Motorola is a name that has dominated the mobile industry for a long time. But that's changed now. It's all Samsung, Apple, Xiaomi, OnePlus and the rest, and a sparing margin given to Lenovo, which includes Motorola, according to Counterpoint Research. But Motorola has managed to grab everyone's attention with its all-new Moto Razr - the rebirth of the iconic flip phone.
Back in the day, there were people who owned a Moto Razr or fancied having one. As times changed, full-screen touch phones took over the market by storm and it's all about who is offering more screen ratio now. But the future could well be in favour of Motorola as its clamshell design works best for the futuristic foldable concept many brands are testing out, including Samsung.
Noted mobile tipster @evleaks gave a glimpse of the Moto Razr 2019 in a series of photos on its private Twitter account. Looking at the early renders of the 2019 Moto Razr instantly took me back to the good-old-days of early 2000. The V3 had just come out and that flip-to-open design made waves in the industry. Motorola wants to reignite that flame as it banks heavily on the nostalgia factor for the success of its 2019 Moto Razr. But don't be fooled even for a second thinking Motorola isn't prepared to take on the trends as the upcoming Razr sure packs a punch when its configuration is considered.
Foldable phones are the next big thing in the smartphone space. Phones with more than one display will soon be the norm. Samsung and Huawei have already showcased their own versions of foldable smartphones and Samsung is currently working on clamshell design foldable phone like the 2019 Razr.
Motorola is aiming for the sky with its aggressive move, but there are more reasons why 2019 Moto Razr could be a hit. Of course, the idea isn't entirely fool-proof.
The 'Nokia' mantra
Nokia turned things around after a major struggle. HMD Global did a fantastic job of leveraging the "nostalgia" factor for its own benefit. Phones like Nokia 3310 were an instant hit among consumers, but Nokia used that spotlight to bring consumers' attention to its other phones in the lineup. It was quite a brilliant move and worked out for Nokia.
If Nokia could do it, why not Motorola? I keep asking myself this. Moto Razr was a successful series back in the day and if Motorola plays its cards right then there could be another solid example one can use in brand rejuvenating.
Popularity factor
As mentioned earlier, Moto Razr has a following of its own. Second-hand marketplaces like eBay, OLX, Quickr and others still have listings for used Moto Razr models. This alone shows how popular the Razr series is and it could be a great factor to self-promote the 2019 Moto Razr.
Motorola won't be bringing Moto Razr back from the dead since the Razr-series was never really dead. Do you agree?
Future-proof design/specs
Foldable phones are the future and giants like Samsung, Apple and Huawei mulling over its use is evidence enough. The clamshell design Samsung is now considering was made popular by Moto Razr and I don't see why Moto Razr 2019 could shy from success.
Nostalgia is not everything Motorola has got for its 2019 Razr phone. There's the backing of some the latest tech available in the industry now. If rumours have it right then a 6.3-inch OLED display will be the main screen when the phone is flipped open. There's a hinge similar to Samsung Galaxy Fold for the folding mechanism.
When closed, the smaller secondary display will suffice for most of your needs. You can take calls, video calls, and more from the smaller 600 x 800 pixels resolution screen. At first glance, the 2019 Moto Razr is reminiscent to the V3, but it's actually miles apart.
2019 Moto Razr is also expected to pack at least three cameras, a Snapdragon 710 chipset paired with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage. Going by these specs, it is bound to be a mid-range premium phone and hopefully a price tag to go with it.
But there's a big problem!
Price tag. That's my biggest concern. I don't expect foldable phones to be affordable, not at first at least. There has to be a mass demand for the foldable concept to be in the premium flagship price range.
Samsung's Galaxy Fold retails at $2,000 and the Huawei Mate X costs $2,400. That's unimaginably expensive, which begs the question of what will Motorola do. As per reports, the 2019 Moto Razr is expected to go for around $1,500, which by the industry standards is pretty less but not from an affordability point of view. And this is where my concerns lie.
Even the most expensive iPhone, the iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB doesn't breach that mark. When launched, which is rumoured to be on November 13, will Moto Razr 2019 be compelling enough for a consumer to go buy this foldable phone instead of a high-end iPhone? It will be a hard sell, at least until the world embraces the foldable concept fully. But I must say, it's a step in the right direction for Lenovo-owned Motorola.
