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With the Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 – and certainly with this 12 months’s Razr Plus and base-model Razr – Motorola emphatically desires you to guage its ebook by the quilt. If the Razr collection stood out earlier than with its distinctive colours, this 12 months’s Razr, Razr Plus, and Razr Extremely telephones cry out for consideration with essentially the most distinctive supplies I’ve ever seen on a cellphone lineup.
The Motorola Razr Extremely 2025, a brand new high-end for the Razr household that doesn’t compromise on efficiency, sturdiness, or design supplies, is launching on Might 15, with pre-orders beginning Might 7. It makes use of supplies like actual wooden and Italian Alcantara, a suede-like artificial material, along with the acquainted vegan leather-based end that I’ve enjoyed on past Razr phones. The cheaper Motorola Razr 2025 will function a textured nylon-like end, in addition to a extra sturdy acetone.
Is it bizarre that I’m beginning my hands-on assessment of the brand new Motorola Razr Extremely by speaking in regards to the supplies? It’s much more bizarre that Motorola didn’t speak in regards to the supplies to begin its Razr launch occasion. It didn’t speak about design, or sturdiness, or efficiency. It didn’t point out the brand new titanium hinge till the very finish, and the spectacular new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor was an afterthought.
The time I went to a cellphone launch and so they forgot to launch the telephones
Motorola launched the Motorola Razr 2025 household by speaking about, sure, AI – cue a collective groan. Moto spent an hour slogging by AI options – the identical options, by the way, that Apple is getting in trouble for failing to launch. Options that permit the cellphone collect a wealth of details about you, and what you’re doing at any given second, to recollect and recite later in response to your questions.
I critically thought Motorola had forgotten about its new telephones because it paraded companions and executives on stage to speak about partnerships and executions. The partnerships govt for Pantone appeared (in a taped video) to speak about working with Motorola. Not Pantone’s coloration chief, or artistic executives. The business-partners man.
Simply as my cynicism was constructing, Motorola marched Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas on stage, trying nervous and amateurish, to speak about the best way Motorola will probably be integrating and providing extra Perplexity options on upcoming telephones. Consumers will get a number of months of free service to make use of what our friends at Wired called “a Bullsh*t Machine,” an AI that has been confirmed to plagiarize journalists’ work.
Fantastic, Motorola – when you’re not going to speak about your new telephones till the top of the presentation, I’ll do the identical. I cherished final 12 months’s Motorola Razr Plus 2024… until I got to the AI features. I discovered an AI picture generator that created photos that fell into bigoted stereotypes. It was the primary picture generator on a cellphone that allowed bigoted stereotypes of people – an actual milestone.
Additional, a lot of the AI options Motorola promised on the Razr Plus 2024 launch by no means materialized. The cellphone was supposed to have the ability to hearken to your calls, and even take note of your conversations in particular person, to take notes and relay solutions later. These options are nonetheless unavailable.
By the point this new Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 launches, the AI options Moto promised again in 2024 could be supplied to beta software program testers, at greatest. However that isn’t preserving Motorola from claiming that the brand new cellphone will have the ability to do all the identical issues the previous cellphone was by no means capable of handle.
That is very unhappy, as a result of Motorola could have created its greatest foldable cellphone ever – a cellphone that lastly rivals flagship foldables from Samsung just like the Galaxy Z Flip 6. As an alternative of specializing in the cellphone, although, Motorola is trumpeting Moto AI, however smartphone AI has confirmed to be a less-than-worthless function to this point, perhaps even doing more harm than good.
By means of the top of the two-hour launch occasion, Motorola by no means stated the entire identify of the brand new gadget – the Motorola Razr Extremely – even one time. There was no dialogue of pricing or availability till we bought a truth sheet despatched over e-mail later within the day. It felt like Motorola was so excited to speak about its new partnerships with Perplexity and Swarovski, amongst others, that it forgot to say the brand new telephones.
Really, there have been new Motorola RAZR telephones, and so they spoke for themselves
Sufficient with the AI; onto the brand new telephones! With the 2025 Motorola Razr household, Motorola leans even more durable into the concept that you need to completely choose a ebook by its cowl. And actually, what covers these are.
