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Motorola's 2026 spring lineup is shaping up to be one of the company's most impressive. After testing the Razr Fold, I had the opportunity to spend time with the new 2026 Razr Ultra, its flagship flip phone. On the surface, it appears nearly identical to the previous generation, sharing much of the same design and aesthetic language.

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However, once I dug in and experienced what the phone can do, the differences became clearer. The 2026 Razr Ultra is a meaningful upgrade over the 2025 model, delivering better performance, improved efficiency, and longer battery life, among other enhancements.

Multimedia master

Let's first get into what I consider the most impressive aspects of the Razr Ultra: its displays and audio system. On the inside, the phone boasts a large seven-inch Extreme AMOLED that is Pantone Validated (meaning it produces highly accurate colors) and supports HDR10+ for excellent dynamic range. Together, these features ensure consistently strong visual output. 

On-screen animations were exceptionally smooth thanks to the 165Hz refresh rate. Everything looks fluid and responsive, with no noticeable lag.

A big part of what makes the Razr Ultra so good for multimedia is the audio system. I found it even better than the Razr Fold's system, delivering richer, fuller sound. The Ultra model has stereo speakers fine-tuned with Dolby Atmos and the ability to output Spatial Audio. These two features work together to create an immersive bubble of sound. The bass is superior, too, giving the audio output a nice punch.

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I found myself deeply entranced by a Bob Ross compilation livestream during testing. There was something about the warmth and clarity the speakers brought to his voice that made the stream extra captivating.

The external display on the 2026 Razr Ultra is largely identical to that of the 2025 model. It is also a four-inch panel with a resolution of 1272 x 1080 pixels and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3. It even has the same set of features, such as media controls and notification management. The key difference is that it is also an Extreme AMOLED screen, delivering the same deep contrast and vibrant colors as the inner screen.

Striking design

The Razr Ultra continues the tradition of Motorola phones' visually striking designs. This device is available in two colors: Pantone Orient Blue (which is really purple to my eye) and Pantone Cocoa, a muted brown. I had the latter. Brown, as a smartphone color, is a controversial pick. 

I remember when leaked images of the iPhone 16 surfaced back in 2024, and people hated the rumored brown finish. Even the final color, Desert Titanium, elicited many negative reactions. But in this instance, I think shoppers will like the Razr Ultra's brown finish; I certainly did.

I'm a big fan of the faux wood paneling on the back, which gives the Razr Ultra a distinctive rustic look. The metallic brown edges complement the design nicely. Returning from the previous generation is the titanium-reinforced hinge, which plays a key role in the Razr Ultra's durability. The entire mechanism feels sturdy -- folding the phone produces a satisfying, solid thump.

Cameras that pop

At the back, the Razr Ultra houses a dual-camera system featuring a 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization for consistently sharp shots, alongside a 50MP ultrawide + macro fusion lens. Since it's two-in-one, the camera doesn't offer the same versatility as a multi-camera setup. The fusion lens is limited to just a 2x zoom. For comparison, the telephoto lens on the Razr Fold supports 6x zoom.

Outside of that limitation, the Razr Ultra's camera system is awesome. A major contributor to the overall quality is Ultra HDR, an image format that enhances color vibrancy, key highlights, and shadows. The image above is one of my favorite shots that I took with the phone. It does a great job of capturing the mural's vibrancy and the wall's detailed stucco patterning. Also, the strong contrast adds extra depth, helping the colors really stand out.

Heated performance

As the flagship model in its series, the 2026 Razr Ultra has the most powerful hardware configuration. It houses a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage, along with a Qualcomm Adreno 830 GPU and a Qualcomm AI Engine NPU. Those last two components are notable because they put the 2026 Razr Ultra above the previous generation in terms of performance. 

One of our major criticisms of the 2025 Razr Ultra was its tendency to throttle during gaming sessions or while downloading large files in the background. Motorola has largely addressed that issue.

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As I did with the Razr Fold, I ran several benchmark tests before moving into real-world usage scenarios to better understand what the phone was capable of. After spending time with the phone, it was obvious that the Razr Ultra is a powerful smartphone; it feels consistently fast. Apps open almost instantly. 

On-screen animations are fluid. It boasts plenty of power for demanding workloads, like video editing or high-end gaming. However, it has its limits.

The Snapdragon system-on-chip is supported by optimized software that helps the device maintain a stable, sustained performance. That said, I experienced a tiny bit of stuttering while playing Arknights: Endfield and Honkai: Star Rail. It didn't last long, but it was noticeable. 

During testing, I ran the 3DMark Wildlife Stress Test, which simulates repeated heavy GPU workloads. The Razr Ultra became quite warm, to the point where it had to throttle its hardware to keep temperatures in check. As I said in my Razr Fold review, this is a niche scenario that most users are unlikely to experience. It didn't overheat outside of the stress test, but I wanted to mention it as a possibility.

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Battery life is solid. After running an endless YouTube livestream on the inner screen, the Razr Ultra lasted roughly 24 hours on a single charge. That's pretty good in my book. With efficient usage, you can get the phone to last several days.

ZDNET's buying advice

The 2026 Razr Ultra is currently available through the company's official website for $1,500. At the time of writing, Motorola is also offering a promotional bundle that includes a 4-pack of Moto Tags and the Moto Buds 2 Plus at no extra cost. Like the Razr Fold, the Razr Ultra is available in only one hardware configuration.

And like other Motorola Razr models, you should really only buy it when it's on sale, which is only a matter of time.

While I've found the Razr Ultra to be a great phone, there's no getting around the fact that it is expensive. Buyers looking for a more affordable flip-style foldable may want to consider Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 7, which is currently available for around $1,020 for the 512GB model. Considering last year's Razr Ultra model may be an even smarter choice.