Once the
best-selling flip phone in the world and one of the best selling
mobiles full stop, the Razr was a style icon but as technology
advanced and the all-conquering iPhone brought a new must-have look
to phones it fell out of favour.
Motorola got tongues wagging recently with a
nostalgic 90s-themed ad featuring teens flaunting the old school RAZR
flip phone but comes with “Flip back to the RAZR days of yesteryear
and get ready for the future,” reads the new 45-second spot’s
tagline.
“We will transform mobile again on June
9," a Motorola rep cryptically told The Daily News, noting that
the company is not re-releasing the original RAZR.
But “Hello Moto” maniacs are still
hoping that an upgraded flip phone is on the line. There’s
certainly an audience for it. When Sarah Lisovich’s iPhone broke,
she dug up her hot pink V3 RAZR flip phone that she’s held onto for
10 years as a replacement. The simplified device was a welcome
change.
Now, however, Motorola has hinted that the
flip phone could be returning. The video’s title refers to the date
of the Lenovo Tech World conference, where an announcement on the
replacement for Motorola’s flagship Moto X is expected.
Motorola is saying little else at the moment
but industry experts believe that the video could indeed be a
precursor to a new clamshell phone. Whatever form the new handset
takes it’s guaranteed to be a massive step up from the original
Razr.
Stylish it may have been but its 2.2-inch
non-touch screen, 0.3 megapixel camera and rudimentary web access are
woeful in today’s world of octa-core beasts with multiple cameras
and endless connectivity possibilities.
The
new handset is expected to run Google’s Android operating system
and come with specifications to take on the big players in today’s
mobile market such as Apple and Samsung.
While flip phones declined in popularity in
Europe, they have remained popular in Japan and the market is, in
fact, growing. Analysts believe that a growing number of older users
who don’t want all the bells and whistles of most modern
smartphones could be driving up the demand and that Europe could
follow in Japan’s footsteps.
Flip phone and “dumb” phone sales grew
by 2 million in the U.S. last year, for a total of 24.2 million sold,
according to research firm IDC. Smartphones are still far more
popular, but their growth remained flat in 2015. And Apple reported
its first loss in 13 years last month as iPhone sales dropped 16%.
Basic handsets are making a comeback.
Trendsetters such as Anna Wintour and Rihanna have been seen rocking
the throwback devices. Adele featured a flip phone in her hit “Hello”
video last fall. Robert DeNiro told People he still has a flip phone
because “they’re easy to use!” Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne said
he “felt far more alive” after dumping his iPhone last year. And
Mayor Bill de Blasio reminded us in January that “I love my flip
phone.”
True, a dumb
phone can’t hail an Uber, order sushi on Seamless, stream “Game
of Thrones” or post a photo to Instagram or Facebook. But as a
result, the pared-down handset is much cheaper, because there’s no
data plan. The battery can last for weeks, not hours. And the sturdy
device survives falls better than a smartphone’s exposed glass
screen.
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