Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

I've never been the biggest fan of foldable phones. They're fine, but I never fully understood the appeal. Are they really better than a traditional slab phone? My opinion on foldables is starting to change. I have spent the last couple of weeks testing Motorola's new 2026 Razr Fold, its latest flagship. I've come away genuinely impressed, and a little tempted to buy one myself.

Also: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 vs. Motorola Razr Ultra: I've used both, and this phone is my pick

This is a seriously good mobile device. I say it's better than Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7 on several fronts. Its battery is larger, leading to better longevity, the inner screen has a higher resolution, and the camera system is arguably superior.

Hard to ignore

The Motorola Razr Fold sits slightly larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 7, sporting a 6.6-inch outer display and an 8.1-inch inner display. By comparison, Samsung's model has a 6.5-inch outer screen and an 8-inch inner screen. The extra size does mean the Razr Fold is heavier at 243g, but it has little effect on the user experience. It is still an ultra-sleek phone, especially compared to foldables from previous years.

Visually, the dual displays are top-notch. Motorola packed these AMOLED screens with a slew of visual-enhancing features. Just to highlight a few, both screens support the full DCI-P3 gamut for vibrant colors, are Pantone Validated for excellent color accuracy, boast high resolutions, and have high refresh rates, ensuring smooth animations. 

Brightness levels are noteworthy, too. Motorola rates the inner display at 6,200 nits, which cuts through outdoor glare. I never struggled to see the screen, even under direct sunlight.

Also: I'm putting Motorola above Samsung when it comes to flip phones - and won't think twice

I spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos and streaming shows on the inner display. Colors popped off the screen, shadows looked pitch-black thanks to Dolby Vision's high contrast, and the large size made the content feel quite immersive. 

An elegant finish

My review unit arrived in Blackened Blue. I mention the color because Motorola ties each phone color to a distinct finish. My review unit had a woven, diamond-like pattern across its back that the company calls a "piqué-inspired finish". I don't think this texture has a functional purpose, but it does look and feel nice. 

It gives the phone a level of elegance that helps it stand out from the sea of traditionally glass-backed mobile devices. The Razr Fold in Lily White has a more silky finish.

The Razr Fold is also pretty durable. Its outer screen is protected by a panel made out of Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3, offering strong resistance against scratches and drops. Because the inner display needs to bend, it lacks Gorilla Glass, but it is covered with a screen protector. Connecting the two halves is a stainless steel teardrop hinge. Its rigidity allows users to place the phone in various positions to suit their needs. 

You could prop the phone halfway up to watch a movie, or place the Razr Fold into tent mode and display the current date and time like a bedside clock. 

Vibrant cameras

My favorite aspect of the Razr Fold is its camera system. Motorola nailed it. On the back, the phone houses a triple-camera array consisting of a 50MP main lens with a Sony LYTIA sensor, a 50MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP periscope telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and up to 100x Super Zoom. Image quality is excellent across all three lenses. Photos come out sharp, vibrant, and packed with detail. Exposure and lighting are handled remarkably well.

Also: I'm a devoted iPhone user but Android 17 is tempting me with its new video and social features

Rather than just describing the results, I think I should provide examples. The first image I captured inside a grocery store, displaying rows of drinks with colorful labels. The Razr Fold does a great job at reproducing the vivid colors and bright tones.

This second image is of a lifeguard tower I took with the telephoto lens at 6x zoom. The results are surprisingly sharp. I was far away, and you can clearly read the banners. It's even possible to make out the graffiti. Because of the clarity, the telephoto camera became my favorite of the trio. The selfie cameras aren't as good in my opinion. 

After taking a photo with the inner-screen camera, I noticed the color balance was off. Everything had a slightly yellow tinge.

Performance and battery

Motorola's Razr Fold operates on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset paired with 16GB of RAM -- a solid configuration. It did well in all performance tests. For starters, I ran Geekbench CPU for Android to get a good sense of the hardware. It scored around 2,740 in the single-core test and over 9,100 in the multi-core test. 

This tells me the Razr Fold feels fast in day-to-day use and handles sustained heavy workloads, such as mobile gaming, adequately. Geekbench GPU results were equally strong, hitting an OpenCL Score of 17,713, signifying high visual fidelity.

I experienced this firsthand while playing Arknights: Endfield, a game that ran terribly on the Galaxy A37. On the Razr Fold, it ran beautifully -- though, keep in mind this phone also costs roughly four times the price. Gameplay felt responsive, and combat looked striking with the large OLED panel giving attacks a lot of visual punch. Even during intense sequences, Endfield ran fine.

You may experience the phone heating up in certain situations. I discovered this when I ran the 3DMark Wildlife Stress Test, a benchmark that replicates a heavy load. During the test, the Razr Fold became pretty toasty; its performance throttled down. It's unlikely you'll experience this. Very few people are stress-testing their smartphones. But it is something that you may experience under certain situations.

Also: Your Android phone is getting agentic powers with Gemini Intelligence - here's how and when

Longevity is rock solid. I ran a couple of battery-drain tests to see how long the device lasted under continuous use. Running a nonstop YouTube livestream on the outer display, the Razr Fold lasted roughly 31 hours. I then repeated the same test using the inner display. Battery life dropped, as expected, coming up just shy of 24 hours. 

Charging speeds are fast, although you will need an 80W charger to see them. I used mine and managed to recharge the battery from 0% to 55% in just 30 minutes.

ZDNET's buying advice

Pre-orders for the 2026 Motorola Razr Fold are live now. It is priced at $1,900 on the company's official website and Best Buy. Buyers can choose between two colors: Pantone Blackened Blue and Lily White. The foldable officially launches on May 21.

Simply put, this is an excellent smartphone, from its high-quality screens to its awesome cameras. That said, $1,900 is still a steep asking price. If that is too much, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, which launched a little less than a year ago now, is currently on sale at Amazon.