The new Motorola Razr is a beautiful mess

What a box: A tower made of black plastic with a glass ceiling contains the upright smartphone and a triangular accessory sleeve. Evidently, Motorola has put a lot of work into creating a great first impression for buyers of the Motorola Razr.

The design is an homage to the Motorola Razr V3 from 2004, a legendary flip phone that set itself apart with a slender silhouette and was only held back by poor software.

While the new Razr is also foldable, the display stretches from the top edge all the way to the bottom this time, which means that it is a smartphone with a foldable display. There is acoustic proof of this, since the display cannot be folded without making some amount of noise. Additionally, the various different surfaces of the Razr largely consist of plastic, which does not result in a very premium appearance.

The smartphone comes with (close to) stock Android and since the initial release, Motorola has released improvements to the software of its foldable smartphone. The GPS is fairly precise and Motorola has included a few neat features for the secondary display on the back.

This does not sound all that bad, right? Unfortunately, the Motorola Razr's price of 1499 Euros ($1499 in the US) is far too high relative to the performance and features of the device: A mid-range processor, a dim display, a single-camera that leaves something to be desired in terms of sharpness, and a small battery complicate a recommendation for the Motorola Razr.

Still, enthusiasts with a fondness for innovation and nostalgics who still remember the Razr V3 may want to take a closer look at our in-depth review of the Motorola Razr 2019. Despite all of its weaknesses, this smartphone is an eye-catcher with fascinating technology.