Motorola Razr 3: latest specs, price and release date rumours

Foldable phones today are very different from the ones doing the rounds when Motorola first revealed the original Razr in 2005. That clamshell inspired the folding-screen Motorola Razr nearly 15 years later, and now the firm is gearing up for a third-generation version.

The Motorola Razr 3 is looking to set right some of the flaws of that first reimagining, and the 5G-ready follow-up that landed shortly after. Namely performance, camera ability and battery life. Once the leak machine started pumping out behind-the-scenes pics, Motorola itself decided to get in on the action – and has since confirmed when the device will make its global debut. That means there’s plenty of juicy info out there already.

Read on for everything we know so far about the Motorola Razr 3, including its expected specs and price, official release date and much more.

Motorola Razr 3: release date confirmed

As expected, the Razr 3 will make its debut in China before it heads to Europe and beyond. Motorola confirmed the clamshell would be launching alongside the Moto X30 Pro flagship on the 2nd of August.

In a post on the Weibo microblogging site, the company teased both handsets in silhouette. The accompanying message reads “Dual flagship” and “see you at the top”. The event will kick off at 7:30 PM CST.

This is earlier than expected. The original reborn Razr was revealed in November 2019, but didn’t go on sale until February the following year. On the other hand, the Razr 5G was on sale within weeks of its September 2020 debut. Either way, a summer launch is uncharted territory.

There’s a good reason for that, of course: Moto skipped 2021 altogether, possibly in light of component shortages and logistical nightmares brought on by the global pandemic.

Motorola Razr 3 design: new look confirmed

While the 2020 Razr and its 5G follow-up were distinctive bits of kit, inspired heavily by the Razr clamshells of old with their angular ‘chins’, Motorola is going down a more mainstream route for the third iteration.

Images posted to the Chinese microblogging site Weibo by Chen Jin, Lenovo Mobile’s China GM, reveal the phone’s folded and unfolded design, demonstrating a larger, outward-facing screen and all-new hinge. On unfolding the phone, it’s clear the chin has been ditched in favour of more evenly-distributed display bezels

Motorola has since shared a short teaser video, also on Weibo, which confirmed the presence of a dual camera on the outside of the clamshell.

The official teaser gives more weight to images previously leaked by 91Mobiles, which show a boxier handset that has more in common with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 than with any Moto handset.

As for colour options, only black seems on the cards at launch, although a blue variant could make an appearance later down the line.

Later hands-on videos posted by noted Twitter leaker Evan Blass show the fingerprint sensor has moved again. Whereas it as on the chin of the OG Razr, and on the back of the Motorola Razr 5G, this time around it’ll be built into the power button.

Motorola Razr 3: expected hardware specs

A crucial change appears to be on the inside, with reports suggesting power will come from either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, or the more powerful Plus variant. The latter chip may be arriving later than planned, though, so a single model may be what we get at launch. 8 or 12GB of RAM is expected, along with 256 or 512GB of storage depending on how much you’re willing to spend.

Screen size is rumoured to have increased inside and out, with the main internal display stepping up to 6.7in. We’re expecting a better-than-Full-HD resolution, rather than a QHD+ or higher panel, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The smaller outer display should be 3in, rather than 2.7in as seen on the Razr 5G.

Motorola should be stepping things up on the camera front, too. A 50MP main snapper is rumoured, along with a 13MP ultrawide that’ll also double as a macro lens. A hole punch camera on the inside of the folding screen will handle selfie duties and video calling, with a 32MP sensor.

The one black spot appears to be battery, which leaker Digital Chat Station claims to be sticking with the same 2880mAh cell as the Razr 5G. That seems rather low for any phone with a flagship CPU inside, even one with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which is supposed to be 30% more power efficient than the regular 8 Gen 1 silicon.

Motorola Razr 3: speculative price

Currently there’s only guesswork and rumours to help narrow down how much the Razr 3 will cost when it arrives. Allegedly Motorola is aiming for a price considerably cheaper than the previous two Razr phones, to better compete with other clamshell-style foldables.

The reborn Razr debuted at €1599, with the Razr 5G dropping to €1399 in Europe. For the UK, we had to pay £1399 – a 1:1 exchange rate, which is a trend that looks set to continue for the 2022 version.

The figure doing the rounds right now is £1149, which would make it more expensive than its closest rival, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3. That phone is set to be replaced by a new model later this year, with Samsung apparently lowering the cost even further than the Z Flip 3’s £949 RRP. Hopefully Motorola will have high-end specs this time to make a stronger case for itself against the Korean competition.