In general, though, folding screens are so new that it’s hard to know exactly what standard to judge them by. The Razr’s screen is made of plastic, and it was recently one-upped by Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip, which has the first folding glass display ever. Unfortunately, this is where we have to start talking about trade-offs again - serious ones. What you’re really here for is the hinge and the folding screen. Sure, there’s some plastic on the back and some fairly big bezels around the screen, but in some ways, that’s part of the charm.

It feels too narrow for me to comfortably type on, but I think that’s something you could get used to over time. This is a very tall phone: the screen is 6.2 inches, but it’s at a 21.9:9 aspect ratio. When you open it, there is a big old chin on the bottom that presumably allows the rest of the phone to be thinner. Plus, when closed, it’s actually thinner than the original Razr V3 from 2004. There is a retro aesthetic that is genuinely appealing both in a nostalgic way and on its own merits. Even if you don’t have any fond memories of flip phones, you can still appreciate that it’s something different from the usual featureless rectangles most phones have become. The overall look and feel of the device when closed is unique and does an excellent job of evoking the original. Which is to say that the Razr does have some good things going for it. But a folding flip phone is still pretty cool, and we shouldn’t act like there isn’t value in that. Unlike my experience with the Galaxy Fold, the Razr didn’t make me feel like my relationship to the phone changed. There’s also a vague sort of feeling that having a phone you can close may make it less tempting to use all the time than a regular slab. There are also some real benefits in having a small phone that unfolds into a big one: it will fit into any pocket without poking out, for one thing. The camera may be mediocre and the battery life sub-par, but it flips, damnit, and it looks like those classic Razr phones, just a little bigger. But you likely aren’t coming to the Razr because you care a lot about traditional ways to judge phones.

New motorola phones for 2020