Motorola Razr 2025 review: Balling on a budget
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The Motorola Razr 2025 is a rare case of an incremental smartphone upgrade that ends up creating an excellent value proposition. Compared to the Razr 2024, it’s true that the newer model has no noticeable performance gains and reuses mostly the same design and displays.
However, Motorola picked just the right places to make just the right upgrades. And at the exact same price as prior Razr base model, that’s enough to make the Razr 2025 feel like a steal. After using older Razr flagships and the multiple Samsung Galaxy Z Flip generations, I’m convinced that the Razr 2025 is all the foldable you need.
Starting at just $700, you can pick up a Razr 2025 for way less than the top Android phones while still feeling like you’re getting a premium experience. I’ve spent nearly two weeks with the newest entry-level Motorola foldable, and I already know I can comfortably keep this phone in my pocket for the long haul.
Motorola Razr 2025: Price and availability
The Motorola Razr 2025 is widely available for purchase in the U.S. and Canada as of May 15, 2025. The smartphone starts at $699.99, but you can already save big with retailer and carrier discounts. One of the best Razr 2025 deals from Best Buy can save you $100 just by activating your device with a carrier at the time of purchase.
The Razr 2025 is only offered in one configuration, with 256GB of storage and 8GB of memory. You can choose from the following colorways:
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
MSRP |
Storage/RAM |
Colors |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Motorola Razr 2025 |
$699.99 |
256GB/8GB |
Pantone Spring Bud, Pantone Gibraltar Sea, Pantone Parfait Pink, Pantone Lightest Sky |
Motorola Razr 2025: What I like
At a glance, it would be difficult to tell the difference between the Motorola Razr 2025 and the Razr 2024 model it replaces. The two phones’ dimensions are nearly identical, with the newer model being slightly thinner, slightly shorter, and slightly lighter. The design changes made to the Razr 2025 are so minute that older cases will still fit — we’re talking about fractions of a millimeter here.
So, what’s new about the Razr 2025? There are some new colors and finish options, and I tested Pantone Lightest Sky, which is an ivory-like colorway with a refractor design. However, the major design improvements are under-the-hood upgrades you won’t be able to see.
The big news is that the Razr’s dust-resistance rating is back after the 2024 series’ IPX8 certification forewent dust protection. Now, the Razr 2025 is IP48 certified against dust and liquid ingress, and that’s massive for durability. Dust-resistance is specifically important for foldables, since any kind of debris getting in the hinge or under the display could be fatal for your device.
The other key design upgrade goes hand-in-hand with the IP48 rating, and that’s the titanium-reinforced hinge. Past Motorola foldables utilized a stainless steel hinge, and it simply wasn’t good enough compared to foldables from the likes of Samsung. Now, the hinge feels sturdier, stronger, and more satisfying to open and shut. Compared to the weaker hinge on my Motorola Razr Plus 2023, the difference is night and day.
|
Category |
Motorola Razr 2025 |
|---|---|
|
OS |
Android 15 (Hello UX) |
|
Display (internal) |
6.9-inch, AMOLED, FHD+, 413ppi, LTPO 120Hz, HDR10+, 3,000 nits peak brightness |
|
Display (external) |
3.6-inch, pOLED, 413ppi, LTPS 90Hz, 1,700 nits peak brightness |
|
Chipset |
MediaTek Dimensity 7400X |
|
RAM |
8GB LPDDR4X |
|
Storage |
256GB UFS 2.2 |
|
Rear Camera 1 |
50MP, f/1.7, 0.8μm, 12.6MP Quad Pixel Technology, 1.6μm, Instant all-pixel PDAF, OIS, Pantone Validated Color and Skin Tones |
|
Rear Camera 2 |
13MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 120° FOV, 1.12 μm |
|
Selfie Camera |
32MP (f/2.4, 0.7μm) or 8MP (f/2.4, 1.4um) Quad Pixel |
|
Audio |
3 mics, dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos |
|
Connectivity |
5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC |
|
Security |
Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock |
|
Protection |
IP48 |
|
Battery |
4,500mAh, 30W wired charging, 15W wireless charging |
|
Dimensions (open) |
73.99 x 171.30 x 7.25mm |
|
Dimensions (closed) |
73.99 x 88.08 x 15.85mm |
|
Weight |
188g |
|
Colors |
Pantone Spring Bud, Pantone Gibraltar Sea, Pantone Parfait Pink, Pantone Lightest Sky |
There aren’t any other design changes to speak of, but that’s not a bad thing. The base-model Razr’s design was already solid. The 3.6-inch pOLED panel is plenty bright, and let’s be honest, anything more than the 90Hz refresh rate supported by the cover screen would be overkill. On the inside, the 6.9-inch AMOLED is gorgeous with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,000 nits of peak brightness.
