The Razr Flip Phones are Hot, but Not Too Difficult During the Second Quarter of the Razr Plus (and Other) Year
There is a lot I like about the Razr Plus, so it is not surprising that the disappointing aspects sting a little more. This year, the cover screen is even more useful thanks to someUI improvements. It comes with an IPX8 rating, significantly upgrading its water resistance. And improvements to the hinge this time around make the crease all but disappear when you’re using the inner screen. Important stuff! There are improvements and moments of joy that aren’t enough to make up for the flaws of the Razr Plus.
There are two versions of the classic flip phone, the Razr Plus and the more basic Razr. Bigger cover screens are part of the Razr models this year. The Razr Plus’ is a generous four inches on the diagonal versus last year’s 3.6-inch screen. It might be similar to the size of the screen on your first Apple phone, even though it is not as large as a modern display. The bezel on top of the screen (are we calling that a forehead?) is much smaller than on the previous generation. It almost makes last year’s model look like a prototype.
The flip phones are very hot. Not just because Paris Hilton is back repping the new hot pink Motorola Razr+, but because they add some novelty over the flagging glass rectangles we’re used to. Flip the phone out to answer a call, and close it shut to hang up. It will never not be satisfying. You will get a perk when you put a tiny phone in your pocket. Who wouldn’t love that?
The Razr Plus Review of Android Smart Device Terms and Conditions (and How) they’ve been Used for a Long Time, and How Motorola is Updating the Software
Every smart device requires you to sign a series of terms and conditions before you can use it. We cannot read or analyse every single one of these agreements. Since these are agreements most people can not negotiate and you have to hit agree to use devices, we started counting how many times you have to agree to use them.
But I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who’s more casually interested in a flip phone or finds the nostalgic factor appealing. You can get a much better camera in a slab-style phone that costs a lot less, and a good camera matters when it’s the one you carry every day. The record of timely software updates by the company is spotty. And the inner screen just isn’t up to the standards of a modern flagship phone.
The Razr Plus offers some nice zoom options for portraits, because it trades last year’s ultrawide for a 2x telephoto lens. There’s also a 4x digital zoom for more reach, and quality is decent as long as there’s plenty of light. Without the ultrawide on the rear panel, you don’t have the same opportunity for get-everyone-in-the-photo group selfies, but the main camera is wide enough to get a couple of people in the shot.
The system knows what to do with bright, abundant light — I got some great photos from the summit of a hike. But medium light continues to be a challenge, with flat over-brightened images and reds saturated to the point of clipping.
Motorola seems like it’s trying to address the issue with a new feature called photo enhancement engine, which it says uses AI to improve noise reduction in low light, improve bokeh on portrait mode photos, and boost dynamic range. That seems to be a list of everything that phone makers have been using artificial intelligence for. The portrait mode subjects are poorly isolated, background blur isn’t convincing and color reproduction is a little off with the new photo processing pipeline.
I’m once again asking Moto to support its software. The Razr Plus comes with three years of OS upgrades and four years of security updates. That’s fine; four years is probably as long as most people will want to hang onto this phone. But Samsung and Google now promise seven years for their high-end phones — even the $499 Pixel 8A comes with seven years of support. I can’t help but want more from a $999 phone. WhenANDROID 15 is a few months away, it’s not a good look for people who own the ricor plus to only be getting the latest update.
The Razr Plus Cover Screen Experience: From the Hot Pink to the Z Flip 6 (and on) Including an Upgraded IPX8 Rating
The soft touch on the back panel is a nice touch as always, but the hot pink model I tested comes with a new “vegan suede” material, and I don’t think it’s a change for the better. It feels more papery, and I don’t think it’s going to wear well over time; my review unit has a couple of faint scratches that don’t budge when I try to buff them out with my finger. Considering this isn’t some bougie case — it’s the actual phone — that seems pretty bad. The other colors — peach fuzz, midnight blue, and spring green — come with a vegan leather finish like last year’s pink model, and for what it’s worth, that seems to have held up fine.
The good news is that Motorola adopted a new hinge design this year that minimizes the appearance of the crease when the phone is fully unfolded. There is no dust resistance and the upgraded IPX8 rating. The Razr Plus is certified to withstand full immersion in fresh water, a big improvement over the previous gen’s “splashproof” rating. The Z Flip 6 is very likely to be released soon, but an IPX8 rating puts the Razr Plus on level ground with it.
The cover screen is a delight, but the inner screen is much more pedestrian. The screen has a high resolution, but it is big enough to benefit from a higher amount of transistors. It is not as bright outside as I would like. It is fine, but you can get a better display on a phone for the same amount of money.
Overall, the cover screen experience is miles better than the previous generation; more mature and less like you’re testing beta software. I am aware of Good Lock and I would take this each time I looked at the flagship device. Motorola put a lot of thought into every aspect of the display, and it shows. Oh, and before we get to the whole other phone attached to this phone, shout out to two other cover screen additions: Google Assistant (including Gemini!) and an always-on display. All of my dreams are coming true.
Even the flow for allowing apps to open on the cover screen is better. On last year’s model, you had to open the phone to approve an app for the cover screen — just once per app, but for every single app. Right from the cover screen notification you can approve and open the app. You have three options actually: allow, not allow, or — my favorite — “not right now,” which allows me to just slowly back away without making a commitment when I mindlessly tap on a Threads notification. Not at this time, Satan.
There are also a lot more ways to customize the cover screen this time around. You can pick a handful of app shortcuts to put right on the cover screen’s main page — previously, you had to swipe to a separate panel before you could access any apps. The calendar panel is much improved with a few more viewing configurations.
I’ll give you an example: one of the background options for the media controls on the cover screen is a turntable. The record spins if there is a camera at the center. Press pause and the needle will lift off the record and stop. Are you really saying that? That’s adorable.
