After a few underwhelming attempts to make a compelling foldable phone, Motorola's Razr Plus 2023 was a surprise hit, offering much of what consumers wanted in a clamshell. It launched with a flagship chipset, an impressively specced display, and a large and functional cover screen. But despite the highs, there were still plenty of lows that might make some hesitate to drop $1,000 on the phone, and we hope to see them addressed with the Razr Plus 2024.
Poor battery life, mediocre cameras, and limited configurations are just some of the issues that mar an otherwise fantastic flip phone. Not to mention Motorola's reputation with major software updates that are often delayed long after other Android OEMs have received them. So, while we've enjoyed the 2023 model, it's time to look forward to what the Razr Plus 2024 can offer that would keep it ahead of some of the best foldable phones.
Motorola Razr Plus 2024: Price and availability
Motorola launched the Razr Plus 2023 in June 2023 alongside the cheaper Razr 2023, and the phone was available shortly after. If the company follows last year's schedule, the Razr 2024 should launch around the same time. That said, companies have been shifting their launch schedules slightly, so it's possible the Razr Plus could launch in May this year.
As for pricing, flagship flip phones like the Razr have remained fairly steady at roughly $1000. We don't expect Motorola to budge much for the Razr Plus 2024, especially since the company will likely launch a lower-cost Razr 2024 alongside it.
Motorola Razr Plus 2024: Hardware and design
The Razr Plus 2023 was a fairly drastic design shift for Motorola, offering a hole-punch display, refined hinge, and an overall more modern look. We don't imagine Motorola would want to abandon its design so quickly, but it may make small changes to refine things a bit.
So far, the only indication of what we might get from the next Razr Plus comes in the form of a leak, revealing what may be a Verizon variant of the phone, codenamed "Motorola Glory." Based on the image, it looks like Motorola may not change much with the new phone, retaining the overall design, including the dual cameras and large cover screen.
The phone also appears to be a bit wider than its predecessor, which would be great for consumers who may not care for the tall 22:9 aspect ratios found on many flip phones.
Internally, the Razr Plus 2024 is expected to sport a newer flagship Snapdragon chipset, although it's unclear which chip it will feature. When the Razr Plus 2023 was revealed, it was a half-step behind other newer devices at the time by launching with the slightly older but still impressive Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, likely as a way to keep costs down. If Motorola continues this trend, we may see the Razr Plus 2024 arrive with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 instead of the latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. We also expect RAM to remain the same at 8GB.
The Razr Plus 2023 internal and external displays are probably the highest-specced we've seen on a slip phone, offering 165Hz and 144Hz refresh rates, respectively. Motorola is likely to retain these specs along with the FHD+ resolution for the primary display. That said, we may see increased brightness, which is a trend we've seen with other phones lately.
The battery life on the Razr Plus 2023 was not the best, so Motorola could offer a larger battery at the cost of some thinness and weight. That said, a newer, more efficient chipset may make that unnecessary, and the company could retain the same battery size.
Motorola Razr Plus 2024: Software and features
Like most (if not all) smartphones arriving in 2024, we expect the Razr 2024 will launch with Android 14 out of the box. The company may also keep the same software update promise, with three OS upgrades and four years of software updates.
As for features, we don't yet know what new capabilities Motorola will bring to the Razr Plus 2024, but it will likely include AI in some shape or form. The company revealed several AI features at CES 2024 that were geared toward professionals, so we expect some of these features will be reworked and trickle down to consumers at some point.
Additionally, AI features from Google are likely to make their way to the Razr Plus 2024, such as Circle to Search, although that specific feature probably won't arrive until September, with Pixel and Samsung phones often the first to receive these features.
Motorola Razr Plus 2024: Cameras
The Razr Plus 2023 has a dual rear-camera setup with a 12MP primary sensor and a 13MP ultrawide camera. If the earlier leak about the Razr Plus 2024 is true, Motorola may not add a third camera lens to the external panel. This admittedly may be the best option, as a third lens may obstruct much of the cover screen, at least given Motorola's current design.
