After being buried in a digital grave since 2008, Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to revive the world's most popular flip phone with a $1500 version that includes a folding screen.
After being buried in a digital grave since 2008, Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to revive the world's most popular flip phone with a $1500 version that includes a folding screen.
Our favourite flip phone the Motorola Razr is making a comeback.
After being kicked to the curb in 2008 because of the evolving digital world of smartphones, Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to bring back the world's most popular flip phone with a $1500 version that includes a folding screen, accordingto the Wall Street Journal.
Levono has been said to be working with Verizone to launch the device, which is set to go on sale initially in the US only, in February.
The original Motorola Razr V3 went from selling 50 million units in 2006 to 130 million units over its lifespan, making it one of the most popular phones ever.
Last year, Motorola Mobility was granted a patent for a device that is able to have a foldable screen - which folds in half with a hinge in the middle, the WSJ reports.
Besides a folding screen, there are not many known details about what the device will look like - including screen size, form factor or what operating system it will use.
Selling with a $1500 price tag, it would cost twice as much as the original $600 Razr.
It is likely the device will be a limited edition to begin with, as only 200,000 units of the reboot Razr are expected to be manufactured.
The phone is still being tested and the timing of the release may change, the WSJ reports.
This isn't the first time Motorola has resurrected the Razr name.
In 2011, the company partnered with Verizon to launch the Droid Razr - but instead of being a flip phone they made it into a the "world's thinnest smartphone", at 7.1mm thick with a 4.3-inch display.
However, the new Razr design didn't take off and generated only lacklustre sales.
This isn't the first time Motorola has attempted to resurrect the Razr name. Photo / Getty Images
Motorola was never able to reproduce the popularity of the original Razr V3, which became a high-end symbol, becoming just as popular as BlackBerry phones
It went from selling 50 million units in 2006 to 130 million units over its lifespan, making it one of the most popular phones ever.
But Razr sales dropped when Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007, which featured a touchscreen and sleek design.
Motorola eventually sold its mobile business to Google in 2011 and, later, Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility from Google in 2014.
By bringing back the Razr this year, Lenovo is aiming to tap into an increasing number of consumers who are content to hold onto their older phones for longer, the WSJ comments.
