Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs. Motorola Razr Plus

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the newest model in Samsung's clamshell foldable line, and it arrives with competition: the Motorola Razr Plus, which launched in June. Both devices unfold to the size of conventional flat phones but fold into a compact size that fits easily into a pocket or handbag.

At a glance, both foldables are pretty comparable, with similar specs, designs and $1,000 price tags. Most importantly, they share a killer feature that will turn heads and make clamshell foldable skeptics reconsider: their front screen covers the top half of the phone. This gives a lot more display space for abridged app controls and video calls, realizing the potential for clamshell foldables by getting more functionality when the device is folded.

There are subtle differences to each foldable's outer display. The Z Flip 5 has a 3.4-inch AMOLED screen with 720p (728x720 pixels) resolution on its front cover, while the Motorola Razr Plus has a larger 3.6-inch OLED screen with 1080p (1,066x1,056 pixels) resolution. While we'll wait for our review and testing to be certain, the higher resolution on the Razr Plus' outer display likely means a sharper picture than on the Z Flip 5's screen.

(A side note: This is the first year that Motorola has released two Razr phones. The biggest difference is that the Razr Plus comes with a large 3.6-inch screen, while the cheaper Razr 2023 has a 1.5-inch display. Here's a quick comparison.) 

Both phones unfold to the size of a conventional flat phone, though the Razr Plus' 6.9-inch (2,640x1,080 pixels) resolution display is slightly larger than the Z Flip 5's 6.7-inch AMOLED (2,640x1,080 pixels) resolution screen. Otherwise, their dimensions are almost entirely identical, as are their weights. 

The phones start to differ under the hood (check the specs spreadsheet at the end of the article for a detailed side-by-side). The Z Flip 5 has the edge on specs with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is newer and faster than the Razr Plus' Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 silicon found in last year's premium Android phones. While both phones have 8GB of RAM and start at 256GB of storage space, the Z Flip 5 comes in a pricier 512GB configuration. Both phones run Android 13, but again, Samsung's phone has the edge with a guaranteed four years of operating system updates compared with Motorola's assurance for three years -- likewise, the Z Flip 5 gets five years of security updates versus the Razr Plus' four years.

On paper, the rear cameras on both foldables are similar -- a 12-megapixel main and 13-megapixel ultrawide on the Razr Plus and 12-megapixel main and ultrawide cameras on the Z Flip 5. These are the shooters that owners will be using most of the time, especially to engage the clamshell foldables' most enticing camera features, including taking selfies or holding video calls while the phone is folded up to preview what's in front of the camera when the phone's unfolded. 

We'll have to wait for the full Z Flip 5 review to say which foldable has a better overall camera experience, though Samsung phones traditionally have better software and take superior photos than Motorola devices. That said, the Razr Plus does have an edge over its counterpart with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera on top of the internal screen, which will likely shoot sharper photos and videos than the 10-megapixel camera on the inside of the Z Flip 5. 

Both foldables have roughly similar battery sizes (Razr Plus has a 3,800mAh capacity, Z Flip 5 3,700mAh), though we'll only be able to truly compare how long-lasting each battery is once we've properly reviewed the Z Flip 5. Even with the maximum 165Hz refresh rate and brightness turned up, Motorola's phone lasted through the day with some battery left at bedtime, CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco found in her Razr Plus review. Motorola's foldable recharges at 30 watts with a wired charger and five watts wirelessly, while Samsung's recharges at 25 watts wired and 5 watts wirelessly.

If you want a more exacting comparison, here are the specs and features comparing the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 against the Motorola Razr Plus.