The foldable display crease is still visible, and it might feel odd to slide your finger across it for the first time. But that awkwardness fades away quickly. Although there are no new display upgrades on the Razr 2025, this still feels like a fantastic set of screens for a $700 foldable.
While the Razr 2025 technically has a new MediaTek Dimensity 7400X processor, the performance improvements may be in name only. It’s still a 4nm chip, and our benchmark tests revealed that the Razr 2025 actually performs worse than the Razr 2024. Not by enough of a margin to matter, but it’s worth pointing out. Also, keep in mind that benchmarks don’t really tell the whole story when using a phone, so take what you will from these numbers.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Processor |
Single-core score |
Multi-core score |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
1,742 |
6,695 |
|
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy |
1,857 |
6,493 |
|
Motorola Razr 2025 |
MediaTek Dimensity 7400X |
1,030 |
2,890 |
|
Motorola Razr Plus 2024 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 |
1,836 |
4,339 |
|
Motorola Razr 2024 |
MediaTek Dimensity 7300X |
1,036 |
2,975 |
There were a handful of times when I noticed the Razr 2025 lag behind, and the common denominator seemed to be fast multitasking paired with excessive heat. If I bring the smartphone outdoors in Arizona heat while streaming music, taking photos and videos, and browsing the web, the Razr 2025 might stutter here and there.
These were all minor, momentary hiccups — this foldable is by no means slow. But if you expect it to perform like a flagship, you’ll end up a bit disappointed. The benchmark results show that the Razr Ultra 2025 and the Galaxy Z Flip 6 are running laps around the base model I tested.
Meanwhile, with a 4,500mAh battery, the Razr 2025 consistently lasted a full day, which is excellent for a clamshell foldable.
The Razr 2025’s main camera is still a 50MP, f/1.7 sensor, and it performs well in most situations. Motorola touts that this smartphone offers Pantone Validated Color and Skin Tones, which should help your Razr 2025’s camera capture accurate and lifelike colors.
This ended up being mostly the case, but you’ll notice in the camera samples below that Motorola’s High Dynamic Range (HDR) processing can be a bit aggressive. For example, while the sunset photos and the restaurant signs I captured seem to really pop, the colors are definitely oversaturated compared to what I saw in the real world.
Image 1 of 8
There’s a lot of post-processing magic going on here, because when it doesn’t work right, it’s noticeable. The night skyline in the sixth photo above seemed to give the Razr 2025 trouble, because it ended up being a grainy and blurry mess.
The main camera is joined by a 13MP ultrawide lens, which is also unchanged this year. By default, you can shoot in 0.5x, 1x, and 2x zoom lengths, and anything further will heavily rely on digital zoom. Unfortunately, there’s no telephoto lens.
Image 1 of 3
To be clear, the Motorola Razr 2025’s camera isn’t bad. It’s actually quite good when you consider that this is a space-constrained foldable at a midrange price point. However, I would’ve liked to see less-aggressive color science and a more natural look to some of the photos.
