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No Motorola Razr comeback orders in 2019: Costly foldy nostalgia mobe pulled back

$1,500 actually cheap for foldable phone, unless you buy it off the back of a, um, from an Escobar

We've got some bad news for the deeper-pocketed nostalgia-tinged tech fans out there: Motorola is pushing back the launch of its foldable reboot of the Motorola Razr.

Preorders of the revived flip-phone were expected to open on December 26, with the first units trickling out on January 9, but those dates have been ditched in favour of an unspecified time next year.

In a statement issued by parent company Lenovo, Motorola said it was delaying the launch to "better meet consumer demand."

"Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions," it said.

Still from Verizon / Motorola's 2019 Razr promo video

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For what it's worth, every company that has attempted to launch a mass-market foldable phone has missed its original expected release dates. Huawei delayed launch of the Mate X no fewer than two times, while Samsung had to shelve its original release date over an embarrassing durability issue.

Early units of the Samsung Galaxy Fold had an awkward problem where removing the screen protector would essentially wreck the display. When the device finally reached shelves, screwdriver botherers at iFixit warned punters that the device was "alarmingly fragile", particularly with respect to the screen. Furthermore, other publications, most notably CNET, shed doubts on the phone's ability to withstand its promised 200,000 folds.

The Motorola Razr will be the first commercially available phone to use a candybar-shaped portrait display. It also mirrors the design of the original Razr down to the protruding "chin" at the bottom of the device.

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And crucially, at $1,500, it would drastically undercut the existing competition, making foldable mobes (unless Escobar's brother makes good on his promise) more accessible to a wider swath of the population.

That said, it's probably sensible to wait for the reviews before dropping your cash on this. The Razr uses a relatively underpowered Snapdragon 710 platform, which is typically found on £300-range mid-rangers. Motorola says this is due to thermal management, and while that might be true, it'll leave consumers wanting for power.

And with just 6GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM, a puny 2,510mAh battery, and no wireless charging, this phone underwhelms in other areas. On paper, it doesn't strike us as a device worthy of its steep price-tag. ®

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