Motorola Razr+ (2024)

The 2024 Motorola Razr+ ($999.99) makes significant improvements over its predecessor thanks to a quicker processor, a larger outer display, and a waterproof design. It's also available in four different colors, comes with a longer software commitment from Motorola, and packs a handful of AI features. All of these upgrades make it a solid choice for anyone before we even consider the fact that it folds in half and slips into your pocket more easily than most other phones. We wish the cameras were better and that there was a bit less preinstalled bloatware, but the Razr+ is one of the best folding phones you can buy. If you prefer to save a little money and don't mind losing some performance along the way, this year's standard Razr shares many of the same features for $699.99. Alternately, if you're a Samsung devotee, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 delivers a similar experience to the Razr+ for $999.99.

Design: Fun That Folds

Motorola has honed the Razr+ in all the right ways. It looks almost exactly like the 2023 model, but Motorola has softened the outer contours of the aluminum frame to make it smoother all the way around. The new vegan leather backing gives the phone a nice grip, so you shouldn't lose hold of it too easily. The 6000 series aluminum and synthetic leather should hold up over the lifespan of the phone, according to Motorola, and it didn't scratch during two weeks of testing. The phone comes in Hot Pink, Midnight Blue, Peach Fuzz, or Spring Green (the model pictured in this review).

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Like its looks, sizing is also almost exactly the same as the 2023 model. The Razr+ measures 3.48 by 2.91 by 0.59 inches (HWD) closed and 6.50 by 2.91 by 0.28 inches open and weighs 6.7 ounces. The less-expensive Motorola Razr shares these same dimensions and weight. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 measures 3.4 by 2.80 by 0.60 inches closed, 6.50 by 2.30 by 0.30 inches open, and weighs 6.6 ounces. The Razr+ is comfortable to hold and use when closed and slips into your pocket easily. When you open the phone, you'll find it's quite tall and narrow, but the razor-sharp depth and low weight mean it's no problem to handle.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Motorola says it completely redesigned the center hinge to make it stronger, last longer, and keep out more dirt and dust. It's also easier to open and close one-handed, which produces a sort of joy you get from few other phones. Motorola has sealed up the phone to protect it against water. It carries an IPX8 rating, which means it can be submerged in 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. This is much better than the IP52 splash protection rating of last year's Razr+ and matches the IPX8 rating of the Z Flip 5.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

As for interacting with the hardware, you'll find two separate volume buttons and a combined power button/fingerprint reader on the right edge. The fingerprint reader takes just a moment to train and is mostly consistent at unlocking the phone. The only issue I encountered was that the volume and fingerprint buttons reversed their position depending on whether the phone was open or closed, which led to me sometimes pressing the volume keys when I intended to unlock the phone and vice versa. The SIM card tray is located on the left side (the phone also supports eSIM). The USB-C port for charging is centered on the bottom. It is flanked by two microphones and slits for the bottom-firing speaker.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The twin camera lenses look like two off-centered eyes pushed into the top-left corner. Otherwise, they are swimming in the black glass of the outer screen. Motorola uses Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for the outer panel, which should hold up against scratches and casual drops.

Displays: Bigger and Brighter

You're likely to use the outer screen almost as much as you use the inner screen—and Motorola has made it better than ever. The pOLED is slightly bigger than last year's model at 4.0 inches when measured from top to bottom. It has a resolution of 1,272 by 1,080 pixels at a density of 417 pixels per inch (ppi). It supports a dynamic refresh rate up to 165Hz and a touch response rate that varies between 120Hz and 165Hz when gaming. Brightness now reaches 2,400 nits, which makes it much easier to see outdoors under sunlight. The cheaper Razr's outer screen is shorter (3.6 inches), has fewer pixels (1,056 by 1,066), a slower refresh rate (120Hz), and less brightness (1,700 nits).

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The inner screen is almost a direct carryover from the previous Razr+. It measures the same 6.9 inches with 2,640 by 1,080 pixels at 413ppi. The LTPO screen supports a refresh rate of up to 165Hz, with a touch sampling rate varying between 220Hz and 300Hz. It has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits. I found the screen to be plenty bright in testing. I had no trouble using the phone in various settings, including under bright July sun.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

However, the center crease where the phone folds is still plainly visible. It's not as obvious as previous generations, but you can't miss it when the screen is off. It largely vanishes once you turn the screen on, but if the crease bothers you, it's best to opt for a normal slab-style phone.

