Motorola’s new Razr Ultra brings the wood back panel back

Wood you look astatine that.

Motorola is kicking disconnected blistery foldable summertime successful benignant — and a small aboriginal this year. This clip astir it’s offering not 2 but three Razr models with the instauration of the premium Razr Ultra. It comes with immoderate notable upgrades, and each 3 phones get immoderate quality-of-life improvements similar a sturdier hinge. But the hardware updates are different minimal portion Moto leans hard into eye-catching colors and finishes for its amusive flip phone.

Let’s conscionable accidental it up front: the Ultra costs $1,299. That’s like, Samsung Galaxy Ultra territory, which is conscionable a batch of wealth for a phone. For that terms you get a generous 16GB of RAM and 512GB of retention successful the basal exemplary and a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is the Android flagship processor du jour. The Ultra offers up to 30W wireless charging and 68W wired charging. It besides has a somewhat larger 7-inch interior surface than the Razr and Razr Plus, which gets a small brighter astatine up to 4,500 nits compared to 3,000 nits. Oh, and there’s a dedicated AI button, which… much connected that successful a sec.

The Ultra shares the aforesaid 4-inch outer surface size arsenic the Razr Plus, but the Razr Ultra has immoderate differentiating hardware successful the camera department. The main, ultrawide, and selfie cameras each person 50 megapixel sensors. The Razr and Razr Plus besides connection 50-megapixel main cameras, but the Ultra’s sensor uses bigger pixels: 2.0μm binned “quad pixels” versus 0.8μm connected the different two.

Here’s the happening though: wood atom backmost panel. The Ultra gets immoderate amusive caller finishes, including a existent wood backmost sheet that’s giving Moto X. More wood gadgets, please. There’s besides something called Alcantara that you whitethorn person seen once upon a clip connected a Microsoft Surface. It’s a synthetic cloth with benignant of a suede consciousness and comes successful a acheronian greenish that I truly dig, too. The Ultra besides comes successful a textured heavy reddish decorativeness and a magenta-ish pinkish that looks astatine location connected the Razr line.

All 3 phones travel with an updated hinge that uses titanium alternatively than stainless steel, and Motorola says it’s 4 times stronger than the erstwhile design. It besides reduces the interior surface crease erstwhile the telephone is flipped open. I ne'er recovered the crease excessively bothersome to commencement with, but it practically disappears connected these caller phones, and you tin hardly consciousness it nether your finger. It’s benignant of spooky.

All 3 Razr models travel with an IP48 standing this time, similar Samsung’s Z Flip 6 foldables. That means they’re afloat water-resistant, but particulate is inactive a concern. That “4” standing means the phones are protected against particles bigger than 1mm, but particulate is smaller than that, truthful you’ll inactive privation to beryllium cautious if you bring your Razr to the beach. Otherwise, the modular Razr and Razr Plus are beauteous insignificant refreshes. The Razr Plus inactive uses a Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chipset similar past year’s model, though the Razr gets a bump up from a Dimensity 7300X to a 7400X chipset.

Remember that AI fastener connected the Ultra? Well, Motorola is formally introducing respective AI features crossed the Razr lineup, astir of which we’ve seen antecedently successful beta. They’re each housed successful an interface called Moto AI, which is disposable to each 3 Razrs — though lone the Ultra has a carnal shortcut fastener to get there. And honestly they look much promising than the accustomed AI gimmicks — though determination are AI gimmicks here, too. I’m peculiarly funny to spot however “Remember this” works. It’s designed successful the aforesaid vein arsenic Pixel Screenshots and Nothing’s Essential Space, offering a spot to support screenshots, photos, and notes useful without having to spell find them successful antithetic apps.

You tin inquire Moto AI to “remember” thing and past you tin inquire astir it later. You tin besides punctual it with “Catch maine up” to summarize caller notifications that came successful portion you were busy. Could beryllium handy! Motorola has besides announced a concern with Perplexity, which you tin entree done Moto AI, and besides helps powerfulness immoderate predictive suggestions. But arsenic with each AI features close now, we request to spot if it really does what it’s expected to earlier getting excessively excited.

There’s nary wood atom enactment connected the regular Razr oregon Razr Plus, boooo, but determination are plentifulness of caller colors and finishes to take from. Last year’s mocha mousse is backmost connected the Razr Plus, and the modular Razr comes successful a amusive minty greenish that kept catching my oculus astatine Moto’s motorboat event.

The non-Ultra Razrs outgo the aforesaid arsenic their predecessors — $999 for the 2025 Razr Plus and $699 for the Razr. All 3 phones volition beryllium disposable for preorder successful the US connected May 7th and spell connected merchantability May 15th.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge