Samsung has taken a serious lead in foldable smartphones by launching first. That's why if you're looking for a flip phone, their Galaxy Z Flip 6 will probably seem like an obvious favorite. But for the past few years, one die-hard smartphone brand has been fighting to compete in this market: Motorola. And their latest flip phone, the Razr 60 Ultra, has just been released. Which one is better? We'll find out in this specs comparison, which we'll then update with the results of our tests.
Design: Finishing Touches Goes to Samsung
Let's start with the design, the famous look and feel. While both devices are attractive for their bold flip phone proposition, they don't do things in exactly the same way. The Motorola is already heavier, at 199g compared to the Samsung's 187g, but it also opts for a slightly more old school design. It's actually a bit more rounded, whereas the Z Flip 6 has embraced the trend toward smartphones with perfectly flat edges. From our point of view, this still gives it a slightly more premium feel, especially since it also has the luxury of being a little thinner (6.9mm compared to 7.2mm on the Moto side).
As for protection, both smartphones are on the same level with high-end Corning glass (Ceramic for the Moto and Victus 2 for the Z Flip 6). They are both IP48.
Screen: Motorola thinks bigger
Let's move on to the screens. Because yes, in addition to the folding screen, both devices integrate an external screen. On paper, the Motorola has a clear advantage with a 7-inch panel compared to the Samsung's 6.7-inch one. It also outperforms it in terms of resolution: 464ppi versus 426ppi. However, in terms of brightness, according to 01lab measurements, the Razr is outperformed.
For the external screen, there's no comparison: the Razr's is not only larger (4 inches versus 3.4 inches), but also smoother with 165Hz versus 60Hz. In practice, you'll tend to use it at 120Hz, but it's still better than the Samsung.
Software: the Motorola's big flaw
Let's move on to the software experience. Samsung recently offered some very heavyweights with One UI 7, but Motorola has also modernized its interface well on this Razr. In addition, out of the box, the Motorola makes much more use of its external screen since it allows it to launch any application. If you want to do the same with Samsung, it will require some manipulation.
So we might be tempted to put the Razr 60 Ultra ahead in terms of software. But that was without taking into account Motorola's rather mediocre update policy, which doesn't give it much of a chance. The Razr will benefit from Android updates for only 3 years compared to 7 years for Samsung.
Photo: Conservative Samsung
Let's quickly move on to the photo, since we have two very similar configurations here: a wide angle and an ultra wide angle, both completed by a selfie module. The wide angle is quite similar for both, but the Motorola's ultra wide angle benefits from more megapixels since it goes up to 50Mpx compared to 12Mpx opposite. The same goes for the selfie module which displays 50Mpx compared to 10Mpx for Samsung.
Performance: slight advantage for Motorola
For performance, the Motorola being more recent, it benefits from a more modern chip, the Snapdragon 8Elite compared to 8Gen 3 for Samsung. But in any case, neither will be able to take advantage of the chip's full power, due to a form factor forcing manufacturers to limit performance.
The Motorola does, however, benefit from slightly more modern network support with WiFi 7 versus Samsung's WiFi 6e and Bluetooth 5.4 versus 5.3 for its competitor.
Battery life and charging: on paper, there's no match here
For battery life, the match is one-sided in favor of the Motorola, at least on the phone's capabilities. We'll have to check this out during our full test. The Motorola has a larger 4700mAh battery versus Samsung's 4000mAh, and faster wired charging (68W versus 25W) and wireless charging (30W versus 15W).
Price: the Razr 60 Ultra will have to wait a few weeks before becoming viable
At first glance, the Motorola holds its own very well. It is more technically advanced in a number of areas. And despite its significant deficit in update times, you might be tempted to prefer it to the Samsung. In this case, our advice is: wait a bit.
Indeed, the pricing situation is a bit complicated, because the Z Flip 6 is almost a year old and its price has therefore dropped. So much so, that as it stands, it remains better value for money than its competitor. On the official Samsung store, it is sold for 799 euros in 256GB and 919 euros in 512GB.
Since the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra is only available in 512GB, it is at a slight disadvantage and rises to 1299, an additional cost of 380 euros compared to its competitor for the same configuration. But as we can see from the price of the Z Flip 6, these smartphones may be technological gems, but they are not immune to a certain discount. Motorola should therefore become much more competitive in the coming months.
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