u/PaulPuma

Hey all.

The Razr Fold was released in late May 2026. How many security updates have you received since then?

I ask because I had the Razr Fold and liked it a lot. Battery life is insanely good and the software, overall, was good. I returned it because it had a few glitches and I had no faith that Motorola would regularly update the phone. Happy to be proven wrong-- just wanted to see where things stand.

Here is one glitch: Saved an app "pair" consisting of three apps on the desktop. When I clicked on that "pair" (of three apps), only two would show up. This glitch didn't happen all of the time, but pretty consistently. Got annoying and didn't give me a great feeling about how clean the software was when combined with a few others.

I'm less than 24 hours in but some initial thoughts that might help others looking to buy.

-- Having tried the 26 Ultra and an iPad mini for three weeks, I feel back at home with the ZF8 Ultra. It's frickin' awesome.

-- Samsung's carbon case came as a promo and it sucks. Feels plasticky and slippery. Amazon has others that are way better and at better cost assuming you need to buy retail. Free is hard to beat but still. Not going to use it.

Kaisensec just came out with a carbon fiber case that (somewhat) protects hinge, front, and back on the Ultra. THAT might be the one...

-- ZF7 cases and screen protectors are iffy on the Ultra. Tried two cases and Samsung's own ZF7 screen protector and they are both a little off in terms of application and fit without adjustments that may/may not stick. Recommend springing for 8 Ultra stuff.

-- Having trouble staying wirelessly connected to my car (2024 Honda Prologue). Haven't had this issue with any other phone so working through that.

-- Battery life is big for me. Most reviews showed a big upgrade relative to the 7. After a heavy morning, I'm at 88% so so far, so good. We'll see how it goes.

Hope this helps someone.

[supprimé]

Does it fit well? If so, will expand my case choices nicely.

EDIT (7/23):

Choice is awesome. Cant stress this enough: go to a store where both are displayed and decide for yourself. There is a weird tech reviewer unanimity that I have not seen in a long time, if ever.

Went to Best Buy again today. I've decided on the Ultra. I love the form factor (had the ZF7) and, relatedly, a 5 inch cover screen on the wide will frustrate me to no end for how little information that I can easily glance via widgets/apps compared to the Ultra.

ORIGINAL POST:

I watched a lot of reviews last night. EVERY ONE of them favored the wide. It's a little weird.

Fortunately, Best Buy has them on display so I'll spend the next few days visiting, playing with them.

My first impression after 20 minutes at BB yesterday: the wide is too short. My news and calendar/work widgets would be shorter and show less information and, generally, I'd have to scroll more to access more information on apps and websites.

Unfolded, watching YouTube, which I do every night, the wide would show virtually the same viewing area as the ultra when I rotate the ultra to landscape.

Ultra also has a slightly bigger battery.

Don't care about cameras, or "the crease", or the s pen.

I'll keep an open mind but as of now, I'm asking: other than the hype that comes with the novelty, why the wide, exactly?

Folks rave about the S26U battery life which has a 5,000 mahbattery. Assuming the ZF8 Ultra has the same size battery, can we assume that it will have similar battery life as the S26U?

Of course, much bigger main screen to power BUT a smaller cover screen-- maybe that evens out-ish?

Thoughts?

When I'm on the razr fold's big screen, I open 3 news apps to read, multi-task. How do I save the combo to where all three consistently reappear when I want? I have saved the combo by tapping the small bar/divider between two of the apps. When I tap the resulting icon, only two of the apps show up most of the time but all three some of the time. Kind of weird...

Am I missing a step? Software glitch?

I am posting because I am guessing others are working through the choices too.

I posted the "review" below two weeks ago and I did what I said: I returned the RF and went back to the Z Fold 7. And then my battery consistently died at 5:00 which is fine I suppose if you're used to it.

BUT I had gotten a taste of 6 a.m. to 11 pm with 15% battery left after heavy use with the Razr Fold. Yes, the ZF7 has more polished software and may get me more back in trade in on a future folding phone, but I'd have to plug in my ZF7 once or twice a day to get through.

