I’ve used the Motorola Razr Ultra (2026) and the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and only want one in my pocket.

I love clamshell folding phones. They’re a great form factor for casual users who want to try a foldable for the first time. You’re not asking people to change how they use their phones. You open it up, do everything you’ve been doing on your traditional slab smartphone for the past 15 years, and then fold it up when you’re done.

I’ve been testing every one I can get my hands on, and I’m excited by the prospect of pitting the Motorola Razr Ultra against the Galaxy Z Flip 7 this year. Motorola’s price hike complicates the debate, but there are compelling reasons to buy both.

The Motorola Razr Ultra was my favorite smartphone of the year 2025, so I had high hopes for its encore — and I wasn’t disappointed. Motorola’s shift to becoming a lifestyle brand is on full display with the gorgeous Orient Blue Razer Ultra colorway. The Alcantara finish is fantastic and people stop me when I come out and ask what phone it is.

It’s just a fun phone, something I can’t always say about today’s flagships. It’s sleek and stylish, and has more eye appeal than any phone on the market. I don’t mind the Galaxy Z Flip 7’s design. It feels industrial and utilitarian. I have no doubt that it’s sturdy and definitely built to last, but it just doesn’t do anything for me.

Yes, Motorola has not updated the spec sheet for the 2026 Razr Ultra. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is powerful enough, and the 16GB of RAM provides enough overhead for everything I want to do (and then some).

Motorola upgraded the battery for the 2026, equipping the Razr Ultra with a 5,000mAh silicon-carbon cell, and you can tell the difference. I get nearly two days of use on a single charge, and when it’s time to top off, I enjoy 68W wired charging. I’d still argue that significantly better battery life is a more significant quality-of-life improvement than what a chipset boost would provide.

Samsung has worked to improve the cover screen experience on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, but I still prefer Motorola’s offerings. I understand this is a minor item for enthusiasts who are used to downloading multiple apps, but I like that I don’t need Good Lock or Multistar to get all the apps I want on the Razr Ultra’s external display.

While I prefer Samsung’s overall software experience, Motorola has done a better job of smoothing the transition between displays. I didn’t run into many compatibility issues, and when I did, they were easily fixed by adjusting the cover display to work around the camera lenses. I don’t consider the Razr Ultra a cutting-edge device, but a quick scratch of Instagram scrolling on an external screen is far preferable to a 30-minute doomscroll.

As I mentioned earlier, the Snapdragon 8 Elite does the job. I’m not buying a clamshell folding phone to play AAA mobile games all day or do serious work in Adobe Lightroom — this isn’t that kind of phone.

Motorola’s software experience is harmless if not inspiring. Moto promises three years of OS updates and five years of security patches, which is not standard in this price range. As Motorola is notorious for making users wait a long time for Android version updates, I don’t know what form those updates will take or when. However, it never detracts from my enjoyment of the phone, and maybe that’s the point.

I also enjoy the cameras on the Razr Ultra 2026. I’d never mistake it for the versatility you get on other flagship phones, but the dual 50MP sensors on the Razr Ultra get the job done. Photos are detailed and saturated, just what I like from point-and-shoot images. I keep coming up with a social media ready photo that fits well with the Razr Ultra theme. It’s not a perfect phone by any means, and that price is daunting, but it’s an attractive package.

If real estate is all about location, choosing the Z Flip 7 over the Razr Ultra is all about software. Samsung offers a reliable and better software experience between the two phones. My Galaxy Z Flip 7 already has a UI 8.5 and it runs fine. Unlike Motorola, I have a better picture of what extended software support looks like.

Samsung offers a full seven years of support for both OS upgrades and security updates on the Z Flip 7. I can’t say I’m a huge Galaxy AI user, but if you’re interested in getting the latest Android features, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 is a foldable you might want to consider.

While I still prefer the cover display experience on the Razr Ultra, Samsung has done a good job of improving it. Icons and notifications are no longer devastating, you just have to tweak some settings to get them right. I don’t like having to download extra software to run all the apps I want on an external screen, but once you invest some time, the overall experience is sweet. The Razr Ultra is still smooth and impressive, but the gap between the two isn’t as big as it used to be.

Just as I wouldn’t knock the Razr Ultra for having the Snapdragon 8 Elite, I don’t mind that the Z Flip 7 is powered by an Exynos 2500. I would have liked more than 12GB of RAM, but performance is not an issue. The Exynos 2500 hasn’t suffered from the overheating and poor battery performance of chipsets over the years. While the Z Flip 7 doesn’t feature the Razr Ultra’s silicon-carbon cell, I get all-day battery life.

I don’t think people buy clamshell foldables for the raw horsepower, and even if enthusiasts are upset, they’re not the target market.

Of course, price is an important factor. The Z Flip 7 costs hundreds less than the Razr Ultra, and at this point in its life cycle that factors in sales. As always, we’ll see aggressive discounts from Motorola throughout the year, but you’ll still be paying more for the Razr Ultra. While I believe it’s worth it for a phone I enjoy so much, I can see buyers preferring the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and saving some money in the process.

It is important to know that both the phones are solid. I like the Motorola Razr Ultra for the reasons I’ve outlined, but you can’t get a bad device if you opt for the Z Flip 7. It is well built with plenty of software support and features. Its displays are beautiful and it takes good photos.

However, if you want a little more flair in your flip phone, I recommend the Razr Ultra. Yes, the price is annoying, and Motorola has a lot to prove with its software, but I can’t put a price on truly enjoying a phone I carry in my pocket—which is rarer than I’d like to admit in 2026.