Motorola announced earlier today that it would begin sales of its upcoming foldable smartphone — the Motorola razr — in the U.S. following a delayed launch. According to The Verge , the Motorola razr, which was initially scheduled for launch earlier this month, will go on sale February 6. Customers will be able to preorder the $1,499 smartphone starting January 26, the report adds.
Motorola first announced the 2020 razr in November 2019, per GSMArena , without a specific launch date for the device. A few days later, the company announced that the foldable smartphone would go on sale in the U.S. starting January 9. In December, Motorola issued a statement in which they clarified that they were deferring the launch date by a few weeks. Motorola cited “unparalleled excitement and interest” from customers as a reason for the delay, a Digital Trends report said.
The Motorola razr is a modern successor to the company’s classic Moto razr series of clamshell-style mobile phones. First launched in November 2005, the first-generation of Motorola razr went on to become the best selling clamshell phone in the world, with over 130 million units shipped. While early versions of the Motorola razr did not feature smartphone capabilities, the 2020 iteration of the handset not only packs in Android 10 out of the box, it is also among the first mass-produced foldable smartphones to feature a clamshell-like design.
Interestingly, back in 2018, The Inqusitr had talked about Motorola’s plans to revive the razr brand by launching a foldable smartphone.
Introducing the #Snapdragon -powered and foldable @MotorolaUS #razr smartphone. Mid-2000s you would be so jealous. pic.twitter.com/5qnR5aAlJr
— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) November 21, 2019
With a price tag of $1,499, the Motorola razr competes with flagship-class devices and another foldable smartphone — the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Features on the Motorola razr include a 6.2-inch flip display, dual rear cameras with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a secondary ToF sensor. The phone also sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The rear camera offers dual-LED dual-tone flash for low light situations.
Powering the Motorola razr is a Snapdragon 710 chipset from Qualcomm. This is a mid-range chipset that offers relatively sedate performance compared to other processors that are typically used by phones in this price range. Connectivity options supported by the phone range from Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 5.0 to USB Type-C and NFC. The razr also has a fingerprint scanner and houses a non-removable 2510 mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging.
Customers interested in preordering the Motorola razr can do so starting January 26. The device will also be available for purchase in brick and mortar stores on or after February 6.