Motorola Razr 2022: Everything you need to know

The Motorola Razr name has been around for many years, but in 2019 the company revived its classic flip phone to incorporate a folding display.

The initial model was followed in 2020 with a Razr 5G version, and now a replacement is on the way very soon, so what should we expect from the Motorola Razr 2022? Here are all the news and rumours we’ve found so far about the Razr 2022.

When will the next Motorola Razr be released?

• 2 August
• Likely starting in China

After many months of waiting, Motorola has finally confirmed the date for the Razr 2022 launch event. It will take place on 2 August and also feature the Moto X30 Pro.

The post on Weibo, translated into English, says “In order to meet the height of your expectations this time, we also climbed to the heights. At 7:30pm on August 2nd. The moto new product launch conference invites you to join us. See you at the peak of the dual flagship!”

Evan Blass on 91mobiles predicted a “summer release” and added that it will ship first in China in late July or early August in two colours – Quartz Black and Tranquil Blue – followed later by a global rollout when it will have to compete with primarily the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4.

However, the price leak from CompareDial below states that the only launch colour will be Quartz Black.

Here’s when the previous models made their debuts:

• Motorola Razr – November 2019
• Motorola Razr 5G – September 2020

How much will the Motorola Razr 2022 cost?

According to an exclusive report by CompareDial, the Razr 3 will be priced at €1,149 making it €150 cheaper than its predecessor.

• Motorola Razr – £1,499/US$1499/€1599
• Motorola Razr 5G – £1,399/$1,399/€1499

The Motorola Razr was one of the first devices with a foldable display, and this can be seen in the eye-watering prices of the first two generations. These were comparable to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which itself started off at those kinds of prices, but has since dropped to the more acceptable £949/$999/€1,049/₹84,999 for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.

So the Razr still won’t be as affordable as its closest rival, although it remains to be seen if Samsung sticks to the same price for the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 4.

What about the 2022 Motorola Razr specs and design?

• Updated square design with no chin
• 50Mp main camera
• 6.7in AMOLED 120Hz screen
• 3in front screen
• Snapdragon Gen 1
• Up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage

Motorola has now confirmed the existence of the Razr 2022 with Lenovo Mobile China GM Chen Jin showing it off on stage (via GSMArena). There’s also an official teaser video for the phone that’s been posted on Weibo.

Furthermore, Chen Jin also posted a video on his own Weibo feed showing the larger front display. It has an easter egg where you can shake the phone to roll dice on the screen.

And if we needed any more confirmation, another Weibo post has shown off the size of the front display along with some of the things it can do, syaing it (translated) “can be on par”, presumably in relation to the inner screen. We can also dual cameras in a teaser post.

Until the 91mobiles leak mentioned above, little was known about the next Razr beyond a patent (above) Motorola filed and spotted by MySmartPrice. The patented design is for a flip phone that folds outward so that the screen is on the outside when the phone is closed – like the Huawei Mate X.

However, leaked photos that appear to show the Razr 2022 thankfully show a traditional clamshell-style with the main screen inside like previous models.

As you can see in the photo, particularly of the phone in its closed state, it looks more akin to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 this time around with a squarer design and the iconic chin is gone. This means the fingerprint scanner has been repositioned in the power button.

Blass also has some specs for the phone including the dual cameras. These will be a 50Mp, f/1.8 main camera alongside a “combination wide-angle and macro sensor with native resolution of 13Mp”.

Inside, the selfie camera is supposedly 32Mp and will sit in the display via a punch hole cut out. Blass says the display is Full HD+ in resolution and XDA Developers says it will be 6.7in is size with AMOLED tech and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The larger screen (up from 6.5in) is backed up by a tweet from Ross Young, the CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, who says that it will indeed be 6.7in and be made by China Star. Young adds that the front cover display will increase from 2.7- to 3in.

Blass has now shown off the new design, side-mounted fingerprint scanner and both screens in the following gif giving us a real-life look at the next Razr – aka Maven.

As expected – and hinted by Chen Jin’s comments – an upgraded processor is on the way for the Razr 2022. It seems there will at least be a model with the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

Another SKU with the unannounced Gen 1 Plus was also in the works according to Blass but delays on that chip means it’s unclear whether this more powerful model will see the light of day or not.

Various combinations of memory and storage will be available with either 8- or 12GB or RAM and 256- or 512GB of storage. However, XDA Developers previously reported possible 6GB and 128GB options.

Finally, you can expect some sort of external display to return, though details are unclear as of yet, and support for both NFC and UWB – a.k.a. ultra-wideband, the positioning tech that drives the likes of the Apple AirTag tracker and also has smart home applications.

Another element mentioned in the Weibo post is “better human-machine interface,” which could mean the software experience. The Razr 5G shipped with Android 10, using Motorola’s typically clean and simple Android skin, so it was pretty good to begin with.

Whether Jin is referring to the potential use of Android 12 or a new Lenovo/Motorola version of that OS remains to be seen. Of course, we’re at the mercy of translations here, so it could also refer to the physical design of the device itself.

Next on the rumour mill is disappointing news as, according to a Chinese source, the Razr 3 will have a 2800mAh battery. That’s the same as the previous model and and long way off the usual 4500mAh found in most modern smartphones. Foldables of this style do have smaller batteries due to the design but the Galaxy Z Flip 3’s is 3300mAh and the Z Flip 4’s is rumoured to be 3700mAh.

What this means is that the Razr 3 might not last a day of normal usage before conking out but we’ll see when we get the final details and a review sample.

As more news becomes available, we’ll update this article. So be sure to check back periodically. In the meantime, check out our guide to the best phones coming in 2022 and best phones to see which models are worthy of your attention.