The Motorola Razr foldable smartphone was set to open for preorders on December 26, but the device’s launch has now been delayed until after its originally planned January 9 release date, the brand confirmed to CNET Friday.
There is no word on when the Motorola Razr will release to market, but the-Lenovo back brand claims the reasoning for the delay is limited supply due to extreme demand.
“Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions,” Motorola said in a note to The Verge. “We are working to determine the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to Razr at launch.”
Perhaps Motorola’s play to Razr brand nostalgia has worked better than it expected. The device was announced on October 13 to the delight of many tech journalists and enthusiasts who have been fascinated by the smartphone’s old school clamshell design coupled with a foldable screen than makes the handset more compact. The device even features a Retro Razr mode Easter Egg that has the same design as the 2004 Razr keyboard and screen and also says “Hello Moto.”
With this delay, the Motorola Razr now follows all of the notable foldable smartphones of 2019. However, Motorola has shied away from any idea that there is something functionally or structurally wrong with the Razr foldable. Other foldables, including Samsung’s Galaxy Fold and Huawei’s Mate X were delayed for several months as the manufacturers reinforced the devices’ designs.
Whenever it does become available, the Motorola Razr will sell for $1,500 (or $62.49 per month for 24-months) as a Verizon Wireless exclusive. The device is also slated to release in Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. Hopefully, this delay won’t hinder Motorola from showcasing for hands-on demos at the CES 2020 in early January. Other foldables have made appearances at industry conferences in 2019 but were not available handling.
Despite a relatively high price tag, the Motorola Razr has some fairly mid-range specs, including a 6.2-inch pOLED display when flat, a 2.7-inch quick view display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chip, and a 2,500mAh battery, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, 16-megapixel front-lens serving as its main camera, and a 5-megapixel fold facing lens as its selfie camera
The Motorola Razr is still, however, cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which sells for $1980 and the Huawei Mate X, which sells for $2600.