News

motorola quietly unflips the razr 50 and razr 50 Ultra in China

Or simply the motorola razr+ (2024) and razr (2024) globally

Published

June 26, 2024

Vincenz

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The king of clamshell phones is back!

motorola has just silently announced the newest razr 50 and razr 50 Ultra in China — the brand’s 5th Generation clamshell foldable ever since its introduction (or re-birth) five years ago.

razr sharp

Unlike its predecessor, the new razr 50 Ultra features a fully-maximized 4-inch 165Hz cover screen with a 95% StB (Screen-to-Body) ratio — directly punching the just-unveiled HONOR Magic V Flip and its 120Hz display of the same size in the core.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Meanwhile, the vanilla razr 50 shares the same 3.6-inch 90Hz external display as the razr 40 Ultra (or razr+ in the US) from last year.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

On paper, HONOR’s Magic V Flip still is the slimmest at 14.89mm. That’s in contrast to razr 50 Ultra’s slightly thicker 15.3mm width and razr 50’s 15.9mm.

However, the base razr 50 is the lightest of the bunch at just 188.4 grams. The razr 50 Ultra weighs around 189 grams while the Magic V Flip is the heaviest at 193 grams.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Reason for being this light? Well, the middle frame is made from what motorola calls “Air Nano Skin 6000 series” based from aluminum widely used in the aviation industry.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

And with the improved Star Track Shaft technology found on the latest hinge mechanism of the razr duo, it promises a flip cycle of more than 600,000 folds! A massive improvement over the 200,000 cycle during the early years of foldable razr.

Moreover, both phones feature IPX8 rating — not tested for dust-resistance but can be continuously immersed underwater below 1 meter. That is something HONOR doesn’t provide in its latest Flip.

Fast as an F1 razr

The differences don’t end there!

For the most obvious reasons, the razr 50 Ultra packs a speedy 4nm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset compared to the razr 50’s recently-announced MediaTek Dimensity 7300X — also based on a 4nm process.

Internal memory on the razr 50 Ultra is limited to 12GB but with a speedy LPDDR5X standard. Meanwhile, the base variant either ships with 8GB or 12GB but in an older LPDDR4 standard.

While having the same set of storage options (256 or 512GB), the razr 50 Ultra features UFS 4.x protocol over razr 50’s slower UFS 2.x.

Moreover, the razr 50 Ultra has a smaller 4000mAh battery but with faster 45W charging speeds. On the other hand, the base razr 50 ships with the the larger 4200mAh battery yet has the slower 30W fast charging standard. Both of these razr flip phones support 15W wireless charging.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

These “Xinghai” batteries use Lenovo’s self-developed Silicon-Carbon technology — pretty much like the same battery tech that HONOR has equipped in their latest flip.

HONOR Magic V Flip (2024)

And while on the topic, the Magic V Flip packs an older Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor yet has a bigger 16GB+1TB configuration option.

Ultimately, it still has the largest battery of any clamshell flip at 4800mAh — also with the fastest charging speeds at 66W, but without wireless charging support.

Crazy over razr

Apart from their very confusing hardware gaps, both vertical foldables share quite some similarities.

For one, both of them pack a 6.9-inch Full HD+ pOLED LTPO folding display with varying adaptive refresh rates — 1~165Hz for the Ultra while 10~120Hz on the non-Ultra.

They also have one of the best foldable displays in the biz: HDR10+ support, DCI-P3 wide color gamut, as well as DC Dimming and SGS Eye Protection Dual Certification. The razr 50 Ultra even supports Dolby Vision.

There are also dual stereo speakers and Dolby Atmos for an ultimate audiovisual experience. Snapdragon Sound feature is found on both razrs as well — despite the razr 50 rocking a MediaTek chipset.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Camera-wise, motorola upgrades the razr 50 Ultra’s rear camera system to a dual 50-megapixel module with an f/1.7 aperture on its main lens. Also, they’ve ditched the ultra-wide lens this time in favor of a 2x telephoto shooter with an f/2.0 lens opening.