Performance: A Step Up

Last year's Razr+ featured a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 that delivered middling performance. This year's Razr+ graduates to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor with 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage. Meanwhile, this year's Razr has a MediaTek Dimensity 7300x processor with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 storage.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 gives the Razr+ a major boost in processing power. The phone is super fast to use, and benchmark numbers back up the performance.

The Razr+ scored 1,892 on the single-core test and 4,648 on the multi-core test in Geekbench 6, a benchmark that measures general CPU performance. It more or less matches the 1,940 and 4,895 scores of the Z Flip 5 (running an 8 Gen 2), while last year's Razr+ hit 1,297 and 3,842 on the same test.

For the PCMark Work 3.0 test, which evaluates how phones perform everyday tasks, the Razr+ hit 17,122, compared with the 14,377 of the Z Flip 5 and the 15,416 of last year's Razr+.

(Credit: PCMark/Geekbench/GFXBench)

Last, running the Aztec Ruins test in GFXBench, which tallies GPU horsepower, saw the Razr+ deliver 65 frames per second (fps). Anything over 60fps means the phone is a solid gaming machine. That bore out in testing when playing Genshin Impact and Asphalt, two high-intensity titles.

Battery: Better Than Most Folding Phones

Inside, the Razr+ upgrades from the 3,800mAh battery of last year's model to a higher-capacity 4,000mAh battery. Last year's Razr+ lasted an impressive 14 hours in testing, which involves streaming an HD video over Wi-Fi with the screen at its full brightness setting. Despite the larger battery, the Razr+ only improves on that time by about half an hour, coming in at 14 hours and 37 minutes. Still, that's far longer than the 10 hours and 5 minutes of the Z Flip 5.

The phone supports quick 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, with 5W reverse wireless charging. There's no charger in the box and Motorola doesn't provide guidelines on charging times. Using a 65W charger, I was able to fully recharge the phone from dead in 1 hour and 5 minutes, which is respectable. Charging with a 15W Qi wireless charger took much longer at 1 hour and 55 minutes.

Connectivity: Quick Enough

The radio package inside the Razr+ is mostly up to speed with the latest. For example, it has Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, and Wi-Fi 7. The phone's 5G service is limited to sub-6GHz only. It has C-band, but not the faster mmWave spectrum needed for today's speediest networks. The unlocked model should run on the 5G service of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. The Razr matches the Razr+ in every way but Wi-Fi, where it is limited to Wi-Fi 6E. Meanwhile, the Z Flip 5 does support mmWave.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

I used the Razr+ on Google Fi, which runs on T-Mobile's network and enjoys strong coverage in the greater New York City area where I ran tests. In a 5G speed test, the Razr+ reached 632Mbps down and 73.3Mbps up—a solid result for a phone limited to sub-6GHz. For the sake of comparison, a Google Pixel Fold scored 656Mbps down and 82.5Mbps up when tested in the same spot.

For Wi-Fi, the phone hit 623Mbps down and 273Mbps up when tested near my Wi-Fi hotspot, and 85.1Mbps down and 23.4Mbps up when tested at the Wi-Fi network's edge. The Pixel Fold managed 599Mbps down and 187Mbps up, and 79.5Mbps down and 26.7Mbps up when tested in the same locations, respectively.

Call quality is superb. The clarity of voices in the earpiece is outstanding and callers said I sounded as clear as a bell. The earpiece puts out an impressive 86.1dB and the speakerphone is even louder at 88.2dB.

Using the speakers together to listen to stereo music is fine, but not the best way to go about it. While I was pleased with the stereo separation and general sound signature when listening to test tracks like The Knife's "Silent Shout," bass output is minimal. Your best bet is to use your favorite Bluetooth headphones or speaker.

Cameras: One Out of Three Ain't Bad

Motorola has revised the camera arrangement for the Razr+. Rather than include standard and wide-angle cameras on the rear, it uses standard and telephoto cameras instead. Motorola says people prefer to have the ability to zoom, which is why it made this change. The main camera has a 50MP sensor at f/1.7 with optical image stabilization. The telephoto also has a 50MP sensor at f/2.0 with 2x optical zoom. The selfie camera captures 32MP photos with an aperture of f/2.4. All three cameras use pixel binning and shrink the photos to 13MP, 13MP, and 8MP, respectively.

