Motorola Razr Ultra review: Too much for too little

A $200 premium over its predecessor for a slightly bigger battery and one new camera sensor just doesn't sit right.

The development cycle for gadgets can be vicious. Manufacturers need to balance production costs while implementing new features and trying to mitigate unforeseen circumstances like AI investment sucking up the global RAM supply. Unfortunately for the 2026 Motorola Razr Ultra, carrying a $200 price bump over its predecessor puts a major damper on its overall appeal — even with an upgraded main camera and cover screen improvements. That's a shame because when you factor in other features like excellent battery life, a solid chassis and a gorgeous flexible screen, you get a top tier flip phone, even if it doesn't quite live up to its cost.

Like a lot of smartphones, the Razr Ultra is part of a multi-year cadence that only sees a full redesign every 24 or 36 months. Instead of featuring a fresh look for 2026, Motorola kept the exact same chassis as the previous model. You still get a 4-inch exterior display that opens up to reveal a 7-inch main screen though. Brightness is strong across the board with the smaller panel capable of reaching up to 3,000 nits while its interior display is even more luminant with a peak of up to 5,000 nits. And as you'd expect, color richness and contrast are excellent, resulting in vivid saturated hues. However, Motorola hasn't quite eliminated the faint crease where the Razr's hinge lives.

The one big change is a handful of new color options, including the Orient Blue model I reviewed here. It features lovely paint-matched buttons with a fuzzy Alcantara back and a sophisticated diamond pattern. And I'd be remiss not to mention how wonderfully compact the Razr Ultra feels. When closed it's 3.4 x 2.9 inches and just 15.7mm thick, which is thicker than the Samsung Z Flip 7. It just fits so nicely in your palm while still unfolding to reveal a full-size display when you need it. It also features an IP48 rating for dust and water resistance, so there's no need to fear a bit of moisture.

Packing a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage, there's virtually no change when it comes to the Razr Ultra's performance compared to its predecessor. But that doesn't mean this thing is slow, because even a year-old flagship chip makes quick work of all sorts of apps and games. In many ways, you're more limited by the Ultra's smaller displays compared to its bigger sibling — the Razr Fold — and its lack of advanced multitasking features and stylus support.

That said, Motorola has added some new