Meanwhile, the razr 50 borrows the same 50-megapixel main camera from its Ultra sibling. Albeit, it keeps the 13-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide unit from the razr 40 Ultra last year but with a narrower 120-degree FoV (Field of View) in comparison to last year’s 108 degrees.

Internal cameras stay indifferent on both this year and last year: 32-megapixel f/2.4 to be very precise.

motorola doesn’t want to miss out on AI features as well in the latest Android 14-based moto MyUI 7.0 installed in these new flippables.

Pricing and Availability

The motorola razr 50 is available in these color choices: Moon Velvet Black, Elephant Gray, and Love Orange (12GB exclusive).

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

On the other hand, the razr 50 Ultra has three Pantone colorways: Modern Green, Vintage Denim, and the Limited Edition Soft Peach.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

These two devices have two different configurations. Pricing are as follows:

razr 50

8GB+256GB = CNY 3699 (US$ 510 / EUR 475 / GBP 402 / SG$ 690 / PhP 29,950 / INR 42,543)
12+512GB = CNY 3999 (US$ 550 / EUR 513 / GBP 435 / SG$ 745 / PhP 32,379 / INR 45,953)

razr 50 Ultra

12+256GB = CNY 5699 (US$ 785 / EUR 732 / GBP 620 / SG$ 1062 / PhP 46,143 / INR 65,545)
12+512GB = CNY 6199 (US$ 854 / EUR 796 / GBP 674 / SG$ 1155 / PhP 50,191 / INR 71,295)

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

Whenever you purchase either the razr 50 or the razr 50 Ultra, you automatically get a corresponding bundled case depending on the color chosen.

Pre-ordering the exclusive motorola razr 50 Love Orange 12+512GB and paying CNY 4377 (US$ 603 / EUR 562 / GBP 476 / SG$ 816 / PhP 35,439 / INR 50,340) upfront gets you a moto Buds earbuds and a special orange phone case as well. That’s worth CNY 260 in savings.

Global Release

Right after the China announcement, motorola has also announced its international release.

To make it a lot more confusing, the razr 50 Ultra will simply be called “motorola razr+ (2024)”. On the flip side, the razr 50 is just “motorola razr (2024)”.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The razr+ (2024) has an additional Hot Pink color aside from the Midnight Blue, Spring Green, and Peach Fuzz options (renamed from Vintage Denim, Modern Green, and Soft Peach).

On the other hand, the motorola razr (2024) has these renamed colorways — Koala Gray, Beach Sand, and Spritz Orange.

Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

The duo is priced at US$ 700 and US$ 999 respectively — a lot more expensive than the converted Chinese pricing. US buyers also need to wait as pre-orders will start on July 10 and phones will go on sale as late as July 24, 2024.

Europe and Canada can also pre-order the razr+ (2024) 12+512GB variant for EUR 1200 / CA$ 1300.

The base, non-plus model will also come to more markets including Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East. Pricing is yet to be announced.

Gaming

New Civilization VII update will address everyone’s biggest issue

Soon, everyone can play as a single Civ.

Published

February 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Despite being enjoyable in its current state, Sid Meier’s Civilization VII is a work in progress. Firaxis Games is still working on improvements, especially as suggested by the franchise’s fans. Now, approaching the new game’s first anniversary, Civilization VII is getting a massive patch, called the Test of Time update, later this spring.

Playing as a single Civ

Test of Time will address the biggest problem that players had with the base game: the inability to play as a single Civ. Currently, players are forced to evolve into Age-appropriate Civs at the end of the previous Age. The system leads to odd histories, such as Maurya somehow evolving into modern-day America.

Starting with the update, players can now take a single Civ across the test of time. And it’s not a shoehorned feature, too. Civs will now have an Apex Age, meaning the Age they were historically associated with. Playing Civs outside of their Apex Age will introduce a new kit that corresponds to the other Ages.

