Classic smartphone designs have made a comeback, and how! Last year, HMD Global revived the classic Nokia 3310 phone from the years gone by, and unveiled the 2018 avatar of the Nokia 8110 aka the "banana phone" at MWC 2018.
Now, it seems like we will be seeing another classic phone from yesteryears come back to life.
The Motorola RAZR is perhaps one of the most iconic phones of the past decade and also the most stylish one at that. Today, when classic phones seem to be coming back in fashion, the quintessential slim and "RAZR" sharp flip-phone from the early 2000s is set to make a comeback, but in a different form factor.
According to a Tech Radar report, the CEO of Lenovo (which owns Motorola) hinted at the ongoing MWC 2018 event that the Motorola RAZR may make a comeback in the near future.
Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing, when asked about a possible Motorola RAZR revival, said: "With the new technology, particularly foldable screens, I think you will see more and more innovation in our smartphone design. So hopefully what you just described (Motorola RAZR) will be developed or realized very soon."
The RAZR is synonymous with the clamshell aka flip-phone form factor, which is still pretty much in-trend in markets like Japan and South Korea. If Lenovo-owned Motorola decides to do away with the flip-phone design, it will take away the major differentiating factor.
However, with the CEO hinting at foldable screens, we might see the Motorola RAZR in a foldable flip-phone avatar with a single large screen.
To recall, Motorola had released a Moto RAZR video — given below — back in 2016 showing how the phone was the ultimate gadget in our growing-up years, with just the right amount of technology and style.
The video evoked some nostalgia and left us wondering if Motorola was teasing a return of the RAZR.
The Motorola RAZR or Moto RAZR of 2018 or 2019 (if it is launched this year or the next) could be one of the first foldable phones. As mentioned earlier, it might ditch the physical keypad for an all-screen foldable design, much like the Samsung patents that surfaced a little while ago.
It will be interesting to see whether Motorola retains the classic RAZR design language, like Nokia did with the 3310 and the banana phone, or opts for a foldable screen that takes away from the classic RAZR feel.
