I want to take Motorola Razr over Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe every day

If there’s one thing I like, it’s a flip phone. If there are two things I like, they are flip phones and good values. For a long time, only one device checked both boxes, and it was Motorola’s base level Razr. Now, however, there is a new competitor in the city: Samsungs Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe. In a moment it looks like everything as a Samsung fan on a slightly tighter budget may want, but I can’t see that it pulls me away from Razr that I already like so much.

Here’s why in a battle for Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe VS Motorola Razr (2025), I choose Razr every time.

I have never wasted the fact that Samsung’s Flex Window experience is not my favorite. Sure, the collection of widgets is excellent – they are probably the most reliable way to check the weather, adjust my Spotify playlist and follow my hectic calendar – but I just watch widgets like half the match. As soon as I need to go deeper on the cover screen, the Galaxy Z flip tends to give up while Razr continues to push forward.

I mean, until Samsung gives up Good lock And gives me a uniform app drawer experience on the Flex window, I would always recommend Razr’s simple layout. Essentially, Motorola’s approach to opening apps on its 3.6-inch cover screen is to let you choose all apps and hope for the best. Usually it works pretty well. I have had no trouble swipe through Instagram, shop Kudos on Strava or post a quick order at Grubhub. Maybe I need to adjust the window above or under the camera cutting now and then, but I haven’t found an app that won’t play ball.

On the other hand, the Samsung apps limit optimized for 3.4-inch Flex window to little more than YouTube, Google Maps and Google messages. At least I haven’t found anyone else who works in the standard app drawer, because I’m too quick to install good locks and set up a secondary drawer for everything I actually use. Given, I appreciate that I don’t have to change the window every time a button gets lost behind the cameras, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to offset the weird folder-like shape. Samsung’s unlisted update speed also hangs behind Razr’s 120Hz cover screen, no doubt about it.

On top of looking for the best cover screen experience I can get, I have always subscribed to the idea that a flip phone should look as fun as it feels. If I pull a small, clondy bar -shaped phone out of my pocket, I want people to notice. I want something fun and different that will get at least one or two people to turn their heads and ask a question, especially if they had an original Razr back during the day, just because it lets me talk about my favorite type of Android phone.

As you might imagine, I think Razr (2025) Checking that box much better than the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe. Between the fun, panton-fastened colors and funky structures and materials, it is far more fun to pull razr out of your pocket and turn it in hand. I wasn’t sure that nylon -inspired Gibraltar Sea Version that I got for review would have enough grip on the back panel, but I was glad to be proven errors, and I continue to show it on my desk right next to the last generations Motorola Flip phones. And if nylon is not your speed, Motorola has a pair of leather -inspired options in Parfait Rosa and the spring bud or an acetate panel lightest sky that can work instead.

Samsung’s flip phone at middle level, on the other hand, draws directly from the previous Galaxy Z Flip 6But it skips the one thing that made the design fun: the colors. Samsung wore almost every last millimeter of Galaxy Z Flip 5 into the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and trusted new colors to spice up the general style. Now the first folding fan edition is doing the same. It looks and feels identical, from the folder-shaped Flex window to the flat-sided frame to the 6.7-inch internal Amoled panel.

The only problem is that the colors Samsung expect may not be more bland – you can get the Galaxy Z flip 7 fairy in black, or you can get it in white. Even Henry Ford would probably get bored with these color options before a long time. Perhaps the most disappointing part of the limited color options for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is that it feels so different Samsung. I’m used to getting my choice of funny shades from the Fan Edition series, with Galaxy S24 Fe Comes in options like Blue and Mint to break me out of the simple grayscale.

On the bright side, however, Samsung’s use of armor aluminum and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 is just a little tougher than Razr’s original panel Gorilla glass food. Both budget-set flip phones pack IP48 rankings, which are very good against water, but you will be careful about trips to the beach.

If there is an advantage I cannot leave to Razr (2025), there is software support. Despite spending time owning Google and running the much lighter, smoother Android skin, Motorola’s commitment to keep the software updated far after what Samsung has to offer. There are only three years of Android -Updates And four years of security updates are only about half of what Samsung has to offer, and will leave Razr see from the sidelines when Android 18 rolls around. The Galaxy S24 FE, on the other hand, will have seven years of Android and security support, and comfortably enter it comfortably in the 2030s.

My problems with Samsung’s Flex window probably tell you what Android -Hud I prefer generally. Although I have to upgrade Razr (2025) a few years before my Galaxy Z lab, I would much rather have the light, pixel-esque Hello UX in my pocket, jump through the simple, organized app drawer and prevent me from getting lost in the menus. Everything about exploring and adapting a razr makes navigating the Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe feels like a cumbersome mess of menus – and that’s before installing good lock.

Motorola’s clean, color coordinated themes and addiction to standard Google apps make their overall software experience much cleaner and easier to recommend. Sure, it’s usually a bit of bloatware, but it’s easier to clean one or two apps like Facebook and Netflix than deciding between Samsung’s Internet Browser, Internal Galleri app and Microsoft-based accessories such as OneDrive and Outlook.

Of course, if you are willing to explore customization, you may find that Samsung’s good locking modules are worth every penny. Smart twists that Diy home Let yourself make the home screen about any level of organized network or absolute chaos that you wish, while several star -based modules (such as Multistar, Register, Quickstar and Navistar) give you control of everything from your navigation buttons to the finer parts of the settings menu. I prefer to keep my Android experience as clean as possible, so I just download Multistar because I need it for better control over the flex window, but you may find that Samsung’s accessories are straight up in the alley.

I get the idea of ​​Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe on paper – it’s almost the same as the motivation behind Motorola’s base razr. In practice, however, I think it misses what makes Razr (2025) so good. Where Motorola’s flip phone at the entrance level feels like a distinct launch, offering its own design, its own cameras and a meaningfully cheaper price, Galaxy Z FLIP 7 Fe feels like a Rebadged Galaxy Z Flip 6, but without so much power and nowhere near as much discount on the price Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Base Razr starts at just $ 699, making it a pretty reasonable effort for anyone who wants to upgrade to a flagship phone. It is cheaper than the Galaxy S25, Pixel 9 or even iPhone 16, which will convince at least a few potential buyers to try something new. It is a full $ 300 cheaper than the Razr Plus at the middle level and around $ 500 cheaper than top-end Razr Ultra, but has enough of an identity to stand out from one of them.

Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, on the other hand, starts at $ 899 – one of the toughest price points in the flagship. It is more expensive than most basic options, but still slightly cheaper than animals such as Pixel 9 Pro and the Galaxy S25 Plus, making it a way to save some money. However, by retaining $ 100, you downgrade your charging speed, ditched a third back camera, and risk a lower IP assessmentAnd limit yourself to simple color options such as black and white. Maybe not any of it is an appointment for you, but it changes how I see Samsung’s new offer.

Where Razr (2025) is a fun, colorful flip phone that can be a great way to get your foot in the door, Galaxy Z Flip 7 Fe is an almost flagship with incorrectly set. It is trapped between two worlds, and I would much rather choose the Flip phone that knows where it stands.