The
Razr+ (2023) isn’t just Moto’s best smartphone to date, it’s
the best folding flip phone you can buy right now.
Competitive price
Stylish and premium design
Big, 3.6-inch cover display
Fantastic speakers
Solid performance
Android apps on the cover screen
Delightful user experience
Sharp,
bright display with 120Hz refresh
×Fast
80W charging and included plug
×Excellent
performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
×Alert
slider is back
So-so cameras
Middling battery life
Slow wireless charging
No charger in the box
After years of me-too flagships and mediocre folding flip phones,
Motorola seems to be on a roll. First we got the well-rounded ThinkPhone by Motorola at CES 2023, then the excellent Moto Edge+ (2023) flagship we
recently reviewed, and finally the Moto Razr+ and Razr (2023), which
impressed us in our early hands-on. And while the company’s budget and mid-range
Moto G devices aren't particularly inspiring, they are highly profitable.
Motorola’s first folding phone, the 2019 Razr, suffered from middling
specs and durability issues, and while its follow-up in 2020, the Razr 5G,
fixed some of these issues, both handsets were quickly eclipsed by
Samsung’s unrelenting Galaxy Z Flip series. Last year, the much improved
Razr (2022) didn’t unseat Samsung, or even make it to North America. The 2023 Motorola Razr+ ($999), however, which we’re checking out today is a different story.
This Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-equipped folding flip phone boasts a massive
3.6-inch cover screen, and checks almost every box when it comes to design
and tech specs. So, what’s it like to use? What stands out and what falls
short? Did Moto finally beat Samsung at the folding flip phone game? Read
our Moto Razr+ (2023) review to find out.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Hardware And Design
Like other folding flip phones, the 2023 Moto Razr+ uses a clamshell
design. When it’s open, it looks and feels just like any other glass and
aluminum flagship with a 6.9-inch OLED display and twin rear shooters. But
when it’s closed it takes the appearance of a makeup compact. Flexible
ultra-thin glass and a special hinge make this possible. What sets the
Razr+ apart from the competition is its vast cover screen.
This 3.6-inch OLED display spans about 80% of the handset’s lid (or top
half), and incorporates punch holes for the 12MP main camera, 13MP
ultrawide, and LED flash. This makes it the biggest cover screen on any
folding flip phone to date, and opens up a whole new world of
functionality, like running Android apps – more on this later. Both
shooters protrude about 1mm, but the LED flash is flush with the glass
lid.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Front
When closed the Razr+ is just 15.1mm thick, which is slightly thinner
than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip4. The metal edges are rounded instead of
flat, making it easier to open. And just like previous Razr folding
phones, the main 6.9-inch OLED display folds into a teardrop shape,
reducing the crease’s visibility. This also means the Razr+ folds without
a gap between the top and bottom halves, unlike Samsung’s Z Flip series.
Motorola dropped the iconic “chin” found on the original 2019 Razr and
Razr 5G since it got in the way of Android’s gesture navigation. The Razr+
is made of 7000 series aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus. It’s available
in three hues: Infinite Black, Glacier Blue, and Viva Magenta (like our
review unit) – the latter having a vegan leather back. Build quality is
top notch – this handset looks fantastic and feels great in hand.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Back
When open, you’ll find the volume rocker, the power / lock key (which
doubles a capacitive fingerprint sensor), and a third mic on the right
side. The bottom edge is home to one of the speakers, the USB Type-C port,
and the primary mic. A secondary mic is located on top, and there’s a nano
SIM tray on the left. The Razr+ is rated IP52, making it mostly dust and
somewhat water (splash) resistant.
Overall, we’re very impressed with the Razr+’s design and materials. This
phone looks extremely stylish and feels ultra premium. But, while we’re
big fans of Viva Magenta (a Pantone color, BTW), we’d love to see Motorola
follow in Samsung’s footsteps and offer customization options for the
Razr+. Remember Moto Maker?
Like other flip phones, the Moto Razr+ (2023) offers two screens.
