweatiness is part of the fun, non?

          2. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

            There is nowhere in the world where stimulation is spelled with a Z

            I'm willing to bet I could find a US WWII-era comic book that would contradict that assertion. "Vhen ze machine ztimulates ze gem, all in range vill be destroyed! Ze Allies vill never know vhat hit zem!"

      2. Jedit Silver badge
        Trollface

        "You should of installed a grammar checker"

        Yes, he should have.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      as a piece of design it was hard to beet

      Yes, but what sort of beet? White or Red? Perhaps there are Black beets now? :-)

      1. MiguelC Silver badge
        Coat

        Re: as a piece of design it was hard to beet

        Maybe it'll come with Beets by Gardner Dre?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: as a piece of design it was hard to beet

          @MiguelC "Maybe it'll come with Beets by Gardner Dre?"

          I give you one upvote, only because I can't give five :-)

        2. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge
          Coffee/keyboard

          Re: as a piece of design it was hard to beet

          Thanks for that! Good thing my keyboard is spill-proof.

      2. J. Cook Silver badge

        Re: as a piece of design it was hard to beet

        ... I think that black-colored beets would be Bad Beets.

    3. Michael Wojcik Silver badge

      as a piece of design it was hard to beet

      Indeed. I wonder when its like will turnip again. I suspect such design is not enough of a carrot to win the market; it's not easy to salsify consumers. It seems like Motorola is still approaching phone design rather gingerly. (I'm trying to stop, but they keep cumin.)

  4. 0laf
    Happy

    Ok it's too expensive but as a form factor the folding screen makes a lot more sense in this than the others we've seen.

    The second (probably toughened) screen on teh outside is useful too with the added bonus of cutting down on the number of times the phone will need to be unfolded.

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      The thing that made the orginal RAZR ergonically great is probably lost to the yoof of today. What it did was to mimic a landline handset, in that it could be really long (by folding) and so reached all the way from ear to mouth. So the speaker was by your ear, and the mic by your gob. Rather than the horrible short mobiles of the time that had omni-directional mics out past your cheek, so all the people you were talking to could hear was the street noise around you. I can remember having to cover the end of my phone when talking to people in the 90s.

      I think better mics, and some noise reducing computery goodness, have vastly improved this. So now it's mostly when you're talking to someone in high wind that you get unacceptable amounts of noise.

      Plus fewer people have landlines at home, and those that do mostly have DECT handsets that are also too short to reach your mouth properly. So it's only office phones that are the old traditional shape.

      I still think the RAZR form factor was perfect, but I wonder if as many people would agree now - as did then? It's still my favourite phone, despite the software being pants, and the built-in WAP hotkey (that couldn't be disabled) right next to the key for picking up calls - so you had to pay quite a few accidental WAP data downloads. Typically the only time I tried to use WAP in anger, to find an address for a lady on the train in London, it didn't work...

      But that was also about the sleekness of the design, and that shiny metal keyboard. I'm not sure it works as well with this thickness - and the fact that you're shoving a screen against your cheek - which no matter how long I've owned a smartphone - I still haven't got used to. And still, when I pull the phone away from my cheek a little in-call, it often hangs it up when I put it back again, as it's activated the screen again.

      I want the old RAZR back, but with the ability to do email and satnav, and checking basic things like bus times online - then throwing WiFi to a tablet for anything more. But then what's the point of a number pad on Android? So I think that's probably partly nostalgia. And the fact that my sight is so poor, that any long browsing is much better on a tablet, whereas people with normal sight are probably just as happy with a 6" screen.

      1. batfink

        +1 for trying to find the number of a lady on the train. Normally I just have to ask them directly.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Happy

          batfink,

          As in many situations, if you look closely, you often find the number written on a label on the bottom...

          1. 's water music
            Coat

            if you look closely, you often find the number written on a label on the bottom...

            I fear that you run a high risk of being misunderstood if you use this approach to try to acquire the number of a lady on the train

            1. 0laf
              WTF?

              I'm not sure if having a phone with a microphone at the mouth and a speaker at the ear is really very marketable these days. Well judging by the number of utter fuds I see walking about holding a phone out in front of them like it's a biscuit they're about to eat.

              1. Jellied Eel Silver badge

                Well judging by the number of utter fuds I see walking about holding a phone out in front of them like it's a biscuit they're about to eat.

                Why do people do that? Are they trying to make it easier for phone snatchers, or just using the screen as a drip tray?

