Motorola Razr Fold vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Motorola Razr Fold

Historically the foldable Achilles heel — but Motorola invested in hardware and software here, and DxOMark ranks it the best camera in any foldable.

• DxOMark rates the Razr Fold the #1 camera among foldables — roughly 8th overall across all phones — with a Gold Label.
• A 50MP main (f/1.6, OIS), a 50MP ultrawide (12mm, 122° FOV, f/2.0) and a third 50MP camera — all selfies can use the best 50MP main.
• This is without question the best Motorola camera I've ever used.
• Comes up just short of modern flagships like the iPhone 17 Pro, Find X9 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Ultra, with a DxOMark score of 164 points.
• Took it for a street-photography spin and came away genuinely impressed — the camera hardware was what caught attention.
• Highest-quality camera in a folding phone in the US — better than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 7, which use older sensors.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

50MP main + 12MP ultrawide + 10MP 3x telephoto — same combo as the Fold 4 with the SD 8 Gen 2 processing bump enabling sharper enhanced-pixel mode. Capable but not Ultra-grade; the camera bump still protrudes noticeably.

• Cameras: 50MP main (f/1.8, OIS), 10MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4, OIS, 66mm), 12MP ultrawide (f/2.2) — same hardware as the Fold 4.
• 8 Gen 2 image processing automatically uses 'enhanced pixel mode' on the 50MP sensor (like the S22 Ultra) — sharper shots than the Fold 4.
• Camera bump still protrudes meaningfully — better image quality doesn't justify the added bulk for everyone.
• Cover-screen Dual Preview feature is a foldable-camera highlight — subjects can see exactly what you're shooting on the front display.
• Top-down food/document shots without leaning are a unique foldable use case — practical, social-friendly camera utility.

Motorola Razr Fold

Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 with 16GB RAM — fast for everyday use and surprisingly good in long sessions, but the choice of the non-Elite chip in a $1,899 phone is the headline criticism.

• Motorola stuck Qualcomm's excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (16GB RAM, 512GB) inside its first full-fold flagship.
• With a phone this expensive it is a bit disappointing Motorola couldn't go all the way with the Elite chip.
• In a 20-minute stress test the Z Fold 7's 8 Elite was ~10% better on the first loop, but the Razr Fold ran better through the 20 minutes and ended ~20% ahead on sustained performance with similar thermals.
• Recording 4K120 for a long time makes the Snapdragon CPU run quite hot, though it cools down fairly fast.
• The non-Elite chip, 243g weight and IP49 dust rating could be causes for concern, even if the experience is smooth.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

Bespoke Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy (3.36GHz) with 12GB RAM — the same chip as the S23 family. Flagship-grade performance with much better efficiency than the Fold 4's 8+ Gen 1.

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy at 3.36GHz + 12GB RAM + 256GB base UFS 4.0 — same chip as the S23 Ultra in a foldable.
• 8 Gen 2 power savings, better AI/CPU/GPU efficiency, faster RAM and UFS — meaningful step up from the Fold 4's 8+ Gen 1.
• Two years on (2025), the chip is 'still very powerful' — handles One UI 7's AI features and demanding apps without issue.
• Forbes verdict: 'still a flagship chip — the best in Android — just not as special as Samsung marketing would have you think'.

Motorola Razr Fold

The standout: the largest battery in the book-foldable space delivering class-leading endurance, plus 80W wired charging — three times faster than the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

• Lasting an impressive 14 hours 31 minutes, the Razr Fold is officially the best notebook-style foldable for battery life (16h10m with refresh-rate optimized).
• The Galaxy Z Fold 7 managed only 10h44m in the same test, with a 4,400mAh battery versus the Razr Fold's 6,000mAh cell.
• I found the battery basically impossible to kill in a single day, even with the Fold's hotspot supplying an entire office internet connection over 12 days.
• It charges at 80W wired — over three times as fast as the Galaxy Z Fold 7's 25W — plus 50W wireless and 5W reverse, with a 90W charger and a case included in the box.
• The 6,000mAh cell is colossal — about 20% larger than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold's — though there's also more display to power.
• If you use the camera a lot or run games, the battery does drain quite quickly and you may need an afternoon top-up.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

4,400mAh — unchanged for five consecutive Fold generations. 8 Gen 2 efficiency stretches it to 4-5h of inner-screen SOT, but 25W charging is slow (~1.5h to full) and 4,400mAh is now well behind 2026 foldable rivals.

• 4,400mAh battery unchanged from the Fold 4 — and Samsung kept the same cell through the Fold 7 (a five-generation stretch).
• Real-world SOT on inner display: ~4 hours typical (one long-term owner). Power-save mode stretches to 2 full days for lighter users.
• Cross-generation drain shootout: Fold 5 finished 3rd at 4h32m17s — beaten by both the Fold 6 and Fold 7 thanks to chip-efficiency gains.
• 25W wired charging: ~1h-1.5h to full — slow next to the OnePlus 11's 80W or even the S23+'s 45W.
• 15W Qi wireless and reverse wireless supported — handy for topping up Galaxy Buds while traveling with the foldable.

Motorola Razr Fold

At $1,899 it undercuts the Z Fold 7 and is the only premium book foldable many US buyers can actually purchase — value hinges on whether the non-Elite chip and update questions matter to you.

• At $1,899.99 / £1,799.99 it undercuts the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by about $100/£100, and the pre-order Moto Pen Ultra bundle adds real value — the sum of its parts is the best foldable on the market.
• If you're tired of Samsung-only or have no interest in the Pixel Fold, this may be the best folding phone you can get in the US right now — the Oppo Find N6 and Honor Magic V6 aren't available there.
• It could be called a disappointment, especially compared to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold and Honor Magic V5 — it should have offered something more compelling to stand out.
• If Motorola drops the price by even two or three hundred dollars within the first few weeks, this phone suddenly becomes a much stronger contender.
• It competes fairly well with the Oppo Find N6, which is amazing to see.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

$1,799 launch with 256GB base (doubled from Fold 4's 128GB) — strong value in the foldable space, especially at $700-900 used in 2026. The Fold 7 at $2,000+ makes the Fold 5 newly compelling as the smart upgrade pick.

• Launched at $1,799 with 256GB base storage — same starting price as the Fold 4 but with double the storage.
• BGR's verdict: 'No Longer the Best' foldable in 2023 — the iteration was outpaced by competitors like Google's Pixel Fold and Honor V series.
• Forbes counters: 'final form of a four-year evolution' — better screen, hinge and premium feel than the Pixel Fold competitor.
• 2025/2026 long-term owners regularly recommend it as the smart pick if you want a foldable without paying $2,000+ for the Fold 7.
• Versus the Pixel Fold ($1,799): Forbes says the Fold 5 has the better screen, hinge and premium feel; the Pixel Fold has a more book-like cover aspect.