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Galaxy Fold vs. Motorola Razr: Foldable phone specs compared

Samsung could have a serious foldable competitor that packs innovation into a tiny nostalgic package.

Patrick Holland Managing Editor
Patrick Holland has been a phone reviewer for CNET since 2016. He is a former theater director who occasionally makes short films. Patrick has an eye for photography and a passion for everything mobile. He is a colorful raconteur who will guide you through the ever-changing, fast-paced world of phones, especially the iPhone and iOS. He used to co-host CNET's I'm So Obsessed podcast and interviewed guests like Jeff Goldblum, Alfre Woodard, Stephen Merchant, Sam Jay, Edgar Wright and Roy Wood Jr.
Expertise Apple, iPhone, iOS, Android, Samsung, Sony, Google, Motorola, interviews, coffee equipment, cats Credentials
  • Patrick's play The Cowboy is included in the Best American Short Plays 2011-12 anthology. He co-wrote and starred in the short film Baden Krunk that won the Best Wisconsin Short Film award at the Milwaukee Short Film Festival.
Patrick Holland
2 min read

The Galaxy Fold is a tall narrow phone that folds out into a mini-tablet.

Samsung

Motorola is making a foldable phone that will be out this summer and there's a lot of reason to be excited about it. The company is rumored to revive its beloved Razr brand which dominated the phone landscape before smartphones were a thing. But the Razr will have to face stiff competition from the Galaxy Fold, which will be available on April 26 and the Huawei Mate X which, will be out sometime this summer but likely not in the US.

On paper, the Galaxy Fold and Motorola Razr couldn't be more different. Based off patent illustrations, Motorola appears to be taking a more practical approach than Samsung. Instead of a phone opening out into a tablet like the Galaxy Fold, the Razr folds up like a flip phone to be more pocketable. What makes this design "foldable" is that the Razr's is expected to have one single screen that bends in the middle.

motorola-razr-foldable-schematic

Possible patent design filing for the 'foldable' Motorola Razr phone.

WIPO

The Galaxy Fold display opens and closes like a book. The Razr's screen folds vertically in half like... well, a flip phone. In addition to a larger internal screen that folds in half, both phones should also have a screen on the outside of the device. 

Each of these foldable phones costs more than most phones sold today. The Galaxy Fold starts at $1,980 for the 4G model (roughly converting to £1,500 or AU$2,800). Samsung hasn't announced pricing for the 5G model. The Razr is expected to cost $1,500.

Neither phone has been handled by journalists. Despite a confirmation from Motorola that they will launch a foldable phone this summer, the Razr hasn't officially been announced. The Galaxy Fold on the other hand was shown and demoed onstage at a Samsung event in February. But other than a marketing video and seeing the phone behind glass, the Fold remains largely a mystery.

Thanks to the enthusiast site XDA Developers, we have an idea of what the specs for the purported foldable Razr will be. If the specs are right, the foldable Motorola Razr will be much more of a midrange phone with a smaller screen, middle-of-the-road processor, smaller battery and much smaller starting storage.

Samsung envisions the Galaxy Fold as a luxury device. Of course, the new Razr will have one thing one its side that the Fold doesn't: nostalgia. Here's how they stack up against the specs (that we know) of the Galaxy Fold.

Galaxy Fold specs vs. foldable Motorola Razr


Samsung Galaxy FoldMotorola Razr (leaked specs)
Display size, resolution 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED; 4.6-inch Super AMOLED6.6-inch OLED (2,142x876 pixels); NA (800x600 pixels)
Mobile software Android 9.0 with Samsung One UIN/A, but likely Android Pie or Android Q
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855Qualcomm Snapdragon 710
Storage 512GB64GB, 128GB
RAM 12GB4GB, 6GB
Battery 4,380mAh2,730mAh
Camera 12-megapixel (wide-angle), 16-megapixel (ultra wide-angle), 12-megapixel (telephoto)N/A
Front-facing camera Two 10-megapixel, 8-megapixel 3D depthN/A
Price off-contract (USD) $1,980$1,500
Watch this: Galaxy Fold vs. Huawei Mate X: CNET editors react

Close up with the Galaxy Fold's original screen, notch and hinge

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