Plus, this also introduces a new system called Syncretism. Playing a Civ outside of their Age allows players to choose a unique military unit or infrastructure from other Civs to help bolster their strategy.

The new system works in reverse too. Players can start a game in the Modern Age using an Antiquity Age Civ. Finally, if players decide to use this system, the AI will follow suit, ensuring an equal playing field.

Reworked victory conditions

Besides the playability of Civs, Civilization VII will rework Victories. Instead of a clear path to victory via Legacy Paths (which players have complained as being too rigid), the new Triumph system will introduce new optional objectives to prod players further down the line of victory.

Plus, getting extraordinary progress in one victory condition can help players earn victory even before the Modern Age. Victory can be earned as early as the Exploration Age, but Firaxis has not explained how this can happen.

Firaxis says that the new system should help the game feel more dynamic and exciting after the Antiquity Age.

Now, to celebrate the actual anniversary, players will get access to a new leader, Gilgamesh, a fan favorite from the previous game. He will be free for all players with update 1.3.2.

Gaming

CM Punk graces cover of WWE 2K26

The game will feature over 400 playable characters, the largest to date.

Published

February 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Compared to the gigantic NBA 2K, WWE 2K is a relatively small series. Well, with thirty teams and a healthy roster of hall of famers, that’s no surprise. This year, however, WWE 2K26 wants to catch up, featuring the biggest roster that the franchise has ever had and a plethora of new features.

WWE 2K26 will feature over 400 playable characters, which includes current Superstars from RAW, SmackDown, and NXT. As always, Legends and Hall of Famers will be playable wrestlers.

This year, however, the roster of classics are much healthier. Specifically, there are three different editions dedicated to past wrestlers. The first, called The King of Kings Edition, centers the spotlight on Hall of Famer and Chief Content Officer, Triple H (or Paul Levesque). The Attitude Era Edition features Superstars from that era, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and The Rock. Finally, the Monday Night Wars Edition includes Superstars from WCW such as the nWo’s Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall.

Meanwhile, the Standard Edition features a Superstar that’s been no less decorated over the years. CM Punk, who will also grace the cover, will have his entire career featured in the annual 2K Showcase.

For gameplay, WWE 2K26 has four new match types: I Quit, Inferno, Three Stages of Hell, and Dumpster. Intergender matches are also available now. The environment is now more interactable with more usable weapons. Plus, the Stamina and Reversal systems have been reworked.

The Standard Edition (US$ 69.99) launches on March 13 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

The King of Kings Edition (US$ 99.99), the Attitude Era Edition (US$ 129.99), and the Monday Night War Edition (US$ 149.99) will all launch a week prior, on March 6.

Entertainment

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 premieres in April

The animated series is set between seasons two and three.

Published

February 3, 2026

Luigi Leonardo

Stranger Things is over. After years of success, the long-running series finally reached its definitive conclusion. But if you thought Netflix would easily let its biggest cash cow go, then you’d be mistaken. Barely a month after the final episode, the franchise is back with an animated spinoff called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.

The animated series, which oddly features a new cast to voice the characters, is not a continuation of the concluded story. Rather, it’s a midquel set during the winter between the second and third seasons. Despite closing off a gate to the Upside Down, Eleven and the gang discover that some monsters are still lurking around in their world.

Because we already know what happens up until the very end, there’s hardly any tension. That said, and based on the show’s subtitle, the animated series might be a creature-of-the-week adventure. However, Eric Robles, who will run the series, says that saving Hawkins is still a major plot point.

The Duffer Brothers, who will be executive producers, says that it was a challenge to feature monsters after the events of the main show’s second season. The show will still have a substantial story, though.

For now, we’ll have a bit of a reprieve from everything Stranger Things (or time to catch up with everything, if you prefer). Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will premiere on April 23.