I figured out how much I didn't want to do that, even with the ZF7 upsides. I LOVE not thinking about my battery and it has been a long time since that was the case. I don't remember the last time, actually. And the software is fine plus some-- Pixel UI plus some goodies is really damn good, even with a couple of glitches.

So battery won for me.

I re-ordered the RF with the current promo and it's the one I'll stick with until Samsung and Apple unveil their latest/new efforts. And maybe even beyond.

On balance, it's the best folding phone released in America right now. And maybe for the next year, at least-- it's going to be tough to beat.

What I posted 2 weeks ago:

I am returning it in favor of Z Fold 7 for now. My thoughts:

I really like/love about the RF:

-- The battery life on the RF is stupid good. Like 17 Pro Max good. Haven't gone to bed with less than 40% left after my full days of use. 

--  Motorola does some software tricks that are really nice, e.g., instant access to notifications on the lock screen, overall adherence to Pixel UI, and the three app implementation/multi tasking on the big screen is really well done.

-- Moto adds a little bloatware but it's manageable. Very few instances of repetitive apps that I need to deal with (vs. Samsung which does this worse).

-- RF feels heavier than ZF7 but very pocketable, relatively light still. Solid feeling phone.

Why I am returning it:

-- I need stacked widgets as I like easily accessible information, efficiently placed. Moto's implementation of this is limited and it sucks. The ZF7 does this very well natively.

-- Software bugs: e.g., no gmail notifications; wallpaper changes don't stick and revert to a wallpaper I've never selected; my AOD clock is in a font that I did not choose.  

Maybe an update fixes these but a) maybe it doesn't; and b) not sure when to expect it. The ZF7 isn't perfect in this regard (no phone is) but the randomness of the glitches and the possible fix on the RF is off-putting.           

-- Relatedly, the ZF7's software overall is more polished. The edge bar is one example of this, flipping through stacked widgets (as far as it goes) that then makes you inevitably accidentally swipe down to get the notification shade is another. ZF7 has none of these kinds of issues in my experience.  

-- I really like/need matte screen protectors on my phones. I’ve gotten so used to these that when I used the RF in the bright sun over the weekend, I was put off by the constant glare on the RF screens. I have these screen protectors for the ZF7 and they aren’t really available for the RF yet. Same for thin, hinge protecting cases. This could change over the next few weeks, or not.  

-- IF I want to dip into the Apple Fold or upcoming Samsung foldables, the ZF7 will likely get better trade in value. That's speculative I know but probable in my view. If I don't dip in, I'll feel better about having a ZF7 long term than the RF right now.

All of that said, I like RF overall. If the price dips, the bugs get worked out, and accessories show up, I might be able to deal with the less-than-ideal widget alternatives (e.g., Pop Up Widget app). The ZF7 will probably give me maximum trade in value if that happens. 

In case you are wondering: I don't care about cameras and I think "the crease" on foldables is a complete non-issue. Hence, the omissions...

Edit: Based on a comment below and the YouTube video referenced (hat tip to TechADay, the creator), I was able to change a setting that will supposedly allow immediate notifications from Gmail. Set it up an hour ago and it's still not happening but it apparently will. Weird software choice by Motorola...

Edit 2: per a comment below, the first edit's approach isn't enough. Go into your Gmail account settings and make sure notifications for the right labels are enabled through checking the relevant boxes. Such a weird issue.

Edit 3: Yesterday (5/26) took my phone off the charger at 5:30 am and put it back on at 11 pm with 13% left. Heavy day of use to include about 3 hours of hotspot. The battery is really, really good.

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I am returning it in favor of Z Fold 7 for now. My thoughts:

I really like/love about the RF:

\-- The battery life on the RF is stupid good. Like 17 Pro Max good. Haven't gone to bed with less than 40% left after my full days of use. 

\--  Motorola does some software tricks that are really nice, e.g., instant access to notifications on the lock screen, overall adherence to Pixel UI, and the three app implementation/multi tasking on the big screen is really well done.

\-- Moto adds a little bloatware but it's manageable. Very few instances of repetitive apps that I need to deal with (vs. Samsung which does this worse).

\-- RF feels heavier than ZF7 but very pocketable, relatively light still. Solid feeling phone.

