My favourite Razr Extremely (2025) characteristic is one I did not see coming

I’ve at all times thought clamshell foldable smartphones are cool (there’s simply one thing satisfying about snapping them shut), nevertheless it’s by no means felt like their design has a really helpful goal. Certain, it is nice that they fold up and grow to be smaller, making them simpler to slip right into a pocket in comparison with an ordinary smartphone. I’ve additionally loved leaving Motorola’s Razr Ultra (2025) open to look at YouTube movies whereas doing the dishes, and although I am not a selfie particular person, the front-facing digicam is able to snapping some actually cool, very handy images of myself.

Past that, the Razr Extremely (2025) options strong build-quality, a superb array of top-tier cameras, a foldable show crease I can barely see and really feel, and a sturdy titanium hinge, making it an simple blast to snap the telephone shut. This yr, Motorola’s flagship additionally comes geared up with Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, giving it loads of energy. I’ve even discovered its outer show to be helpful for shortly checking notifications (extra on this later) and taking part in one specific pre-installed sport (Marble Mayhem is incredible and feels prefer it was designed for the Razr).

Nonetheless, in contrast to book-style foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, clamshell foldables do not supply a much bigger, tablet-like display screen after they’re open. In actual fact, they will usually really feel downright awkward when unfolded, given their tall dimension and weighty higher half. With this in thoughts, over the previous few weeks I’ve spent with the Razr Extremely (2025), I’ve tried to discover a method to match the foldable’s distinctive design into my life.

In practically each approach, Motorola’s newest flagship clamshell is an absolute unit throughout the board, however my favourite characteristic has really stunned me.

Model

Motorola

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Show

7-inch foldable OLED (165Hz, 2992 x 1224 pixel decision), 4-inch exterior (165Hz, 1272 x 1080 pixel decision)

RAM

16GB

The Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) is a strong all-around clamshell foldable due to its sturdy design, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and expansive cowl show. 

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It is doubles as a flexible, very costly desktop clock

This retains me plugged into notifications, with out diving too deeply into the telephone

Together with being my main telephone, I have been utilizing the Razr Extremely (2025) as a desk-side clock and notification machine. You are able to do this by opening the Razr Extremely (2025) and inserting it in a triangle place or by opening it and pointing its inside display screen in direction of you (I desire the tent angle). The setting to show this characteristic on is below Settings > Exterior Show and both Sleep Show or Desk Show. It could sound a bit foolish, however I’ve grown to essentially respect this characteristic over the previous few weeks.

After I’m at my desk, the surprisingly expansive 3.6-inch 90Hz display screen is in its blacked-out, always-on mode the place it shows the present time and an array of notification symbols throughout the underside (how the time seems might be custom-made in enjoyable methods, too). After I wish to use the quilt display screen to test a notification, I simply faucet the show to gentle it up with the brilliant inexperienced background I set, and I am robotically logged in due to the magic facial recognition.

At one level, I assumed possibly the quilt display screen could be good for trying out the climate, however so far as I can inform, I am unable to get it to alter to Celsius from Fahrenheit. 

I can then faucet on notifications and shortly scroll by means of them. If I see one which I want to reply to, I press on it and open the telephone. This enables me to simply hold tabs on my rising mountain of notifications with out getting distracted by the siren name of scrolling Instagram or TikTok as a result of I am not really opening the Razr Extremely (2025) and utilizing its inner display screen.

I’ve additionally began checking my every day schedule with the surprisingly helpful Google Calendar Panel that is accessible by swiping proper after unlocking the telephone. This has given me a targeted method to hold tabs on what conferences I’ve developing all through the day.

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I am wanting ahead to determining if different cowl display screen Panels and apps work for me

I have not discovered any extra but, although

Shortly glancing on the Razr Extremely (2025)’s show has grow to be my go-to method to keep on prime of notifications.

The expertise is not excellent, although. Generally facial recognition does not work, and I am compelled to place in my PIN, which might get irritating, particularly should you’re making an attempt simply shortly to test a notification. I’ve additionally discovered that opening apps on the quilt display screen that are not official panels generally is a cumbersome, irritating course of that does not really feel value it.

For instance, Gmail and Google Maps really feel cramped, and I shortly discovered myself opening the Razr Extremely (2025) to make use of the apps on the inside show.

It is like a really costly sandwich.

Nonetheless, it has been enjoyable to mess around with the foldable smartphone’s cowl display screen, and I am wanting ahead to uncovering extra methods to make it work for me.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by Motorola.

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