Motorola Razr 40 review – folding smartphones go to the masses

Motorola is one of the brands that is well associated with foldable smartphones. The iconic Razr model, which turns 20 next year, was once perhaps the most stylish phone on the market. In 2019, Motorola revived the Razr brand by introducing one of the first smartphones with a folding display in a clamshell form factor. Today, we will talk about one of its successors, the Razr 40.

Motorola Razr 40 specifications

Package contents

Despite the current trend of minimizing the contents of a smartphone box, Motorola Razr 40 comes with a 33W charger, USB-A to USB-C cable, matte plastic protective covers, a SIM card clip, and various documentation.

Design, ergonomics

The Motorola Razr 40 has little in common with its original ancestor from 2004. Moreover, the novelty is significantly different from the Motorola Razr introduced in 2019. The smartphone’s body is made of 7000 series aluminum and has decorative inserts made of vegan leather. Three color options are available: Sage Green, Vanilla Cream, and Summer Lilac. In general, it looks quite stylish, although for my taste, the Sage Green color could be made greener.

The upper half of the smartphone contains a rectangular glass cover, under which the external display and two camera modules are located. The volume keys and power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner are located on the right side. The SIM card slot is on the left, and the speaker and USB-C port are on the bottom.

When folded, the Motorola Razr 40 is very convenient to carry around – it’s quite thin and light, so its compactness can be considered a plus. When opened, you immediately notice a slightly non-standard aspect ratio of the screen compared to the classic form factor of monoblock smartphones. An elongated display can contain more information, but it’s also harder to reach some interface elements.

Another nuance that applies to most folding smartphones is that opening the device with one hand is a rather non-trivial task. There is a high probability that the device will slip out of your hand, especially if you try to open it on the go. So you often have to open your smartphone with your other hand, which is not always the best option. For example, when you are carrying some packages.

The bend in the display is only noticeable if you look at it closely. When using the device, it is not distracting at all. Motorola engineers have done a good job on the hinge, because when folded there is no gap between the halves. However, when opening/closing the smartphone, some sounds of the hinge are slightly audible. It’s not that they make you worry about the reliability of the mechanism, but it’s still there. On the plus side, the smartphone is protected from water and dust splashes according to the IP52 rating.

Motorola Razr 40 displays

The main display of the smartphone has quite flagship characteristics. 6,9″ LTPO pOLED screen, 2640×1080 pixels (413 ppi) resolution, refresh rate from 1 to 144 Hz, maximum brightness up to 1400 nits. It is almost no different from its big brother, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.

In practice, there are no questions about the screen: it’s a clear and high-quality picture with good viewing angles and a fast and smooth interface. In the settings, you can turn on the night mode and set up a schedule for turning it on, choose one of the color schemes, change the refresh rate, and more.

The external OLED screen has a diagonal of just 1.5 inches, a resolution of 368×194 dots, and a refresh rate of up to 60 Hz. It contains a clock, as well as several panels that you can select in a separate settings menu. You can choose from voice recorder, calendar, contacts, media player, weather, and timer. You can turn the panels on or off and change their order.

On the external display, you can access some quick settings (by pulling the curtain from the top) and view notifications (by pulling the curtain from the bottom). You can also use the screen as a video finder for the camera when you want to take a selfie with the main camera. In the camera settings, you can also enable animation on the external screen, which can attract the attention of young children while you’re shooting.

But still, it’s not very convenient to make any manipulations on the 1.5-inch screen. Another disadvantage is the lack of Always-on Display mode. This means that you have to press the screen every time to see the time or check for notifications. In terms of the external screen, the Motorola Razr 40 is at the level of the first generations of Samsung Galaxy Flip, so there is a certain lag behind modern trends.

Platform, performance, sound

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and 8 GB of LPDDR4X RAM are among the compromises that Motorola made to reduce the price of the Razr 40. However, the smartphone is not positioned as a flagship, so the use of this chipset is quite logical. And it’s worth noting that it copes with its tasks with a solid B.

In everyday use, you can only occasionally notice some small lags, but in general, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 does its job well.

The fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button is still one of the most convenient and fastest means of biometric protection. The smartphone is also equipped with Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, NFC modules. There is a slot for a physical SIM card and an eSIM module. Dual stereo speakers support Dolby Atmos technology. They are of good quality and have enough volume, so it’s enough to watch YouTube videos or listen to music while getting ready for work in the morning.

As for the software, the smartphone is running Android 13 with a proprietary shell that doesn’t change the look or functionality of the operating system too much, so you get the “pure Android” that many people want. There are some branded features and additional customization options, but their use is entirely at your discretion.

Motorola Razr 40 cameras

The smartphone’s camera unit consists of two modules: the main 64 MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture, optical stabilization and laser autofocus and an ultra-wide-angle 13 MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 120-degree coverage. There is also a 32 MP front camera with f/2.4 aperture.

Traditionally, for smartphones in the upper mid-range segment, they are quite good at taking pictures in good light and at dusk, but when it comes to night photos, the difference with flagships is already noticeable. The story is similar with the Motorola Razr 40. In the daytime, as a rule, you get good quality photos – the image is clear, detailed, with pleasant color reproduction. In the evening, nuances can arise – if there is enough street lighting, you can count on a good photo. If there is not enough light, a lot of artifacts appear.

An ultra-wide-angle camera is even more dependent on lighting conditions. In the evening, where the main camera can still take an acceptable photo, the ultra-wide camera is likely to lose out. The situation with macro mode is similar, and it doesn’t have autofocus. Therefore, you need a little patience to take a good picture.

Battery life

Motorola Razr 40 has a 4200 mAh battery. This is a solid indicator for this class of smartphones. And during testing, the smartphone only confirmed this. With not very active use (~4:30 hours of screen use), it is quite possible to extend the operating time for one and a half or even two days.

The smartphone supports 30 W of wired charging and 5 W of wireless charging. Not the fastest performance by modern standards, but quite sufficient for comfortable use of the device. The presence of wireless charging came as a surprise, but there is no wireless reverse charging, so you won’t be able to recharge any of the accessories without using a cable.