Moto Razr 40 Ultra's exterior display is as big as the first iPhone display

It’s not the number of megapixels in the battle for the foldable phone market share but the size of the exterior display. For a while, manufacturers tried to impress fans with an ever higher resolution camera – but now there’s a race for the exterior display on foldable phones.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 was launched last summer with a 1.9-inch screen. Since February, Oppo has installed a 3.26-inch screen in the Find N2 Flip, which covers just over half of the front when the phone is closed. Motorola has now gone one step further with the Razr 40 Ultra with 3.6 inches.

The small exterior display is fully functional

The exterior display practically covers the entire surface of the folded smartphone. It measures 3.6 inches with a 1,056 × 1,066 pixel resolution. For comparison: the screen of the first iPhone was 3.5 inches and had a resolution of 480 × 320 pixels – of course, in a different format. The large outer screen shows where Motorola’s headed; I can use and operate almost all apps without opening the phone.

Smartphones

EUR1304,54

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra

256 GB, Glacier Blue, 6.90", SIM + eSIM, 12 Mpx, 5G

47

Smartphones

EUR1304,54

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra

256 GB, Glacier Blue, 6.90", SIM + eSIM, 12 Mpx, 5G

47

Motorola introduced the Razr 40 Ultra at the beginning of June, and I was briefly able to test it. This wasn’t a final test for everyday use, but just a hands-on. The market launch has started, with the price of the phone being just under 1,200 Swiss francs or euros. You can find all the technical details in the article written by my colleague Jan.

The surprising thing is, half an hour passes before I even open the Moto Razr 40 Ultra for the first time. Until then, I'm just playing around with the exterior display. If I tap the screen, only the time is visible at first. This saves battery life. When I swipe up, a Motorola custom home screen appears. I can open my contacts and weather data directly and I can also switch to all apps.

Unlike the main screen, however, I don't just see all the apps I have installed. I can choose for myself which ones are displayed. Basically I have full access to all Android apps that are installed on the phone.

I couldn’t install any additional programs in the hands-on, but initial reviews from the USA show that everything runs – from Instagram and YouTube to games like Call of Duty Mobile. However, the exterior display is almost square. Apps that are aligned to portrait mode aren’t always displayed well. Motorola has preinstalled a few games that are designed exactly for this format.

What’s clear to me after playing around for half an hour is that the exterior display is fully functional. I can navigate it without any problems and even type replies to messages, so it saves me from having to open it in many situations when I just need to do something briefly. It’s commendable that Motorola has really made an effort. The AMOLED display has a 144 Hz refresh rate and a brightness up to 1,100 nits (cd/m²).

My favourite feature of the flip phone is that I can easily take selfies with the main cameras because the exterior display acts as a viewfinder. Of course, having even more screen space allows for even more precise photos and videos. It’s even more of a shame then that at first glance the 12-megapixel main camera and the 13-megapixel wide-angle camera don’t look the best.

Brighter screen and bold colour

The inner display makes up for it though. The 6.9-inch AMOLED display has a resolution of 2,640 × 1,080 pixels, a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz and a good maximum brightness of 1,400 nits (cd/m²). In the dim light of the test location, I quickly forgot that I was holding a foldable phone in my hands. The fold is barely noticeable and only visible when you hold the device at an angle on purpose to see the reflections in the folding edge.

The Razr 40 Ultra is, amongst other colours, available in a bright red called Viva Magenta. The Pantone Color Institute in the USA has awarded it as Color of the Year 2023. It's nice when a manufacturer dares to do something with the colours. Not only is the colour special, but the back is made of vegan, that is, artificial leather. There's also light blue and a neutral black to choose from.

For now, Motorola has overtaken any competition for the exterior display. However, there are still important questions for the long-term tests. For example, how good is the camera really and how long does the battery last. At 3,800 mAh, it’s not exactly big; Oppo offers 4,300 mAh in the slightly thicker Find N2 Flip.

So you might wonder if the overall package is value for money. After all, you pay a flagship price, but only get the Qualcomm 8+ Gen 1, which was already launched a year ago. Plus the smartphone is only water-repellent by definition of the iP52 standard. A few drops of water isn’t an issue, but it definitely shouldn’t be submerged in water.

The more affordable version has just got a mini screen

Those who want to spend less money can buy the Razr 40 without Ultra, which is available for 890 Swiss francs or euros. The biggest difference is the exterior screen, which is just 1.5 inches and displays the most important notifications. This display is smaller than all other flip phones currently available. Whether it’s worth it? You’d have to decide for yourself.

Motorola has made savings in a lot of areas too. The processor is a bit weaker with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, there’s only 128 GB of storage instead of 256 GB and different camera sensors are used.

The inexpensive Razr also has its advantages. For example, the battery is larger at 4,200 mAh. There’s also a model with the vegan leather back. It looks chic, offers good grip, and protects the device really well so that you don’t necessarily have to hide the Razr 40 in a case.

Overall, however, the normal Razr 40 seems like a consolation prize at best. If you can afford a flip phone, I recommend the Ultra with the large exterior display. With the Ultra, it’ll allow you to use this category of phone to the fullest.