Slashdot Mirror
Motorola's RAZR Is Returning As a $1,500 Folding Smartphone (theverge.com)
A new report from The Wall Street Journal says the Motorola RAZR might be making a comeback as a $1,500 foldable screen smartphone, and it could launch as early as February. The Verge reports: The original RAZR was one of the most iconic cellphones ever made, and it seems that Motorola's parent company Lenovo is looking to cash in on that branding with an updated foldable phone (similar to the one that Samsung has teased for later this year). Per the WSJ, the new RAZR will be exclusive to Verizon in the U.S. with a planned February launch, although the device is still in testing and details have yet to be finalized.
Also unknown is nearly any concrete information about the phone. There's no word yet on things like screen size, specifications, or even form factor. Will the revived RAZR just borrow the name but use a more traditional landscape folding display? Will Lenovo follow the original RAZR design and have some sort of super long vertically folding screen? According to the WSJ report, Lenovo is hoping to manufacture over 200,000 of the new RAZRs, which may seem optimistic for a $1,500 luxury smartphone. But considering that the (admittedly much cheaper) RAZR V3 model sold 130 million units over its lifespan, if lightning does manage to strike twice, that goal might not be so hard to hit.
Also unknown is nearly any concrete information about the phone. There's no word yet on things like screen size, specifications, or even form factor. Will the revived RAZR just borrow the name but use a more traditional landscape folding display? Will Lenovo follow the original RAZR design and have some sort of super long vertically folding screen? According to the WSJ report, Lenovo is hoping to manufacture over 200,000 of the new RAZRs, which may seem optimistic for a $1,500 luxury smartphone. But considering that the (admittedly much cheaper) RAZR V3 model sold 130 million units over its lifespan, if lightning does manage to strike twice, that goal might not be so hard to hit.
That is more than my monthly total mortgage payment.
that's way too shiny a toy for most people.
Since no information is available we'll have to wait to see if it has a removable battery, sd slot, or headphone jack...
... two days ago: https://mobile.slashdot.org/st...
I make it a policy to never judge before seeing a device.
Fair enough...
And $1500? It better be an AMAZING device to justify that price point.
I can't think of any single (realistic) feature that will make a phone be worth that price. I can't think of any combination of realistic features that will make a phone be worth that price.
This phone better be something out of Science Fiction.
"That's the way to do it" - Punch
It worked. It is being talked about here and many other forums/news sites. Marketing-wise it is already a success.
It only worked if the name results in actual sales because of the name. Just generating buzz is not successful marketing. Personally I think they are hugely overestimating the appeal of the RAZR brand in today's market. Furthermore you aren't asking whether we are talking about it because of the RAZR brand or because of the fact that it's foldable or because of the price or something else.
Brand confusion is a real thing too. Think about how Microsoft has had problems when they've used the Windows brand on devices that aren't what we expect. Windows RT is a prime example.