Before the iPhone in 2007, there was the Motorala Razr.
The RAZR was a thing of beauty.
It was a thin, sleekly designed, fashionable clam shell phone with an aluminum body.
While the RAZR can’t compete with the features in today’s phones, it was considered a revolutionary tech gadget in its heyday. You can make calls (primary use), text message (yes, text emoji only), and even take pictures with the built-in camera.
The RAZR, especially the V3 model, was so popular that Motorola sold more than 130 million units. In fact, the RAZR is one of the most successful flip phones ever sold, even to this day.
Switching to the RAZR
I remembered switching to a T-Mobile family plan and we each got a variation of the RAZR phone: A black one. A gray one. A hot pink one. A V3 model. And even one with a dragon tattoo. I loved how I could easily slip the compact phone into my jeans back pockets.
Then, the iPhone came out in 2007. And just like that, the iPhone stole the spotlight (deservedly so), altered the mobile phone landscape, and the rest is history.
RAZR Reboot Coming Soon
Recently, reports came out that Motorola RAZR is coming back as a fold-able smartphone. The phones might go on sale as early as next month (February 2019), but exact timeline had not been released. Very few details have been revealed on the phone’s feature set.
As much as I feel a little nostalgic for the RAZR, there are two strikes against the reboot:
- The $1,500 price tag: Unless there are killer features on the phone (or its feature set is superior to the $999 Samsung Note 9), I don’t believe that any phone is worth a $1,500 price tag.
- Exclusivity to Verizon: The new Motorola RAZR is sold exclusively by Verizon. In an increasingly competitive smartphone market, I don’t see how the phone’s exclusivity to Verizon would help its sales. Although I am no longer bound by a contract to any carrier, I have no plans to switch to Verizon.
Given its sky high starting price point and its exclusivity to Verizon, I certainly don’t expect sales to be as successful as the original RAZR.
And while I don’t intend to get the new phone, I am still intrigued. I can’t wait to see what feature set will come out of the reboot of an iconic phone.
Do you remember the RAZR phone? Did you have one? What did you do with your RAZR when you upgraded?
I think it will be an interesting failure. There are an awful lot of headwinds.