Motorola's wide-format teaser has the potential to be the best foldable ever

There are a few things I find more awkward than multi-billion-dollar companies slinging juvenile insults at each other on Twitter. Nobody finds it funny, and it makes the instigator look pathetic.

Yes, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 is a brilliant phone. Yes, it's a serious competitor to the long-awaited iPhone Duo. No, Apple isn't "reheating [Samsung's] leftovers." But amidst the onslaught of childish tweets, Motorola stood out with the real foldable news of the day.

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By  Chethan Rao

Motorola misunderstood the assignment with the Razr Fold

Dated on launch day

After years of perfecting its flip-style foldable, Motorola released the Razr Fold this year. This book-style foldable won us over with fantastic hardware and innovative multitasking tools.

But it had a big problem. Despite its excellence, it was already out-of-date.

The book-style foldable format that Samsung popularized with the first Z Fold phones has been the standard format for years. However, newcomers like the Google Pixel Fold suggested this form factor might not be as good as it was made out to be.

Amidst rumblings of the iPhone Duo's new format, other manufacturers released foldables with a wider aspect ratio. As Samsung proved with the wildly popular Z Fold 8, this was the foldable breakthrough we've been waiting for.

So as manufacturers scrambled to release their "new style" foldables ahead of the iPhone Duo's launch, Motorola ambled up and launched the Razr Fold, seemingly oblivious to the changing tides.

So despite the Razr Fold's brilliance, it was dated on launch day. Fortunately, Motorola is catching up.

Motorola's response put Samsung to shame

Simple and powerful

What was so pathetic about Samsung's response was that it should have been promoting the Z Fold 8's brilliance. It's a fantastic phone, and with the right marketing angle, it could have stolen some of Samsung's spotlight.

Instead, Motorola stepped up with a brilliant short video. Captioned with "New in their hands. Iconic in ours," the video shows a short montage of generations of Razr phones snapping shut. But rather than the final device showing the Razr Fold, Motorola ended the video with a snappy teaser.

The blacked-out foldable that ends the video is not the Razr Fold. Instead, it looks a lot like the Z Fold 8. Short and wide, it seems Motorola is preparing to launch the foldable we want.

2026 is the year of the foldable phone. Samsung has perfected its design. Motorola proves it still understands a foldable user's needs best. Apple has finally jumped on the bandwagon.

The price still puts me off buying one. $1,000 is still too much money for a smartphone, let alone $2,000. (In case you wanted to know, the 2TB version of the iPhone Duo retails for $3,200).

Nevertheless, I acknowledge Motorola's brilliance in creating foldable phones. They don't rely on fancy software tricks, just a clean interface that has the information you need at your fingertips.

The iPhone Duo's functionality looks excellent, but cool features count for nothing if people don't use them.

A Razr Fold Wide has the potential to be the best Android foldable

But Motorola might need more than a new form factor

As AP's Andy Boxall discovered when he reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 8, a simple change in form factor turns the phone from good to great. It sounds too good to be true, but there's a reason why Apple launched the iPhone Duo with its aspect ratio.

Apple creates excellent software, and I have no doubt the iPhone Duo will offer unique experiences that other foldables can't match. However, Motorola has had years of refining its experience.

The Razr Fold isn't perfect. Its noticeable screen crease and relatively clunky frame are hardware flaws that should have been refined ahead of launch. But just as Samsung has solved these problems, I don't doubt Motorola will.

However, I hope that Motorola introduces a few more innovations into its Razr Fold Wide (hopefully that won't be the final name), as it has the basics nailed down.

The Razr Fold also falls short in multitasking features. It does the basics well, but there's room to add foldable-friendly features for its first-party apps.

Motorola is primed to take advantage of the foldable frenzy

I'm fascinated to see how the iPhone Duo sells. I remember working at Target when the iPhone X launched, and I was shocked to see how many people spent $1,000 without thinking twice.

Can the iPhone Duo harness Apple's brand loyalty the same way again? Or will that $2,000 asking price put a dent in people's enthusiasm? If Samsung's Z Fold 8 sales figures are anything to go by, Apple is set for success.

I hope that Motorola can take advantage of the foldable buzz to create the perfect Android foldable. Who knows, perhaps I'll finally buy one.