The flip phone is back — and it means serious business. But is the Razr Ultra 2026 worth the eye-watering price tag?
Let’s be honest. When someone pulls out a flip phone in 2026, heads still turn. There’s something about that fold, that satisfying snap, that just feels different to every other rectangle in your pocket. I’ve been spending time with the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026, and I have thoughts — plenty of them.
First Impressions: It’s Gorgeous. Full Stop.
Before we talk specs, let’s talk about what you’ll actually notice first — how this thing looks and feels in your hand.
The Razr Ultra 2026 comes in two colours this year: Pantone Orient Blue with an Alcantara fabric finish, and Pantone Cocoa with a natural wood veneer texture. I went with the Cocoa, and honestly? It might be the best-looking phone I’ve held in years. It doesn’t feel like a gadget — it feels like an object someone actually cared about making beautiful.
Motorola has gone all-in on materials this year, with Alcantara and wood veneer finishes, Corning Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the external display, and a titanium-reinforced hinge that’s been refined over multiple generations. You feel that refinement the moment you pick it up. Android Headlines
The Display: Two Screens, Both Brilliant
Open it up and you get a 7-inch inner display running at 1224 x 2992 pixels — sharp, bright, and smooth. It’s a proper full-size smartphone experience when unfolded.
But here’s what makes the Razr Ultra different from every other flip phone: the 4-inch external display. It’s the largest and most capable external display on any flip phone right now. You can genuinely use this phone without ever opening it — checking messages, controlling Spotify, replying to texts. It’s not a gimmick. It’s actually useful. Android Headlines
The Gorilla Glass Ceramic 3 on the outside panel is a nice touch too. It should handle daily scratches far better than the standard glass on lower Razr models.
Performance: Snapdragon 8 Elite Does the Heavy Lifting
Under the hood, the Razr Ultra 2026 runs on a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. There’s no microSD slot, so what you see is what you get. 9to5Google
In day-to-day use, this phone is fast. Switching between apps, gaming, multitasking — nothing stuttered, nothing hesitated. The 8 Elite is still a top-tier chip and handles anything you throw at it without complaint.
One note: the phones are more of a refinement on last year’s models than anything, and if you’re coming from a Razr Ultra 2025, the performance jump won’t blow you away. But if you’re new to the Razr line, you’ll be impressed. Android Central
Camera: Triple 50MP and Finally Decent
Camera quality has historically been the weak point of flip phones. Motorola has been quietly fixing that.
The Razr Ultra 2026 has a 50-megapixel main camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, f/1.8 aperture, and OIS, alongside a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 50-megapixel selfie camera. Android Headlines
In good light, the main shooter delivers crisp, punchy shots. The OIS helps a lot for video — and there’s a new Rotate to Zoom gesture in camcorder mode that’s genuinely fun to use. Group shots now benefit from an AI shutter that waits for everyone to look their best before firing.
Fair warning: the ultrawide camera sensor is relatively small, so don’t expect too much from it in low light. It gets the job done, but it’s the weakest of the three lenses. Android Headlines
Battery Life: The Biggest Upgrade This Year
This is where the 2026 model earns its keep over its predecessor.
Motorola has adopted silicon-carbon battery technology across its entire Razr lineup this year, allowing the Ultra to carry a 5,000mAh battery — a meaningful step up from previous generations. Silicon-carbon cells pack more energy into the same physical space, which matters a lot in a slim folding device. Android Headlines
Charging comes in at 68W wired TurboPower, with 30W wireless charging also on board. In practice, I was getting through a full day comfortably, and a 30-minute charge got me back to 70% — solid for a foldable. Android Headlines
Software & AI Features
The Razr Ultra 2026 ships with Android 16 and Motorola’s own AI layer on top. New features include Google Photos Memories inside Motorola’s Daily Drops — similar to Samsung’s Now Briefing — pulling in news, weather, your calendar, and personal photo memories on the cover screen. Android Headlines
There’s also a new Google Photos Wardrobe feature that creates a digital catalogue of your clothes to help you plan outfits. Genuinely useful or gimmicky? Probably depends on the person. These features are rolling out later in the summer, so they weren’t fully available at launch.
Motorola promises long software support this year, which is a welcome commitment for a premium device at this price.
The Price Problem
Let’s address the elephant in the room: $1,499 (approximately €1,380).
That’s a $200 increase over the Razr Ultra 2025’s already steep $1,299 price tag. For a phone that is — let’s be fair — a refinement rather than a reinvention, that’s a tough ask. 9to5Google
The overall design is nearly identical in size to last year’s model, it shares the same chipset, and even weighs the same 199 grams. The battery and materials upgrades are real, but they don’t obviously justify a €200 price hike. 9to5Google
If you’re on a budget, the smarter play right now might actually be the Razr Ultra 2025 — reportedly still available at heavily discounted prices with extra storage thrown in.
Should You Buy It?
Yes, if:
- You want the best flip phone you can buy right now
- The cover display experience genuinely appeals to your lifestyle
- You’re new to the Razr line and want to start at the top
No, if:
- You already own a Razr Ultra 2025 — the upgrade isn’t big enough
- €1,400 makes your eyes water — because honestly, it should
- You prioritise camera over everything else — a traditional bar phone at this price will still outshoot it
Final Verdict
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 is the best flip phone Motorola has ever made. The materials are stunning, the cover display is class-leading, the battery is finally where it needs to be, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite keeps everything running silky smooth.
But “best Razr ever” doesn’t automatically mean “buy it now.” The price increase is hard to justify when the upgrades are incremental. If you’re considering jumping into the flip phone world for the first time though, this is about as good an entry point as you’ll find — just be ready to feel it in your wallet.
Score: 8.5 / 10
Gorgeous design. Great cover display. Battery sorted. Price… ouch.
