My favourite Razr Extremely (2025) characteristic is one I did not see coming

I’ve all the time thought clamshell foldable smartphones are cool (there’s simply one thing satisfying about snapping them shut), however it’s by no means felt like their design has a very helpful function. Certain, it is nice that they fold up and grow to be smaller, making them simpler to slip right into a pocket in comparison with a regular smartphone. I’ve additionally loved leaving Motorola’s Razr Ultra (2025) open to observe YouTube movies whereas doing the dishes, and although I am not a selfie individual, the front-facing digital camera is able to snapping some really cool, very handy photographs of myself.

Past that, the Razr Extremely (2025) options stable build-quality, a superb array of top-tier cameras, a foldable show crease I can barely see and really feel, and a sturdy titanium hinge, making it an plain blast to snap the telephone shut. This yr, Motorola’s flagship additionally comes outfitted with Qualcomm’s highly effective Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, giving it loads of energy. I’ve even discovered its outer show to be helpful for shortly checking notifications (extra on this later) and taking part in one specific pre-installed recreation (Marble Mayhem is unbelievable and feels prefer it was designed for the Razr).

Nonetheless, not like book-style foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, clamshell foldables do not supply a much bigger, tablet-like display once they’re open. In truth, they will usually really feel downright awkward when unfolded, given their tall dimension and weighty higher half. With this in thoughts, over the previous few weeks I’ve spent with the Razr Extremely (2025), I’ve tried to discover a technique to match the foldable’s distinctive design into my life.

In practically each manner, Motorola’s newest flagship clamshell is an absolute unit throughout the board, however my favourite characteristic has truly shocked me.

Model

Motorola

SoC

Snapdragon 8 Elite

Show

7-inch foldable OLED (165Hz, 2992 x 1224 pixel decision), 4-inch exterior (165Hz, 1272 x 1080 pixel decision)

RAM

16GB

The Motorola Razr Extremely (2025) is a stable all-around clamshell foldable due to its sturdy design, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and expansive cowl show. 

It is doubles as a flexible, very costly desktop clock

This retains me plugged into notifications, with out diving too deeply into the telephone

Together with being my major telephone, I have been utilizing the Razr Extremely (2025) as a desk-side clock and notification machine. You are able to do this by opening the Razr Extremely (2025) and inserting it in a triangle place or by opening it and pointing its inside display in the direction of you (I desire the tent angle). The setting to show this characteristic on is beneath Settings > Exterior Show and both Sleep Show or Desk Show. It could sound a bit foolish, however I’ve grown to essentially admire this characteristic over the previous few weeks.

Once I’m at my desk, the surprisingly expansive 3.6-inch 90Hz display is in its blacked-out, always-on mode the place it shows the present time and an array of notification symbols throughout the underside (how the time seems will be personalized in enjoyable methods, too). Once I need to use the quilt display to verify a notification, I simply faucet the show to mild it up with the intense inexperienced background I set, and I am mechanically logged in due to the magic facial recognition.

At one level, I believed perhaps the quilt display can be good for testing the climate, however so far as I can inform, I am unable to get it to alter to Celsius from Fahrenheit. 

I can then faucet on notifications and shortly scroll by way of them. If I see one which I would like to answer, I press on it and open the telephone. This enables me to simply preserve tabs on my rising mountain of notifications with out getting distracted by the siren name of scrolling Instagram or TikTok as a result of I am not truly opening the Razr Extremely (2025) and utilizing its inner display.

I’ve additionally began checking my day by day schedule with the surprisingly helpful Google Calendar Panel that is accessible by swiping proper after unlocking the telephone. This has given me a targeted technique to preserve tabs on what conferences I’ve arising all through the day.

I am wanting ahead to determining if different cowl display Panels and apps work for me

I have not discovered any extra but, although

Shortly glancing on the Razr Extremely (2025)’s show has grow to be my go-to technique to keep on prime of notifications.

The expertise is not good, although. Generally facial recognition would not work, and I am compelled to place in my PIN, which might get irritating, particularly in case you’re making an attempt simply shortly to verify a notification. I’ve additionally discovered that opening apps on the quilt display that are not official panels generally is a cumbersome, irritating course of that does not really feel value it.

For instance, Gmail and Google Maps really feel cramped, and I shortly discovered myself opening the Razr Extremely (2025) to make use of the apps on the inside show.

It is like a really costly sandwich.

Nonetheless, it has been enjoyable to mess around with the foldable smartphone’s cowl display, and I am wanting ahead to uncovering extra methods to make it work for me.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by Motorola.