Which Clamshell Phone Is Better: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or Motorola Razr?
At Samsung’s February 11 “Samsung Unpacked” event , several new devices were unveiled, including the next attempt at a foldable smartphone: the Galaxy Z Flip. Unlike the Galaxy Fold’s vertically-folding screen, the Z Flip folds horizontally like old-school flip phones, not to mention Motorola’s recently launched Razr smartphone.
The clamshell battle is brewing, so which smartphone is right for you if you subscribe to this aesthetic? Let’s see which one is worth your money – if not.
Displays
An important feature of both phones – and the most natural place to start our comparison – are their foldable screens. Neither phone is completely superior to the other when it comes to the quality and performance of their displays as they both have some unique characteristics. Let’s start with the basic, foldable displays.
Main (foldable) display
- Razr: 6.2 inches, 876 by 2142 pixels
- Z Flip: 6.7 inches, 1080 by 2636 pixels with HDR10 + support
The Razr’s screen has a larger, higher-resolution screen and better color fidelity than the Razr thanks to HDR10 + support, but that’s only part of the story – these are foldable screens, after all.
Based on first impressions, the Razr folds better than the Z Flip, with both sides of the screen flush when lowered. The Z Flip has a slit in the hinge and can warp the screen a little, which is quite common on most foldable displays, especially Samsung.
However, Motorola had to make some concessions in order to achieve a smooth bend impacting the durability of the phone, notably by using a plastic screen instead of glass like the Z Flip. Comparing both The Verge phones , the Razor hinge is more fragile; whereas the Z Flip is sturdy enough to fit with the “L” shaped foldable display as shown in CNET’s practice tests .
External display
- Razr: 2.7 inches, 600 by 800 pixels
- Z-Flip: 1.1 inches, 112 by 300 pixels
External displays, however, are a slightly different story. The Z Flip only has a small external display that mostly shows notifications, although it can be used as a tiny viewfinder for selfies, which is a nifty feature.
The Razr’s secondary display lacks a selfie viewfinder, but it’s much larger. it can display more information about apps and notifications, and it is more interactive. The external display may be less important than the main foldable, but it still seems like Motorola has an edge (unless otherwise indicated in future Z Flip reviews).
Main characteristics
Here’s a quick overview of what’s inside each of these smartphones:
CPU
- Razr: Snapdragon 710 (Medium, Slightly Slow)
- Z Flip: Snapdragon 855 Plus
Storage and memory
- Razr: 128GB storage, 6GB RAM
- Z Flip: 256GB storage, 8GB RAM
Operating system
- Razr: Android 9.0
- Z Flip: Android 10.0; One interface 2
Battery
- Razr: 2510mAh supports fast charging
- Z Flip: 3300mAh; Supports fast charging and wireless charging
Cameras
- Razr: 5- megapixel selfie camera 16MP rear camera
- Z flip: 10 megapixel selfie camera; 2x 12MP main camera with ultra wide angle lens
As you can see, the Z Flip outperforms the Razr in every category. Motorola implies the Razr’s meager specs were needed to get longer battery life, but the Z Flip not only has more powerful hardware, but also a larger battery. Advantage: Samsung.
In fact, despite the hardware compromises required for a foldable screen, the Z Flip actually seems like a decent smartphone based on its specs and the various hands-on experiences that have started to trickle down. The specs of non-foldable devices like the Google Pixel 4, iPhone 11 or Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S20 certainly outperform or match the Z Flip in almost every way, but it’s not a competition if you compare it exclusively to the new Razr – Z Flip – more powerful phone.
Price and availability
- Razr: $ 1,500 Now
- Z Flip: $ 1,380 Released February 14, 2020
In truth, I’m still skeptical of foldable smartphones in general and think your money is best spent on a flagship phone from any of the major Android manufacturers. However, if this concept is your thing, I would recommend the Z Flip over Razr, for the price alone. Not only is it $ 120 cheaper, it’s also a more powerful device (on paper). Unless you fall victim to the nostalgic siren song, there is almost no reason to choose the Razr over the Z Flip.