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Bloomberg

Seven months after launching its first modern reboot of the early 2000s classic, Motorola this week announced its second-generation foldable Razr.
The new Android smartphone has a unique selling point over Apple’s handsets: a screen that folds in half like a flip phone.
Still measuring 6.2 inches, the main display functions like that of any other modern device, but it turns into a compact square when closed, and Motorola has focused on improving the things a user can do with the exterior screen.
It also adds 5G wireless capabilities, a faster processor and much improved cameras.


The Razr brought in more people switching from competing Android brands this year than any other Motorola device, according to the company.
Twenty per cent of Razr buyers were iPhone or iPad owners, the company added, indicating that the pricey Razr was appealing to those loyal to the Apple brand.
Huawei might have a new foldable phone called Mate V
Priced at US$1,399, the 5G Razr is US$100 cheaper than its predecessor and more affordable than the US$1,449 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, its only competition in this nascent class.
Motorola executives said the first Razr owns 50 per cent of the foldable phone market in North America. Motorola is launching the 5G edition in several new countries, including China.
Sergio Buniac, Motorola’s president, said that sales figures for the original model were in line with internal projections, though he wouldn’t divulge specifics. He said that the device wasn’t a major portion of the company’s overall sales in 2020, but it drove new awareness of Motorola as a brand.

The first foldable Razr launched just weeks before the coronavirus outbreak in the US, which hurt its debut, Buniac said.
The tweaked Razr 5G design has a more polished back, new colours and a fingerprint scanner that has been moved from the front chin to the back. Depending on a person’s hand size, that is either an improvement or a downgrade.
The camera specifications are updated considerably, going from a 5-megapixel selfie camera to 20 megapixels and upgrading to a more sophisticated 12-megapixel main shooter on the rear with larger individual pixels and optical image stabilisation. This is one of the few flagship Android devices on the market without a multi-camera system, a compromise due to its folding design.

Stepping up to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G processor is a move in the right direction, though a tier below Samsung’s Z Flip 5G. The battery has also been upgraded to 2,800mAh, but it too is behind most of the Android competition.
The Razr feels decidedly less flimsy than the original foldable, but the screen still emits a slight creak when it opens and closes. It is also a fingerprint magnet and uses a plastic cover unlike its Samsung rival’s ultra-thin glass. 
US$1,399 is a high price to pay for a phone without any obvious advantage, especially at a time when every Android manufacturer is putting out devices, including Motorola’s own Edge+, that cost hundreds of dollars less and offer far better specifications, displays and battery life. 


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Motorola

Moto Razr 5G: foldable Motorola phone no match for other Android handsets, even if it is cheaper and better than  first Razr reboot

The new Motorola Razr 5G is an upgraded version of the Razr launched in early 2020, and slightly cheaper. But it is still behind most of the Android competition. Photo: Motorola

Promotional shot of the Motorola Razr 5G (2020)

A Motorola Razr. Photo: Jeff Roberson/AP

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 first look: a bigger, better screen and a sturdier hinge for a mini laptop feel and hi-res selfies

The inside screen of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 measures 7.6-inches and refreshes at 120Hz. Photo: Ben Sin

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (left) next to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (right).

The hinge design of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 brings several new use cases for the phone, for example, it can prop the phone’s screen and camera up for hands-free photo taking or video call sessions.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (left) next to the original Galaxy Fold. The Z Fold 2 increases the outside screen significantly, from 4.5-inches of the original to 6.2-inches.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2’s design allows users to take higher resolution selfies using the main camera system. Photo: Ben Sin

Apple preparing 75 Million 5G iPhones alongside new watches and iPad

People take photos of the upcoming Apple Store at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on August 31. Photo: Reuters

For the past few years, Apple Watch owners have had to do their navigating with Apple Maps. Now Google Maps is finally returning to Apple's smartwatch.

Customers at the Apple Store at Festival Walk, in Kowloon Tong, check out the iPhone 11 models in September of last year. This year’s new models are expected to launch in October. Photo: Winson Wong

Apple’s iPhone loses out to Huawei in China as locals turn to the Chinese smartphone brand

Apple staff and customers are seen in a store in Beijing on February 22. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle

Gadgets


The Moto Razr 5G looks and feels better than the first Razr reboot, and at US$1,399 is slightly cheaper, but better Android phones can be had for much less
The upgrades make it less flimsy, but it is a fingerprint magnet with its plastic back, and its foldable design precludes having a multi-lens camera system



Motorola’s updated US$1,399 Moto Razr 5G foldable phone offers an improved camera system, faster processor and bigger battery, but doesn’t match Samsung’s foldable Z Flip 5G, let alone other, much cheaper Android handsets.


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