The Razr Extremely 2025 is not only a cellphone; it is a assertion piece, a style accent that occurs to make calls, take pictures, and pack some critical efficiency underneath the hood.
The partnership with Pantone, which gave us previous 12 months’s Peach Fuzz and Mocha Mousse, reaches new heights. Each colorway for the brand new Extremely feels deliberate, curated, and tied to a selected materials alternative that elevates the cellphone past easy plastic and Gorilla Glass.
This 12 months, the Razr Extremely (2025) is available in colours that embrace Pantone Rio Purple, Scarab, Mountain Path, and Cabaret. The Razr (2025) is on the market in colours that embrace Pantone Spring Bud, Gibraltar Sea, Parfait Pink, and Lightest Sky. Whereas the Pantone names are evocative, the supplies are the actual story.
Motorola is bringing again wooden! Sure, precise wooden graces the Mountain Path variant, a incredible and welcome throwback to the times of the customizable Moto X. Holding it evokes a heat and natural texture that is lacking from the chilly metals and glass dominating the market. It felt premium, distinctive, and surprisingly sturdy throughout my preliminary hands-on time. I hope it weathers properly after a number of years of use.
Then there’s the Alcantara end, which adorns the Pantone Scarab mannequin. This smooth, suede-like materials feels incredible – grippy, luxurious, and proof against fingerprints. It provides a tactile dimension that’s genuinely nice, and jogs my memory of driving my Porsche – the one I don’t truly personal – by the countryside.
My solely slight reservation right here is the Scarab coloration itself; whereas subtle, it feels a bit… ominous in comparison with the vibrancy Moto often brings. It’s a muted, darkish greenish-grey that may attraction to these wanting subtlety, but it surely appears like a missed alternative in comparison with the potential vibrancy Alcantara can maintain. I’d have favored to see a light-blue Alcantara, or a Mocha Mousse model.
The Rio Purple and Cabaret choices, paired with vegan leather-based, promise the extra eye-catching hues we have come to count on. I used to be shocked that Motorola is providing two reddish hues on the identical mannequin, however they clearly know extra about colours than I do.
Motorola is clearly banking on design range, providing one thing that stands out in a sea of smartphone sameness. However as I famous final 12 months with vegan leather-based, materials selections have implications. Wooden requires cautious sourcing, and Alcantara, whereas luxurious, continues to be an artificial materials. The eco-conscious narrative is complicated, and as we speak’s financial local weather isn’t making eco-friendly selections extra worthwhile.
The Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) – lastly a real Razr flagship cellphone
Beneath the floor, has the Extremely moniker been earned? Let’s delve into the {hardware}, as a result of there are vital modifications inside, probably addressing my lingering hesitations from earlier generations.
The brand new Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 provides the Razr household a high-end mannequin that matches the competitors. Motorola used to promote the identical cellphone because the Razr Plus within the US and the Razr Extremely in the remainder of the world. This 12 months, these are distinct fashions.
The Razr Plus 2025 is similar to final 12 months’s Razr Plus 2024 and Razr 50 Extremely, however the brand new Razr Extremely 2025 – that’s Razr 60 Extremely for a lot of the world – is an entire new beast.
It’s additionally an costly beast, sadly. Final 12 months’s Motorola Razr Plus / Razr 50 Extremely price $999.99 / £999.99 / AU$1,699, and Motorola perpetually supplied a $300 low cost for that cellphone, at the least within the US, making it one of the reasonably priced telephones you should buy, foldable or not.
This 12 months’s Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 begins at a whopping $1,299 (UK and AU pricing was TBC at publication time). That’s greater than a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and greater than an iPhone 16 Professional Max. It’s the identical value as Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, essentially the most feature-packed cellphone you should buy (that doesn’t fold in half).
Fortunately, the Moto Razr Extremely 2025 works to earn that value bump. Whereas the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 in final 12 months’s Razr Plus was succesful, it wasn’t a real, top-tier flagship chip. The Razr Extremely 2025 rectifies this emphatically by incorporating the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform. I’ve been very impressed by the Snapdragon 8 Elite telephones I’ve examined to this point this 12 months, particularly the OnePlus 13. The brand new chipset gives top-notch efficiency and superlative battery life.
