A day after the Google Pixel Fold made its official debut, we’re getting a look at another expected entry into the foldable phone market. While not official yet, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is rumored to be arriving in the coming months, and these leaked renders provide additional proof of the phone’s expected design.
The Motorola Razr renders come from leaker Evan Blass (opens in new tab), who has an excellent track record when it comes to posting information about upcoming phones. The photos show off the Razr 40 Ultra — reportedly, a higher-end version of Motorola’s foldable flip phone — in three different colors, with red and blue joining a traditional black colorway.
More significantly, the renders give us a look at the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s cover display, which appears much larger than the exterior screen on previous Razr foldables. That’s in line with rumors about the phone, which list the cover display as 3.5 inches. In contrast, the original Motorola Razr debuting at the end of 2019 featured a 2.7-inch panel on the outside of the phone.
A larger cover screen would theoretically help you more easily see notifications and other updates — perhaps even responding to them without having to flip open the Razr. And that would address one of the biggest criticisms of previous models.
It’s unclear what source provided Blass with these Motorola Razr renders, but they look fairly official. If they are, in fact, official marketing materials for the upcoming phone, that would square with the notion that the Razr’s launch is imminent. Back in March, a Lenovo executive had said that a launch would happen “very soon.” (opens in new tab) (Lenovo is the parent company of Motorola.)
The Motorola Razr uses the same flip phone-esque design as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip phone. Indeed, both devices debuted around the same time, but Motorola’s effort has languished as users have complained about underpowered devices and spotty build quality. Samsung’s phone has sold much better, with the current Galaxy Z Flip 4 ranked as one of the best foldable phones out there. We’re expecting to see a Galaxy Z Flip 5 later this year.
To take on the Z Flip, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is reportedly going to feature a much more powerful processor than past models — a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1. While that may not match the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that will apparently power the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it is a step up from some of the more modest Snapdragon chipsets used in previous Razrs. Motorola’s phone is expected to open up to a 6.7-inch screen with either a 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rate. Leaked specs claim the phone will have two rear cameras on the outside of the phone and a selfie cam on the inside.
The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra would be arriving at a time when competition in the foldable phone market is heating up after years of dominance from Samsung, which offers the Galaxy Z Fold 4 in addition to the Z Flip. The Google Pixel Fold just debuted as a rival to the Galaxy Z Fold — the $1,799 Pixel Fold ships in June. And we’re expecting the OnePlus V Fold to arrive in the second half of the year.