Why it matters: It’s unclear if these are official press photos from Motorola or just concepts from a mobile fan. If genuine, and if Motorola can solve the durability and quality control issues that have plagued Samsung, they could have a serious contender on their hands.
Samsung stumbled out of the gate in a major way with its first foldable smartphone. The Galaxy Fold was supposed to arrive on April 26 but days before the big launch, Samsung announced the device had been delayed indefinitely in response to an alarming number of defective review units.
The snafu has left the door wide open for someone else to jumpstart the foldable era and that someone may very well be Motorola.
The company that brought us the original Razr is rumored to be working on a modern version of that same handset complete with folding display. Rather than unfold into a tablet-sized device like the Galaxy Fold or the Huawei Mate X, the new Razr will reportedly be a clamshell that folds down into half its size to make it easily pocketable.
The renders come from Slashleaks and were originally published on Chinese microblogging site Weibo. The device shown looks an awful lot like the renders we saw back in January which certainly isn’t a bad thing. This time around, we are also getting a look at retail packaging and included accessories.
The design is true to the original and doesn’t appear to have an unsightly air gap. I’m not sure I’d be a player at $1,500 but surely that rumored price will come down over time.
