The new foldable Razr seems like the perfect reboot, capturing the style and spirit of Motorola’s iconic mid-2000s phone, but with clever upgrades based on more modern tech. Unfortunately, less than a week before pre-orders were scheduled to go live, Moto has just announced that the Razr’s launch is getting delayed.
Originally, pre-orders for the $1,500 Razr were set to open on December 25th, with official sales slated to begin on January 9th. But now, the Razr’s launch has been pushed back indefinitely “to better meet consumer demand.”
In a statement sent to Gizmodo, Motorola said:
“Since its announcement in November, the new Motorola razr has received unparalleled excitement and interest from consumers. Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions.
Motorola has decided to adjust razr’s presale and launch timing to better meet consumer demand. We are working to determine the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to razr at launch.
We do not anticipate a significant shift from our original availability timeline.”
While pushing back the new Razr’s launch isn’t a great look considering all the delays competitors like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X suffered, this delay seems to be more about Motorola wanting to increase supply for its flashy foldable phone than needing to address any potential design flaws.
Additionally, with a large chunk of the tech world preparing to attend CES 2020 (which officially runs from January 6th to 10th), it was probably a smart move to delay the Razr’s launch until after the trade show anyways.
Featuring a 6.2-inch flexible pOLED display, the new Razr is the third smartphone with a foldable screen from a major manufacturer, and despite its $1,500 price tag, it’s also the least expensive of the bunch. And after having a brief chance to play around with one in the wild, I think it totally delivers on all the nostalgia of the original, and then some.
The new Razr still offers a satisfyingly primal snap when you close the phone, and the much larger and higher-def second screen on the outside is a massive improvement over the original and a helpful tool for capturing selfies.
However, with a mid-range Snapdragon 710 processor and relatively small 2,510 mAh battery, the new Razr’s real test will be how it holds up to prolonged use, something I haven’t really had the chance to test out just yet.
Still, if you’re dead set on ordering the new Razr, you better keep an eye on your inbox, because this thing seems poised to sell out fast.
