We’ve known for a while Motorola is planning on reviving its Razr brand, jumping on the folding phone bandwagon with its own take on the concept that far removed from Huawei or Samsung’s. Though we’ve leaked materials showing what the phone will look like when open, a video posted on Weibo gives us a good look at what the folding mechanism may look like – and how compact the phone will be when closed.
You might’ve noticed the text on the screen reads “concept by @WaqarKhanHD,” so it’s not an official render. However, according to Engadget, the video was “an edited fan render Lenovo was using for a press demo.” You can view a higher quality video with some of the clips included above at Waqar Khan’s YouTube channel.
Still the fact Lenovo might’ve used this concept to show off the phone in some capacity in interesting. Whether to build up fan excitement or suggest fans were way off, I’m not sure. However, it closely matches Motorola patents for a folding phone.
While I’d assumed the phone would have a large front screen when closed, it seems Motorola is opting for a smaller panel more reminiscent of the Razrs of old. At first glance this seems to limit utility – it’d be a pain to type anything on a screen that small – but I could also see Motorola selling it as a way to minimize distractions. You could use the outside screen to check if you have any notifications worth addressing, without fully being pulled in to the black hole that is your smartphone.
It’s also worth noting that unlike other foldable phones, Motorola’s goal doesn’t seem to be giving you the largest possible screen in your pocket, but rather giving you a small phone that opens up into a big one. This could be appealing to those of us who’ve missed smaller devices.
Of course, that’s just speculation on an unconfirmed leak, but we expect to see the phone this year. Previous rumors have suggested the phone could cost as much as $1,500 – those folding screens aren’t cheap – so you might want to start saving up.
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