It’s summertime, so it’s prime time for the foldable phone market. Motorola is back at it with the new Razr lineup, which includes the Razr 2024 and Razr Plus 2024.
Surprisingly, both phones are actually looking very good this year, especially the base model. But if you’re thinking about picking up a Razr Plus 2024, there may be some reasons to hold off until next year. Here’s why you may want to wait for the inevitable Razr Plus 2025.
Motorola removed the ultrawide camera
This year, Motorola surprised everyone by adding a telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom to the dual-camera setup on the Razr Plus 2024. Typically, the flip phones don’t have as much room as the larger foldables, so you only get two cameras instead of three.
The previous Razr Plus had a dual-camera system with a 12MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide lens. This year, Motorola bumped up that main camera to 50MP but took out the ultrawide and added a 50MP telephoto lens instead. The jump to 50MP on the main camera is a welcome change, but the inclusion of the telephoto meant sacrificing the ultrawide.
Telephoto lenses on smartphones are great when you want to get a zoomed-in shot of something, such as wildlife. But in some instances, you want to capture more of a landscape scene or even fit a large group of people into a single shot — that’s when ultrawide lenses come in handy.
If you often use a phone’s ultrawide lens more than its telephoto lens, you might want to wait and see if next year’s Razr Plus 2025 will bring back an ultrawide shooter. Another option is to pick up the Razr 2024, which has an ultrawide lens instead of a telephoto one.
Every Razr Plus 2024 color uses leather
Last year, Motorola had a mix of both leather and glass backs with the Razr Plus 2023. This year, however, it does not provide any glass options — all Razr Plus 2024 colors feature a vegan leather back.
There are some advantages to a leather back. For one, it helps add grip to the body, making it easier to hold and less likely to drop. However, not everyone likes the way the leather texture feels in their hand. Maybe you just want smooth glass instead. Or maybe you just aren’t a fan of vegan leather materials or even the way leather may attract skin oil and fingerprint smudges.
This is definitely a matter of personal preference. It’s certainly an interesting choice that Motorola decided to get rid of glass options for those who may have preferred it.
It’s unknown if Motorola will bring back a mix of leather and glass for the 2025 models. But if you don’t like leather on your phone, you might want to wait and see what Motorola has in store next year.
The Razr Plus 2024 lacks UWB
Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is appearing in more smartphones. It’s a low-energy, short-range radio technology that is similar to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but without the interference issues.
UWB has been around for a while now, and brands like Apple have implemented it into phones and Bluetooth trackers. For example, Apple users who have an iPhone with UWB and an AirTag can locate their items with Precision Finding. This helps you narrow down your search when you’re near, from a few feet to a few inches. It’s much more accurate than GPS.
Alongside the new Razrs, Motorola revealed its own AirTag competitor, the Moto Tag. This is a Bluetooth item tracker that you can use with existing accessories to help you track your keys, purse, backpack, bags, luggage, wallet, and more. It utilizes Google’s Find My Device network to locate misplaced items, works with any Android phone, has a multifunctional button, and even has precision finding.
The problem? More detailed tracking needs UWB to work, and the Razr Plus 2024 is a phone that does not have UWB. Some Motorola phones, like the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra, have it, but it’s still not a very prevalent feature on most Android phones. There are a handful of devices from Samsung and Google that have UWB, but the list is short.
Regardless, if you want a phone with UWB, you’ll need to reconsider the Razr Plus 2024. Maybe next year’s model will have the tech.
Motorola’s ongoing software issues
At one point, Apple was the top choice if you wanted long-term software support for your devices. In recent months, both Samsung and Google have outdone Apple by guaranteeing seven years’ worth of Android software upgrades for more recent smartphones. Meanwhile, Motorola continues to fall behind.
The Razr Plus 2024 will only receive three years of major Android upgrades and four years of bi-monthly security patches. This has been a negative trend for a lot of Motorola phones lately, so it’s not just the Razr Plus 2024 that’s affected by this.
Motorola could change things up in a year, so we might see better software support with the Razr Plus 2025. After all, it would be silly for Motorola not to change this when it’s now so far behind the competition. There’s no guarantee the Razr Plus 2025 will be an improvement here, but we certainly hope so.
You need a true flagship chip
Though flagship Android phones in 2024 are likely to have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the Razr Plus 2024 has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 instead. Typically, Qualcomm releases a “plus” version of its flagship chipset, but this year, it did things differently by releasing an “s” version — a slightly toned-down version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
While the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is not a flagship chip, it is still quite fast, as we experienced with the Honor 200 Pro. The difference between the two versions is that the “s” variant has slightly less clock speed; the prime core in the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 is clocked at 3.0GHz, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 gets up to 3.3GHz. The flagship chip also has a more powerful GPU.
The Razr Plus 2024 is not bad by any means, but the chip it uses is just a step below what you’d find in other flagship phones, like the Samsung Galaxy S24 and OnePlus 12.
It’s pretty much guaranteed that smartphones will have faster, more powerful, and better chips every year. That’s just the nature of the beast. So next year, we’ll definitely have a more powerful chip in the Razr Plus 2025, and it would be amazing if it’s a proper flagship one and not one that’s just a step below.
