Motorola unveils its first phone-to-tablet foldable at CES 2026, and it looks promising

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Motorola unveiled its first foldable phone at CES 2026.
• The Razr Fold comes with a large 8.1-inch inner screen. 
• Specs, cost, and launch date remain unknown ahead of release.

During Lenovo’s Tech World showcase at CES 2026, Motorola took the stage to unveil its first foldable smartphone, the aptly named Razr Fold. You may be wondering, “Doesn’t Motorola already have that?” Well, not exactly. Until now, the modern Razr lineup has consisted entirely of clamshell-style devices. The Razr Fold introduces a larger hinge that runs down the center of the phone, allowing it to open like a book, similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Also: CES 2026 live blog: Latest news on TVs, AI, phones, more

On the outside, the Razr Fold features a 6.6-inch cover display for a more traditional form factor. Opening the device reveals a large 8.1-inch 2K LTPO inner display. To put that into perspective, this is a larger smartphone than Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which has a 6.4-inch outer screen and an 8-inch inner display.

Motorola has not shared the details on the smartphone’s screen resolution yet, so I don’t know if it’ll outperform the Pixel 10 Pro Fold on the visual front. In fact, the company is keeping many of the Razr Fold’s specifications under wraps. We don’t know what chipset it’ll run, battery size, or charging details. Motorola did mention that the inner display is a “spacious canvas for work, creativity, and play,” but didn’t go into further detail.

Also: Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold vs. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: We tried both, and here’s who wins

Where Motorola did go into detail was the camera system. The Razr Fold will feature a triple 50MP rear camera array, comprising a main lens, an ultrawide/macro lens, and a 3x periscope telephoto lens. The setup is designed to deliver sharp, highly detailed photographs. Above the outer display sits a 32MP selfie camera, and above the inner screen will be a 20MP lens for clean-looking video calls. At the center of this array is a Sony LYTIA sensor for rich images plus support for Dolby Vision.

Other notable features include support for the Moto Pen Ultra stylus as well as several AI-powered tools such as Catch Me Up and Next Move. Motorola hasn’t disclosed a release date yet, but the Razr Fold is expected to come out later this year.

Also: 6 mobile accessories I found most exciting at CES 2026

The price of this phone is a mystery to me. Motorola has positioned itself as a budget brand with models like the 2026 Moto G Play selling for less than $200. The company could charge less than $1,000 for the Razr Fold, which would give the model a huge edge over the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold7, especially since it’ll have the 2K inner screen and triple 50MP camera array.

Based on my experience with the last two years of Razr phones, I believe the new model will be more affordable than either Google’s or Samsung’s options. The Razr Fold may align more closely with the midrange 2025 Razr in terms of performance, rather than the flagship Razr Ultra, but without exact specifications, I can’t say with total confidence. It could easily swing the other way and be the new flagship.

In addition to the foldable, Motorola also announced a special FIFA World Cup 26 edition of the clamshell Razr, as seen above. It comes with unique “FIFA-personalization options,” including exclusive wallpapers, a custom ringtone using the tournament’s official theme, and a FIFA watermark added to photographs. A release date for the special edition device wasn’t provided, but with the World Cup kicking off on June 11, the phone could arrive in the months leading up to the event.