Motorola Razr 2025: What I don’t like
There’s no avoiding the fact that the Razr 2025 is overloaded with AI. There are at least four AI suites offered on this smartphone: Moto AI, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot. If you don’t want to use any of these AI features, that’s perfectly fine. The Moto AI features require a Motorola account, so just stay signed out if you’d rather not see them. Plus, it’s quick and easy to change the double-press of the home button from an AI launcher to a camera launcher.
I personally didn’t enjoy the Moto AI experience on the Razr 2025, mostly because the device is too underpowered to process AI queries in a fast and secure manner. For instance, Catch Me Up — a feature that summarizes your notifications — needs to send them to a cloud server for processing before you can get the low-down on what you missed. Not only is the delay inconvenient, the cloud processing could be a privacy concern.
For what it’s worth, Motorola says data sent to its cloud servers is always encrypted, and that data won’t be shared with third-party AI assistant apps. That won’t be enough for everyone to trust the service, however.
You should know that it’s incredibly easy to use the Razr 2025 without ever touching an AI feature, so these criticisms shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. The truth is, Gemini is an excellent AI assistant, and it’s all I need. For me, the standard Gemini experience is enough to forget about Moto AI, Perplexity, and Copilot.
What may be a dealbreaker is the Razr 2025’s software support window. It covers just three years of Android OS upgrades and an extra year of security updates. That’s short compared to other phones in this price range from Google and Samsung. Motorola’s track record of shipping timely and bug-free software updates isn’t great, either, although it has improved some as of late.
My final nitpick is that the rear camera lenses are a dust and fingerprint magnet due to how far they protrude from the screen. Be prepared to clean them often, especially if you use cover screen apps in full-screen mode.
Motorola Razr 2025: Competition
For now, the Razr 2025’s main competition in the U.S. is the last-generation Razr 2024. It’s already discounted to $600, and will only get cheaper. Usually, I’d recommend picking up the older model and saving a few bucks, but not this time. By picking the Razr 2024, you’ll get one fewer OS upgrade (since the first was used for Android 15), no dust resistance, a smaller battery, and a weaker hinge. The savings aren’t worth what you’d have to give up.
If you have a Razr Plus 2023 or older, the base Razr 2025 will surprisingly be worth the upgrade. It’s brighter and way more durable, while offering longer battery life and the same or bigger screen sizes than older models.
The expensive Galaxy Z Flip 6 isn’t in the same price point as the Razr 2025, but the rumored Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE — a cheaper Samsung clamshell — might be.
Motorola Razr 2025: Should you buy it?
You should buy this if…
- You want a compact and versatile phone with few compromises
- You need a brand-new phone priced at well under $1,000
- You want a foldable with unrestricted cover screen access
You shouldn’t buy this if…
- You need more than three years of Android OS upgrades
- You find Moto AI more of a nuisance than a helper
- You want a larger and more useful cover screen
There are more than a few reasons to stop and think about whether the Motorola Razr 2025’s compromises are worth it. Motorola’s sketchy track record with software updates concerns me, and the three-year OS update promise falls short of modern expectations. Moto AI might not be as secure as you’d like, and the cover screen is less capable than the one you’ll find on a Plus or Ultra model.
When all is said and done, I think all these points are forgivable when you consider the Razr 2025’s affordable price of entry. Paying $700 or less for a phone sure to last you at least four years is a pretty solid deal. Even if you have the money to spend on a more expensive phone, the Razr 2025 finds a value sweet spot. None of the missing features from the Plus 2025 or Ultra 2025 variants significantly hamper the experience.
If I had carte blanche to choose a clamshell foldable, I’d choose the Motorola Razr 2025 because of its stellar price-to-performance ratio.
The best value foldable
There are just enough upgrades here to make the Motorola Razr 2025 an excellent value, even compared to the last-gen Razr 2024, which is sure to see discounts. With a bigger battery, newer processor, and key durability improvements, a great entry-level foldable phone gets even better.
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