Inside, you’ll find a 6.9-inch FHD+ (2640 x 1080 pixels, 413ppi) folding
LTPO OLED main panel with a 22:9 aspect ratio and HDR10+ support. It
boasts a 165Hz refresh rate, 1400 nits peak brightness, even bezels all
around, and a center punch hole for the 32MP selfie camera. Colors are
vibrant, blacks are deep, viewing angles are decent, and it’s reasonably
bright -- even under the sun.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Display
Outside, there’s the Razr+’s massive cover display, which takes up about
80% of the phone's lid. This is a 3.6-inch OLED panel (1066 x 1056
pixels, 413ppi) with a 1:1 aspect ratio and HDR10+ capability. It
features a 144Hz refresh rate, 1100 nits peak brightness, and cutouts
for the LED flash, 12MP main shooter, and 13MP ultrawide. It matches the
main screen in terms of colors, contrast ratio, viewing angles, and
brightness in direct sunlight.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Cover Screen
These are both high quality displays and we have no major complaints. If
anything, the default color tuning errs on the side of muted, but the
“saturated” option in the settings is a little too punchy for our
tastes. We’d prefer something in the middle, but that’s just a minor
niggle
Moto Razr+ (2023) Camera Performance And Image Quality
On the imaging front, the 2023 Moto Razr+ packs three shooters. These
consist of a 12MP f/1.5 1.4-micron main sensor with dual-pixel PDAF and
OIS, a 13MP f/2.2 1.12-micron 108-degree ultrawide AF lens that doubles as
a macro, and a 32MP f/2.4 0.7-micron selfie camera that supports 4-in-1
pixel binning and outputs 8MP photos.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Camera Pod
Like other Motorola handsets, the Razr+ offers a plethora of shooting
modes. These include night, portrait, pro, panorama, spot color,
document, dual capture, photo booth, slow motion (1080p,
120/240/960fps), portrait video (1080p 30fps), HDR10+ video (4k/1080p
30fps), and time lapse (4k/1080p 30fps). Video recording is stabilized
and maxes out at 4k 60fps (4k/1080p 30fps on the ultrawide / macro).
Audio is captured in stereo.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (2x Zoom)
The Razr+ supports Horizon Lock (1080p 30fps), an impressive feature we
mentioned in our Moto Edge+ (2023) review. It keeps the horizon level
even if you rotate the phone a full 360 degrees. Flex View turns the
(half-open) handset into its own tripod -- more on this later. As you’d
expect, there’s a way to mirror the viewfinder on the cover screen so
others can see what you’re shooting, which is pretty clever – especially
for selfies.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Ultrawide
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (1x)
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (2x Zoom)
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (5x Zoom)
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (8x zoom)
You can also use the shooters with the Razr+ closed. Just
double-press the power / lock key or double-twist your wrist to start
the camera app, and the viewfinder appears on the cover display with an
optimized interface. Here you can switch shooting modes and
change settings. To capture a picture or video, just tap the display,
press the volume rocker, or put up your hand (3-second timer) – it’s
simple and intuitive.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (Night Mode Off)
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (Night Mode On)
Motorola’s has often struggled with image processing, but the Razr+ is
showing improvements, just like we saw with the Moto Edge+ (2023).
Taking consistent photos is still a challenge for this phone, but we
think most people will generally be pleased with the results. And
speaking of areas that need attention, the camera app still lacks zoom
presets for anything beyond 1x, so zooming in to 2x, 5x, or 8x (max) is
a pain.
Moto Razr+ (2023) Ultrawide (Macro Mode)
Overall, the Razr+’s shooters are fine – not great, not terrible, but
definitely better than what Moto’s delivered in the past. Samsung’s
Galaxy Z Flip4 is slightly better and Oppo’s Find N2 Flip is
significantly better. In all, exposure and white balance are sometimes
off, dynamic range isn't stellar, and zooming beyond 2-3x is not advised. On
the plus side, night mode really helps with low-light performance (as
long as there’s no motion).
Moto Razr+ (2023) Selfie Camera (Portrait Mode)
Moto Razr+ (2023) Main Camera (Portrait Mode)
The ultrawide’s 108-degree field of view is a bit narrow, and
you’re generally better using the 2x zoom on the main camera than the
macro mode. Video performance isn’t spectacular, but it gets the job
done, and support for 4k 60fps selfie videos is a nice touch.
