Motorola debuts $1,300 AI-infused Razr phone, Swarovski earbuds

Motorola launched a new Razr foldable phone lineup loaded with a suite of artificial intelligence assistants in a far-reaching overhaul of its portfolio that also includes new earbuds and a watch.

The Lenovo Group Ltd. brand is positioning itself to offer consumers more choice of software and trendy accessories beyond market leaders Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. The new Razr Ultra, priced at $1,300, is the third phone in the series. They’ll all be preloaded with Perplexity AI’s app as well as AI models from Microsoft Corp., Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google via the phones’ Motorola AI assistant. That collection of third-party software helps power features like responding to user queries, identifying contextual information and summarizing notifications.

Each of the new handsets has roughly a 7-inch screen on the inside and a smaller display on the outside, with the more premium editions having better specifications than the base $700 Razr model. Motorola is opening US pre-orders on May 7, ahead of a full launch on May 15, with AT&T and T-Mobile carrier stores also selling the devices.

This latest iteration of the Razr family marks a renewed effort to stand out by offering variety both in software and style. Back in 2019, Motorola was first to market a foldable phone that collapsed into a palm-sized device — much like its iconic flip phone. Today’s new devices join a crowded field, where parent Lenovo commands only a small share and competitors like Samsung and Google’s Pixel have released foldables of their own. But Motorola President Sergio Buniac argues that users want “something truly different and something truly compelling,” citing the company’s finding that 25% of Razr buyers are former iPhone users.

Echoing its “lifestyle tech” strategy that emphasizes the look and feel of products to lure younger buyers, Motorola has worked with Bose Corp. to launch its first open-ear earbuds, called the Moto Buds Loop. They’re meant to be a fashion statement, encrusted with a layer of Swarovski crystals and looking like an ear cuff accessory. There will also be a more low-key, dark green version without the bling. A spokesperson for Motorola said pricing will be available closer to when the buds launch in North America in the coming months. Huawei Technologies Co.’s similar FreeClip currently sell for about $200 on Amazon.

Motorola is also releasing a new smartwatch called Moto Watch Fit, which will come with a bigger screen and longer battery life than its existing products, with its price also pending.

The top-tier Razr Ultra is slightly more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 with the same 512GB of storage. Both have a clamshell form factor when closed, though Razr’s device appears to make better use of its 4-inch external display to run AI tasks and surface notifications. The Razr Ultra also has a higher resolution front camera and a bigger battery than the Z Flip. Motorola has made improvements to its folding mechanism, using a titanium-reinforced hinge and optimizing the bend radius to reduce creasing in the screen — a recurring user complaint about previous models after prolonged use.

Having aspects of Motorola’s AI assistant powered by different third-party models may offer a glimpse into what the future of AI-infused smartphone development could look like. Early attempts at packaging AI in hardware partly failed due to their lack of integration with users’ digital footprints created on their smartphones. But Motorola’s approach is to allow users to put various models to the test on the device they already use most often — and form their own conclusions.

The Moto AI assistant will respond to user queries using Google’s cloud models including Gemini by default, but it can switch to Perplexity or Microsoft’s Copilot if a user specifies it at the beginning of an ask. Because Google Photos is the default gallery on Razr’s Android devices, Gemini will also analyze photo contents if you ask it to, for example, recall a place you visited years ago. Meta’s Llama will help summarize unread messages or missed calls. Motorola anticipates that’ll be a commonly used feature and so it’s storing Llama on-device rather than using cloud models that charge per search, according to Mahad Ayalur, director of product management.

Google’s contract with Motorola prohibited the phone maker from setting Perplexity as the default assistant, according to comments from a Perplexity executive during the search giant’s antitrust trial. Those comments, however, were disputed by a Google witness. Regardless, the current arrangement is still expected to benefit the startup as it can potentially reach tens of millions of phone users, according to Perplexity Chief Executive Officer Aravind Srinivas.

“We have been fighting” Google’s stronghold over the Android ecosystem, Srinivas said in an interview. The Motorola arrangement is a “victory,” however small. “For a startup like us to get distribution is the most important thing.”

New Razr users will get a three-month trial for the Perplexity Pro subscription, which also allows using multiple models, and a three-month trial for Gemini Advanced.