Motorola Razr touted to land as cheapest 2023 foldable smartphone on the US market

Motorola originally launched its vanilla foldable Android clamshell as the Razr 40; however, the OEM refers to it simply as the Razr in announcing that it is finally about to go to pre-order in the US (although it is also occasionally referred to as the "new Razr", "Razr 2023" or even "Razr Gen 3" in its new press material).

By any name, this smartphone is far from the same device as the Razr+ for the US market. It has a last-gen (yet still 144Hz) main display driven by a mid-tier Qualcomm chipset as opposed to the more cutting-edge internals of the flagship. However, the gap between the two might be most easily apparent in the Razr's cover display.

It devolves to a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4-esque strip as opposed to the class-leading Razr+ external screen. Nevertheless, Motorola asserts that the Razr will still be able to deliver the latest multi-angle hinge, Android 13-based UI with a new Moto Unplugged digital wellness setting and wireless charging as the Plus model.

Its pre-orders will open starting at US$699 from October 12, 2023 on motorola.com, and will join its official Made for US Razr+ sibling on platforms such as Amazon on October 19. Finally, the vanilla Razr has a selection of Motorola's vegan leather finish options, although Viva Magenta remains exclusive to the Plus model.