Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) review: looking sharp

The Motorola Razr Extremely is one thing particular, nevertheless it’s not fairly Extremely.

It’s beautiful. It’s a delight to make use of, and even after a number of generations of this revamped Razr flip format, checking bus arrival occasions on the outer display nonetheless seems like getting away with one thing. This cellphone is a variety of issues — however Extremely feels a bit too robust.

This can be a new addition to the Razr lineup, sitting atop the trio of flip phones in options and value, beginning at $1,299. You get the next decision internal display, Qualcomm’s strongest cellular processor, double the space for storing, and an upgraded selfie cam. Oh, and a devoted button to summon Motorola’s AI options, however extra on that later.

Is it a minimize above the remainder of the Razr household? Certain. Is it a stunning cellphone? Undoubtedly. It’s simply that Extremely is a loaded time period, particularly should you’re speaking about Android telephones. Samsung has set the tone for what makes a phone ultra, which presently means a variety of cameras and mainly each high-end spec you possibly can consider. This Razr has loads of appeal and a robust listing of specs, nevertheless it nonetheless highlights the hole between the easiest slab-style telephones and flip telephones — even Extremely ones.

Did I point out how good this cellphone seems? I really did a double tackle not less than one event after I noticed it in my tote bag. My evaluation unit’s facet rails are a goldish, bronzy colour that emphasizes the nice and cozy tones of the wood again panel. It’s actual wooden, too, although a bit little bit of give after I press down on the middle suggests it’s a skinny layer on prime of one thing else.

The 4-inch 1080p outer display covers virtually the complete entrance of the cellphone. It’s responsive and easy, and Motorola’s cowl display software program stays my favourite technique to work together with a flip cellphone. You swipe between panes, together with a brand new display for widgets, and a well-recognized one devoted to apps you possibly can allow to run on the small display. That is the place issues get fascinating.

Opening Instagram on a tiny four-inch display sounds horrible, and it’s. That’s form of the purpose. The display is large enough to deal with checking notifications, typing a response, and taking fast actions in apps like beginning an exercise in Strava. For every thing else, you’ll wish to use the internal display. It helps me minimize a few of my senseless scrolling after I have to open the cellphone to examine an Instagram notification.

The internal show measures 7 inches with a 1224p decision — a hair larger and sharper than the 6.9-inch 1080p screens on the opposite two Razr fashions. It’s an excellent show. I favored it rather more as soon as I modified the colour setting to “pure” from its default “vivid,” which overdoes it with the reds, for my part. Outdoors, the display was just a bit dimmer than I’d like in vivid situations; even when peak brightness mode kicks in, it’s not fairly sufficient to be comfy to make use of in direct daylight.

Motorola says the brand new hinge is extra sturdy and reduces the crease when the display is open. I don’t normally discover the crease on a foldable distracting, however this one virtually disappears while you unfold the cellphone. The earlier hinge felt a bit floppy when you opened the cellphone previous 90 levels; this one has higher resistance.

The Razr Extremely has an IP48 ranking, persevering with to supply full water-resistance like final yr’s fashions. This was reassuring after I watched my child drool immediately into the cellphone’s hinge. The “4” ranking for particle resistance certain seems friendlier than the X of the earlier fashions, however that doesn’t imply it’s dust-resistant. The internals are protected from particles as small as one millimeter, larger than the grain of mud or sand that would wreak havoc on the cellphone’s internal display. The Extremely has stood as much as loads of abuse to this point, together with publicity to the dusty inside of my tote bag and manhandling by my toddler. Lengthy-term sturdiness stays much less sure than a slab-style cellphone, although.

Motorola can also be debuting a set of AI options it’s been beta testing. “Catch Me Up” summarizes notifications from messaging apps, “Keep in mind This” recordsdata away screenshots, textual content, and photographs so you possibly can ask about them later, and “Pay Consideration” begins a voice recording with automated transcription. The short model of my expertise throughout the week I’ve been utilizing them? Meh.

I like “Keep in mind This” as a repository for screenshots of issues I’d in any other case go away open in a Chrome tab all the time, however I didn’t discover it as helpful in a private assistant. I added screenshots of particulars for some upcoming flights, and it acquired issues proper after I requested questions on them, like what time my flight was leaving. But it surely’s additionally a bit gradual to answer a question since a part of it runs within the cloud. Within the time it takes to search out the knowledge, I may have simply opened the Delta app and checked myself.

