Motorola Razr 40 Ultra Review

Few names are as synonymous with mobile phones as Motorola. Decades of experience in the industry has led to some milestone handsets, such as the world’s first fully portable phone (the DynaTAC) and the aptly-named Motorola Pebl.

In the second age of flip phones we have the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra, a device that joins the pantheon of the mobile giant’s top handsets. Today, we’re diving deeper into the Razr 40 Ultra in our detailed review, looking at its form factor, performance, visuals, and more.

If the Razr 40 Ultra is the phone for you, it can be picked up in a range of three vibrant and distinctive colours, including Glacier Blue, Infinite Black and Viva Magenta.

Design

Like with many flip phones, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra’s design is its biggest talking point. Combining the stunning, powerful displays of modern smartphones with that classic flip mechanism ensures you’re getting a handset that’s a joy to use, and more pocket-friendly than traditional handsets.

The Razr 40 Ultra takes this form factor to the next level. Impressively, the cover screen that’s visible when the device is folded is significantly more useful and vibrant than much earlier flip phone iterations, thanks to the way it wraps around the phone’s edges and camera housing.

With the display also being 3.6” corner-to-corner compared to 2.7” on the Razr 2022, this beautifully curved front panel has far more space to blend into, and more real estate with which to display helpful details like messages and news.

Given how often this phone will be folded, it’s hard to understate how valuable the extra screen space is. It’s a key focal point of any flip phone, and Motorola have smartly invested significant time and effort here. This is all without making the entire device feel unwieldly; the Razr 40 Ultra is only 15mm thick when folded.

Flip phone engineering has come a long way, and many handsets can fold over without requiring a hinge that is an eyesore. The Razr 40 Ultra is one such handset; you can gaze upon this phone’s stunning screen and barely notice the crease where it folds over. Because of how the durable hinge is designed, the Razr 40 Ultra doesn’t lay fully flat when open, instead sitting upright slightly at an angle.

In terms of shape and style, the Razr 40 Ultra goes for a blocky, minimal curve look, putting it closer in line with other flip phones like the Galaxy Flip series. A little bit of unique identity has therefore been lost along the way, but the Razr 40 Ultra overcomes this with a flip phone design language that other handsets should take note of.

Display

When reviewing any flip phone’s display quality, you have to assess both the front cover and main unfolded screens. We’ve examined in detail the Razr 40 Ultra’s front display and how its impressive design expands what’s possible with a flip phone. The technology at the heart of this screen is just as noteworthy, beginning with its size.

Offering almost an entire extra inch across at 3.6”, the Razr 40 Ultra’s front screen is leaps and bounds above previous flip phones when it comes to space and productivity. Add into the mix the fact it’s an OLED, and refreshes at 120Hz, you end up with a front panel that is as stunning as the main screen. The customisable widgets you can install, such as weather, news and WhatsApp, are also viewable with amazing clarity.

No compromises have been made to shape the front display into a visual and useful treat. This level of quality extends to the main, unfolded screen, which dazzles with its 6.9” size and astonishing 165Hz refresh rate. When we say this panel is fast, we mean it; 165Hz means scrolling is extremely snappy, and games run like a dream from start to finish.

Another jewel in the Razr 40 Ultra’s crown is HDR10+ support. This technology is nothing new in the smartphone world, but it works in tandem with the 40 Ultra’s beautiful contrast levels to fully showcase those inky black colours and environments with true-to-life lighting.

Performance & software

Processing power in the Razr 40 Ultra is supplied by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. Performance with this processor is fantastic in its own right – lag and stutter are reduced to make playing games and swapping between apps feel seamless – but the real magic happens when combining it with the incredibly fast refresh rate.

Both the 165Hz refresh and efficient Snapdragon processor ensure that from the moment you switch the Razr 40 Ultra on, your experience is uninterrupted. The preceding phone in this range, the Razr 2022, does pip the 40 Ultra in terms of raw performance results, but the increase from 144Hz to 165Hz makes all the difference.

A higher cap on RAM (random access memory) also does wonders for how well the Razr 40 Ultra performs. The amount of RAM on offer in the 256GB model increased from 8GB to 12GB, and this extra breathing room gives the Razr 40 Ultra additional resources to process general or demanding tasks.

Android 13 is the operating system of choice here, bringing with it those great personalisation and audio features. Speaking of audio, the Razr 40 Ultra comes equipped with Dolby Atmos support for outstanding 3D immersive sound when connecting headphones. There’s no audio jack on this handset, so you’ll need to connect via a USB dongle or Bluetooth.

Cameras

The Razr 40 Ultra doesn’t break any new ground on the camera technology front; instead, the real quality in its photography suite is how you can use it in unique and interesting ways. When the quality of smartphone cameras on offer is so high, any edge on the competition is essential.

This edge that the Razr 40 Ultra possesses is down to its flip phone design. Thanks to the front screen, you can use the phone’s 12MP and 13MP rear cameras to take high-quality selfie photos, as well as use the dedicated 32MP selfie lens: a fantastic amount of versatility. Your photo can be previewed before you take it, all without needing to lift a finger.

You can also position the Razr 40 Ultra’s flip screen at an angle, for hands-free solo or group photos.

Battery

Battery performance on the Razr 40 Ultra is excellent, thanks to the 3800mAh battery and Snapdragon 8+ chipset working efficiently together to squeeze the most out of the power available.

A full 24 hours of usage is possible, including the odd game or HD film in-between. 30W wired and wireless charging is also supported, enabling the Razr 40 Ultra to power back up to 60% in just over 30 minutes.

Summary

The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is a triumph. Every inch of this phone is premium, never compromising to accommodate its flexible form factor. If you’ve been considering a flip phone but not taken the leap, the Razr 40 Ultra includes everything you need to make the transition an absolute joy.

You now know everything there is to know about the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. The flip phone world has many more devices to discover; check out our detailed rundown to learn more.