Sometimes they come back. 23 years after the Startac, Motorola launches razr, its folding smartphone – Business Insider Italia

BEIJING. Sometimes they come back. After years of oblivion, Motorola returns to challenge the phone market trying to take advantage of the nostalgia for folding phones for which she became famous. And it does this by proposing a solution to a problem that everyone is facing: the excessive size of the new smartphones. Thanks to one foldable screen on which the Chicago company has worked over the past four years, the new phone seeks to offer the best of both worlds: one 6.2-inch screen that, once closed, manages to fit comfortably in the front pocket of the trousers.

"We didn't start with the idea of ​​recreating a shell model," says Allison Yi, director of business development at Motorola during the launch of the new phone in Beijing. "It was the need expressed by consumers to have a small phone with a large screen to push us in this direction ".

Obviously, Motorola has not missed the opportunity to solve the puzzle bringing back to life the oyster design that made the brand in the nineties – passed from the hands of Google to those of the Chinese Lenovo in 2015 – famous throughout the world, thanks to the historic model Startac.

In this challenge, Lenovo's new ownership has brought its advantages: the technology to create hinges that allow the screen to fold back had already been developed by Lenovo for Yoga laptops, which boast a screen that can open up to 360 degrees, like a book page.

The new razr is built with stainless steel and touch glass, scratch and water repellent. It has a protective shell and a smaller external screen that allows access to some basic functions that remain visible even when the phone is folded. Both sides of the internal display fit together perfectly when the phone is closed, thus protecting the screen from dust and dirt. Seeing the color screen bend almost 180 degrees just before it closes again makes an impression. The camera is capable of capturing when the subjects shot smile so that they can take a picture of themselves at the right time. The battery promises to last 36 hours, at least when it's new. With 205 grams of weight, the phone does not boast the lightness of its main qualities. But actually, the idea of ​​keeping it in the palm of a hand and literally closing the phone in someone's face when the wrong call is received at the wrong time makes it an interesting product as well as easily transportable.

In Italy razr will be available in presale starting December 4, at a recommended retail price of € 1,599.00.