When we review a product on TheIndianSubcontinent, our writers often make a wishlist of what theyd like to see in its follow-up; its not often, though, that onegets the opportunity to ask the people who made the device what theyd like the next version to be like.Werecently spoke to two people involved in the creation of theMotorola Razr 2019 foldable phone, Vice President of Consumer Experience Design Ruben Castano, and Director of Product Management Carl Steen,But we also go the chance to ask them both about the future of Motorola foldables.In particular, what theyd like to include in, say, theMotorola Razr 2020 or whatever the next flexible device is.
(Its worth bearing in mind that this conversation doesnt confirm any features just because the phone designers want a feature in the device, doesnt necessarily mean itll end up in the finished product.)Great ex-spec-tationsSo what might change internally for the next Motorola Razr? According to Steen Of course increasing the specs will be part of that for sure, which is only natural given thats usually one of the key changes between different device generations for any phone.The Motorola Razr 2019 had unimpressive, mid-range specs, and when we asked about using a top-end Snapdragon chipset, Steen gave us an example as to why that wasnt necessary the Snapdragon only brought to the table things like Quad-HD performance, we didnt have Quad-HD displays, so that would have been overkill."Perhaps the next Motorola Razr will have a higher-res screen, meaning the use of the high-end chipsets that would more adequately justify the huge $1,499 / 1,599 (around 1,350, AU$2,000) price tag..Steen also told us things like 5G [] are all items that wed like to pursue on our next generation devices.Thats intriguing - while the wording strongly implies theres no certainty of a 5G Motorola Razr 2020, to see that the company is pursuing a 5G foldable phone when it doesnt actually have a native 5G phone at time of writing (not including theMoto 5G Mod, which lets you bring 5G connectivity to a Moto Z device) hints that perhaps Motorola is set to unleash a slew of next-gen-connected smartphones.The Motorola Razr 2019, half-way open or closed.
(Image credit: Future)Finding the form factorThe first thing Steen told us when we asked about future Motorola devices was that we feel confident in the form factor, so its likely the clamshell foldable design has a place in the future of some Moto phones.That makes sense as detailed in our previous interview, Motorola went through a lot of work deciding what kind of foldable phone it wanted to make, and the team settled on the clamshell as a natural way to create a small device with.As we think about future devices, were really looking at how to optimize that [form factor] Steen said, for example, the QuickView Display were looking at ways to make an even [richer] experience.The QuickView Display is the small screen on the front of the device when its closed.
The mini-screen is used for quicknotification access as well as a small selfie camera, among other functions.[H]aving that display on the front of the device was not only useful, giving me the right information I needed, but also could change my behaviour on my smartphone in a good way [as a result], added Steen.Early sketches of the Motorola Razr, with different sizes and designs of the QuickView Display.
(Image credit: Motorola)So it seems that Motorola might add features to this display for future Razr (or other foldable) devices.
This is backed up by sketches provided to TheIndianSubcontinent by Motorola (above), in which we can see a few different ways the QuickView Display could have been implemented in the Razr 2019.It shows large, small and all-front screens, so its possible the company might well experiment with more options for the front screen too.What about something completely different?One of the most interesting things we learned in our last interview with Motos Steen and Castano was that it wasnt just the Razr phone that was considered for foldable tech - things like a flexible smartwatch were mooted, and we might still see new flexible device form factors from Motorola.We are fully committed to developing ideas and products that make sense for consumers in [the foldable display technology] space, Castano said, elaborating there are other technologies also emerging and evolving, whether its connectivity with 5G, or things you can start doing with the intersection of physical and digital interfaces.The Nubia Alpha was a smartwatch with a curved screen, that never really took off.
(Image credit: Future)So it seems Motorola isnt necessarily done with, as Castano mentioned early in our interview, "having the device or the technology conform to the human body in the sense of a wearable".So far there havent been any popular examples of smart devices that flexibly conform to the human body, with the few attempts, like the Nubia Alpha with a curved screen that meant you had to rotate your wrist to properly see the display, all falling short, and thats likely why Motorola hasnt put out a flexible wearable just yet.So will we see another flexible Motorola Razr - and if so, how will it look? That depends on one thing: the success of the current model.
As thats just gone on sale, its hard to tell how it will be received by early adopters - if its a roaring success, then its likely Motorola will be itching to get a sequel out to build on that hype.However, it seems that at this early stage the response to the device has been far more muted from reviewers, with TheIndianSubcontinents David Lumb saying its execution leaves several things to be desired so its likely if Moto wants to establish itself as a front-runner in the flexible smartphone space it will need to be even bolder with design, improve the spec list and do that without driving up an already-large price.But its good to hear that phone designers are excited about the possibilities of flexible devices - hopefully the development will continue to the point where we get innovative and attractive devices for a more palatable price point.iRxmQ2Q8kAtGZFENKyBGxW.jpg?#