Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Motorola RAZR 5G: Which folding flip phone fares finer

There are two kinds of folding smartphones — a smartphone-sized device that opens up into a tablet-sized device, and a smartphone-sized device that folds down into something more compact. If you’re looking for the latter, you have pretty much two choices, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Motorola RAZR 5G.

While the form factor is essentially the same, they’re very different devices.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 vs Motorola RAZR 5G

	Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3	Motorola RAZR 5G
CPU	5nm 64-bit Octa-Core Processor (2.84GHz + 2.4GHz + 1.8GHz)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, Adreno 620 GPU
Body	Folded: 72.2×86.4×17.1mm Unfolded: 72.2x166x6.9mm Weight: 183g	Folded: 72.6×91.7x16mm Unfolded: 72.6×169.2×7.9mm Weight: 192g
Display	Main screen: 6.7-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display (22:9) Infinity Flex Display 2,640×1,080, 425ppi, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate Cover screen: 1.9-inch Super AMOLED Display 260×512, 302ppi	Main screen: 6.2-inch 2,142×876 foldable plastic OLED, 21:9, 373ppi Cover screen: 2.7-inch 800×600 glass OLED touchscreen, 4:3
Camera	12MP f/1.8 wide (OIS, Dual Pixel AF) + 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide Front: 10MP f/2.4	48MP Quad Pixel for 12MP output, f/1.7 (OIS, Laser AF) Front: 20MP Quad Pixel, f/2.2
Memory	8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage	8GB RAM, 256GB storage
Battery	3,300mAh dual battery	2,800mAh
Network	LTE: Enhanced 4X4 MIMO, 7CA, LAA, LTE Cat. 20 5G: Non-Standalone (NSA), Standalone (SA), Sub6 / mmWave	5G: NR Sub-6GHz 4G: LTE (DL Cat 18)
Water Resistance	IPX8	Water repellant
Sensors	Capacitive fingerprint sensor (side), Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro sensor, Geomagnetic sensor, Hall sensor (analog), Proximity sensor, Light sensor	Accelerometer, Magnetometer (compass), Gyro, Barometer, Ultrasonic, Proximity, Ambient Light, SAR
OS	Android 11	Android 10
Colors	Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White, Pink	Polished Graphite
Material	Armor Aluminum	7000 series aluminum, stainless steel hinge
Price	Starts at $999.99	$999.99

Design and display: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is FHD, but the Motorola RAZR isn’t

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3’s main display is better in every way. It’s bigger, taller, has a higher resolution, and a higher pixel density. At 2,640 x 1,080, it’s way better than Motorola’s 2,142 x 876 screen, which doesn’t even qualify as Full HD.

Honestly though, that’s not even really important. Here’s why. The Motorola RAZR is designed with nostalgia in mind. It’s a remake of the 2004 hit flip phone, but as a smartphone with a foldable screen. The Galaxy Z Flip is what you get if you want a similar form factor but in a device that’s actually premium.

The RAZR 5G does have a bunch of improvements over the original model. It made a more durable display, moved the fingerprint sensor to the back, and refined the chin.

While the Motorola RAZR 5G comes in colors like Polished Graphite, Liquid Mercury, and Blush Gold, Samsung is offering a greater variety. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 comes in Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White, and Pink.

That’s not all though, because the screens on the outside are different. Samsung has increased the outside screen to 1.9 inches, an improvement on the 1.1 inch screen that was on the previous model. Motorola packs a 2.7 inch 600 x 800 screen on the outside, which allows you to do more with it.

Camera, performance, and battery life: The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 beats the Motorola RAZR 5G

There’s a recurring theme here, which is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 keeps beating the Motorola RAZR 5G. The one area where that might be different is the RAZR uses a 48MP f/1.7 main sensor with quad pixel binning for better low-light performance. The Galaxy Z Flip has a 12MP f/1.8 sensor, so while both are producing 12MP images, there’s no pixel binning happening with Samsung’s flip phone.

On the other hand, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a secondary lens for ultra-wide shots. The RAZR 5G only has one rear camera. In fact, it’s probably the most expensive single-lens camera on the market.

The Motorola RAZR 5G is decidedly mid-range, while the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is premium. That goes beyond the camera. Motorola is using a Snapdragon 765G processor, while Samsung is using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, so you get serious performance gains there.

Samsung is using a bigger battery at 3,300mAh, while Motorola is at 2,800mAh. The only thing these phones really have in common is they’re flip phone-style foldable smartphones.

Conclusion: Which one should you buy?

There are some real benefits to this form factor. It allows the phone to fit into a smaller footprint, which means it takes up less space. If you have smaller pockets or smaller bags that you put your phone in, you’re in great shape with one of these devices.

But if you’re deciding between the Motorola RAZR 5G and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G, the answer is most decidedly Samsung’s solution. The RAZR 5G is still very much a nostalgia phone, at least when compared with its main competitor.

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 has a Snapdragon 888, dual rear cameras, a 1.9 inch external display, a 6.7-inch internal display, and more. As far as folding flip phones fare, it’s the best you can do.