                1. Intractable Potsherd

                  "... using the screen as a drip tray?"

                  That^^ is my comment of the week - I'm still giggling!

  5. Khaptain Silver badge

    Star Trek

    James T Kirk might be able to afford one of these, although we as normal Clingons can't....

    1500 €, that's Apple territory, bordering insanity. It's just a smartphone, it doesn't make tea or coffee, which for the price you might expect that it would..

    1. Kane
      Joke

      Re: Star Trek

      At $1,500, I expect a lot more than tea or coffee.

      Maybe some toast?

      1. Michael H.F. Wilkinson Silver badge
        Joke

        Re: Star Trek

        At that price a 30 year old single malt whisky would be a minimum requirement

        1. Intractable Potsherd

          Re: Star Trek

          Romulan ale, shirley.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Star Trek

      " it doesn't make tea or coffee"

      It's splashproof so you might be able to get away with using it to stir your tea if you're quick enough.

    3. smudge

      Re: Star Trek

      it doesn't make tea or coffee, which for the price you might expect that it would..

      At that price, I'd expect it to communicate with the Enterprise :)

    4. RLWatkins

      Re: Star Trek

      I'd say the same for the phones Apple Computer makes.

  6. Gordon 10
    FAIL

    Aspect ratio very odd

    Might just work for a ebook or Document. Cant see it working for video. Whats the point of these devices if they cannot replace a tablet?

    1. 0laf
      Trollface

      Re: Aspect ratio very odd

      To let other people know that the holder has spent £1500 on a phone and therefore must have lots of credit be an influencer or some other form of self-satisfied git.

      What other purpose is there for a flagship £1000+ phone these days?

      1. a pressbutton

        Aspect ratio very odd

        Completely right.

        Looking at my Note8 in landscape mode - ~2:1 is just about ok for films but rather useless for web.

        21:9 is literally only good for films - and surely there will be bits of unused screen?

        1. ibmalone

          Re: Aspect ratio very odd

          21:9 is literally only good for films

          And only if measured in metres. The quest to pay over a thousand pounds to watch movies on a postcard is baffling.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Aspect ratio very odd

          Some of it is notch and chin notifications/buttons. So the more real estate the better, if being used well. And from the clips, it is! They don't extend content into the notch, cutting of words mid sentence, but use it for notifications/edge effects.

      2. Franco

        Re: Aspect ratio very odd

        "To let other people know that the holder has spent £1500 on a phone and therefore must have lots of credit be an influencer or some other form of self-satisfied git."

        It's not mentioned in this article, but the BBC also has a story on this phone and mentioned that the original RAZR V3 was the first phone to be considered a fashion accessory as well as a phone, and was heavily marketed by the likes of Paris Hilton and David Beckham.

        1. ibmalone
          Paris Hilton

          Re: Aspect ratio very odd

          Having myself missed an open goal on the icon front today ->

      3. Sherrie Ludwig

        Re: Aspect ratio very odd

        What other purpose is there for a flagship £1000+ phone these days?

        My $20 (yes that was the purchase price, not monthly) LG has been doing everything necessary for a couple of years, and I will be very sad when it reaches end-of-life, built like tank (I'm clumsy) and holds a charge for days.

      4. RLWatkins

        Re: Aspect ratio very odd

        Another purpose for a $1,500 handset would be this:

        If I could put it into a dock connected to a keyboard, mouse, two or three screens, Ethernet, a scanner and a couple of printers, use it as fully functional desktop computer, then un-dock it, put it in my pocket and go, then it would be worth the price.

        But it just doesn't have enough horsepower to rival a stock desktop box. So... no.

    2. Charlie Clark Silver badge

      Re: Aspect ratio very odd

      It gives you a bigger screen in a smaller package? The hinge may be a worry, but basically the smaller second screen is also likely to be more robust than a larger one.

      Yes, it is too expensive for most but I think, apart from the shake to start the camera (give us a button FFS), it's been well thought out.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Aspect ratio very odd

        Double shake to start the camera is a standard Motorola action, double "chop" (like a karate chop ) turns the torch on. As is pick up to stop ringing.

        I'm sure that goes back to at least the G4.

        There is an Android setting (in Android 9) to change double pressing the power button to turn the camera on.

        1. Chairman of the Bored

          Re: Aspect ratio very odd

          Now that we've got a hinge, shouldn't the multiple shakes make the phone automatically get larger? At least if it's not too cold?

