Android

Apologizes in advance for the wall of text.

I wanted to let people know my experience about the Razr+ because I don't think it's got a ton of reviews out there and I "bought" one impulsively the second I could because of how cool it looked. Im not going to go into a ton of technical stuff, more just the experience of using it.

The time of the flip phones is on us once again and the Razr+ and the upcoming Galaxy Flip 5 are finally adding something that to me, is a legitimate game changer for smartphones.

To me the Galaxy S3/iPhone 4 solidified the smartphone as we know it and since then, other than the last gasps of BlackBerry, there hasn't been much innovation other than features/price. Fundamentally we are still using touch-screen rectangles with 3 buttons.

Even the first generations of the smart flip phones were just a folding version of the same rectangle. With this latest generation, the large second screen is finally changing the game again.

The mini second screen on the front comes with several preloaded Motorola apps with the promise of more on the way. Luckily in my experience it hasn't been necessary at all because a simple permission allows any Android app to display on the front screen. Any as in Jellyfin, Newpipe, Games, Homeassistant, K9 Mail, the works. And most of the time it works without a hitch. The only caveat is that the only keyboard currently supported on the front screen is Gboard. Something tells me that won't be the case for long though.

Basically what I learned is that what I actually need is a thicc boy phone with a 4 inch screen again.

Coming from a Pixel 4a, the other thing I appreciate about the screen when it's open is the tall aspect ratio. I can actually run 2 apps side by side and I can have a video app running on the top half and bend the phone to watch it sitting on my belly or on a table.

I can't speak a ton to the camera quality because I have never once cared about the camera on my phone but compared to my Pixel 4a it's better and the OIS is significantly better. The gimmick of using the second screen as the camera viewfinder is somewhat useful but it for me it's mostly been a cool feature to impress people.

I got the Pantone Pink color from T Mobile and I will say it is pink pink. It's the pinkest think I'll ever own and the leatherette back does make it look a lot like a makeup compact. If I could pick again I'd go for the black or blue.

This phone fits super well in my front pocket. One of the reasons I held onto my Pixel 4a was because of how compact it is but really this one is even smaller. It's smaller and thinner than a tri-fold wallet and easily fits in either a side pocket or a leg pocket of carpenter pants. But then bam! 6 inch screen.

The speakers on this phone are pretty good: loud with no distortion but I feel like the difference between the second loudest level and the loudest are too quiet and then too loud for most of my listening environments.

So far the bendy screen is doing fine no weirdness and on a black background the crease is invisible. There is a slight left to right movement of the top half when the phone is closed that seems concerning but if the hinge can handle it, only time will tell. The battery is easily getting me through a whole day without battery saver mode and I am constantly on my phone playing games or working on something or listening to news or a podcast.

All in all I love this thing. I feel like I just got my first cell phone all over again, and of course I'm biased because I bought it myself and I am justifying my own purchase in my head but seriously this thing is cool and unlike the last 6 phones I've had (4 Android 2 iPhone) this one is genuinely different. And since I never got a Razr the first time around in 2008, it's been pretty cathartic for me.