Before everyone started carrying around a smartphone, one of the best selling mobile devices was the Motorola RAZR. Between 2004 and 2008, the V3 model of the Motorola RAZR sold more than 130 million units making it the best-selling clamshell phone in the world. And it is now rumored that the RAZR will be returning next month at a starting price of $1,500 as a smartphone with a foldable screen according to The Wall Street Journal’s sources.
The new RAZR is expected to be an exclusive on Verizon in the U.S. Lenovo — which acquired Motorola Mobility from Google in October 2014 — is reportedly still testing the device. Details about the specifications and screen size are unknown.
It is believed that Lenovo is going to manufacture over 200,000 of the new RAZRs. This may seem ambitious considering it will have a starting price of $1,500. But Lenovo could have the advantage of first-to-market if the foldable RAZR smartphone arrives next month. However, Samsung is also rumored to be introducing a foldable smartphone at its Galaxy event on February 20.
This would not be the first time that Verizon and Motorola partnered on a RAZR device. In 2011 and 2012, the companies launched the Android-based Verizon Droid RAZR series.
Interestingly, some renderings what could be the upcoming Motorola RAZR were revealed in a patent this week as discovered by 91 Mobiles. Motorola filed these design patents in December 2018. However, the images of the designs look almost identical to the RAZR V3 flip phone so it is subject to change:
Most likely, the number pad from the original RAZR V3 will be replaced with a smartphone touch display in the upcoming version of the RAZR. And it is not expected to crease at the hinge. So it would have a display that runs from the top to the bottom without a large hinge in the middle.
