Motorola has finally unveiled its new Razr 2026 flip phone, and I recently got in touch with them. Although there are some notable changes, the phones are more refined from last year’s models than anything else, and even that might be a stretch.
During my brief hands-on experience with the Razer 2026 series, I found some of the new features and upgrades quite exciting, but I was a little disappointed by how little changed compared to last year’s models. Luckily, Motorola is finally offering the new Razr Fold in something different for users to look at.
If it ain’t broke…
Even at first and second glance, the phones look more or less the same Razer 2025 series. This isn’t entirely a bad thing, and I’m a big fan of Motorola’s Razr design. However, the phones retain the thickness of their predecessors, which is a shame at a time when companies are scaling back.
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Each model comes with a new set of color options, although Motorola has changed things up a bit. The base Razer 2026 has four color options, while the Razer Ultra has two and the Razer Plus has one. I asked why that is, and it’s due to the popularity of the cheapest Razr models and Motorola’s desire to attract more users, especially those curious Effort A foldable flip phone.
This makes sense to me, although I wish the Razer Ultra was offered in more options. I like darker wood materials, and the Alcantara Orient Blue looks and feels great, but it’s more purple in person, and purple isn’t my favorite color.
I really like the base model options, with Bright White standing out for its shiny acetate design pattern. That said, my favorite is probably Purple Ice, because it has a really nice texture that feels great in the hand, to the extent that I couldn’t resist running my hand over the back of it. If you choose the Razer 2026, this is the color you can get.
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Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was that Motorola left many internals unchanged from the Razr 2025 series, although each Razr model does get an increase in battery capacity, thanks to new silicon-carbon batteries.
The Razer Plus 2026 remains the awkward middle child of the group, with only one color option and the same underpowered Despite the $100 price increase, the Razer Plus 2024 uses a Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chip. The chip should perform well, but as AI capabilities continue to grow, I doubt this will be enough for companies in the coming years.
Almost everything else including RAM, storage and charging is the same as last year’s Plus. One big difference is that Motorola has swapped out the telephoto camera for an ultrawide, which I think is a welcome change.
Apart from some new colors, the base Razer 2026 gets a new MediaTek Dimensity 7450XSo in theory the performance should be better, but the $100 price increase to $799 is still a bit worrying here.
Interestingly, the Razer Ultra 2026 still has the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and not the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. From a daily usage perspective, there is probably very little real difference between them, and this decision was probably made to prevent prices from skyrocketing amid the current RAM crisis.
When I asked Motorola about the decision to use an older chip, I was told that the Snapdragon 8 Elite provides everything the Razr Ultra 2026 needs, and upgrading the chipset doesn’t seem necessary.
On the one hand, this makes sense; The Snapdragon 8 Elite is still quite powerful, and most consumers probably won’t know the difference. However, since the price of Razer Ultra 2026 $200 It is priced at $1,499, higher than its predecessor at launch.
At this price, I think Motorola could have moved on to a newer chip or even offered less storage options (256G is still plenty). Samsung was even able to maintain the price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra while increasing the base Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus by only $100, but I’ve digressed from the topic.
I just hope the Razer Ultra 2026 doesn’t miss out on the cool Gemini AI features that Google will surely offer along with features like screen automation, but Motorola seems confident with its choice.
The nice thing is that the cover screen experience is getting some welcome features, like video wallpapers (fans have been asking for this) and live updates of Android so you can keep an eye on Uber deliveries and things like that, right from the cover screen.
The primary camera of the Ultra is being upgraded to a new 50MP LOFIC sensor that promises better dynamic range, faster shooting, and better power efficiency. The Razer Ultra 2025 already has a good camera, so I’m excited to try it out.
Motorola has also upgraded the Camcorder mode, which now zooms in and out when you tilt the phone left or right. This actually works pretty well at keeping the video steady, although I’m concerned that this feature might be annoying if activated when you didn’t really want it to happen.
It also has a feature called Frame Match, which lets you frame the photo exactly how you want. When you give your phone to someone to take a photo of you, the person taking it can match the overlay and frame the image to your liking. It feels like a simple mix between Add Me and Camera Coach on Pixel devices.
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Speaking of Google, Motorola showed off some interesting features using the Google Photos app. With the new Wardrobe feature, Google Photos will create a collection of clothes you wear in your images, almost like a virtual closet. You can then create your own look by mixing and matching items and literally trying them on, allowing you to try on the look without actually trying them on.
I was able to try it out during my briefing, and it was a lot of fun to use, even if I have no style or fashion sense (sorry, Miranda!).
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Google Photos is also integrating with Daily Drop, Motorola’s version of Samsung’s Now Brief. Now, when the Daily Drop appears on the phone, it will display Google Photos memories, in addition to your other personalized content. Unfortunately, I couldn’t demo it during my briefing.
Overall, the Razer 2026 series looks to be exactly what’s happening in the mobile tech industry, but when prices are rising as much as they are, it’s getting harder to justify spending more on last year’s technology. Sure, there are some upgrades scattered about, and the phones look nice, but $1,499 seems like a lot for a flip phone, and $1,099 for the Razer Plus 2026 is pushing it a bit.
Of course, I won’t be able to make my final judgment until I’ve tested the Razer Ultra 2026, and you can expect me to compare it to the Razer Ultra 2025 for good measure.
Motorola Razr Fold: the one that really matters
Luckily, anyone looking for something different from Motorola in 2026 need only look at the newest member of the Razr family: the Razr Fold. we have some Hands-on experience with the foldable at CES and MWC, so I won’t bore you with repeating it too much, but the Fold really feels like a solid piece of hardware.
It’s a slim, well-designed piece of technology that feels great in your hand, and it feels like Motorola has really pulled out almost all the stops. It has the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (not elite, but still good), a larger battery, longer software support, and its triple 50MP rear camera is rated top tier among foldable phones (something Motorola isn’t really known for).
I’m not a huge fan of big-screen foldables, but every time I pick up the Razer Fold, I don’t want to put it down. The best part is that it’s cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and makes it better with support for an active stylus. And the narrowing gap between it and the Razer Ultra 2026 means you don’t have to spend much for the Fold if you want to splurge.
We’ll have a full review coming soon, too, but I expect the Razr Fold to be Motorola’s breakout star of 2026.
