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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Motorola's Smart Connect gives the Razr Fold a desktop mode.
• The phone becomes a trackpad for your keyboard and monitor.
• It works well with a portable monitor or smart glasses.

Less than a week after I talked about devices I use (other than a laptop) as a mobile writer, a new contender has emerged. The new Razr Fold comes equipped with Motorola's Smart Connect software, which is similar to Samsung's Dex Mode in giving you a desktop interface. 

One way I've talked about working on the go is with XREAL 1S Glasses and Samsung Galaxy's S26 Ultra and Dex mode. When you plug the glasses in, and enable Dex mode, you get a desktop-like windowed interface for your apps, similar to Windows or MacOS. 

Also: I tested Motorola's $1,900 Razr Fold, and it gives Samsung and Google serious competition

Just like on a laptop, you can resize windows, move them around, stack them on top of each other, place them side-by-side, etc. Connect a Bluetooth keyboard to type, and you functionally have a laptop to work on. The ProtoArc XK01 keyboard I have has a built-in mouse, which is handy. You can also use the phone itself as a touchpad to move the mouse around the screen.

This time around, I'm pairing the Motorola Razr Fold with a Logitech Keys 2 Go keyboard (which does not have a touchpad) and an Arzopa Z3FC 16-inch portable monitor.

Pretty fun (and not practical) way to work

This has one big upside and one big downside. The downside is that you need power to get the monitor running. It can't run on the phone's power, which is probably a good thing since it would drain the battery pretty quickly.

Also: These XR glasses effectively replaced my dual monitors for work - and they're $170 off

The good news is that the monitor supports passthrough charging. When you plug in the monitor and connect the phone, the phone charges. When you connect XREAL glasses, the phone can discharge pretty quickly, so this is a nice bonus.

Plus, the palatial 16-inch screen gives you plenty of space to work, and the Motorola Razr Fold supports at least 10 apps open at once. I haven't tested it beyond that because I will never need more than that. One particularly annoying point is that Chrome can't support multiple windows open, so I can't, for example, have a web page open and a spec sheet for a phone at the same time.

All the same, this is a pretty fun way to work. But it's also not terribly practical, if I'm being honest. 

While it is certainly fun to plop down a monitor and start typing, a portable monitor doesn't really save any space in your bag. The carrying pouch for the Arzopa easily fits both cables, the keyboard, and the monitor, but the monitor takes up just as much space in my bag as a laptop. Plus, the monitor requires a power source in order to work -- laptops don't.

It's great to have the option 

If you ever want to change things up, the XREAL glasses are also a great way to get work done, and the 6,000 mAh battery on the Razr Fold ensures I can work longer than on the Galaxy S26 Ultra or the Z Fold 7. 

In fact, the battery on the Razr Fold is a champion among any phone you can buy in the US short of the OnePlus 15. This extra multitasking is a great bonus for Motorola that easily stands toe-to-toe with Samsung's offering.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 vs. Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Motorola Razr Fold - this model wins for me

That's not even taking into account all the other features Smart Connect offers, like file and photo sharing, app support on Windows PCs, and more. Also, Mobile Desktop is only one of the modes that Smart Connect supports. You can also choose from gaming, video chat, and TV modes. This is why I generally prefer Smart Connect to Samsung's DeX mode.

The latter is the only one I have really tested so far. TV mode gives you a full-screen interface for your streaming apps. It also automatically scans your phone and groups streaming apps into one place. It's very convenient.

So overall, Smart Connect is one of my favorite features on Motorola's first book-style foldable, and I'm here for it. I'm so here for it that I wrote this article in Mobile Desktop mode. It's a cliche, I know, but it seems appropriate as I continue my quest to find all the ways I can do my job without a Windows machine. 

This does not mean that I'll leave my laptop at home on my next trip -- far from it -- but it's nice to have options.