Why I am returning it:

\-- I need stacked widgets as I like easily accessible information, efficiently placed. Moto's implementation of this is limited and it sucks. The ZF7 does this very well natively.

\-- Software bugs: e.g., no gmail notifications; wallpaper changes don't stick and revert to a wallpaper I've never selected; my AOD clock is in a font that I did not choose.  

Maybe an update fixes these but a) maybe it doesn't; and b) not sure when to expect it. The ZF7 isn't perfect in this regard (no phone is) but the randomness of the glitches and the possible fix on the RF is off-putting.           

\-- Relatedly, the ZF7's software overall is more polished. The edge bar is one example of this, flipping through stacked widgets (as far as it goes) that then makes you inevitably accidentally swipe down to get the notification shade is another. ZF7 has none of these kinds of issues in my experience.  

\-- I really like/need matte screen protectors on my phones. I’ve gotten so used to these that when I used the RF in the bright sun over the weekend, I was put off by the constant glare on the RF screens. I have these screen protectors for the ZF7 and they aren’t really available for the RF yet. Same for thin, hinge protecting cases. This could change over the next few weeks, or not.  

\-- IF I want to dip into the Apple Fold or upcoming Samsung foldables, the ZF7 will likely get better trade in value. That's speculative I know but probable in my view. If I don't dip in, I'll feel better about having a ZF7 long term than the RF right now.

All of that said, I like RF overall. If the price dips, the bugs get worked out, and accessories show up, I might be able to deal with the less-than-ideal widget alternatives (e.g., Pop Up Widget app). The ZF7 will probably give me maximum trade in value if that happens. 

In case you are wondering: I don't care about cameras and I think "the crease" on foldables is a complete non-issue. Hence, the omissions...

Edit: Based on a comment below and the YouTube video referenced (hat tip to TechADay, the creator), I was able to change a setting that will supposedly allow immediate notifications from Gmail. Set it up an hour ago and it's still not happening but it apparently will. Weird software choice by Motorola...

Edit 2: per a comment below, the first edit's approach isn't enough. Go into your Gmail account settings and make sure notifications for the right labels are enabled through checking the relevant boxes. Such a weird issue.

I am returning it in favor of Z Fold 7 for now. My thoughts:

I really like/love about the RF:

-- The battery life on the RF is stupid good. Like 17 Pro Max good. Haven't gone to bed with less than 40% left after my full days of use. 

--  Motorola does some software tricks that are really nice, e.g., instant access to notifications on the lock screen, overall adherence to Pixel UI, and the three app implementation/multi tasking on the big screen is really well done.

-- Moto adds a little bloatware but it's manageable. Very few instances of repetitive apps that I need to deal with (vs. Samsung which does this worse).

-- RF feels heavier than ZF7 but very pocketable, relatively light still. Solid feeling phone.

Why I am returning it:

-- I need stacked widgets as I like easily accessible information, efficiently placed. Moto's implementation of this is limited and it sucks. The ZF7 does this very well natively.

-- Software bugs: e.g., no gmail notifications; wallpaper changes don't stick and revert to a wallpaper I've never selected; my AOD clock is in a font that I did not choose.  

Maybe an update fixes these but a) maybe it doesn't; and b) not sure when to expect it. The ZF7 isn't perfect in this regard (no phone is) but the randomness of the glitches and the possible fix on the RF is off-putting.           

-- Relatedly, the ZF7's software overall is more polished. The edge bar is one example of this, flipping through stacked widgets (as far as it goes) that then makes you inevitably accidentally swipe down to get the notification shade is another. ZF7 has none of these kinds of issues in my experience.  

-- I really like/need matte screen protectors on my phones. I’ve gotten so used to these that when I used the RF in the bright sun over the weekend, I was put off by the constant glare on the RF screens. I have these screen protectors for the ZF7 and they aren’t really available for the RF yet. Same for thin, hinge protecting cases. This could change over the next few weeks, or not.  

-- IF I want to dip into the Apple Fold or upcoming Samsung foldables, the ZF7 will likely get better trade in value. That's speculative I know but probable in my view. If I don't dip in, I'll feel better about having a ZF7 long term than the RF right now.

