Motorola RAZR: How to get the world’s first folding clamshell smartphone in Australia

It acts like a phone from the future and looks like a phone from the past: Motorola has revealed plans to launch a RAZR with a flexible screen in Australia.

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It acts like a phone from the future, looks like a phone from the past, and will hit Australian stores next month.

Motorola has revealed plans to launch the world’s second folding smartphone in Australia, naming February 24 as the due date for its flexible update to the iconic RAZR handset.

The new take on the technological icon of the 2000s will feature a 6.2-inch touchscreen that folds in half to create a surprisingly small, thoroughly modern smartphone.

The world's first clamshell-shaped flexible phone, the New Motorola RAZR, will be released for pre-orders in Australia on January 28.

But the handset — the second flexible phone in Australia — will come with a large, modern price at $2699.

Motorola APAC sales general manager Danny Adamopoulos said Australia was chosen as one of seven countries to get access to the 2020 RAZR smartphone in February, with pre-orders starting tonight through Motorola and JB Hi-Fi.

He said the eye-catching smartphone would be Motorola’s first high-end phone released since 2016, and was designed for demanding, cashed-up tech fans.

“At $2699, it is a little bit expensive but you are paying for an extremely small device,” he said.

“We’re definitely targeting the premium end of town. This will be something that will be for people who are lifestyle and fashion conscious, CEOs, people who want something different to put on the boardroom table or show to their friends.”

The release of Motorola's new RAZR phone was delayed last year.

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The flexible smartphone will feature a slender profile of just 1.4cm when folded down, a 16-megapixel camera, 4G connectivity, and, unlike its rival, a splash-proof exterior.

A modest, 2.7-inch screen will show notifications on the front of the device.

Mr Adamopoulos said the company was forced to delay the smartphone’s launch late last year as demand was “higher than our manufacturing capability” but it had now stockpiled enough models to make an impact on the Australian market.

“We’ve had a few thousand people register with inquiries,” he said. “If we can convert half of those, we’ll have good sales.”

Motorola’s flexible RAZR will go head-to-head with Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, the first folding smartphone, which launched in Australia for $2999 in October last year.

The South Korean tech giant is expected to reveal plans for a new flexible smartphone in San Francisco next month, however, with rumours pointing to a device with a clamshell design, similar to Motorola.

Originally published as Motorola RAZR: How to get the world’s first folding clamshell smartphone in Australia