Motorola Razr channels nostalgia with new touch-screen flip phone

Motorola hashes out a new take on what was once an icon in the cell phone industry, the Motorola Razr, before the decade comes to a close.

Before the Apple iPhone made its debut in 2007 and forever changed the landscape of mobile devices, Motorola first introduced the Razr in July 2004. What made it unique was its sleek, compact design that truly fits perfectly in your pocket. Not to mention, it was the best-selling phone at one point, according to a CNN article.

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Razr saw its’ decline shortly after the first iPhone was released in 2007. Now, 15 years after its launch, the Razr is making a comeback in its own dynamic way.

Motorola’s market share fell rapidly as the Apple goliath took over the industry. Today it’s share currently sits at 8% leaving Motorola close to extinction.

First confirmed at the beginning of 2019, the new phone will run $1,499, It will still encompass the sleek, flip-phone style but with some new additions to fit and compete with the rest of the market.

The most notable change? Instead of a traditional keypad, Motorola created a full, top-to-bottom touch screen.

In addition to the screen, the Razr boasts a zero-gap hinge, meaning when it’s flipped open, it functions as one full screen with no annoying, awkward gap. Samsung released a similar full-screen flip phone in September 2019, however, the durability was unable to withstand the function of flipping. Many people found their Samsung breaking within just days of purchase. Not to mention, the phone costs about $2,000.

Motorola, on the other hand, feels that their technology will be just fine and withstand the everyday life of any other smartphone.

Check out what the new phone looks like below and get more information on Motorola’s site.

More on Motorola Razr

This isn’t the first time that Motorola tried to resurrect the Razr. In May of 2016, Motorola created an ad with early 2000s pop-punk sweethearts, Boys Like Girls. Unfortunately, it seems that Motorola didn’t have much success with this approach. This wasn’t Motorola’s first time using big names to promote their phones either.

Right before the original Razr’s debut, Motorola wanted to emphasize the phones’ sleek, thin design. The main goal for cellphones in the early 2000s was the smaller the phone was to fit in your pocket, the better.

Motorola accomplished that feat and during their launch campaign, they had big-name celebrities such as Paris Hilton and David Beckham pose with the new devices. The phone almost disappearing right in their hands.

Many of those that got to experience and witness the change in the cellphone industry, including the writer himself, had flip phones. The Razr was no exception as it had different colorways and a 2.0-megapixel camera. Which, at the time, was a pretty big deal.

Perhaps the biggest advantage that Motorola has in their back pockets is not entirely the phone itself, but the nostalgia of a flip phone. With 2019 finishing its final pages, the world is entering a new era of the ‘20s and who knows what that will bring.

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So many steps have been taken in moving forward towards a better, more technological future that maybe it’s good to step back and look at where it all started.

We no longer have to hit 4,4,4, 3,3, 9,9,9, to send out one single worded text. A lot of us are blessed with a full-lettered keyboard, sending out hundreds of messages within a few minutes.

We had to work for them, had to be creative with abbreviations, slang, and emoticons.

Perhaps the new Motorola Razr will become a challenger and bring us back to our roots. Perhaps not and iPhone, Google Pixel and Android will continue to bask in their glory. 

It’s hard to say but for now, all this writer has to say is this: Less than three.