The brand new Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 additionally comes with a considerable enhance in reminiscence and storage – now beginning at a whopping 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage (with a 1TB choice obtainable). This cellphone ought to really feel immediately quicker, and I’m anticipating it is going to be considerably extra future-proof. Final 12 months’s 8GB/256GB starter configuration of the Moto Razr Plus 2024 feels nearly quaint by comparability.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Show
Motorola additionally continues its profitable streak on flip cellphone shows. The exterior cowl show, already a standout function, retains its vibrancy and will get a lift to a peak brightness of three,000 nits. It stays essentially the most usable and versatile cowl display on any flip cellphone, bar none.
Moto’s philosophy of permitting most Android apps to run natively on this outer display continues to be its killer app, making fast interactions genuinely helpful with out you needing to open the cellphone. Enhancements for apps like Google Photos and Spotify have been welcome final 12 months, and I count on additional refinements right here. Sadly, the one app Motorola demonstrated on the quilt show was the brand new Perplexity AI app.
Unfold the Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 and also you’re greeted by a stunning 7.0-inch AMOLED panel (6.9-inches on the Razr and Razr Plus). It’s an HDR10+ licensed, Dolby Imaginative and prescient-capable display with a pointy 464ppi pixel density. Like the quilt display, it boasts an adaptive LTPO refresh fee as much as 165Hz and pushes brightness even additional to a stunning 4500 nits peak, although we’ll have to check these claims in Future Labs earlier than we verify their accuracy.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Cameras
Now, let’s speak in regards to the Achilles’ heel of foldable telephones just like the earlier Razr Plus: the cameras. Foldables inherently wrestle right here as a result of area constraints. Final 12 months’s leap to 50MP on the Plus sounded good, however got here with smaller particular person pixels, counting on pixel binning. I used to be hopeful, however finally discovered the outcomes good, not nice. This 12 months, the Razr Extremely appears to be taking the digital camera scenario far more critically, with upgrades throughout the board.
The primary digital camera continues to be a 50MP sensor, however the specs recommend a big enchancment. It makes use of quad pixel-binning technology to supply 12.6MP photos, however the efficient pixel measurement ensuing from this binning is now a a lot bigger 2.0μm (up from 1.6μm efficient final 12 months, which itself was binned from 0.8μm native pixels on the sensor).
This, mixed with an f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and on the spot all-pixel PDAF, might translate to significantly better low-light efficiency and general picture high quality. Motorola can be touting Pantone Validated Color and Pores and skin Tones. This can be a new growth for Pantone, so we’ll have to check the Razr cameras to see in the event that they ship on this promise.
As an alternative of final 12 months’s 2x zoom on the Plus, the Extremely brings again a devoted 50MP ultrawide digital camera with a 122-degree subject of view. This sensor additionally makes use of Quad Pixel binning for 12.6MP photographs with an efficient 1.2μm pixel measurement, and it doubles as a macro digital camera.
Whereas I appreciated the utility of the 2x zoom for portraits final 12 months, a high-resolution ultra-wide typically proves extra versatility for landscapes, group photographs, and artistic views. The macro functionality is a pleasant bonus, if Motorola can match the macro efficiency we’re seeing from the most effective digital camera telephones.
Even the front-facing (inner) digital camera will get an enormous bump to 50MP, once more utilizing pixel-binning know-how for 12.6MP photos with a 1.28μm efficient pixel measurement and an f/2.0 aperture. This can be a large step up, and guarantees significantly better selfies and video calls when the cellphone is open.
On paper, this digital camera system appears to be like just like the improve I hoped to see. It genuinely appears that Motorola has invested in bigger, higher sensors throughout the board, and bigger sensors are the most effective improve for a brand new digital camera.
After all, the proof of the pudding is within the consuming, and in depth testing will probably be wanted to see if the processing and software program can really leverage this {hardware} potential and eventually make the Razr digital camera aggressive with the best camera phones from Samsung, Google and OnePlus. My fingers are crossed.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Battery life
Battery life and charging get a big enhance on the brand new Motorola Razr Extremely – a pleasant flip, since that is typically a compromise on skinny foldables. The 2025 Razr Extremely packs a a lot bigger 4,700mAh battery, a considerable enhance from the 4,000mAh cell within the Razr Plus 2024. Together with the environment friendly Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset inside, this could make a noticeable distinction to each day endurance.
