Foldable done right
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
Pros
- Display is made of ultra-thin glass
- More powerful specs
- Bigger battery with wireless charging
- Available with carriers and unlocked
- Lower price
Cons
- Secondary screen is tiny
- Still a crease on the folding display
The Galaxy Z Flip is the newest folding phone to hit the market, and from what we can tell, it's the better choice over the Motorola RAZR in virtually every single way. It has a higher-resolution glass display, a much more capable processor, a bigger battery, and support for Qi wireless charging. Not to mention, it's also more affordable and offered through more carrier partners.
Misses the mark
Motorola RAZR
Pros
- Throwback design is incredible
- Minimal crease on the display
- Secondary screen is larger/more useful
- Motorola's excellent software
Cons
- Folding screen is plastic
- Weaker specs across the board
- Exclusive to Verizon
Motorola was the first to market with this flip phone folding design, and while there's something to be said for that, it's about the only pleasantry we have for the device. Compared to the Z Flip, the Motorola RAZR has a lesser display, slower processor, smaller battery, and more. Even if you wanted to buy the RAZR, the only way to get it is if you're a Verizon customer.
The Galaxy Z Flip and Motorola RAZR might have nearly identical folding designs, but there's a clear winner in this comparison. We have to give Motorola some points for the RAZR's retro design and objectively more useful secondary screen, but in every other regard, the Z Flip is the superior phone. Its Snapdragon 855+ processor runs circles around the 710 in the RAZR, it has more RAM and storage, and the battery is larger. You also get the latest build of Android 10 right out of the box and benefit from a legit glass display instead of a plastic one on the RAZR. Even with all of those benefits, the Z Flip is also cheaper than the RAZR and available for more potential customers.
The Galaxy Z Flip is the better all-around phone
The Galaxy Z Flip is the second folding phone from Samsung, and looking at it, it's obvious the company learned a lot from the Galaxy Fold. The foldable market is still extremely young, but the Z Flip is easily the most well-rounded and polished entry we've seen to date.
A prime example of this is with the Z Flip's folding display — specifically, how it's made out of ultra-thin glass. The biggest benefit of this material is that it makes the Z Flip's screen feel much nicer under your fingers compared to the RAZR. It's still susceptible to being easily dented and scratched as there's a plastic film covering the glass, but overall it's an upgrade from full-on plastic. The quality of the AMOLED panel is better, too, having a higher 2636x1080 resolution compared to the RAZR's middling 2142x876 resolution.
Under the hood, the Z Flip continues to impress. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855+ isn't the very latest chipset on the market (that title now goes to the 865), but it's still a lot faster than the RAZR's Snapdragon 710. You're also getting 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 3,300 mAh battery. That's not super impressive on its own, but compared to the measly 2,510 mAh unit in the RAZR, it easily takes the win.
No matter how you look at it, the Galaxy Z Flip is the better phone.
If cameras are important to you, the Galaxy Z Flip continues to be a better recommendation. Samsung gives you dual 12MP sensors on the back, consisting of wide and ultra-wide cameras. You can take your selfies with those if you want, using the tiny 1.06-inch secondary screen, or just open up the Z Flip and use its dedicated 10MP selfie camera.
Rounding out the Galaxy Z Flip's advantages, it gives you Qi wireless charging, Samsung's Wireless PowerShare feature that allows you to charge other devices on top of the phone, Samsung Pay with MST and NFC support, and ships with Android 10 out of the box.
And we haven't even talked about price and availability yet.
Samsung is selling the Galaxy Z Flip for $1,380, with the phone hitting AT&T and Sprint in the United States. If you don't subscribe to either of those two carriers, you can also just buy the Z Flip unlocked and use it with whatever service you'd like. You can't do this with the RAZR.
| Samsung Galaxy Z Flip | Motorola RAZR | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 10 One UI 2.0 |
Android 9 Pie |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ | Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 |
| Primary Display | 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2636 x 1080 21.9:9 aspect ratio |
6.2-inch pOLED 2142 x 876 21:9 aspect ratio |
| Secondary Display | 1.06-inch Super AMOLED 300 x 116 |
2.7-inch gOLED 800 x 600 |
| Storage | 256GB | 128GB |
| Memory | 8GB RAM | 6GB RAM |
| Rear Camera 1 | 12MP wide f/1.8 aperture 1.4um |
16MP f/1.7 aperture 1.22um |
| Rear Camera 2 | 12MP ultra-wide f/2.4 aperture 1.12um |
❌ |
| Front Camera | 10MP f/2.4 aperture 1.22um |
❌ |
| Battery | 3,300 mAh | 2,510 mAh |
| Charging | Quick Charge 2.0 wired charging Qi wireless charging Wireless PowerShare |
15W TurboPower wired charging |
You get a retro design with the RAZR, but that's about it
Price and availability are important in this comparison because they're two of the biggest things the Motorola RAZR has going against it. Even if you did want to buy the RAZR (which we'd recommend against), doing so is difficult. It's more expensive than the Galaxy Z Flip at $1,500, but the biggest issue is that it's exclusive to Verizon Wireless.
This doesn't just mean that Verizon is the only carrier in the U.S. you can buy the RAZR from — it's the only place at all that's selling it. In other words, there's no option to just buy the phone unlocked and be on your way. If you aren't a Verizon customer, owning the RAZR is virtually impossible.
The RAZR's design is cool, but that's about all it has going for it.
Maybe that's a good thing because when stacking the RAZR against the Galaxy Z Flip, it's hard to find any meaningful ways in which it comes out ahead. As we've already mentioned, the RAZR has a worse processor, RAM and storage options, battery, camera, you name it. We have noticed that the crease in the RAZR's folding screen isn't quite as noticeable as the Galaxy Z Flip, but we'll gladly take Samsung's ultra-thin glass over plastic even it means a slightly more noticeable crease.
If there's one thing Motorola got right with the RAZR, it's the retro design. This thing does look like the old-school RAZR flip-phone from the early 2000s, and for people that look back on that time with fond memories, there's a sense of nostalgia with the RAZR you just don't get with the Z Flip. We also greatly prefer the RAZR's secondary screen, which is far more useful than the teeny-tiny one on Samsung's phone.
This is an easy decision
Unfortunately for Motorola, a throwback aesthetic and handy cover display aren't enough to keep the RAZR afloat in a world where the Galaxy Z Flip exists. The RAZR was the first to market with the flip-phone foldable design, but the Galaxy Z Flip turned it into something actually worth buying.
The innovation on display from both companies should be commended, but when it comes time to spend your hard-earned dollars, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip is the phone we recommend. And even then, you need to ask yourself if you're comfortable spending well over $1000 for the privilege of having a phone with that folding design.
One could easily argue that there are much better ways to spend your money than on a $1,380 phone just for the fact that it folds, but if this is something that appeals to you and is something you know you want, the Galaxy Z Flip is the way to go.
Foldable done right
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip
The most refined folding phone yet
If you're eager and ready to buy a folding phone, the Galaxy Z Flip is an easy recommendation. Samsung learned a lot from the Galaxy Fold, equipping the Z Flip with its first ultra-thin glass display, flagship specifications, and a "cheap" price tag as far as the world of foldables is concerned. Plus, you can use it on any carrier.
Misses the mark
Motorola RAZR
Retro letdown
The Motorola RAZR makes an enticing first impression with its old-school design, but once you look closely at the phone, you quickly realize there's not much to sink your teeth into. The RAZR is a worse phone is just about every regard compared to the Z Flip, while also being more expensive and limited to Verizon.
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