I’m reserving some judgment as a result of these options are extra helpful the longer you reside with them, and Motorola’s method is wise. Every little thing depends on you manually including info to the service — it requires a Motorola / Lenovo account — which avoids among the ickiness of an always-listening or watching AI system. It additionally means it’s essential habituate to saving screenshots and knowledge in a brand new location, and you’ll inevitably overlook to do this.

Motorola has made each effort to get you to have interaction with its AI. There’s a devoted AI key to launch two of those capabilities with a protracted press or double press. You possibly can disable both, however you possibly can’t assign non-AI capabilities to this key, which form of sucks. There’s a outstanding homescreen icon for the Moto AI app, a floating bubble, an choice to have the display get up while you have a look at it, and extra. One way or the other, it feels overwhelming and forgettable on the identical time. However I haven’t given up on it fairly but, I plan to maintain testing these options.

All the above describes an excellent flip cellphone, which I’ve come to anticipate from Motorola. However is it an Extremely? Another {hardware} specs assist make that case: a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and a Gorilla Glass Ceramic layer on the outer display. There’s as much as 68W wired charging and as much as 30W wi-fi charging. Nothing to sneeze at.

The Razr Extremely behaves like a top-shelf Android cellphone. It renders Pocket Metropolis 2’s 3D mode and not using a hiccup, and although it warms up with quick charging or prolonged gaming, I by no means noticed a drop in efficiency. Battery life is a vivid spot too, particularly for a flip cellphone that has to surrender a few of its internal actual property to the hinge. Even on a day the place I spent a while utilizing the Razr propped as much as stream a video of the Vatican on Pope Watch, tracked a 45-minute bike journey whereas streaming audio, and dialed into a gathering, I used to be solely all the way down to about 50 p.c by bedtime. That’s slab cellphone battery efficiency from a flip cellphone, an actual achievement.

It’s slated to obtain three OS upgrades and 4 years of safety updates. That’ll be sufficient for most individuals, however Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 6 affords seven years of OS and safety updates. It’s simpler to grasp the shorter software program longevity on a cheaper cellphone, however on this $1,300 Extremely? That’s tougher to justify.

The story of utilizing a Motorola cellphone digital camera goes like this: you possibly can take some very nice photographs with it, however you possibly can’t be fully certain which of your photographs will end up nicely and which is able to obtain some questionable processing. It does nicely with flattering lighting, like indoors together with your topic subsequent to an enormous window. It may produce a good portrait mode portrait. Different occasions, photographs can look a bit overbrightened, oversaturated, or a mix of the 2. This stuff appear to occur extra typically in “meh” lighting — overcast and grey situations, or a dimly lit room.

This Razr has a 50-megapixel extensive digital camera and a 50-megapixel ultrawide, with a 2x crop zoom choice through the primary one. I ponder if a 50-megapixel selfie digital camera is overkill, since you should use these on the outer panel with the entrance display for selfies. Perhaps it’s there so that you’ll look further crisp in your Zoom conferences, or possibly it’s there to lend one other air of Extremely. Arduous to say.

There’s one thing intangible concerning the Razr that’s arduous to clarify with out utilizing it for a short time. I don’t even absolutely perceive it myself. Why does it really feel so good hailing an Uber from the front-facing display as an alternative of opening the cellphone? Why is it so satisfying to tug up my digital boarding move on the duvet display utilizing one hand whereas I’m wielding a espresso and a rolling suitcase with the opposite? Why does it really feel so triumphant to snap the cellphone shut after firing off a zinger within the group chat? I don’t know, nevertheless it simply does.

For all of the flip cellphone advantages, it comes with some acquainted flip cellphone drawbacks. The internal display folds, certain, nevertheless it’s not as vivid or sharp as these on the most effective slab-style telephones. It’s moderately sturdy, however mud continues to be a priority. You get an ultrawide and first rate crop zoom to enrich the primary digital camera, however another slab-style cellphone at this value comes with a devoted telephoto lens. There are fewer tradeoffs than on earlier flip telephones, however they nonetheless exist.

“Extremely” is within the eye of the beholder, actually. If a flip cellphone with a stacked spec sheet and a stunning exterior end sounds Extremely sufficient, this Razr will delight you. It’s arduous to argue that case for anybody who’s extra casually all for a flip cellphone, particularly contemplating the caliber of slab-style cellphone you might get for $1,300. However this cellphone is terribly particular as an object, a device, and a factor of magnificence.

Images by Allison Johnson / The Verge