When it does want topping up, charging speeds have additionally dramatically elevated. We now get 68W wired charging (up from 45W, although the charger is offered individually) and quicker 30W wi-fi charging (doubling final 12 months’s 15W). There’s even 5W reverse-wireless charging to juice up earbuds or different equipment. This complete energy improve addresses a key person concern, and provides vital sensible worth for the brand new, dearer Razr Extremely.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Sturdiness and design
Maybe most significantly, the brand new Razr household will probably be extra sturdy than ever earlier than. The Razr Extremely 2025 boasts an IP48 ranking. The ‘8’ signifies the identical robust water resistance as earlier than (as much as 1.5 meters for half-hour in contemporary water).
The ‘4’, nonetheless, is new to Razr, and essential. It signifies safety towards strong objects bigger than 1mm. This implies higher protection towards issues like crumbs, pocket lint, or grit moving into the hinge mechanism – a standard fear for foldable homeowners.
It is not full mud proofing (like an IP68 ranking on a conventional cellphone), a limitation it shares with opponents just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, but it surely’s a welcome step in the direction of larger peace of thoughts for on a regular basis use.
All these upgrades – the larger battery, probably bigger digital camera modules, improved hinge safety, premium supplies like wooden – include one other slight price: weight. The Razr Extremely 2025 ideas the scales at 199g. That is roughly 10g heavier than final 12 months’s Motorola Razr Plus 2024, and this new Razr Extremely is the heaviest flip cellphone at the moment in the marketplace.
Nonetheless, let’s preserve issues in perspective. It’s nonetheless remarkably pocketable when closed, and it’s considerably lighter than many conventional flagship slabs. For context, the Motorola Razr Extremely is about an oz (round 28g) lighter than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, regardless of providing the same primary show measurement and battery cell. In my temporary dealing with, the additional weight wasn’t bothersome, and it even added to the premium, dense really feel.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Software program
The cellphone runs Android 15 out of the field, and the software program expertise felt usually Moto – clear, fluid, with helpful additions relatively than heavy-handed skinning. The highly effective Snapdragon 8 Elite chip ensures every thing flies. Concerning AI, the dialog feels just like final 12 months. Google’s Gemini is probably going deeply built-in, benefiting from the NPU on the brand new chipset for quicker on-device processing.
Moto’s personal Moto AI options, just like the intriguing ‘Pay Consideration’ recording / summarization instrument previewed final 12 months, stay one thing I’m ready to see totally realized. I can preserve ready, however Moto must reveal a transparent, dependable, and safe AI technique quickly.
The {hardware} is now undoubtedly succesful; the software program execution stays the query mark, very like final 12 months. I additionally sincerely hope Motorola improves its observe file on main Android model updates, which lagged considerably for the 2023 fashions.
Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) hands-on assessment: Not the ultimate verdict
So, has the Motorola Razr Extremely 2025 earned its ‘Extremely’ suffix? Primarily based on this preliminary hands-on, I would say sure. Motorola has not solely doubled down on its flip-phone design management with thrilling supplies like actual wooden and Italian Alcantara, and refined coloration partnerships, but it surely has additionally decisively addressed key {hardware} shortcomings.
The transfer to a real flagship processor, the doubled RAM/storage, the considerably bigger battery with quicker charging, and the promising, across-the-board digital camera sensor upgrades characterize a significant leap ahead. The improved IP ranking provides sensible sturdiness.
Whereas I can’t ship a closing verdict till I’ve had time to check this cellphone with a full assessment – particularly specializing in digital camera efficiency and real-world battery endurance – the Razr Extremely 2025 appears like essentially the most full, comely, and compelling Razr but.
If the excessive value has you flummoxed, simply wait. As we noticed final 12 months, Motorola’s listing costs are sometimes simply a place to begin. Preserve an in depth eye out for provider offers, trade-in gives, and massive reductions quickly after launch – some persistence may prevent a big chunk of change. If you happen to’re too excited to attend, the {hardware} upgrades may make paying full value really feel extra justified, particularly if these cameras lastly ship.