Motorola's legendary Razr line continues to evolve in the foldable smartphone format, and this year it has a new flagship model, the Razr 50 Ultra, which features an updated design, platform, and cameras. I spent more than a week with the new device and am ready to share my impressions and experience.
Razr 50 Ultra specifications
| Dimensions and weight | In the open state: 171.4 x 74 x 7.1 mmWhen closed: 88.1 x 74 x 15.3 mm 189 grams, IPX8 |
| Кольори | Hot Pink, Midnight blue, Peach Fuzz, Spring Green |
| RAM and storage | 12/512 GB |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 (4 nm) |
| Graphics processor | Adreno 735 |
| Wireless modules | Wi-Fi 7 2.4 + 5 GHzBluetooth 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX LosslessNFCnanoSIM + eSIM |
| Display | Main: 6.9" pOLED, 2640 x 1080, 165 Hz, 3000 nits Outer: 4" pOLED, 1272 x 1080, 165 Hz, 2400 nits |
| Main cameras | 50 megapixels (f/1.7, 0.8 μm, PDAF, OIS) + 50 megapixels (f/2.2, 0.64 μm, 2x optical zoom) |
| Selfie camera | 32 megapixels (f/2.4, 0.7 μm, Quad Pixel) |
| Аудіо | stereo speakersDolby Atmos |
| Battery | 4000 mA⋅ year |
| Charging | 45 WTurbo Power |
| Connector | USB 2.0 Type-C |
| ОС | Android 14 |
| Recommended price | 12/512 GB - 49 999 UAH |
Package contents
Motorola is often very good at bundling its flagship smartphones, and the Razr 50 Ultra is no exception. In the box with the smartphone, you can find a USB-C charging cable, a 68W power supply, and a padded case along with a lanyard that allows you to wear the smartphone around your neck, which is quite convenient.
As you can see, the package provides everything you need to start using your smartphone.
Design and materials
The changes in the design of the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra are not too big, the smartphone has the same shape with rounded corners and edges, as well as almost the same size and weight as its predecessor Razr 40 Ultra. However, the futuristic nature and ability of foldable smartphones to attract attention will last for several more years, so manufacturers don't need to bother with annual redesigns. The Razr 50 Ultra still has its "wow effect," and the only thing the manufacturer needed to do was to enhance it.
I think that even at the design stage of the previous version, Motorola engineers had an idea of what to do with the next generation. The fact is that last year's Razr 40 Ultra had a 3.6-inch external screen with a rather large top bezel, so the Razr 50 Ultra was begging for a larger display. This became the main feature of the updated design, with a 4-inch screen on the outer panel, which retains the flash cutouts and two camera modules.
The larger display has made the Razr 50 Ultra's design even more futuristic and easy to use. Now you can see more information in the closed position and control the interface more easily.
Another noticeable difference of the smartphone is the eco-leather insert on the back panel, which replaced the frosted glass used in the Razr 40 Ultra. I have no complaints about the reliability of this solution; during a week of daily use without a case, no scuffs or scratches appeared on it.
However, it may take more time to do so. But I should also note that this polymeric material is very pleasant to the touch, and its use has allowed the weight of the Razr 50 Ultra to remain the same, despite the larger external display and larger battery. Compared to the previous generation, the weight has increased by only 4 grams to 189 grams.
The smartphone also retains IPX8 water protection, but like all folding models, it does not have a high degree of dust protection due to the mechanical hinge, which no manufacturer has yet been able to make completely sealed.
All the control keys in Razr 50 Ultra are located on the right side, here is the power button, which includes a fingerprint scanner, which is very fast, by the way, and separate volume keys. On the left side you can find a tray for two nanoSIM cards, and on the bottom there is a speaker and a USB Type-C 2.0 port.
By the way, there are two speakers in the smartphone, in addition to the lower one, there is also an earpiece speaker located above the internal screen, which is used both for phone calls and to create a stereo effect when watching videos or listening to music. The Razr 50 Ultra speakers are not the most powerful in smartphones, but they do their job.
In general, the ergonomics of the Razr 50 Ultra is at a good level, but it is worth noting that it is still very difficult to open the smartphone with one hand because of the tight hinge. Theoretically, it's possible, you can even get the hang of not touching the inner screen with your thumbnail, but in practice there is a real risk of dropping the smartphone out of your hand. Or you have to help yourself open the device with your nose every time.