The main camera does a fine job, particularly when there's plenty of light. On a sunny day, the camera captured lush greens and clean blues in a natural setting. I was pleased with the exposures, which were challenging given the bright sun and the deep shadows it cast in the greenery. I saw just a hint of noise, but it wasn't too bad. Most of the photos were clean and sharp.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Things go a little sideways with the telephoto camera. The sensor just isn't as good and it shows. When switching back and forth between the standard and telephoto cameras, you can easily see that the latter creates darker photos with more obvious noise, which sometimes mutes detail. Using the 4x digital zoom works but produces even darker, noisier shots.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

I wasn't overly impressed with the selfie camera, either. It creates images that are on par with the telephoto zoom. The shots I got had too much contrast, dull colors, and lacked sharp detail. You're better off using the outer cameras to take your selfies, which you can easily do by using the outer display. I really like that the camera app permits you to access much of its functionality from the outer screen and even includes some buttons and controls that are designed for one-handed use.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Video capture maxes out at 4K60 with slow motion limited to 1080p, though with frame rates as high as 960fps. Your video results will mirror those of the still cameras. You'll get the best footage by sticking to the main sensor, which produces the most pleasing mix of color, sharpness, smooth action, and detail. Even so, I'd reach for another video camera for important events.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Though the overall results are perhaps not the best in the business, the Razr+ is far more fun to use as a camera than most other phones. Thanks to the nature of its folding design, you can use the phone as its own tripod, setting it up and stepping back to let it take your selfies. Whether you use the inner or outer cameras, you can see a preview of the shot before it fires. You can broadcast video while the phone sits upright and even hold it like an old-school video camera in camcorder mode. This allows for a lot of creativity that you simply can't get with other phones.

Software: A Dash of AI

The Razr+ ships with Android 14 and Motorola has committed to providing three years of OS upgrades and four years of security patches. This is a solid improvement from previous Motorola phones, which have been limited to just one or two OS upgrades. With their seven-year promises, Google and Samsung still lead the industry in this regard.

(Credit: Motorola/PCMag)

On the main screen, the Razr+ experience is much like using any other Android phone. Motorola's biggest additions include its Moto settings app, Moto Secure for security, Family Space for kid-friendly activities, Moto Unplugged for managing screen time, Moto Note for taking notes, and Moto Buds for managing its Bose-tuned earphones (not included).

The outer screen is truly helpful for managing simple tasks. You can pack up to four app shortcuts on the main screen and then load up the others with more shortcuts or widgets for your calendar, the weather, games, Spotify, and more. Many apps will run in near-full form, such as Gmail and the calculator. Having the ability to triage simple things with a quick glance at the outer screen is a game changer and helped me cut down on time I might have otherwise spent mindlessly scrolling.

(Credit: Motorola/PCMag)

Last, AI. The Razr+ is one of the first phones in Motorola's lineup to receive dedicated AI tools. For example, Gemini Nano is preinstalled, which allows for enhanced Google searching. There's a generative AI tool on board for creating custom wallpapers, though I found it worked poorly in testing. You can choose to download the Magic Editor tool in Google Photos, though it isn't preinstalled. It worked well once loaded onto the phone, however.

More AI is on the way. Motorola says that other AI tools will come to the Razr+ over the next few months. For example, you'll be able to say, "Razr, pay attention," and the phone will automatically launch the voice recorder and create detailed notes as well as a summary of the recorded conversation. We will test these features once Motorola delivers them to the phone.

Verdict: A Finer Fold

There aren't too many choices if you're in the market for a modern flip phone. The 2024 Motorola Razr+ is easily one of the best of the bunch thanks to its high-quality hardware, fun-to-use form factor, excellent everyday performance, productivity-enhancing software, and long-term software support from Motorola. It falls a little flat when it comes to the camera, but that's a common shortcoming across flip phones. You get most of the same features for $300 less with the Motorola Razr, though you sacrifice some performance, while Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 5 covers much of the same ground for the same $999.99 price. Any of these three phones are worth considering, depending on your budget and needs.