Motorola Razr 3: Top 6 features we want to see

Better cameras, battery, and charging are high on our list.

When Samsung came out the gate with a large-screened foldable in 2019, Motorola decided to tackle the new form-factor by going back to its roots with the Motorola Razr (2019). It was a visually impressive smartphone that ticked the right nostalgia box, but it was far from perfect. Motorola made some notable improvements with the Razr 5G in 2020 but unfortunately still fell short and failed to compete with Samsung. Now, we look to the Razr 3 to see just how Motorola plans to counter Samsung's foldable assault.

Motorola skipped out on launching a new foldable in 2021, but we expect the company to make a comeback for 2022 to challenge some of the best foldable phones from Samsung. There have already been some rumors, and the company has teased a little bit about what we might expect. That said, there's still a lot we don't know, and now that foldables are on their way to becoming more mainstream, here's what we want to see from the Motorola Razr 3.

High-end specs (and NFC)

The Motorola Razr 5G was a decent phone, no doubt, but one thing that kept it from truly competing against Samsung's clamshell flip phones was the chipset. It was powered by the Snapdragon 765G, which wasn't a bad chip by any means, but it was a mid-range 5G chip that still fell behind the more powerful 8-series. If Motorola is going to launch a high-end foldable, it needs to include Qualcomm's best chipset, especially if it wants to have any sort of chance against the next Galaxy Z Flip.

Motorola can't skimp on the specs this time around.

Fortunately, there's some hope. Lenovo's IT manager, Chen Jin, has gone on record saying that the next-generation Razr will come with "more advanced chip computing power." Additionally, sources have given XDA-Developers some insight on what we can expect from the foldable, including up to 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, NFC support, and most likely UWB.

The phone is said to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is a pretty good indicator that we can probably expect a launch this year. It will also likely have a Full HD+ 120Hz display, so the phone is shaping up to be a true foldable flagship and could give Samsung a run for its money.

Better camera(s)

The Motorola Razr 5G has a fairly respectable rear camera; in fact it's not bad. The problem is that there's only one. Compare that to the Galaxy Z Flip 3 or even the older Z Flip 5G, and the Razr was clearly beat. You'll find any respectable flagship today outfitted with at least a primary and ultrawide-angle lens and with more premium models throwing in a telephoto for good measure. One camera just isn't appealing on a flagship smartphone, so it would be nice to have multiple focal lengths on the Razr 3 just for added versatility.

Additionally, we expect Motorola to outfit the Razr 3 with newer camera lenses. Word on the street is that the Razr will have a 50MP primary sensor, which has been all the rage these days on some of the best Android phones, including the new Galaxy S22 series. We wouldn't be surprised if it were outfitted with Samsung's new ISOCELL sensor, which could prove a nice upgrade over the 48MP sensor on the Razr 5G.

The phone may also feature a 13MP ultrawide-angle sensor along with a 32MP selfie camera, so the Razr 3 will be a more formidable phone for people who care about camera specs.

Battery and charging

Even for people that really enjoy the Razr 5G, the common complaint about the phone is that it has poor battery life. That's fairly understandable given the form factor - Motorola likely wanted to keep the phone as thin as possible. However, the 2800mAh battery on the Razr 5G is just paltry, even compared to the 3300mAh battery on the Z Flip 3, and that's just not gonna cut it next time. Battery life needs to be on par with what we get from standard smartphones, especially given how much Motorola liked to tout multi-day battery on its mid-range devices.

Charging is also another thing. While we might be able to get past subpar battery life, the problem with the Razr 5G is that it only charges at 15W. That's pretty abysmal when plenty of mid-range devices charge at the same or faster speeds. Motorola should increase that to 18W or even 25W if it can, that way it would at least outperform the Galaxy Z Flip 3 on that front. Because let's be honest, no one has time for slow charging.

Cheaper price point

Samsung has been working hard to bring down the price of its foldable phones to make them more mainstream. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 launched at $999, which was well below the $1400 price point of the Razr 5G while featuring much more powerful specs. If Motorola wants to truly compete, it needs to not only match but undercut Samsung.

If you can't beat 'em, undercut 'em.

That's not to say the Razr 3 couldn't hold its own because so far, it sounds like we can expect a reasonably impressive phone. However, Samsung just has the marketing power and more mindshare behind it. Motorola is still known for making the best budget Android phones, almost to the point that its flagships are often overlooked. Motorola should play that up by offering a cheaper foldable flagship so that people will think twice about picking up the Z Flip.

Better (and more) updates

Motorola isn't the best at updates. While Samsung continues extending support for its phones, offering as many as four years of OS upgrades, Motorola is known to grant its phones one upgrade, maybe two if it's a flagship. That needs to change, and Samsung has already proved that it's possible to offer extended software support for both OS upgrades and security updates. Motorola has no excuse at this point.

Not only does Motorola need to promise at least a few OS upgrades, but it also needs to give us faster updates. While Samsung is busy getting updating most of its flagships and some midrange smartphones from the past few years to Android 12, Motorola has managed to update one phone, and no, it's not the Motorola Razr 5G. Despite the high price users paid for the device, Motorola's foldable is still waiting for its update.

That goes for security patches. Android OEMs have been getting better at providing monthly software support for their phones, but Motorola continues to prove it doesn't care. That needs to change. If Motorola wants us to pay top dollar for a smartphone, it needs to prove that it actually gives a damn.

Durability and design

The Motorola Razr design is pretty iconic, and I would hate to see the company let go of that, especially considering it can close fully flat, unlike the Z Flip 3. I hope the next Razr keeps the sleek design of its predecessors but improves on it a bit to make it stand out. That means more color options, a bigger internal display with no weird notch (we hear the screen will measure at 6.7-inches, much larger than the 6.2-inch display on the 5G), and of course, a tougher build. And let's keep the rear fingerprint sensor.

Durability is a concern that needs to be addressed.

Samsung has gone out of its way to make sure its foldables are more durable, going as far as giving them an IP rating for water resistance. This was missing on the Razr 5G and isn't something Motorola includes with too many of its smartphones, so it would be nice to see here. If we're paying flagship prices for a smartphone, it should be able to handle a splash or two.

And on the note of durability, Motorola needs to make sure it's to repair the Razr 3 in case something does happen. We should be able to walk into a retail store like Best Buy or a third-party repair shop to have it fixed. We've got enough going on in our lives, so let's not add "chasing down repair shops" to our list. Samsung had a premier service for its foldable phones at one point, so something similar would be ideal, even if it came at an additional cost.

Keep the momentum going

Motorola was the first to bring us a clamshell foldable smartphone at a time when large-screen foldables were the hot new thing. Since then, Samsung has pretty much stolen the spotlight, and other companies like Huawei have also moved in on Motorola's territory. Motorola needs to take back its clamshell crown, and the Razr 3 could be the phone to do exactly that, but only if it has the right specs and an attractive price point.