Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Which Razr is on the cutting edge?

Motorola's Razr was the flip-phone icon of the early-2000s, and it's become an instant classic in the foldable era. Earlier this year, we saw Motorola release the Razr Plus, a premium foldable phone with a dazzling 3.6-inch cover display. However, Motorola aren't done yet, with a new mainline Razr on its way.

The Motorola Razr (2023) is a game changer for foldables. Not only is it a quality smartphone, it's also the cheapest foldable on the US market. But has the flattering price of the Motorola Razr (2023) come at a cost to the overall experience? Let's find out.

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Specifications

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Price

The Motorola Razr (2023) is priced at $699. However, pre-ordering the foldable before its launch on Oct. 19, 2023 will see you snag one for as little as $599! That's almost half the price of the Motorola Razr Plus and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 ($999), and a much welcomed price for those eager to hop on the foldable bandwagon.

Winner: Motorola Razr (2023)

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Design and displays

Both the Razr and Razr Plus are roughly the same dimensions, with the newest model ever so slightly bulkier in form. There’s also only a fraction of difference between the two in weight with, once again, the Razr (2023) coming in the denser.

There’s not much to differentiate the two in their overall layout or design, with similar button and port placements, the same vegan leather back cover, and the same “tear-drop” hinge design handling folding duties.

Both even feature the same 6.9-inch, 2640 x 1080-pixel, pOLED display — though the Razr Plus does lead the way on refresh rate (165Hz to 144Hz). However, the most apparent difference between the two comes down to their respective external cover displays.

The Razr Plus features a gorgeous, class-leading, 3.6-inch, pOLED display that stretches edge-to-edge across the top of the phone. The AMOLED panel is bright and vibrant, offering a resolution of 1066 x 1056 pixels with a decent 413 ppi (Pixels per inch) for crisp and clear visuals. It also makes use of a 144Hz refresh rate, allowing for ultra-smooth animations and interactions. It’s a genuinely eye-catching feature that allows full functionality of the phone while shut.

In contrast, the Razr (2023) has a much more standard cover display offering. The 1.5-inch OLED display runs with a resolution of just 194 x 368 pixels and a lower ppi of 282. However, while its refresh rate isn’t as high as the Razr Plus’, it is still a spritely 120Hz. The Razr (2023)’s smaller cover screen doesn’t stand a chance against its premium counterpart, being serviceable for notifications or a clock and little much else.

Winner: Motorola Razr Plus

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Performance

Judging performance between these two devices is likely to be night and day due to their chosen chipsets. The Motorola Razr Plus is outfitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor with 8GB of RAM — it’s not the most powerful of chipsets to be found in a smartphone, but it’s still capable of a considerable amount of performance.

The Motorola Razr (2023) feels the sting of its consumer-friendly price tag in this category, finding itself outfitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM. Leaked Geekbench results had previously pointed to the Motorola Razr (2023) being outfitted with 12GB of RAM which could have given the foldable some bragging rights here.

However, with a parity drawn between the two on memory offering, it’s not going to be a shock that the Razr Plus is the more powerful of the two. While the Razr (2023) won’t be outfitted with 12GB of RAM, even if it was the leaked Geekbench score indicates that the Razr Plus would still pull away in terms of performance by some margin.

One area in which performance does fall in the favor of the Razr (2023) is battery life. With its smaller screen, lower refresh rates, and a larger battery capacity (4,200 mAh to 3,800 mAh) the Razr (2023) should feature plenty more uptime than its more powerful counterpart. However, we’d need to put the phone through its paces in our vigorous Laptop Mag battery test to know for certain. 

Winner: Motorola Razr Plus

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Protection

Foldables are seen as notoriously fragile devices, capable of smashing to smithereens should you place so much as a grain of sand between their closing displays. However, I’m beginning to think much of our foldable concerns are bordering on mass hysteria.

I became a foldable follower after the Z Flip 5 finessed me with over 400k folds and, during the same test, Motorola’s Razr Plus managed an impressive 126.3k folds before giving up the ghost — which equates to a solid 2.5 years of intensive use.

Both phones make use of the same hinge (and also feature Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection), so we can expect similar levels of durability between the two, but only the Razr Plus has an IP52 protection rating, meaning it’s far better protected than the Razr (2023)’s unrated, water-repellant design — especially against dust and other particulates.

Winner: Motorola Razr Plus

Motorola Razr (2023) Vs Motorola Razr Plus: Cameras

Interestingly, even with the Razr Plus’ focus on its camera capabilities at launch, it’s the Razr (2023) that pulls ahead in this category. The two phones feature an almost identical camera array including a 32MP front/selfie camera and a 13MP ultra-wide lens. However, the Razr Plus’ 12MP main shooter has been upgraded to a 64MP sensor in the new Razr (2023). 

Winner: Motorola Razr (2023)

Outlook

Overall, if you want a clear and decisive winner between these two devices, the Motorola Razr Plus is a top-notch offering with plenty to brag about — one of which is its incredible cover display. It’s also the better phone in terms of performance and protection, though, the Razr (2023) isn’t without its benefits.

With an improved battery capacity, an upgraded main camera, and a much lower price tag, the Razr (2023) is a fantastic mid-range option for those looking to pick up a foldable phone without breaking the bank.

Both phones score some victories here, but Motorola’s impressive Razr Plus takes home the trophy.