Motorola Razr Australian release date confirmed for next month

Originally expected to arrive Down Under in January, it's now been officially revealed that the new Motorola Razr flip phone with foldable display will be available to purchase in Australia from February 24.

While fans of Razr's classic flip phone design have been eagerly anticipating the device, we have to wonder whether that nostalgia will be enough for them to justify paying the handset's eye-watering asking price, which is set at AU$2,699 locally.

• These videos might convince you to buy the Motorola Razr
• Motorola Razr 2020: what we want to see
• Xiaomi could have a clamshell foldable phone to rival the Motorola Razr

Not-so spectacular specs

For the sake of comparison, that's AU$300 less than Samsung's similarly expensive Galaxy Fold device, but there's a key difference: the latter absolutely floors the upcoming Motorola when it comes to specs.

Boasting a decidedly mid-range chipset in the Snapdragon 710, the new Razr also offers a relatively small 2,510mAh battery, along with 128GB of onboard storage, 6GB of RAM and a 6.2-inch HD main display. 

As pricey as the Galaxy Fold is at AU$2,999, Samsung can hardly be accused of skimping when it comes to the device's hardware, offering a flagship Snapdragon 855 chipset, a 4,380mAh battery, 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM, along with a tablet-sized 7.3-inch QHD+ display when unfolded.

There's still hope

Even with those specs, the Galaxy Fold didn't sell anywhere near as many units as Samsung hoped it would, and we have to imagine that its exorbitant price was the main reason for that. 

That said, there is a chance that the Galaxy Fold's chunky form-factor (which was like having two phones stacked on top of each other when folded) put people off the device – something relatively the slim and compact Motorola Razr doesn't have to worry about.

Of course, Samsung has its own foldable clamshell device on the way in the Galazy Z Flip, which could throw a major spanner in Motorola's plans, particularly if rumours of its surprising affordability are to be believed.

Those who are keen for the new Motorola Razr can pre-order the device now in Noir Black from Motorola's online store and JB Hi-Fi.

• Motorola Razr 2019 vs Samsung Galaxy Fold

from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/37CxGLB