Motorola Razr Teardown Reveals Razor-Thin Display, Painstaking Process

The Motorola Razr may have beaten the Galaxy Z Flip to the punch but it seems to be plagued by the same first-gen problems Samsung encountered last year. There have been concerns about the foldable clamshell's performance and its durability which, in turn, also raises questions about its repairability. Based on the first-ever teardown of the new Razr, it won't be a walk in the park but, fortunately, it actually ends on a happy note.

To be fair, the design and build of the resurrected Razr, which now comes with a foldable display, is still new so it's not surprising that taking it apart isn't that easy. There's also the added factor of the often fragile flexible panel itself, which makes tearing down the phone even riskier.

Based on PBK Review's attempt, the Motorola Razr is built like a convoluted jigsaw puzzle with lots of interlocking pieces and cables spanning components. That's in addition to the usual heavy glue and hidden wires. In other words, it's not something novices should attempt.

The teardown does reveal Motorola's rather impressive flexible screen that is, pardon the pun, truly razor-thin. Curiously, one of the phone's two batteries is firmly attached to that panel which will make replacing that next to impossible.

Perhaps more impressive is how the phone still works when reassembled, despite how the flexible screen was twisted this way and that. That might be a testament to Motorola's display technology and could be reassuring for owners of the $1,500 phone. Hopefully, however, it won't reach a point when owners have to actually take it in for repairs.