Is this Motorola’s new $1500 Razr? Leaked renders reveal a touchscreen vertical-folding handset that resembles the classic flip phone
- Leaked images show off an ultra-thin smartphone that folds in half vertically
- Renders match up with sketches of a Razr revival shown in a Motorola patent
- Previous reports suggested the phone could be priced at $1,500 when it debuts
A set of newly leaked images offer the clearest look yet at what could be Motorola’s Razr revival.
The renders show off a thin device with a notch that folds in half vertically, according to SlashLeaks, which obtained the images from a since-deleted Weibo post.
Speculation has been building about the possibility of a refresh of the classic flip phone, but Motorola has yet to offer many details.
Scroll down for video
A set of newly leaked images offer the clearest look yet at what could be Motorola’s Razr revival. The renders show off a thin device with a notch that folds in half vertically
The design differs greatly from other folding phones released by Samsung and Huawei, which fold open to become tablet-sized.
Instead, the new Razr would reportedly fold in half vertically, allowing it to fit comfortably in your pocket, not unlike the original flip phone.
The leaked images appear similar to designs shown in a Motorola patent from earlier this year.
Additionally, the renders seem to show the device as being sold with a wireless charging stand.
However, the renders don’t clearly show whether or not the device has a small display on the outer panel when folded vertically.
Speculation has been building about a refresh of the classic flip phone, but Motorola has yet to offer many details. Unlike other folding phones, the new Razr folds vertically
Rumors of a new Razr phone first began to develop after a Wall Street Journal report in January.
At the time, the report suggested that the Razr would be priced at $1,500 when it’s eventually released.
It’s not yet clear when Motorola intends to release the device.
In February, the company confirmed that a folding phone has been in the works for ‘a long time.’
‘We started to work on foldables a long time ago,’ Dan Dery, Motorola’s vice president of Global Product told Engadget. ‘And we have been doing a lot of iteration.
He added that the company has ‘no intention of coming later than everybody else in the market.’
The patent showed off a folding device that looks similar to the iconic flip phone (pictured), aside from a folding screen on the inside and another display on the outside of the device
Motorola has confirmed that it plans to reboot the Razr this year as a folding phone with a touchscreen. Pictured are sketches of a folding device from a Motorola patent
Motorola recently filed a patent showing off a folding device that looks similar to the iconic flip phone, aside from a folding screen on the inside and another medium-sized display on the outside of the device.
While the Mate X and Galaxy Fold unfurl to become a larger device, Motorola’s patent shows a phone that would be folded to become more compact and portable.
Sketches of the device show that it would keep some of the familiar elements of the 2000s-era Razr, like the large chin at the bottom of the phone, as well as the hinge allowing it to flip open and closed.
Dery told Engadget that the company was pursuing this type of design so that the screen would be less likely to become damaged.
THE RISE OF THE RAZR
2004: Motorola releases the Razr V3, the first phone in the Razr line. Its ultra-thin design allowed the device to be marketed as an ultra high-end phone.
Motorola released the original Razr phone, called the V3, in 2004
2005: Motorola drops the price of the V3, causing it to sell 50 million units by 2006.
2007: Motorola releases the V3’s successor, called the Razr2. It featured a 2mm thinner body and a micro-USB charger that could also be used to connect a headset.
2008: Sales of the Razr2 began to falter as consumers moved to newer, flashier models like Apple’s iPhone, which was released a year earlier.
Its successor, the Razr3, was eventually discontinued amid declining sales.
2011: Motorola teams up with Verizon to release the Droid Razr, a 4G LTE capable smartphone that it claimed was the ‘thinnest smartphone ever.’
2019: Speculation begins to build that the company is planning to launch a foldable Razr successor, including patents that suggest a device could be coming this year.
