Motorola Razr, the smartphone avatar of the sexy 2000s flip phone, coming on March 16

Chennai: The flipping awesome Moto Razr, the it-phone of the 2000s, has transformed into a smart avatar while keeping its USP intact, and will soon be available online or at a store near you. The India launch of Motorola Razr 2019 foldable phone, which went on sale on February 6 in the United States, is slated for March 16.

The Razr, a design based on the 2004 model that captured a huge fan base in the pre-iPhone days, will be competing with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip launched last month for a price of Rs 1,09,999. At those kind of prices, the Razr and Flip are likely to appeal most to busy corporate hotshots who like to keep things simple while still making a statement.Equipped with only a 16MP camera at a time when quad cameras are all the rage, the Instagram-obsessed crowd is hardly the target consumer.

The Razr, like its predecessor, will likely score mainly for its style and for being as handy as it is. When closed, the Razr has a 2.7-inch, 4:3 aspect ratio quick-view screen displaying all your notifications, which is also equipped with a fingerprint reader. You can respond to notifications, activate Google Assistant and do a lot without even flipping the phone open. That’s a huge plus for convenience. However, it’s not easy to open one-handed like the old Moto Razr.

Open, the Razr has a 6.2-inch screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio and is fitted with a 6G RAM and 128 GB storage, comparable to any premium smartphone. But it functions on a slightly older and slower Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor running Android 9 whereas Snapdragon 855 and above with Android 10 are the standard these days.

Reviews of the US phones also give it plus points for the sturdy build, especially of the hinge, and the seamless display OLED display without much of a discernible crease.

A nice nostalgic feature is that when you make calls, you can get the retro keypad display of the 2004 Moto Razr on the lower half of the screen, while the upper part is reminiscent of the rudimentary number display of the 2004 phone.

Keeping to the Razr’s slim design also means the battery only has a capacity of 2510 mAh, but it comes with a 15W fast charger.

Overall, it may not have the best functionality such as a phone with uber cameras and gaming smarts but many buyers would go for it just for the convenience of not having to carry around a ‘brick’ in their pockets.