Motorola Razr Ultra Hands-On: A $1,300 Flip Phone in Fashionable Fabric
Motorola’s hoping that good things can come in threes for its newly announced Razr 2025 line. Specifically, there are three Razr models, with a $1,300 Ultra edition debuting alongside updated versions of the base $700 Razr and the $1,000 Razr Plus.
I spent a little time with the new Motorola Razr phones, and it was hard to notice their differences side by side. The design tweaks and spec changes between the three are slight. I found it easy to mix up the Plus and Ultra models when they’re folded shut, as they both have a 4-inch cover screen. The base Razr uses a 3.6-inch cover display adorned with a colorful bezel. Unfolded, all three phones look tall because each has an interior screen with a narrow aspect ratio compared to a regular smartphone. The Ultra folds out to an expansive 7-inch display, while the Razr and Razr Plus have slightly smaller 6.9-inch screens.
Watch this: Motorola’s New 2025 Razr Line Gets a High-End $1,300 Ultra Phone
Motorola’s also using the new Razr line to showcase Moto AI and fashionable materials like Alcantara fabric. The new lineup marks Motorola’s largest push into AI — cleverly named Moto AI. Motorola has partnerships with Perplexity, Meta’s Llama AI, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini.
The Razr, Razr Plus and Razr Ultra while unfolded.
It’s quite an aggressive push to expand both Motorola’s Razr line and its AI ambitions, but it makes a lot of sense since Apple, Google and Samsung have also expanded their AI plans while releasing flagship phones at different prices. During a press preview event, Motorola noted that 25% of its Razr customers upgraded from an iPhone. Having a third higher-end Razr option should appeal stronger to customers abandoning the iPhone Pro Max. The Razr Ultra could also tempt someone considering the $1,300 Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. While AI features still aren’t the main appeal for customers, the expanded suite of Moto AI tools makes this year’s Razrs more competitive against Apple and Samsung’s AI offerings.
However, the 2025 Motorola Razr line has a noticeable disadvantage against competing foldable phones: they will receive only three years of major software upgrades and four years of security updates. Compared with Google and Samsung’s seven-year commitment to both, it’s about half as long. But with that expectation set, there are a lot of unique design elements to the new Razr line that make it stand out from other phone makers. And that’s worth keeping in mind too.
Motorola’s new Razr line will go on preorder May 7 ahead of a May 15 release date.
Motorola Razr Ultra
The Motorola Razr Ultra comes in a variety of finishes including Alcantara fabric (left) and wood (middle).
The Motorola Razr Ultra is the newest and most powerful member of the family. It has the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip found in other flagship phones like the OnePlus 13 and Xiaomi 15 Ultra. It also has a wood back option — known as Pantone Mountain Trail. The Razr Ultra is the first Motorola phone to get a wooden back since the Moto X line from a decade ago.
The four Razr Ultra models.
My favorite model, though, is the Pantone Scarab, which is made from velvety black Alcantara fabric — think faux suede or micro suede. The Ultra also comes in magenta-like Pantone Cabaret and Pantone Rio Red.
The phone supports 68-watt wired charging, which is faster than most other flagships, and 30-watt wireless charging. The Ultra also has three 50-megapixel cameras, with a wide and ultrawide lenses on the back and the selfie camera on the interior display.
That 7-inch interior display looks tall and could be a two-handed device for many people when unfolded. The Ultra model I tested did not have an internet connection, but I could easily see how the wider space would be useful for gaming and movie-watching.
On the other hand, the 4-inch cover display feels just right for quick texts and photography. I almost want this smaller display to be a hair taller, as its wider ratio makes it more challenging for viewing content. Both displays have an adaptive refresh rate of up to 165Hz, which makes animations, gameplay play and scrolling social feeds look ridiculously smooth.
The Ultra also has 16GB of memory and comes with either 512GB or 1TB of storage.
Motorola Razr Plus (2025)
The top phone in this stack is the Razr Plus, then the Razr Ultra with the standard Razr on the bottom.
Motorola’s Razr Plus gets a smaller revamp compared with last year’s model, and it has many of the same specs from the 2024 version (which earned it a CNET Editor’s Choice award). It has the same Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 processor, 6.9-inch interior screen, 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Cameras are also similar. There’s a 50-megapixel wide camera and a 50-megapixel telephoto on the cover display and a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the interior screen.
The Razr Plus gets a few new hardware enhancements that are coming to all three phones. It has a new titanium-reinforced hinge that Motorola says will help its extend its lifespan: 35% more folds than last year’s model. The Razr Plus has IP48 protection for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes. This makes the phone, along with the other 2025 Razr models, one of the only foldables that has some level of dust resistance along with the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
The Plus is available in three colors: Pantone Mocha Mousse, Midnight Blue and Hot Pink.
Motorola Razr (2025)
The Spring Bud green Razr from the side
Motorola’s standard Razr also got a small spec bump compared with last year’s standard Razr. It does move up to MediaTek’s Dimensity 7400X processor, which is slightly newer than the 7300 included in the 2024 model. It also keeps the 3.6-inch 90Hz cover display and the 6.9-inch 120Hz interior screen.
