Motorola has three compact foldable smartphones, the latest being the Motorola Razr (2022). A fourth model is now rumored to be released in the near future. The Razr (2022) is an improvement over the second-generation model (the Razr 5G), and after using it for the past week, I can see what needs to change to make any replacement worth buying over the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 or Oppo Find N2 Flip.
Here are five things the Motorola Razr (2023) needs to be successful.
Cover screen always on
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The Motorola Razr (2022) home screen is almost perfect and significantly better than the external displays of the Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Find N2 Flip, all because of one thing — it can run apps. That’s right, if you want to reply to WhatsApp messages or even watch a YouTube video with your phone closed, you can. Try it on any other flip smartphone.
Unfortunately, there’s one thing missing that means the display isn’t perfect: it doesn’t have an always-on setting. This means you can’t glance down to see the time or pending notifications without interacting with your phone, and that’s a huge pain. Even the iPhone today has an always-on display, so there’s no excuse for it not being available here.
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Provided Motorola adds that to the Razr (2023) and just improves any app support on the external display, rather than changing to a largely useless widget system like the competition, it’s potentially going to be a compact foldable smartphone to beat.
Tidy up the hinges
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Whether it’s folded or unfolded, and despite the fact that it’s actually quite clever, the Motorola Razr 2022’s hinge looks messy. It may be an update from previous models, but either way, the inner workings are too exposed, and crevices soon fill with dust and other debris. There is no easy way to clean inside these small gaps.
The hinge stays half open, but there is a lot of flex. It’s stable, but there’s a disturbing amount of wobble, accompanied by a noise from the hinge when you fully open or close it. It doesn’t inspire much confidence and makes the phone look a bit cheap. By tightening and better concealing the gaps, the Razr 2023 will look and feel like a higher quality product.
Current software, fast updates
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It’s the end of March 2023 as I write this, and the Razr 2022 is in my hand more it has Android 12 installed. That’s just not good enough. Android 13 was released in August 2022, around the same time as the Razr 2022, so it was too much to expect that it would launch with the latest software installed. However, that was seven months ago, which is enough time for Motorola to deliver an update, but it failed to do so.
This must change for the next Razr phone. If Motorola follows an annual release schedule, and we see the next Razr around August, it will likely run Android 13. That’s understandable, given the timing and potential release of Android 14, but the update needs to arrive before 2024 if it’s to be taken seriously. It also needs to clarify its update policy for the new phone, and to compete with the Z Flip 4 and Find N2 Flip, it should support the phone with major updates for at least three years.
Publish it globally
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The Motorola Razr 2022 is available for purchase in the UK and Europe, but not in the US. Motorola’s release plans – and the models it’s making for different regions – have been confusing for a while. It was an unusual decision not to release the Razr 2022 in the US, as it left the Galaxy Z Flip 4 to rule the market.
I’m sure there are complex business reasons why the Razr 2022 isn’t being released in wider release, but whatever they are, it would be good if they were addressed in the future. Oppo in the US, unlike in the UK, will not be competing with Motorola, and those who want a compact folding phone will finally have a choice of models.
Give it an IP rating
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There’s no excuse for avoiding getting an IP rating on a foldable smartphone, and it was one of the few details that made the cut in our Oppo Find N2 Flip review. The Razr 2022 doesn’t have an official water and dust resistance rating, although Motorola says it’s “water resistant,” but when the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has an IPX8 rating, that’s not really good enough.
Getting a foldable smartphone dust-proof certification is a serious challenge, but adding durability through certified water resistance and tough materials increases confidence, which is an important part of attracting people to these still-new devices. For its next foldable smartphone, Motorola would be wise to add an IPX8 rating.
Motorola might have a winner
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
The Motorola Razr (2022) is an excellent smartphone, hampered mostly by old software and a limited edition, and it deserves more attention than it has received. There are just a few changes that Motorola needs to make to ensure that the Razr (2023) isn’t forgotten in the same way.
Apart from these five important changes we want to see in the Moto Razr (2023), Motorola otherwise needs to improve the camera, which is decent but far from excellent on the Razr (2022), use the latest and fastest processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a great addition current Razr) and get the most out of the battery. I was pleasantly surprised by the battery life of the Razr (2022), provided I wasn’t pushing it too hard, and easily managed more than a day of use on a single charge.
The Razr (2022) shows that Motorola knows how to make a desirable foldable smartphone, but the issues it’s having also show that it still hasn’t figured out the right formula for a flagship device, despite years of experience. Razr (2023) will be his chance to change that. Motorola has confirmed that the new Razr foldable is “coming soon”, so we shouldn’t have to wait too long to see if Motorola is up to the challenge of making what could be one of the best foldable phones of the year.
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Categories: GAMING
Source: newstars.edu.vn