There aren't many phones out there that command the same level of nostalgia and nigh unassailable grip over pop culture as the clamshell Motorola Razr. The phone's market debut was no less glitzy. It made its global debut before fashion journalists at the Arken Museum of Modern in Copenhagen.
"When you think [of] Y2K and fashion, the Motorola Razr was an accessory, and I made it that way. I would literally have low-waist jeans and have it just clipped in there," socialite and actress Paris Hilton reminisced to Billboard in June 2024. The Razr appeared in the Academy Awards goodie bags.
Sports legends and fashion icons such as David Beckham and Maria Sharapova also inked business partnerships with the company. The demise was quick, sad, and paved the way for Android and iPhone dominance. So it came as a surprise when, in January 2019, The Wall Street Journal first reported that the Razr was en route to a revival.
Motorola confirmed its intentions a few weeks later, and after a brief delay, Motorola brought back the Razr as a foldable phone priced at $1,500. The market has once again become fiercely competitive with clamshell phones rocking a flexible panel, but so has Motorola. It seems the company is focused on leaving behind the Razr V3 demons.
What follows is the journey of how the Razr fell into ignominy and then made a strong comeback over a decade later. The Razr was a must-have style statement, and was so popular that — despite Motorola barely revising the hardware �.
