Moto Razr 2022 bests Galaxy Z Flip 4 in many ways – except you can't buy one

Hot on the heels of Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 4 reveal at its Unpacked summer event, Motorola has come back all guns blazing to reveal its third-gen Razr flip-phone, the aptly titled Moto Razr 2022.

The Moto Razr 3, as I can't help but call it, features a new main display, measuring 6.7-inches, while one-upping its Samsung Z Flip competitor when it comes to the front display, by featuring a 2.7-inch panel. 

The specification gets better and better, thanks to a 144Hz refresh rate main display ensuring super smooth visuals on that OLED panel, while the larger 'chin' of the previous Razr model has been banished in this new design. 

Excited yet? I know I am. Because this might well be the best flip phone to date. Except you can take that excitement and bottle it for another time. Because you cannot buy the Moto Razr 3. It's only going to be released in China. Sad faces all round.

Why can't I buy the Moto Razr 3?

Now, I know what you're thinking: "oh, it's okay, the 2022 Razr will arrive in other territories later in the year". But you'd be wrong. This is not a temporary release schedule.

As I was told by Motorola when visiting the company's headquarters earlier this year: the new Razr has been designed specifically for the China market. There is no intention to release it elsewhere. And that was the rub of it, as Motorola didn't want to say anything more than that.

Which is a shame, as I think there's a wider market for this flip phone. Sure, it's still niche. It would probably convert to be expensive in other territories too. And with Samsung's Z Flip 4 retailing for £999, perhaps that's now just too much to contend with in the current market. 

It seems Motorola will know best based on its sales and successes with the Razr phone. Ever since attending the launch event in November 2019 I've had a soft spot for this foldable. It wrapped nostalgia and futuristic tech together into one in a way that no other brand has. But if that's now just the reserve of the China market then, well, I guess the Razr bubble has burst (but it'll live on in my heart).