          1. 0laf
            Paris Hilton

            Re: Aspect ratio very odd

            Multiple shake automatically brings up PornHub in an Incognito window.

            1. Aussie Doc
              Joke

              Re: Aspect ratio very odd

              Well, finally, a useful reason for buying it.

              Have to convince my partner first.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I foresee a great disturbance in the breakage rate.

  8. Totally not a Cylon
    Boffin

    DIY?

    2 cheap clone phones and some Gorilla Tape.

    Probably last longer too, plus if you call it 'Rustic' its trendy........

    1. batfink

      Re: DIY?

      Plus it would be dual-SIM for free

    2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Re: DIY?

      This is brilliant. You could even have a dual operating system. If you stick an iPhone and a 'Droid together, you've got the best of both worlds, access to both app stores and you can really annoy them when you go to the "Genius Bar" in one of Apple's shops.

      1. Chairman of the Bored

        Re: DIY?

        Simply brilliant. Market this as "The Double Ender". Subtext: "A phone that pleases everyone"

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

          Re: DIY?

          Or, the phone that annoys everyone equally?

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Motorola

    I own a Motorola.

    One of the best phones in my collection.

    Gorilla glass touchscreen and has the latest security patches.

    Cost me about $30.00 and a few hours of my time unlocking the bootloader and compiling Lineage.

    Looking to find another Motorola that will work with LTE.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moto_E_%281st_generation%29

  10. andy 103
    Happy

    At least it's something different

    Whether you like it or not, it's exciting to see a phone that doesn't look like...all other phones today.

    Yes the price is a bit steep but perhaps this will encourage other manufacturers to think outside the rectangle!

  11. oiseau
    Facepalm

    Ourageously expensive gimmic

    Hello:

    1.200 quid?

    Yes, sure ...

    Send me two or three.

    No, really ...

    The best phone I ever had was the last StarTac they put out.

    And I have tried a fair number.

    Light, rugged, great screen, excellent battery range and you could open/dial/close it with one hand without any issue.

    Pity they did not stay on the same design ideas and strayed away with the Razr for which I never developed the same liking and could not fathom why it was so popular.

    I don't need an expensive hard to hold folding fondleslab computer/laptop with three cameras (as is the rage these days): I just need a fuc*ing phone that will always connect, will not break down easily and can be repaired without spending more than the thing costs.

    O.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Ourageously expensive gimmic

      Then buy a cheap mobile phone.

      A smart "phone" is only nominally a phone. It's a portable computer that we choose to name after its oldest function.

      Most people like having the convenience of having a very small very powerful computer they can carry around. Some people don't value that.

      That's fine, but they are two completely different markets. Both choices are valid.

      I don't get why you are complaining about the availability of something which will be useful to some people that aren't you.

      I won't be buying one - it's quite a way out of my (~ £250 every ~ 2 years ) budget too, but if people want it then that's up to them.

  12. Tromos

    Feeble battery

    Presumably there was only room for just over half the normal size of battery for a phone of this class because of the fold.

    I'm pretty sure I'd be happier with a phone that cost about what the VAT alone on this comes to.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Feeble battery

      Or there are two batteries, one either side of the fold?

      2510mAh doesn't seem outrageously low.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    If this works, it'll be fantastic. Way too expensive mind you, but still - very cool.

  14. Wade Burchette

    Microphone adapter

    For $1500, it better have a microphone adapter.

    "There's no 3.5mm headphone jack: instead you'll have to use a USB-C-to-headphone adapter."

    How difficult or expensive would it be to put in a 3.5 mm headphone slot. Just because Apple "bravely" made a decision to make themselves more money does not mean it is a good idea. I saw no mention in the article of a SD card either. That is two unforgivable strikes right there. I would pay $5 for a phone with a microSD slot or a headphone adapter, much less $1500.

    I fear that the bad idea cancer is spreading fast. These tech companies seem more and more determined to copy each other's bad ideas.

    1. werdsmith Silver badge

      Re: Microphone adapter

      I have't used wired headphones with any sort of plug for donkeys.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Microphone adapter

        >I haven't used wired headphones with any sort of plug for donkeys.

        I prefer bluetooth headphones to be optional, not compulsory.

      2. Julz
        Joke

        Re: Microphone adapter

        Those donkey ear buds must be massive so I guess there's plenty of room for loads of electronics as well as a huge batteries so no point in having wires.

