Motorola Razr Ultra 40 review: when flipping the script is not necessary

It’s light, pretty and the screen crease is now nearly invisible, meaning the latest $1,499 Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is putting up quite the fight against mobile phone competitors.

Motorola might just have the scope to achieve its goal of becoming the third most popular mobile phone in Australia.

That’s no shade to Google, whose small yet powerful mobile phone range is very popular, but the company’s latest device sure does pack a punch.

Motorola brought its iconic Razr flip phone back from the dead in 2020, turning the once iconic device first released 15 years ago in 2005 into a smartphone.

With a folding screen, it was a real 21st century upgrade to a blast from the past.

But the device wasn’t without its hiccups, namely a very noticeable crease in the screen.

Motorola has brought its iconic RAZR back from the dead as a smartphone.

On the new $1,499 Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, the crease isn’t non-existent, but you’d be forgiven for forgetting it’s there. In fact, it’s so small, it might just be the best of a bad situation in the market.

In Motorola’s defence, removing the crease on a folding phone has been the pain point of many flip phone manufacturers.

Creases aside, there’s a lot to like about the new Razr 40 Ultra. For a start, its size.

Motorola has brought its iconic RAZR back from the dead as a smartphone.

The device is incredibly light, weighing just 188.5 grams in the colours “infinite black” and “blue glacier”. Its “viva magenta” colour is lighter again by 4 grams for reasons that are beyond us.

When opened, the device unfolds to a 6.9-inches, and when shut it has a 3.6-inch front screen.

It’s surprisingly nice to look at, and it allows for one of our favourite features: split screen ability.

If you’re like us and have come to the conclusion that all devices should have split screen functionality, then you’ll likely be a big fan of the Razr 40 Ultra.

Why split screen functionality is needed on a mobile, or a tablet for that matter, is, again, beyond us. But it’s a nice feature, nonetheless.

Flip phones have come a long way, and a gift for those who love to take selfies but are sick of being limited to their front camera.

Motorola has brought its iconic RAZR back from the dead as a smartphone.

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra displays what its rear camera can see on the rear of the phone. What that means for selfie enthusiasts is, you can set a timer, turn your phone around and see exactly how you’ll look before the photos are taken.

When it comes to shortcomings, we’ll start with the battery. The RAZR 40 Ultra has a 3800mAh battery. In the premium phone market, 5000mAh has become the standard, and is the same size as most palm-sized power banks.

For those who aren’t addicted to their phones, the battery size won’t be a major issue. The device’s saving grace might be that it comes with a charger, a 30W one at that – which is pretty generous considering a lot of manufacturers just supply a cable.

The Razr 40 Ultra smartphone. Source: Supplied.

Also in the box is a clear case which, while not the prettiest, is ideal to have.

When it comes to the camera, while the quality is fine, it is quite a few megapixels behind the likes of an iPhone 14 or a Google Pixel 7.

The RAZR 40 Ultra sports a 32-megapixel front camera and a 12-megapixel exterior camera.

The device accepts a physical SIM card as well as an e-SIM, which is good for those who like to travel providing their local carrier or those they chose to use when abroad have an e-sim available.

The verdict? We liked having this in our pocket for a couple of weeks. The device felt comfortable to hold and was surprisingly thin, even when folded. If you’ve been tempted to return to a flip phone, you’ll certainly not be disappointed with this.