Displays
Let me start with the external screen. As I already mentioned, it has grown to 4 inches and still uses an LTPO pOLED matrix, but with a higher resolution of 1272 x 1080 pixels, a refresh rate of 165 Hz and a peak brightness of 2400 nits.
It is a very high-quality screen with excellent color reproduction. In addition, it can display a variety of information, from widgets to individual programs. It's worth noting that widgets use the entire display area, even though the camera cutouts cover part of the interface. But their number is limited. For example, there is a widget for Spotify, weather, calendar, stopwatch, stocks, and mini-games if you need to pass the time.
In addition, you can run some programs on the external screen; by default, they do not use the entire screen area, but you can "stretch" them to the entire display. But keep in mind that in both cases, the application interface is quite compressed and it can be difficult to get your fingers on it. Although, for example, using Google maps on an external screen is very convenient. Viewing navigation in this format will also consume less battery power. In addition, the external display even has the ability to use a virtual keyboard and write letters or messages.
The internal flexible LTPO pOLED screen has a diagonal of 6.9 inches with a resolution of 2640 × 1080 pixels, a refresh rate of 165 Hz, a peak brightness of up to 3000 nits, HDR10+ support and 120% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage. This is a significant upgrade not only for the Motorola Razr line, but also for foldable smartphones in general.
However, the flexible screen still has its limitations. It is covered with a plastic protective film, which is easier to damage than glass. Some people may criticize such screens for having a crease at the bend of the display. However, in the Razr 50 Ultra, it has become less noticeable and is less noticeable when you swipe.
Platform and performance
The smartphone uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 platform with Adreno 735 graphics. This is technically a flagship processor, but with slightly less performance than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. But it will be more than enough for any Android task, especially given the 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage.
Other features of the platform include Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC wireless modules, as well as support for GPS, BDS, QZSS, and GALILEO positioning systems.
The Razr 50 Ultra runs on Android 14 with an almost stock interface, which is only supplemented by Motorola's proprietary utilities and gestures, such as for quickly launching the flashlight and camera.
This "lightweight" approach to the integration of its own software allowed Motorola to provide the Razr 50 Ultra with a highly smooth interface and a generally pleasant experience with the smartphone. Even though its platform can't be called a flagship, in practice its capabilities are more than enough.
It is worth noting that during active use the smartphone hardly heats up, and under load and in games it becomes warm, but not hot. The 3DMark stress test also shows stability at 77%, which is a good result for such a compact smartphone.
Cameras
The Razr 50 Ultra has received a significant camera upgrade, with two 50-megapixel modules now used in the smartphone:
- wide-angle with f/1.7 aperture, 1/1.95" sensor, 0.8 micron pixels, phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization;
- telephoto with f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.76" sensor, 0.64-megapixel pixels, phase detection autofocus, 2x optical zoom and electronic stabilization.
Motorola decided to abandon the ultra-wide-angle camera and replace it with a module with the ability to double optical zoom, and it turned out to be a good decision. There are generally more scenarios for using a telephoto camera, because when shooting in the city, you often want to "snatch" an object by bringing it closer.
The photo quality has also improved, with the main camera taking pictures with better detail, both during the day and at night. However, both modules can miss the mark with white balance.
Examples of photos from a wide-angle camera:
Photo attachments from phone cameras:
One of the main features of the Razr 50 Ultra cameras, in my opinion, is the ability to use them for selfies, displaying the image on an external screen.
For video calls, there's a 32-megapixel camera located at the top of the internal flexible screen.
It is slightly inferior in image quality to the main cameras, but it will be more than enough for video.
Battery life
The smartphone received a 4000 mAh battery, which, together with the energy-efficient platform, should have improved battery life compared to last year's model. In fact, it did, but don't expect a very significant increase.
In the PCMark battery test, the device lasted just over 15 hours, which is very good compared to the 11 hours of the Razr 40 Ultra, but the actual battery life of a smartphone is highly dependent on usage scenarios. In my experience, on average it will be one day of work, with 5 hours of active screen. In this mode, by the end of the day, the battery will be discharged to 20-30%.
The smartphone supports fast wired charging up to 45W, wireless charging up to 15W, and reverse charging up to 5W.