        1. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. DiViDeD

        Re: I have't used wired headphones with any sort of plug for donkeys.

        What size plugs do donkeys take?

        Asking for a friend

    2. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      Re: Microphone adapter

      "How difficult or expensive would it be to put in a 3.5 mm headphone slot. "

      Probably because "splash proof".

      "I saw no mention in the article of a SD card either."

      I'm guessing e-sim means no physical SIM and without looking into it, a non-replaceable battery so no internal access for an SD card and no external SD card slot, all because "splash proof"

      1. dajames

        Re: Microphone adapter

        Probably because "splash proof".

        I dunno ... I had a Sony phone that was IP68 (or something like that) certified, and that had a 3.5mm jack and a micro-SD slot. It's not impossible to waterproof these things.

        That phone was great until the non-replaceable battery died, the replacement battery I put in anyway also died, and the last version of Android for it became so ancient and insecure that I couldn't in all conscience continue to use it.

        (It was the most expensive phone I've ever bought ... I think I paid about £320 including VAT)

    3. Public Citizen

      Re: Microphone adapter

      When used for headphones on a regular basis that C-slot is going to wear unacceptably fast just from the normal everyday jostling.

      At #1500 a pop they are setting themselves up for more bad publicity down the lne than the additional cost of a proper headphone jack.

  15. My other car WAS an IAV Stryker

    "Like the Model T, it comes in just black."

    If it hasn't been obvious enough, I live and work in Metro Detroit. Around here, the whole joke about Henry Ford and his quote--"They can have any color they want, as long as it's black."--is just plain overdone. (My father in law worked for Ford once, I believe, and he repeats it all the time, especially when we ride the Model Ts at Greenfield Village**.)

    But I'm not convinced that everyone in El Reg's readership, particularly a younger crowd, will get the reference. Some might not even know what a Model T is.

    ** If El Reg's Geeks Guide to Britain had an American counterpart, Greenfield Village and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan should be a top spot for anyone. Not that it's better than anything British--"American" is part of the actual name. I just think it's cool to see regardless.

    1. batfink

      Re: "Like the Model T, it comes in just black."

      El Reg has younger readers?

      1. lowwall

        Re: "Like the Model T, it comes in just black."

        Young'ers read?

  16. Martin Summers Silver badge

    Ars has a bit more about the screen and how they've achieved the fold without making a crease. It's quite a neat solution, they've made a loop in the hinge. Should stand up to being folded much more than Samsungs effort.

  17. Simon Rockman

    Not too expensive

    Remeber the original Razr launched at $1,000, and $1,500 is the same price when you allow for inflation. That said it was nigh on $2=£1 then.

    The job of the Razr is to be aspirational.

    1. TeeCee Gold badge

      Re: Not too expensive

      Yes, but back then you couldn't get the same spec in a different case for less than a quarter of the price.

      Aspirational, not ridiculous.

  18. dnicholas

    All style, no substance

    Had an original back in the day, briefly. Realised how pants it was as a device and swapped it for a Nokia something or other, which actually was pleasant to use

  19. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    High Time for AI Change with NEUKlearer Realities BroadBandCasting to Devices and Virtual Machines

    $1,500 for a phone though. The world's gorn mad! .... Jellied Eel

    It's not just only a phone though is it, JE. It's one of those new fangled and expanding entangling virtual communicators ..... into capturing leading markets with the next generations and iterations of telecommunications technology employing and enjoying the Succulent Fruits of Cosmic Labours in Heavenly Tasks ...... Almighty IntelAIgent Deeds.

    Is your phone one of those old fashioned deaf, dumb and blind communicators?

    Do you know what you see to be true, and simply rely on its daily zero day media delivery by favourite third parties, or do you see what you need to know to be in fact true and also as is in the most colossal of remotely activated fictions ....... which you might like to realise are Masquerading in the Disguise of Leaderships with Puppets and Muppets in Countless Current Global Presentations ‽ .

  20. Empire of the Pussycat

    isn't this really lenovo?

    i had the original razr, and before that a startac, both excellently engineered

    after a long gap with other brands, i got the lenovo moto z, their 'flagship' at the time

    then there was the software update that seemed to bork battery life, they refused to fix the issue, plenty of screwed users on their support forum and elsewhere, two and a bit year old phone effectively trashed

    no way i'd get another lenovo phone

  21. Richard 1

    I think Motorola are on to something.

