I tested Motorola’s $1,300 Razr Ultra, and it made my Samsung Galaxy Z Flip feel outdated

You have my attention, Motorola.

The company yesterday unveiled not one, not two, but three Razr flip phones, including a first-ever ‘Ultra’ model that’s feature-packed, fashionably styled, and unsurprisingly expensive at $1,299.

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I spent an intimate afternoon with all three models ahead of their launch, and, barring the price tag that makes me question the state of the economy, my first impressions were mostly positive. In fact, the Razr Ultra, which I tested the most, left me feeling a little less excited about what’s on the docket from Samsung later this summer. Here’s why.

Small changes that make a big difference

While companies like Apple have seemingly backpedaled on their AI integrations in smartphones, Motorola is confidently doubling down. With the new line of Razr phones, the company has called on several AI partners, including Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Perplexity, to embed their agents and services into the devices.

If that sounds like the most chaotic buffet of AI helpers a phone user can have, that makes two of us. But Motorola’s approach to its mobile experience can best be described as controlled chaos, with the phone recommending the most appropriate AI service depending on the on-screen task. 

For example, suppose you’re reading an article about a new recipe and tap on the new dedicated AI key. Moto AI will appear and suggest next steps, like generating a cooking-themed playlist or saving pertinent information for future reference. 

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You can also access Perplexity and its real-time search engine straight from the external display, making the Razr the closest Rabbit R1 competitor we’ve seen yet.

The Razr phones will come with Motorola’s suite of in-house AI tools preinstalled, including Catch Me Up, which summarizes notifications, Pay Attention, which takes notes of voice recordings, and Remember This, an information-recall feature similar to Microsoft’s. While these features have been available to beta testers for months, I’m excited to see how useful (and practical) they are now that they’re officially launching. Stay tuned for that.

Modern-day Moto Maker