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

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

Past that, the Razr Extremely (2025) options strong build-quality, a wonderful array of top-tier cameras, a foldable show crease I can barely see and really feel, and a sturdy titanium hinge, making it an simple blast to snap the cellphone shut. This yr, Motorola’s flagship additionally comes geared up 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 rapidly checking notifications (extra on this later) and taking part in one specific pre-installed sport (Marble Mayhem is incredible and feels prefer it was designed for the Razr).

Nonetheless, in contrast to book-style foldables just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, clamshell foldables do not supply a much bigger, tablet-like display screen after they’re open. In reality, 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 method to match the foldable’s distinctive design into my life.

In almost each method, 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 strong 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 cellphone

Together with being my major cellphone, 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 screen in direction of you (I favor the tent angle). The setting to show this characteristic on is underneath Settings > Exterior Show and both Sleep Show or Desk Show. It might sound a bit foolish, however I’ve grown to essentially respect this characteristic over the previous few weeks.

Once I’m at my desk, the surprisingly expansive 3.6-inch 90Hz display screen 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 may be custom-made in enjoyable methods, too). Once I need to use the duvet display screen to examine a notification, I simply faucet the show to gentle 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 assumed perhaps the duvet display screen can be good for testing the climate, however so far as I can inform, I am unable to get it to vary to Celsius from Fahrenheit. 

I can then faucet on notifications and rapidly scroll by way of them. If I see one which I would like to reply to, I press on it and open the cellphone. This enables me to simply hold 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 inside display screen.

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 cellphone. This has given me a centered method to hold tabs on what conferences I’ve arising all through the day.

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

I have not discovered any extra but, although

Shortly glancing on the Razr Extremely (2025)’s show has change into my go-to method to keep on high 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 for those who’re attempting simply rapidly to examine a notification. I’ve additionally discovered that opening apps on the duvet display screen that are not official panels is usually a cumbersome, irritating course of that does not really feel value it.

For instance, Gmail and Google Maps really feel cramped, and I rapidly 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 screen, and I am trying ahead to uncovering extra methods to make it work for me.

This machine was offered to Pocket-lint by Motorola.