Motorola also announces the Razr 40, the cheapest foldable phone to date

Motorola today announced the Razr 40 Ultra, its new foldable flagship, a phone that we had the opportunity to test right before launch and for which we already have a full review, including video. But the company’s surprise came at the official launch event, where another mid-range foldable phone was unveiled: the Razr 40 “standard”. Even though it’s not as well-equipped in terms of hardware, this could be Motorola’s real “winner” model, as it comes in at a very good price, especially with competing models.

The Razr 40 loses most of the advantages of the Ultra variant in the process of reducing the price

Basically, in order to achieve a lower price, Motorola decided to give up some of the major advantages of the Razr 40 Ultra to create the “base” model of the series. The first “victim” was the external screen of the device. It comes with a tiny screen, smaller than all foldable Razr variants of the past, with a diagonal of only 1.5”. It immediately reminded me of the first generations of the Galaxy Z Flip, which offered a similar, pill-shaped screen.

This screen is very small and can only show the exact time, the weather and some other quick information, as well as a list of notifications, without much detail. Of course, it can also be used as a selfie mirror. Of course, there is no question of running full applications on such a small screen.

Interestingly, however, the smaller screen allowed the integration of a larger battery. Compared to 3,800 mAh on the Ultra model, the Razr 40 benefits from a 4,200 mAh battery. I don’t expect a major difference in range though. Whereas on the Ultra you still save battery by using the secondary screen for quick tasks, on the “standard” 40 you have to open the big screen every time. Charging is just as fast, at 30W, and the phone even includes wireless charging.

However, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor may in turn come with reduced power consumption compared to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 on the Ultra. The hardware configuration is otherwise similar, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.

The internal screen is also 6.9″, as large as the Razr 40 Ultra, but drops from 165 to 144 Hz for the refresh rate. The difference is imperceptible, as both run at 120 Hz in most use cases anyway.

The price is the most attractive thing about the new foldable phone

The camera is in turn different, but it may not offer a poorer performance. We are dealing with a main sensor of 64 MP with optical stabilization and laser focus, the same ultrawide with macro function of 13 megapixels as on the Ultra and the same front camera of 32 megapixels inside.

Construction is another element that could ensure a lower price. Instead of the Gorilla Glass Victus glass used on the Ultra for both the outer screen protection and the cover of the lower half, the Razr 40 has both covers covered with the already famous “vegan leather”, that is, a plastic with a texture that imitates natural leather. The phone will be available in three colors, Sage Green, Vanilla Cream and Summer Lilac, all made of the same material.

But the price is one that I think will make this model very popular in the market. If the Razr 40 Ultra starts at 6,000 lei and promises those who buy the phone in the first month a free screen change, the Razr 40 starts at a price of 3,999 lei in Romania. The launch will take place a little later, but when it goes on sale, Motorola says it will offer it at an introductory price of just 2,999 lei. This will be the cheapest foldable ever launched in Europe and certainly the cheapest foldable in Romania. Those who avoided foldables because of the price, will now have the opportunity to try this format at a much lower price.