When the Motorola Razr Plus 2023 was announced, it was the first time in a long time that I was truly excited for a new smartphone. Sure, it wasn’t the first Razr smartphone, and the Galaxy Z Flip was already well-established at that point, but it was clear that Motorola was truly onto something.
Two years later, Motorola seems to have a winning strategy with the Razr. The company has leaned heavily on the flip phone as its premium flagship, with the Razr Ultra 2025 featuring specs that rival even the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, as 2025 comes to a close, I’m becoming increasingly curious about what Motorola may have in store for its 2026 model and how this year’s trends may shape the next Razr phone.
The one good thing to come out of ultra-thin phones
Whether you like ’em or not, thin phones were all the rage in 2025. Phones like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air showcased just what companies are capable of when they put their minds to it, achieving surprisingly thin profiles under 6mm. To me, this is the perfect technological advancement for flip phones, which, despite their compact designs, can be quite thick when folded in half.
While these phones still have notable shortcomings, including smaller batteries and fewer cameras than typical flagships, some companies have somewhat addressed these concerns when launching their thin models. Motorola recently launched the Edge 70, which is less than 6mm thin while featuring a much larger 4,800mAh battery than those in Samsung and Apple’s phones.
Sure, there’s no telephoto camera, and it features a mid-range Snapdragon 7-series chipset, but I would much rather have a battery that lasts me through the day than a telephoto camera.
The Razr Ultra 2025 is rather chonky, measuring 7.29mm and 15.69mm unfolded. But the way I see it, the Edge 70 is the perfect precursor for a thinner Razr Ultra 2026. Samsung already did something similar with the much thinner Galaxy Z Flip 7, measuring 6.5mm unfolded (13.7mm folded), following the launch of the S25 Edge.
I would love to see Motorola squeeze in a large silicon-carbon battery while slimming the phone down to 6.5mm or less.
New colors and new finishes
One of my favorite things about the Razr series (and Motorola phones in general) is the company’s use of alternate materials and interesting color options. The Razr Ultra 2025 brought vegan leather, wood, and Alcantara into the mix with Pantone hues like Cabaret, Scarab, and Mountain Trail. It’s a stark contrast to the hard glass back panels we’re used to on most Android phones, and it really helps Motorola’s devices stand out.
Pantone recently announced Cloud Dancer as the 2026 color of the year, and Motorola has already launched the Edge 70 featuring the color, with a “leather-inspired back finished in a quilted pattern” and embedded Swarovski crystals.
There’s little doubt in my mind that the next Razr will feature this color, though I hope the company extends the Swarovski partnership to the Razr 2026 Ultra (it was only on the base Razr 2025).
We’ve also seen leaks of what appears to be the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra, which reveal a different textured back finish compared to the Razr series. From the looks of it, Motorola could be using a silicone polymer material that’s quite grippy and resembles a Peak Design fabric case.
Motorola should adopt this material on the next Razr series as an additional option to its typical vegan leather hues. With any luck, Motorola may also offer its wood and Alcantara options again.
A Razr for everyone
Motorola switched up its lineup this year by introducing three Razr models instead of two, giving consumers more options and aligning with well-established strategies from companies like Samsung, Google, and Apple. That said, Motorola’s pricing for the Razr series felt a bit off.
I love the Razr Ultra 2025, but $1,300 feels like too much to spend on a Motorola phone, making it hard to recommend. Fortunately, we saw a few deals during Prime Day and Black Friday that made it much more attainable, but the Razr Ultra 2026 should not cost more than $1,100.
I would love to see the Razr Ultra 2026 start at $999, although $1,100 would align with Samsung’s recent pricing for the Galaxy Z Flip 7. If that means cutting the base storage from 512GB to 256GB, I think that’s a compromise most consumers can live with, while opting to pay the exorbitant $1,200 or $1,300 for more storage.
Then there’s the Razr Plus 2026. We don’t know if there will be another Plus model next year, as the 2025 model was essentially a relaunch of the 2024 Razr Plus. If there is, it should come with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset and other moderately upgraded specs (swap the telephoto camera for an ultrawide), leaving the more premium Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 to the Ultra. Motorola should charge no more than $899 for this model, the same as the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, to make it a more appealing high-end option.
Finally, the base Razr 2026, which may be the most accessible option of the trio. This should come in the most exciting colors to appeal to the widest range of people while keeping the specs and price moderate, possibly with a mid-range Snapdragon or MediaTek chip capable of some on-device AI.
For now, we haven’t seen much of anything on the next Razr series, but 2025 has already given us plenty to look forward to. We may not have to wait too long either, as the Razr 2025 series was launched in April of this year, months earlier than the 2024 models. That potentially gives us just four months to see what comes next for Motorola, and I can’t wait!
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