When the Motorola Razr came back a few years ago, like many, I was beyond excited to see what features it could handle with that folding form. The original foldable Razr relaunch a few years back was full of nostalgia, but it came with compromises that left us wanting more. The nostalgia effect wasn’t enough, but Motorola has been working on it for their next version of the phone. They got really close last year with the Moto Razr+ 2024. I enjoyed my time with it and was excited to see the Razr Ultra in use with the new upgrades discussed at the launch. In this review I cover the aesthetics and my day-to-day experience with it.
MOTOROLA RAZR ULTRA DESIGN AND BUILD
The Razr Ultra feels like a luxury accessory, not just a flip phone. It’s not only the strong build, but also the partnership between Motorola and Pantone, which delivers some beautiful color choices. Moto hasn’t lost its love for choices and personalization. There are several fun colors to choose from: Pantone Rio Red (vegan leather finish), Mountain Trail (with a wooden look), Cabaret, and Scarab (featuring an Alcantara fuzzy texture). The color choices, along with the different materials, are refreshing. Details are nice. The titanium-reinforced hinge, along with the IP48 rating, makes the Razr Ultra a more solid-feeling device, which is what you want when it comes to folding phones.
The 4-inch external display is ready for day-to-day use, featuring Gorilla Glass Ceramic, the first of its kind on a flip phone. With a brightness of up to 3,000 nits, the external display is ideal for checking notifications, using Google Maps, and responding to messages. The 165Hz refresh rate makes for smooth animations and transitions. When you unfold the RAZR Ultra, you have a 7-inch pOLED display. Same 165Hz refresh rate for smoothness and up to 4,500 nits brightness. Has been great for these bright summer days.
The standby/power and volume up/down buttons are located on the right side of the phone. When folded, they would be on the top part of the clamshell. The SIM card tray is on the bottom of the phone, next to the usb-c charging port
Inside, it’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 elite processor with 16GB RAM.
Day-to-Day Experience with the Moto Razr Ultra
ULTRA RAZR FOLDING DISPLAY AND CREASE
The external display is really amazing here. Not having to open the phone for nearly anything gets you spoiled. Motorola really excelled in the external display. Most apps run on the external display without issue. The fluidity of the outer screen is great because it means the battery life is longer on most days. Obviously, sometimes, it’s better to use the bigger, inner display. When you do open it, you barely see the folding display’s crease. It’s great to see how much better it’s gotten over the years. It’s one of those things that, of course, you know is there, but once you start doing things on the phone, you forget about it. Being able to run nearly any Android app on the external screen is a huge win. It’s so seamless. Sometimes the phone would get a little warm, which is never a comfortable feeling.
This phone is all about portability and ease of use. A change for me, someone who is into larger phones. So great for my little purses and pockets.
My Day-to-Day with the Moto Razr Ultra:
My daily experience with the Razr Ultra was mostly fluid and reliable. The combination of the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and generous 16GB of RAM means this phone handles everything you throw at it, from heavy multitasking to intensive games without too much struggle. Motorola’s Hello UX, which is pretty clean, a soft skin over Android 15, adds to this feeling of speed and fluidity, making it a joy to use.
Moto AI
Like many things in 2025, Motorola is also going all-in on AI, with a dedicated key on the left side of the phone to summon its new Moto AI features, which integrate services like Google Gemini. I was surprised by “Look and Talk,” a feature that allows you to glance at the phone when it’s in tent mode to initiate a voice chat. Used this when my hands weren’t free. The only drawback is that you can’t have your phone in tent mode and charge it simultaneously (since the charging port is located at the bottom).
Another thing is that the phone tends to run warm, particularly during longer gaming sessions or when using the camera heavily. It doesn’t get dangerously hot, but it does start to lag a bit to manage the heat, which can be noticeable.
Being that it’s a folding phone, I wouldn’t suggest keeping it for more than a few years. Motorola offers four years of security patch updates and three major OS updates.
Cameras on the Moto Razr Ultra
For a flip phone, the Razr Ultra packs a seriously impressive camera system. A 50MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization (OIS), a 50MP ultrawide camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 122-degree field of view, and a 50MP front-facing selfie camera.
In good daylight, the main camera is fantastic, capturing detailed, vivid, and colorful shots. Delivering great sharpness and dynamic range, it doubles as a macro lens that can capture detailed close-up shots. The camera’s main weakness is still low-light performance. When the lights go down, shots can appear grainy and unfocused, and sometimes suffering from motion blur. It’s a noticeable step down from what you’d get from a top-tier bar phone.
But where this camera truly shines is as the ultimate selfie machine. I have a lot of fun with it. You can use the far superior 50MP main and ultrawide cameras for selfies and vlogging simply by using the large outer screen as a viewfinder. This would be an absolute game-changer for content creators if it were a little easier to grip on the sides. While the exterior camera setup is my fave, the internal 50MP selfie camera is a decent upgrade as well.
We can see what Motorola is trying to do here with the high-res ultrawide lens instead of a telephoto lens for the traditional detailed pics. An ultrawide lens is for group selfies and selfie videos, “come with me” stories. This Razr Ultra’s camera system is optimized for fun social media, vlogging, and self-documentation.
Battery Life on the Moto Razr Ultra Smartphone: Powering Through
When it comes to battery life,the Razr Ultra has epic and outstanding endurance, with a 4,700mAh battery that lasted nearly a full day for me without having to charge until very late in the day. I always push a phone’s limits but your mileage may vary. You can get up to 68W wired charging and 30W wireless charging. So thankful for rapid charging.
VERDICT
The Motorola Razr Ultra absolutely lives up to the hype. Lets you glance and handle notifications quicly so you’re still in the moment. At $1299, it’s hard to justify the price. I’d say it’s best to try to get a deal through your carrier. The phone is available unlocked directly from Motorola and at retailers like Best Buy. It’s also carried by major US carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, which often offer amazing promotional deals for new lines or trade-ins that can significantly reduce the price. Motorola also offers clamshell phones as affordable as $499. But you won’t have the same user experience as with the Ultra. The Razr Ultra’s beautiful bright display and fluid responsiveness are what make the experience great. You’re definitely paying for more than just utility and I wouldn’t blame you for splurging.
The Razr Ultra is definitely more up to the flagship standard than its original rerelease back in 2020. It was a cool design and all, but the specs didn’t meet the mark. Foldables were still too new. It’s more than nostalgia for the flip phone now; it’s the actual use of the folding phone without compromising features.
Motorola Razr Ultra Smartphone
$1299
Pros
- External display runs almost any Android app
- Available in unique colors and finishes
- Great battery life and fast wired/wireless charging
Cons
- Camera suffers in lowlight
- Sometimes overheats
