Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.
Motorola Razr vs Samsung Galaxy Fold: Battle of the fold
Everyone felt instantly cooler when they walked around with the Motorola Razr flip-phone. It’s a feeling we experienced again when Motorola finally announced the Razr foldable phone after months of rumors. But even in the foldable smartphone market, the Razr doesn’t live in a vacuum. That’s because the Samsung Galaxy Fold exists.
How well does the Motorola Razr compare to the first foldable smartphone from a major manufacturer? Read on to check out our spec comparison between the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Fold.
Motorola Razr vs Samsung Galaxy Fold specs
| Motorola Razr | Samsung Galaxy Fold | |
|---|---|---|
Display | Motorola Razr Main "Flex View" display: 6.2-inch foldable pOLED 2,142 x 876 resolution 21:9 aspect ratio External "Quick View" display: 2.7-inch gOLED 600 x 800 resolution 4:3 aspect ratio | Samsung Galaxy Fold Main display: 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 4.2:3 aspect ratio Cover display: 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED 21:9 aspect ratio |
SoC | Motorola Razr Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 | Samsung Galaxy Fold Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 |
GPU | Motorola Razr Adreno 616 | Samsung Galaxy Fold Adreno 640 |
RAM | Motorola Razr 6GB | Samsung Galaxy Fold 12GB |
Storage | Motorola Razr 128GB | Samsung Galaxy Fold 512GB |
Cameras | Motorola Razr Main camera: 16MP sensor, ƒ/1.7 aperture, 1.22μm, EIS, Dual Pixel autofocus, Laser autofocus, Color Correlated Temperature (CCT) dual LED flash Front camera: 5MP sensor, ƒ/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm, screen flash | Samsung Galaxy Fold Rear triple cameras: 16MP ultra-wide, f/2.2 12MP wide-angle, f/1.5 and f/2.4, Dual Pixel autofocus 12MP telephoto, PDAF, OIS, f/2.4, 2x optical zoom Front dual cameras: 10MP selfie, f/2.2 8MP RGB depth, f/1.9 Cover camera: 10MP, f/2.2 |
Audio | Motorola Razr No headphone jack Bottom-firing speaker | Samsung Galaxy Fold No headphone jack Stereo speakers |
Battery | Motorola Razr 2,510mAh Non-removable 15W TurboPower charging | Samsung Galaxy Fold 4,380mAh Non-removable 15W fast wired and wireless charging |
IP rating | Motorola Razr Splash-proof with water resistant nano-coating | Samsung Galaxy Fold N/A |
Software | Motorola Razr Android 9 Pie | Samsung Galaxy Fold Android 9 Pie One UI |
Dimensions and weight | Motorola Razr Unfolded: 172 x 72 x 6.9mm Folded: 94 x 72 x 14mm 205g | Samsung Galaxy Fold Unfolded: 160.9 x 117.9 x 6.9mm Folded: 160.9 x 62.9 x 15.5mm 163g |
Colors | Motorola Razr Noir Black | Samsung Galaxy Fold Space Silver, Cosmos Black |
Display
The Razr and Galaxy Fold have cover displays, but use them in different ways. The Razr’s 2.7-inch OLED cover display is mainly for selfies, skipping songs, and glancing at notifications. The Galaxy Fold’s larger 4.6-inch cover display shows the software in its entirety.
Open the phones and you see why these phones are special. The Razr’s main display measures 6.2 inches on the diagonal and has a 2,142 x 876 resolution. The Galaxy Fold’s main display is a larger 7.3-inch QXGA+ display.
The hinge mechanism also differs. Similar to flip phones of yore, the Razr unfolds upwards. The Galaxy Fold has an x-axis folding mechanism and opens similar to how you would open a book.
Regardless of the hinge mechanism, durability is a question mark for both phones. Samsung postponed the Galaxy Fold’s initial April launch due to design flaws with the hinge. Even with an improved design, Samsung says the Galaxy Fold requires a “special level of care.” To provide some peace of mind, the Galaxy Fold Premier Service offers a one-time screen replacement and around-the-clock support.
As for the Razr, Motorola said the display will last for the average lifespan of a smartphone. The company also told us it’ll offer 24/7 chat support and 14-hour-per-day agent direct access. If the display fails, Razr customers will have a 24-hour turnaround and free advanced exchange support. Display service falling outside of the warranty will cost $299.
Processor, RAM, and storage
If you’re looking for a powerhouse of a smartphone, the Razr isn’t it. The phone features the Snapdragon 710 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. The processor uses a 10nm manufacturing process, the same one used for the Snapdragon 845. Motorola thinks the Snapdragon 710 strikes a balance between performance and battery life.
The Galaxy Fold is much more in line with what we expect from a 2019 flagship. Internal hardware include the Snapdragon 855 processor, a whopping 12GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. As we noted in our review, the phone lagged in a few areas. The Galaxy Fold’s design might play a role in the performance taking a small hit here and there, but you shouldn’t have much of an issue with normal use.
Cameras
The Razr’s main camera comes in at 16MP with an f/1.7 aperture. On the inside of the phone is a 5MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Motorola wants you to take selfies with the main camera, though you have a choice.
Also read: Best Android camera phones
Meanwhile, the Galaxy Fold is stuffed with cameras. There’s an outer selfie 10MP camera and two inner selfie 10MP and 8MP sensors. On the back are the 12MP standard, 16MP ultra wide-angle, and 12MP telephoto sensors. Regardless of how you use the phone, you’ll have a camera ready to take pictures. Usability can be a bit of an issue, but the cameras take great shots.
Battery
The Razr’s 2,510mAh battery is small by today’s standards and has us concerned about the phone’s longevity. Motorola said the choice to go with the Snapdragon 710 processor should help with battery life, since a flagship processor would drain the battery extremely quickly. Also, the Razr supports Motorola’s 15W TurboPower charging over USB-C.
Also read: The best Android smartphones with the best battery life
As for the Galaxy Fold’s 4,380mAh battery, there’s absolutely no concern. We had a hard time zeroing out the battery, only arriving at 70% after continually using the phone from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Suffice it to say you won’t have an issue with battery life when it comes to the Galaxy Fold.
Software
The Razr and Galaxy Fold run Android 9 Pie out of the box, but the experiences differ. Whereas Motorola sticks close to vanilla Android with a few tweaks, the Galaxy Fold runs Samsung’s One UI overlay. Whether one is better than the other is up to you, though One UI catches the eye more due to its greater use of colors and emphasis on animations.
Where things continue to differ is with the update situation. The Galaxy Fold should be in line for Android 10 sometime in the coming months, with Samsung currently testing a beta version of One UI 2.0. However, Motorola didn’t promise a certain number of updates for the Razr. The company also didn’t say if or when Android 10 will be available for the Razr.
That was our spec comparison between the Motorola Razr and Samsung Galaxy Fold. Let us know in the comments if you plan to buy either phone and your thoughts on how they compare against each other!