As for the internal front-facing camera, Motorola will likely stick to the same 32MP sensor, which will use pixel binning for 8MP selfies.
We don't know yet if Motorola plans to change the sensors or increase the resolution of either camera.
Motorola Razr Plus 2024: What we want to see
Rumors are pretty scarce regarding the upcoming Razr Plus 2024. We know there will likely be some improvements, but we don't know what areas the company will address to bring us a better flip phone in 2024. That said, here are some of the biggest upgrades we hope to see with the upcoming model.
Better camera quality
The Razr Plus 2023 could be ideal as a daily driver, but the camera quality leaves a lot to be desired. The wide aperture brings in plenty of light, but images often appear a tad washed out and lack much vibrancy or depth. Not to mention, there's a weird sepia tone when taking selfies using the main camera with the cover screen as a viewfinder.
Motorola has tried to rectify its image quality with a new setting that applies auto-enhance from Google Photos when taking a photo, but it would be ideal if the Razr Plus 2024 just had better cameras and color tuning. Even if it means slapping on the 50MP camera from the Edge Plus (2023), we imagine that could bring some noteworthy improvements.
We also don't expect a third camera lens for telephoto images, but Motorola could potentially make up for it by including a larger, higher-resolution sensor and incorporating in-sensor zoom for better quality.
Full-day battery life
In our testing, the Razr Plus 2023 barely makes it through a day in regular use, which is far from ideal. We understand flip phones have limited space and have to split the batteries in two, but it's not like getting a full day's worth isn't doable. The OPPO Find N3 Flip does this with a much larger battery, and even the Galaxy Z Flip 5 fares much better than the Razr Plus despite having a slightly smaller battery.
Our hope is that a newer chip will help with battery efficiency, but Motorola should also try to squeeze in a larger battery.
We also would like to see faster wired and wireless charging. The 30W charging isn't bad, but that's less than half as fast as the Edge Plus (2023), and 5W wireless charging is just ridiculous.
Better water resistance
Samsung has made strides over the years to improve the durability of its foldable phones, and while dust resistance still isn't there, phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 5 have a pretty strong IP rating, so they can be fully submerged.
Motorola may have the dust resistance part covered with the Razr Plus, but water resistance is pretty weak, with the phone only able to withstand splashes. This can pose a problem for accident-prone Razr Plus owners who may frequently drop their phones or for people who live in areas where it rains a lot.
Hopefully, Motorola can improve the IP rating of the Razr Plus 2024 to better withstand exposure to water, which will likely aid in improving the overall durability of the hinge.
The cover screen is too good
One of the best features of the Razr Plus 2023 is the cover screen, which is large and highly functional, allowing you to use apps, take selfies, watch videos, and more. However, the 144Hz refresh rate seems a bit overkill, especially for a screen half the size of the main display, and Motorola doesn't let you adjust the refresh rate.
For the Razr Plus 2024, it might be necessary to downgrade the display a bit, maybe with an adjustable 90Hz refresh rate. That way, the phone doesn't have to use so much power when using the cover screen, which can provide additional battery savings.
More optimized experiences
Speaking of the cover screen, being able to use nearly any app while the phone is closed is great, but it would be nice to have more optimized app experiences. Samsung's reasoning for not allowing the use of most apps out of the box is seemingly due to its focus on app experiences that are tailored to the cover screen. Motorola has a limited selection of panels that you can swipe through, such as one for simple games and another for Spotify, but it would be nice to have more.
For instance, I would love to swipe over to a Google Photos panel that could show memories or a slideshow. Motorola could also give users a selection of music services other than Spotify to choose from.
Lastly, the company could work with app developers for better cover screen optimization of the apps themselves, especially popular social apps like Instagram and TikTok, to enhance experiences like viewing Reels or recording a TikTok video.
