The Motorola Razr has always been an icon, a symbol of sleek design and cutting-edge technology. Now, in its fifth generation, the Razr series embraces the foldable future, offering a compelling blend of nostalgic charm and modern functionality. But with two new models hitting the market—the Razr 50 Ultra and the Razr 50—how does the standard Razr 50 stack up against its pricier sibling and the competition? This in-depth review dives into the design, display, software, performance, camera capabilities, battery life, and overall value, helping you decide if the Razr 50 is the right flip phone for you.
Motorola Razr 50 Design: A Refined Classic
The Motorola Razr 50 boasts a significant design upgrade over its predecessor, the Razr 40. While retaining the familiar rounded corners and curved sides, the front presents a markedly different aesthetic. The back features a flat hinge design, a vegan leather finish on the lower half, and a thin strip of vegan leather at the top, providing an excellent grip. The Spritz Orange color option, particularly eye-catching, exemplifies the phone’s modern appeal. Key dimensions include:
- Dimensions (Closed): 73.99 x 88.08 x 15.85mm
- Dimensions (Open): 73.99 x 171.30 x 7.25mm
- Weight: 189g
- Colors: Beach Sand, Koala Grey, Spritz Orange
Button placement mirrors last year’s model, with volume and power keys (incorporating a fingerprint scanner) on the top right edge. The SIM tray resides on the top left, while the bottom edge houses the USB Type-C port, speaker, and another microphone.
The Hinge: Durability and Dust Resistance
A cornerstone of the Razr 50’s design is its improved hinge. Motorola claims a 30 percent volume reduction compared to the Razr 40, coupled with enhanced durability and dust protection—achieved through an IPX8 rating. While largely effective, users should be mindful of preventing dust accumulation on the inner panel to avoid potential damage. The hinge itself is constructed from stainless steel, complemented by a 6000 series aluminum frame. All surfaces exhibit a smooth satin finish that elevates the phone’s premium feel. The hinge’s limited range of motion allows for specific use cases like tent mode, camcorder mode, and table stand mode. While opening one-handed remains a challenge, the hinge’s functionality makes the process smoother. Although marketed as "nearly creaseless," a visible crease is present; however, it’s generally unobtrusive during typical usage. A new floating plate within the hinge aims to minimize stress on the folding panel and further reduce the crease’s visibility.
Motorola Razr 50 Display: A Significant Leap Forward
The Razr 50 represents a monumental upgrade in display technology, particularly with its outer screen. Replacing the undersized display of the Razr 40 is a 3.63-inch 10-bit OLED panel boasting a 90Hz refresh rate, up to 1700 nits of peak brightness, and HDR10 support. Integrates cutouts for cameras and the LED flash. Although not ideal for extended video consumption, it’s perfect for games and quick interactions. The outdoor readability is exceptional.
- Outer screen: 3.63-inch OLED, 1056 x 1066 pixels, 90Hz
- Inner flex screen: 6.9-inch pOLED LTPO, Full-HD+, 120Hz, HDR10+
- Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus (Outer)
The Inner Display: Immersive and Bright
The inner display is a 6.9-inch flexible plastic 10-bit OLED offering a 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3000 nits of peak brightness, and HDR10+ support. Three color modes—Natural, Radiant, and Vivid—are provided, with "Natural" recommended for its balanced color accuracy. The 22:9 aspect ratio excels for movie viewing but isn’t optimal for standard 16:9 content. Bright enough for outdoor viewing, though slightly reflective. Both displays offer Widevine L1 support, enabling full HD streaming from services like Netflix.
Motorola Razr 50 Software: A Refined Android Experience
The Razr 50 runs on Android 14 with Motorola’s My UX, offering a near-stock Android experience with subtle design refinements and useful Moto features. While some pre-installed apps are included, they’re easily removable and aren’t classified as "bloatware." Several Moto apps and features add value, including:
- Moto Secure: Enhanced security features
- Family Space: Parental control tools
- Moto Unplugged: Digital wellbeing features
- Smart Connect: Smart device connectivity
AI-Powered Personalization and Cover Screen Functionality
Motorola has integrated AI tools like Style Sync (creating wallpapers from photos) and Magic Canvas (text-prompt image generation leveraging Gemini), requiring a Moto account for Magic Canvas. The outer screen supports a wide range of apps, including several engaging pre-installed games, and integrates fully with Google Gemini, providing three months of Gemini Advanced free of charge. The interface is tailored for optimal usability on the cover display. Motorola commits to three years of Android OS updates and four years of security updates.
Motorola Razr 50 Performance: A Notable Shortcoming
The Razr 50’s most significant drawback is its chipset and resulting performance. The choice of a MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor, coupled with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, stands in contrast to the Snapdragon SoC in the Ultra model. While capable of handling daily tasks, users will notice occasional lag during app launches or multitasking, also affecting transitions between screens.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7300X
- RAM: 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage: 256GB UFS 2.2
Benchmark Scores and Gaming Performance
Benchmark tests reveal mixed results, with scores lagging behind competitors like the Tecno Phantom V Flip and Oppo Find N3 Flip (see table in the original article). Nonetheless, the device manages to run games like BGMI and Asphalt 9 adequately, with acceptable performance but occasional noticeable lags.
Motorola Razr 50 Cameras: A Balanced Performance
The Razr 50 shares the 50-megapixel main camera and 32-megapixel inner selfie camera with the Ultra model, but substitutes the telephoto lens for a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera with autofocus. The cover screen allows for convenient selfie shooting using either the main or ultrawide cameras. A camcorder mode is also included.
- Main: 50-megapixel, f/1.7, OIS
- Secondary (Ultrawide): 13-megapixel, f/2.2, 120-degree FoV
- Inner Selfie: 32-megapixel, f/2.4
Image Quality and Video Recording
Daylight photos from the main camera offer good detail and dynamic range but exhibit noticeable sharpening and oversaturation. The ultrawide camera produces images with less detail, darker shadows, and color inconsistencies. Low-light performance is acceptable for the main camera, though the ultrawide struggles. While the main camera produces decent 4K video at 30fps with stabilization (though not flawless), the ultrawide’s video quality is noticeably inferior.
Motorola Razr 50 Battery: All-Day Power
Despite having the same 4200mAh battery as the previous generation, the Razr 50 delivers surprisingly impressive battery life and often exceeded seven hours of screen-on time during testing. This is likely due in part to increased use of the outer display for messaging, etc.. The phone consistently lasted over a full day on a single charge. Gaming significantly impacts battery life.
- Capacity: 4200mAh
- Charging: 30W fast charging (33W charger included in the box)
- Wireless Charging: 15W
Motorola Razr 50 Verdict: A Strong Contender with Caveats
Priced at Rs. 64,999, the Motorola Razr 50 presents a compelling proposition, especially compared to other flip phones in this price range. While the Oppo Find N3 Flip outperforms it in terms of processing power and camera capabilities (albeit with a less user-friendly cover screen), and the Tecno Phantom V Flip is not a superior device, the Razr 50 stands out with its blend of style, features, and battery life. It’s a worthy upgrade from the Razr 40.
The Razr 50’s biggest weakness, the MediaTek Dimensity 7300X processor, cannot be overlooked. While it delivers acceptable, though not exceptional, everyday performance, its shortcomings might deter users expecting flagship-level processing power. However, the impressive outer display, decent camera system, excellent battery life, fast charging, IPX8 rating, compact form factor, AI features, user-friendly software, and undeniable style make it a compelling option for those who prioritize these aspects and are less focused on sheer processing speed. For most users, it’s an excellent choice for a unique foldable phone.
