Motorola Razr 50 Ultra First Impressions: Striving for Perfection

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra has truly changed the game in the world of foldable phones. The phone, which launches in July 2023, certainly made an impression and raised the bar for foldable (or flippable) designs, forcing other manufacturers to reconsider how they can use form-factor displays. In my reviews of both competing foldable phones (the Oppo Find N3 Flip and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5), it was clear that neither managed to deliver the seamless form-factor display that Motorola has mastered with its Razr 40 Ultra.

It’s 2024, and Motorola is back with another iteration of its foldable clamshell phone, the Razr 50 Ultra. It looks very familiar to the previous model, but take a closer look and you’ll see a ton of changes.

The Motorola Razr 50 Ultra has the familiar 6.9-inch pOLED main display, but with a 165Hz screen refresh rate

The new Motorola Razr 50 Ultra certainly looks a lot like the previous model it replaces. Not much has changed in the design department, aside from the vegan leather-finished back panels that now come standard on all three colourways, two of which are brand new. Motorola has certainly worked on the details this year, as the Midnight Blue finish features a dual-stitching pattern, giving it a different texture compared to the single-stitching of the Spring Green and Peach Fuzz options.

The hinge seems to be much smoother and more refined this year, and Motorola claims it offers significantly improved free-stop performance compared to the previous model. The hinge is also better designed to handle dust. When it comes to water, the phone gets an IPX8 certification, which is in line with what Samsung offers on its Galaxy Flip 5. The A-cover (protective case) on the hinge is also flatter, making the phone slightly slimmer than the previous model.

The larger 4-inch display on the case is fully compatible with Google’s Gemini AI

One design feature that many may overlook is the cover display, which, unlike the Razr 40 Ultra, now runs from edge to edge with a thin, uniform bezel. The display has grown in size from the already large 3.6-inches on the Razr 40 Ultra to an even larger 4-inches of pOLED with a higher resolution (1272 x 1080 pixels) that’s now LTPO and offers a 165Hz refresh rate. The hinge assembly that extended into the cover display on the earlier model, resulting in a metal strip across the top of the cover display, is now gone, giving it a very smooth and clean look. Indeed, Motorola has opted for more subtle refinements this time around, which will be mostly noticeable to existing customers when both devices are placed side by side.

The Motorola Razr 50 Ultra has a new hinge that, in addition to being more compact, also provides a smoother and more refined experience

Another area that feels more polished is the phone’s software. Motorola’s new Hello UI based on Android 14 gradually moves away from what was once a near-stock Android experience. However, it’s nice to see a revamped UI on the cover display, which even has a pinch-to-zoom gesture to see all the new tiles at once (like on the Galaxy Z Flip 5). New to the foldable lineup is the use of Google’s Gemini AI, which is now available on the cover display itself. From searching for explanations to brainstorming, even general Q&As and tasks can now be handled without even opening the phone’s main screen, making the already useful cover display even more practical.

All Motorola Razr 50 Ultra trims this year feature a vegan leather back panel

The smooth operation of this new UI and AI is handled by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC. The phone has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which is probably why the software experience is smoother this year. But more on that in my full review .

There are new cameras, too. Both rear cameras have been upgraded to high-resolution 50-megapixel sensors. The secondary camera is now a telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. Selfies are handled by a 32-megapixel front camera built into the foldable main display.

Thanks to the bigger, faster display this year, Motorola has supported the phone with a larger 4,000mAh battery (up from last year’s 3,800mAh unit), combined with LTPO technology in both displays and a significantly more power-efficient processor than the previous model (theoretically, this should result in longer battery life). Charging is handled by a 68W wired charger that’s included in the box. The phone, like last year’s model, also supports 15W wireless charging.

In addition to the charger, Motorola also includes Moto Buds+ TWS headphones and an eco-friendly case.

At a hefty price of Rs 99,999 this year, it all seems justified considering the numerous improvements available with this year’s model. Motorola is also offering a sturdy case in the box along with the high-quality Moto Buds+ TWS (review) at Rs 9,999, which seems like a good deal. The question remains whether Motorola has addressed the heating issues and mediocre camera and video performance of last year’s Razr 40 Ultra to come up with something better this year in its quest to improve the foldable device. And that’s something I’ll wrap up with in our full review, coming soon.