Cameras are also largely similar: a 50-megapixel main camera and a 13-megapixel ultrawide on the cover screen and a 32-megapixel selfie camera on the interior display.
The Razr (2025) comes in four Pantone-branded colors: Spring Bud (green), Gibraltar Sea Blue, Parfait Pink and Lightest Sky (white).
Moto AI
Moto AI is a mix of Motorola’s tolls as well as AI integrations from the likes of Meta, Microsoft, Google and others.
Moto AI debuted last year on the 2024 Razr and Razr Plus. Motorola will partner with several AI companies to significantly upgrade Moto AI in 2025. Moto AI features can be activated with a dedicated button or by looking and speaking directly at the phone.
Motorola says that Moto AI, along with integrated services like Perplexity, Copilot and Gemin, will complement each other. For instance, Perplexity can help with research-based tasks like vacation planning and will partly power Moto AI’s Next Move feature that offers suggestions based on what’s happening on your screen. Llama AI can summarize notifications for Moto’s Catch Me Up. Moto’s Pay Attention and Remember This are meant to help organize notes, audio transcriptions, contextual photos and screenshots. Other general queries can be fielded by either Copilot or Gemini.
Motorola’s own AI will also pitch in for a variety of photography enhancement features. These include Signature Style for customizing the look of your photos as well as a Group Shot feature that can merge multiple photos together to ensure one where no one is blinking.
The Moto Buds Loop include Swarovski crystals and were made in collaboration with Bose.
Motorola’s earbuds get crystals and Bose
Motorola’s fashion-forward ambitions didn’t stop at just the Pantone-colored Razr line. The company also unveiled the Moto Buds Loop open-style earbuds, which include Swarovski crystals along with a Sound by Bose badge. Pricing and availability weren’t announced yet, but the earbuds look like small earrings and hook across the ear. Motorola says that the open style lets in ambient noise (which can be good for staying alert in public places). The buds have a dual-microphone system and AI for voice calls and reducing background noise.
Motorola Razr (2025) specs vs. Motorola Razr Plus (2025), Motorola Razr Ultra
| Motorola Razr (2025) | Motorola Razr Plus (2025) | Motorola Razr Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 3.6-inch pOLED; up to 90Hz variable refresh rate | 4-inch pOLED; 1,272 x 1,080 pixels; up to 165Hz variable refresh rate | 4-inch pOLED; up to 165Hz variable refresh rate |
| Internal display size, tech, resolution, refresh rate | 6.9-inch AMOLED; FHD+; up to 120Hz variable refresh rate | 6.9-inch pOLED; FHD+; 2,640 x 1,080 pixels; up to 165Hz variable refresh rate | 7-inch AMOLED; up to 165Hz variable refresh rate |
| Pixel density | Cover: 413 ppi; Internal: 413 ppi | Cover: 417 ppi; Internal: 413 ppi | Cover: 417 ppi; 464 ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | Open: 2.91 x 6.74 x 0.29 inches Closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.62 inches | Open: 2.91 x 6.75 x 0.28 inches Closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.6 inches | Open: 2.91 x 6.75 x 0.28 inches Closed: 2.91 x 3.47 x 0.62 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | Open: 73.99 x 171.30 x 7.25mm Closed: 73.99 x 88.08 x 15.85mm | Open: 73.99 x 171.42 x 7.09mm Closed: 73.99 x 88.09 x 15.32mm | Open: 73.99 x 171.48 x 7.19mm Closed: 73.99 x 88.12 x 15.69mm |
| Weight (grams, ounces) | 188g (6.63 oz) | 189g (6.67 oz) | 199g (7 oz) |
| Mobile software | Android 15 | Android 15 | Android 15 |
| Cameras | 50-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide) | 50-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel telephoto | 50-megapixel (wide), 50-megapixel (ultrawide) |
| Internal screen camera | 32-megapixel | 32-megapixel | 50-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7400X | Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| RAM/storage | 8GB + 256GB | 12GB + 256GB | 16GB + 512GB, 1TB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None |
| Battery | 4500 mAh | 4,000 mAh | 4,700 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | Side | Side | Side |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | None | None | None |
| Special features | IP48 rating, dual stereo speakers, 30-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, 1,700 nit peak brightness on cover display, 3,000 nit peak brightness on main display, 5G. | IP48 rating, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on front, titanium-reinforced hinge, 2,400 peak brightness on cover display; 3,000 nit peak brightness on main display, 5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7, 45-watt wired charging, 15-watt wireless charging, 5-watt reverse charging. | IP48 rating, 68-watt wired charging, 30-watt wireless charging, 5-watt reverse charging, dual stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic cover dispaly, 3,000 nits peak brightness on cover display, 4,500 nits peak brightness on main display, 5G. |
| US price starts at | $700 | $1,000 | $1,300 |