    I think Motorola are on to something with the new, foldable Razr. It's half the size of a normal smart phone and it folds open to the normal size of a smart phone. I think this is much more useful to the average person than a smartphone that opens into something even bigger. I don't want a smartphone/tablet in my pocket. I want something small that I can use like my normal smartphone. That said, it's far too expensive for most people and it only has mid-range specifications for the price.

  22. Zippy´s Sausage Factory

    I'd prefer a keyboard than a folding screen to be honest. I mean, I loved the RAZR when I had it but part of the appeal was that it was a smaller phone, not a bigger one. These days I have an iPhone SE because the 6 Plus was just too big. I want an affordable phone that I can carry in the pocket, not some behemoth I have to drag behind me in a wheelbarrow.

    It's great that they've brought back the RAZR format, but more homework is needed I think.

  23. StargateSg7

    Since Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility, this is basically a Chinese government-hacked, Beijing server-callback mobile device DESIGNED to be put into the hands of wealthy (and sometimes important!) people who don't know any better OBLIVIOUS that all their secrets are being sent BACK to Beijing (aka PLA aka People's Liberation Army) intelligence agencies.

    I'll have to hack the BIOS and shave the CPU chips to find the callback and/or signals intercepts circuits and any IPV4/IPV6/BaseBand OS callback/intercept microcode on this sucker! I'll get one JUST BECAUSE I CAN and then to shave its innards to see what's up! I will checker EVERY resistor, diode, rectifier, PSU, motherboard layer, chip layer and antennae hardware with RF/Xray/electron tomography gear and physical electron-microscope level scrutiny! Since modern circuits can be at microdot sizes these days, you need 9600 dpi to 65000 or more dpi (dots per inch) scanning capability which means electron microscopes are needed to find those nano-sized circuits.

    We'll see what they have embedded. After Lenovo's Tablet/PC callback-to-China furor, I expect this Motorola to have the SAME issues with signals interception capabilities and data insecurity!

    .

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Since Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility, this is basically a Chinese government-hacked, Beijing server-callback mobile device DESIGNED to be put into the hands of wealthy (and sometimes important!) people who don't know any better OBLIVIOUS that all their secrets are being sent BACK to Beijing (aka PLA aka People's Liberation Army) intelligence agencies.

      Honestly? You either live in the US or are sponsored by US competition.

  24. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge

    Showpiece

    This is replacement for the $$$$$ jeweled watch of previous generations. Time will tell if Moto/Lenovo's support keeps that demographic happy. I suspect they will completely blow this opportunity by not spending even a pinch of money on software developers to fix bugs and vulnerabilities.

  25. Ade Vickers

    From the advert video...

    @50 seconds approx:

    “And when you open it, the content moves seamlessly (I see what you did there...) to the inside screen”

    #flips open screen from camera view

    #Inner screen shows something completely different.

    #moving on...

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Umm, no thanks.

    Personally, I think the Motorola RAZR v3i was the pinnacle of physical dimensions for a phone to the point that you could forgive the clumsy UI and the idiotic idea of using a keyboard that was so shiny that it made the phone unusable in sunlight (Chinese cloners were smart enough make it matte). It had the right weight, it had a swappable battery and it had an outside screen just informative enough to make it worth using. In short, from a pure size/utility perspective it was never bettered as a phone. Oh, and it was a true Motorola in that it had rather good reception despite its diminutive size - that has in the past overriden my concern about their UIs (remember the StarTAC flip?).

    However, adding the folly of a solutions-looking-for-a-problem foldable screen with all associated consequences and problems will NOT enable a rerun, sorry. One display/touch screen for keyboard and one just screen, yes, interested, but not this.

    The phones I buy tend to work for 3..4 years - I don't expect a foldable display to make it past year one, and that's even without considering that it will make the famous "flip" of that phone a lot less snappy to boot. Yes, I didn't mention price, the v3i was so good it even came in an expensive branded version and that too sold like hotcakes. When you get it right, those are the benefits.

    No, thanks. In that case I prefer the original v3i then - crud UI or not.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Umm, no thanks.

      Addendum: judging by the Motorola animation they added a hinge dampener, so instead of the quick "snap" you had with the original v3i (which always made me wonder how they managed to make it so robust that it never failed) you now have an added enforced wait before it's fully usable.

      That's a double no, then.

      Next.

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