Reimagined Motorola Razr will be one of Australia’s most expensive phones when it goes on sale next month

Its release was pushed back because it was too popular to sell. Now we know when it will be in stores and how much it will cost.

We’re now one step closer to getting our hands on Motorola’s revived new Razr, a foldable smartphone that serves as a spiritual successor to one of the most iconic mobile phones of all time.

The new phone was revealed for the first time in Australia on Tuesday night at what the brand would hope was described as a fitting location at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney.

While the phone’s design definitely meets up to the contemporary tag – it’s both a revival of an old classic and a cutting-edge early entrant into a new category of foldable devices – under the hood things look a little last decade.

Technical strength is pretty far down on the list of the new Razr’s appealing characteristics, but in a phone that will cost $2699 when it goes on sale here next month, you’d be within your rights to expect more than an 18-month-old processor commonly found in mid-range devices, only one main camera, and a worryingly small battery.

The performance of these three inclusions will have to be properly assessed once the phone goes on sale, but even if they’re as bad in real life as they look on paper, it probably won’t be enough to hamstring the new Razr completely.

For the record, Motorola general manager of sales for the Asia-Pacific region Danny Adamopoulos has been secretly using the new Razr for months and says the battery life holds up well despite its small size.

“It is a smaller than usual battery, but we’ve done a lot of optimisation,” he told news.com.au.

He said it still had 16 per cent battery after three days of use, though he did admit to using two phones during that time.

The battery is really two batteries split across each side of the phone, as are the processors. The antennas are housed in the bottom chin along with the fingerprint sensor, helping create the thin “razor-like” silhouette.

It also helps balance the weight and makes the phone easier (and incredibly satisfying) to flick open and shut.

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A woman holds the new Motorola Razr foldable smartphone.

While the Lenovo-owned Motorolas of the 2010s were mainly mid-tier value-focused phones, Mr Adamopoulos hoped the new Razr would be enough to help the once venerated brand re-enter the flagship conversation.

“We haven’t been in the premium space since 2017 with the Z series. We wanted to pick the right product. You mention the word Razr … it’s perfect,” he said.

Not only does Motorola have the well-recognised Razr name (the company claims it sold 1.2 million of them in Australia alone between 2004 and 2006), it’s also entering a product category where it has few competitors, and it’s taking a different approach to them too.

Samsung and Huawei have both released foldable smartphones: the Galaxy Fold ($2999) and the Mate X, but you can’t get them.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold sold out within hours of going on sale in Australia, and to date the Mate X has only been sold in China, where Huawei representatives recently informed news.com.au it was also sold out.

Both of those phones are designed to be compact smartphones that fold out into something more closely resembling a small tablet.

Samsung’s Galaxy Fold takes a different approach to the Motorola Razr. Picture: David Becker/Getty Images/AFP

The Razr unfolds vertically to give you a bigger display when you need it and folds down for easier storage and protection.

Rather than unfolding like a book, the Razr flips up vertically, giving you a screen that’s fractionally bigger than the one you’d find on a Galaxy S10 or iPhone 11.

There’s also a second screen on the front of the phone, letting you glance down to check your messages, notifications, or just tell the time, even when the phone is shut.

As has been highlighted and complained about for years (growing in frequency with the phones themselves), these large displays make newer phones hard to hold and fit in your pocket, particularly for women with smaller hands and pockets than the men who design most of the aforementioned phones.

The beauty of the Razr is that it will fold in half to make it easier to stash while also protecting the screen.

Protecting the screen will be a focal point of concern upon the Razr’s launch to see if it can sidestep the same durability issues that dogged the Galaxy Fold.

Its release had to be delayed for several months after the screens on early review models began breaking and malfunctioning, prompting a redesign of the hinge and the closing of gaps to prevent debris getting in.

The hinge design of the Motorola Razr.

According to Mr Adamopolous, after some challenges (and 20 different prototypes), Motorola’s engineers are happy they’ve got it right.

“The biggest hurdle was the crease in the screen. How do you get it with no gap and maintain a nice curvature so the display will have a couple hundred thousand cycles of usage without breaking,” he added.

The hinge design is a complex assortment of gears and reinforcing stainless steel plates that slide up and down under the screen when it folds. If you look closely, you can also see the bottom of the screen sliding down into its little chin on folding as well.

It’s rumoured Samsung may reveal a similar design called the Galaxy Z Flip at its Unpacked event next month, but for now only Motorola’s phone is designed in this way.

An attendee photographs the new Motorola Razr at a launch event in Sydney.

Old meets new: The upcoming Motorola Razr with a selection of its older namesakes.

It’s also the only company that can make a Razr-branded phone, and according to early interest from consumers, the name still holds weight.

“From what we’ve seen, from the pre-orders there is a demand for it, though not everyone is going to want to buy a $2699 phone,” Mr Adamopolous said. “We don’t see this as a mainstream mass market device, as much as we’d love to see it happen,” he added, noting once the technology advances and the phones become cheaper to make they will catch on. “The way technology’s evolving, maybe within a year or so,” he said.

The foldable plastic OLED technology that enables the new form factors for smartphones is still in its infancy, and the current crop of foldable smartphones are decidedly targeted at early adopters, so that’s also something to keep in mind if you’re thinking of picking one up.

In a bid to perhaps assuage some of those doubting screen resilience, Motorola has sought to clarify what users can expect, though the way it’s done so may raise more questions than it answers.

A series of YouTube videos posted to the company’s US channel covers topics like camera features and its new secondary display that gives quick access to calls and notifications.

There’s also one video worryingly titled “Caring for Razr”.

In the video, Motorola advises users the screen has a protective coating, but tells them to avoid sharp objects.

The company assures us that any bumps or lumps that appear in the screen are related to bending design of the screen and are “normal”.

Most would do so anyway, but Motorola also specifically recommended folding the phone up before you put it in your pocket or a bag.

While the lumps and bumps comment might sound scary, the company isn’t really talking about big protrusions but rather the natural ripples that occur in a plastic OLED screen that’s designed to fold up.

“Everyone is used to having a glass display,” Mr Adamopolous noted, but the plastic OLEDs are a bit different.

“It’s a narrower, thinner material, but also it’s plastic and it’s got to move. These little bumps and ripples are fine, just don’t expect a glass finish”

A smaller display on the front of the phone provides information like text messages and other notifications.

While the main attraction of the Razr is going to be in its revival and foldable design, it also benefits from some of the more fun features on its cheaper siblings.

Moto Gestures returns, allowing you to turn on the torch with a shake or take a selfie by waving to the camera.

There’s also an option to digitally emulate the design of an old Motorola Razr for some added retro appeal.

This rendering is perhaps a little too realistic. When using the mode your expensive new phone really does become like its 15-year-old inspiration complete with a T9 keypad and a clunky menu.

Like a lot of things about the new Razr, this is mainly designed to have fun with and look cool as hell doing it, which already is a lot more than you can say about some other phones.

The reborn Motorola Razr will release on February 24 through JB Hi-Fi and Telstra.

Pre-orders are open now.