Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: top folding phones go head to head

Foldable phones come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but it’s the clamshell-style handsets that attract the majority of people because when unfolded, they’re the size of a regular handset. Fold them down and you’re left with a half-sized smartphone that you can slip into your bag or pocket. 

Arguably the two of the biggest players in the game are Motorola and Samsung, who are currently battling it out to come up on top with their own take on the clamshell: Motorola with the Razr 2022 and Samsung with the Z Flip 4. They're two of the best folding phones you can buy. 

If you love the idea of owning a phone with a foldable screen, but you’re unsure as to which one to buy, you’ve come to the right place because here I’ll compare these two phones in terms of price, design, screen, camera, performance and battery. 

Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: price 

At launch, you’d be looking at spending about £950 in the UK on the Motorola Razr 2022 loaded with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 would set you back £1,059. There's currently no US release date for the Razr but you can buy the Z Flip 4 there right now starting from $1,059.

Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: design and screen 

First things first, the design. Samsung is getting closer and closer to nailing the design of the Z Flip series, it’s small and thin when unfolded with a bezel-less main screen, a solid matte block of colour on the body and a shiny alumnium hinge across the fold. It measures 84.9 x 71.9 x 15.9mm and weighs 187g which makes it pretty pocketable too.

What adds to its success is that you can buy it in a number of colours including Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold and Blue. If you don’t mind splashing out a little you can even buy it in a Bespoke Edition where you can customise the colour of the casing and the frame. 

Now do bear in mind that this is a matter of opinion, but I personally don’t think that the Motorola Razr 2022 looks anywhere near as good. It feels chunky with thick bezels albeit smaller than the last. Because it measures 79.79 x 86.45 x 16.99mm and weighs 200g, although still relatively pocket-friendly, it feels a little chunky in comparison to the Z Flip 4. You can only buy it in black, which does look sleek, but more in the way of colour options will always be better.

When folded up the Razr's front cover screen is surrounded by glossy glass, and there’s a matte plastic casing on the back. The simple fact is that it doesn’t look as high-end as the Flip, and it was really prone to picking up fingerprint marks as well. Something else I noticed on the Razr is that the main camera lenses protrude quite a lot from the phone so when you use it unfolded on a flat surface, you’ll have to put up with that annoying rocking. 

A major concern with foldable phones is durability, the Motorola Razr has sturdy Gorilla Glass 5 to protect it along with IP52 water and dust resistance rating, but the Samsung Z Flip 4 has stronger Gorilla Glass Victus+ alongside an IPX8 rating which means it’s fully waterproof as opposed to resistant, although it can’t claim to be dustproof. Another durability factor is the hinge, the Motorola Razr’s hinge feels strong but as you snap it into place feels a little loose and flimsy. I’d say that the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 hinge seems much more sturdy. 

In terms of the screen, both offer up a 6.7-inch FHD+ display inside, and both look sharp and detailed, although the Razr has a 144Hz refresh rate which makes it a lot smoother than the Z Flip’s maximum of 120Hz. But it’s the screen on the outside that sets the two phones apart. 

The Motorola Razr 2022 has a 2.7-inch cover screen giving you plenty of space to control your widgets or quickly read messages, whereas the Samsung Z Flip only has a 1.9-inch screen which for many won’t be big enough to actually use on a regular basis. 

Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: cameras 

When it comes to the camera system, the Motorola Razr has a 50MP main lens, a 13MP ultrawide lens and a 32MP selfie snapper, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 has a set of two 12MP lenses and a 10MP shooter incorporated into the main screen. When it comes to zoom capabilities, the Razr has an 8x digital zoom while the Z Flip 4 goes a step further with 10x. 

I’ve tested out both phone cameras and found that they're quite well-matched, both take good photos but both do have a few issues presenting finer details when you blow them up, although the Z Flip's look a little more energetic while the Razr undoubtedly wins when it comes to the in-display camera on the inside. 

If you’re looking for a top-notch shooter then you’re still better off looking at one of the best phones instead of a foldable one.

Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: performance and battery 

Both phones are powered by the same chipset, that being the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, and both pack 8GB of RAM with a choice of 128GB or 256GB of storage. What that means is that performance-wise, these aren’t too dissimilar although the Razr does actually run smoother overall. Neither will be an absolute top choice for gaming but they’ll both cope with just about any sort of task you could throw at them without heating up or lagging. 

To keep it up and running throughout the day, the Motorola Razr 2022 packs a 3,500mAh battery and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip has a 3,700mAh cell inside. In our tests, the Razr only lasted 11 hours of video playback in total whereas the Flip lasted 14 hours.

Motorola Razr 2022 vs Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4: verdict 

Which handset you go for will depend largely on your priorities. Both are at the top of the game, but both offer something a little different, and at slightly different prices. 

The Motorola Razr is a powerful folding phone with a large cover screen and a reliable camera but it's bulky and it doesn't look particularly aesthetically pleasing when it's unfolded. On the flip side, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a looker with a sleek matte casing and slender bezels surrounding the screen but the cover screen is a little too small to use all the time.