In a folding smartphone market largely dominated by Samsung, Motorola intends to do well. The Lenovo brand, which offers a new Razr clamshell model each year, chooses to deliver two this year. For those who wish to adopt this format without however spending more than 1000 €, the manufacturer intends its Razr 40. Those with a larger budget can turn to the Razr 40 UItra, which intends to comply with the highest requirements.
If there is one point on which the Razr stands out from its – rare – competitors, that is to say essentially from the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4, it is by its external screen. This displays a diagonal of 3.6 inches, which allows it to turn into a real screen on which common actions (sending messages, consulting social networks, etc.) can be carried out. It is an Oled panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which seems almost too much, unless the user intends to play on this display. It should be borne in mind that this screen is pierced with three punches, two being dedicated to photo lenses and the third to a flash. However, it has the major advantage of occupying almost all of the space available on the Razr 40 Ultra, and not just displaying widgets.
An autonomy that questions
Once the smartphone is open, the good surprises continue. The Razr has a 6.9-inch pOled Full HD + interior panel, which we especially appreciate the almost non-existent crease under the finger. We note its refresh rate of 165 Hz maximum, again somewhat disproportionate, and which benefits from LTPO technology. This rate therefore oscillates automatically between 1 and 165 Hz depending on the applications used, which is designed to limit energy consumption. We must hope that this is enough, Motorola integrating into its smartphone a small battery of 3800 mAh (wired charge at 30 W and wireless at 5 W). It comes with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, certainly less energy-consuming than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but more – at least on the latest smartphones we tested – than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. To satisfy an audience requiring power without compromise, the brand flanks its chip with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage.
Like its competitors, the Razr 40 Ultra offers two photo modules. The main, 12 Mpx, is accompanied by a stabilized wide-angle lens (f / 1.5), while the second, of 13 Mpx, is with an ultra wide-angle. The smartphone is capable of filming up to 8K, and the “Flex View” mode allows it to be used semi-open to take optimal quality selfies. We will have to check their performance in the laboratory before deciding, especially since folding smartphones are often a little less convincing in this field than monoblock devices.
A premium finish (and price)
For the rest, the smartphone, pleasant in the hand thanks to its rounded edges and matte glass back, offers complete connectivity (with eSIM compatibility and Ready For certification) and notable software support: Motorola promises three years of software updates. ‘OS and four years of security patches. Too bad however that the smartphone ignores the IPX8 certification, and is satisfied with the IP52: it is only protected against splashes.
This promising Razr 40 Ultra is coming to the French market from June 1, at a price of €1,199, which propels it into the premium smartphone segment. Motorola accompanies its launch with a dedicated offer. For any purchase in one of the participating brands between June 1 and July 16, purchasers of the smartphone will be offered a Lenovo Tab P11 Plus tablet (€279).
