Motorola’s next Razr Plus foldable sounds like a massive upgrade

Apps on the Motorola Razr Plus.
Motorola Razr Plus Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Motorola seems to be prepping to deliver a foldable phone smackdown in the coming weeks — or at least that’s what fresh leaks suggest. According to SmartPrix (and the ever-reliable @OnLeaks), the upcoming Razr 50 Ultra (aka the Razr Plus 2024) will not only cost the same as its well-received predecessor at $999, but will also bring some meaningful hardware upgrades to the table.

The design language of Motorola’s next clamshell-style foldable phone will remain more or less identical, retaining its 3.6-inch cover screen and a 6.9-inch inner foldable OLED screen. That’s not necessarily disheartening news, as the current Razr Plus is quite a stunner by current foldable phone standards.

The silicon is getting upgraded to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8S Gen 3 chip. Now, that’s not quite the de facto flagship in Qualcomm’s portfolio, but still a notable upgrade compared to the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 inside the Razr Plus 2023/Razr 40 Ultra from a year ago.

The Motorola Razr Plus half-opened and sitting on a glass table.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Motorola is also bumping up the RAM from 8GB to 12GB this year. Another notable upgrade is a 4,000mAh battery, up from the 3,800mAh unit fitted inside the Razr 40 Plus 2023. The numbers are small, but it’s still quite an achievement for a foldable phone given the cramped internal space and the stress of powering two screens.

However, the most notable enhancement is reserved for the camera hardware. Motorola’s previous foldable flagship offered a combination of 12-megapixel and 13MP cameras, while selfies were handled by a 32MP sensor. On the Razr 50 Ultra/Razr Plus 2024, the latest leak predicts a 50MP primary camera. Curiously, the ultrawide sensor is said to have been replaced by a 50MP telephoto camera with a 2x optical zoom output.

The build goes from an IP52 to an IPX6 rating for dust and water protection. The report also mentions that the Razr Plus 2024 will be Motorola’s first foldable phone with AI-assisted photo/video capture and media editing capabilities. It’s unclear if those capabilities will be served within an in-house app or via the Google Photos app.

A side-mounted fingerprint sensor (assisted by face unlock support for biometric authentication) and eSIM compatibility round up the rest of the leaked feature list of the upcoming phone. In addition to the familiar blue and pink shades, buyers are also said to be in line for a new Spring Green color option when the phone hits the shelves in June.