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Motorola Razr's secret keyboard screen is a blast from the past

Motorola's new foldable Razr winks at the past with an Easter egg dialer reminiscent of the original Razr phone.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
motorola-razr-retro-dialer-2

Don't be fooled -- this is the new Motorola Razr foldable phone with a 6.2-inch screen.

John Kim/CNET

Motorola's new $1,500 foldable Razr phone is winking at you. With the right combination of keys and swipes, you can make the newfangled device for 2019 look, sound and act like the Razr flip phone from 2004. Or at least the phone dialer. We went hands-on with the fun throwback screen at Motorola's headquarters in Chicago before the company launched its new foldable phone on Wednesday night -- here's how it works.

An Easter egg buried in the upcoming Razr applies a skin that makes the 6.2-inch plastic OLED display look like a dialer from ye olden days when flip phones roamed the Earth. The secret lies in the Quick Settings menu at the top of the phone. When you go to edit, you'll find an option called Retro Razr. Drag it into the Quick Settings menu and save.

Once the dialer is active, you'll press a soft key and the Razr beep-boop-beeps out its familiar tune ("Hello, Moto"). Peck at the buttons to dial a number, and groan at yourself as you stab the top part of the ordinarily touch-sensitive screen without it responding back. That's right, you have to use the on-screen navigation "buttons" to get anything done.

Motorola's retro dialer screen is a great little shot of nostalgia for anyone who used a flip phone, even if it wasn't the original Razr. Consider it a history lesson for the kids. Getting in and out of the skin isn't all that easy, and it's not really something you'd want to use every day, but that's the point of Easter eggs, and it's nice to see Motorola poke a little fun at itself -- and at us.

Read everything you need to know about the Motorola Razr foldable phone, from the story of how Motorola remade one of the most iconic phones of all time, to Verizon's lifetime exclusive of this foldable reboot.

Originally published yesterday.

Motorola Razr is a foldable flip phone like you've never seen before

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