All of that said, I like RF overall. If the price dips, the bugs get worked out, and accessories show up, I might be able to deal with the less-than-ideal widget alternatives (e.g., Pop Up Widget app). The ZF7 will probably give me maximum trade in value if that happens. 

In case you are wondering: I don't care about cameras and I think "the crease" on foldables is a complete non-issue. Hence, the omissions...

Edit: Based on a comment below and the YouTube video referenced (hat tip to TechADay, the creator), I was able to change a setting that will supposedly allow immediate notifications from Gmail. Set it up an hour ago and it's still not happening but it apparently will. Weird software choice by Motorola...

Edit 2: per a comment below, the first edit's approach isn't enough. Go into your Gmail account settings and make sure notifications for the right labels are enabled through checking the relevant boxes. Such a weird issue.

Edit 3: Yesterday (5/26) took my phone off the charger at 5:30 am and put it back on at 11 pm with 13% left. Heavy day of use to include about 3 hours of hotspot. The battery is really, really good.

1. I really like Pixel UI and would probably still be on a Pixel if I could stack widgets. Moto's UI is Pixel UI, basically, WITH stackable widgets and other subtle UI nice-ities (e.g., long press lock screen notification icons to see messages).
2. Relatedly, one app store, one photos app, one phone app, etc. and not needing to deal with the Samsung app invasion of my workflow that happens occasionally.
3. Battery life reports of the RF are impressive. ZF7 battery life isn't great and I don't want to incorporate periodic charging into my work day.
4. Larger screen when folded. The ZF7's front screen works fine but the additional real estate on the RF, even if minimal, will be nice to have.
5. I could stand the weight difference between Pixel 10 Pro Fold and ZF7. I suspect I won't at all mind the difference between the RF and the ZF7.
6. Samsung's update cadence is great and from what I hear, Motorola's won't be as good but might might be good enough.
7. I really like the texture on the back of Moto's recent phones. Assuming the RF will have a similar feel (black/blue color), I can slap a magnet ring on the back for charging and mounting and be on my way.
8. The price was right: used the 10% discount code and bought a $500 iphone air to trade in so that all-in, I'll pay $1,100 if I end up keeping the RF.
9. Cameras aren't part of the analysis for me. I don't care about them. Likewise, "the crease"...

I pre-ordered on the 17th but haven't gotten my shipping info yet. I suspect I'll have it in hand early next week. We'll see how it goes.

1. I really like Pixel UI and would probably still be on a Pixel if I could stack widgets. Moto's UI is Pixel UI, basically, WITH stackable widgets and other subtle UI nice-ities (e.g., long press lock screen notification icons to see messages).
2. Relatedly, one app store, one photos app, one phone app, etc. and not needing to deal with the Samsung app invasion of my workflow that happens occasionally.
3. Battery life reports of the RF are impressive. ZF7 battery life isn't great and I don't want to incorporate periodic charging into my work day.
4. Larger screen when folded. The ZF7's front screen works fine but the additional real estate on the RF, even if minimal, will be nice to have.
5. I could stand the weight difference between Pixel 10 Pro Fold and ZF7. I suspect I won't at all mind the difference between the RF and the ZF7.
6. Samsung's update cadence is great and from what I hear, Motorola's won't be as good but might might be good enough.
7. I really like the texture on the back of Moto's recent phones. Assuming the RF will have a similar feel (black/blue color), I can slap a magnet ring on the back for charging and mounting and be on my way.
8. The price was right: used the 10% discount code and bought a $500 iphone air to trade in so that all-in, I'll pay $1,100 if I end up keeping the RF.
9. Cameras aren't part of the analysis for me. I don't care about them. Likewise, "the crease"...

I pre-ordered on the 17th but haven't gotten my shipping info yet. I suspect I'll have it in hand early next week. We'll see how it goes.

Really fired up for my incoming razr fold. Rocking a Z fold 7 now (really enjoy it) and the only thing that gives me pause about the Razr is the security and OS update cadence. Anyone have visibility on that? What should we expect-- every month, every other month?

Haven't had a Moto in a long time.

Thanks in advance.