Motorola and Google foldables are quietly beating Samsung where it counts

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

If you need a foldable with the best specs and budget isn’t a factor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra takes the crown. It isn’t even really that close. With its thin-and-light form factor, 5,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip , and standout rear camera system, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is arguably the flagship foldable with the fewest compromises. So why don’t I want to use it?

I’ve tried every book-style foldable released in the US this year, and if I ranked them in the order of most likely to earn a spot in my pocket, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra would come in last. I’d pick both the Motorola Razr Fold and the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold over it, despite their weaker performance and hardware drawbacks. I’d even go with the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 over the Ultra model, accepting its limitations.

Flashy specs aren’t enough to win the foldable race anymore — Motorola and Google know it, and they’re proving it.

Motorola’s Razr Fold is an enigma. It’s class-leading in battery life, with a 6,000mAh battery capacity that gets you two days of usage on a single charge in the real world. It might have the best folding display you can get, as the Razr Fold’s 8.1-inch screen is the largest and brightest on the market, and it supports the Moto Pen Ultra stylus . However, the base Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor doesn’t align with the phone’s $1,900 price point — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra clears it in overall performance with its overclocked Elite chip.

I’m eager to overlook the Razr Fold’s mid-tier processor because of everything else it offers. Specifically, the Razr Fold feels the most natural to hold out of all the foldables I’ve used. It’s thicker than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra by about a millimeter, but the phone’s build quality and materials make up for it. Motorola partnered with Pantone to make the Razr Fold with a vegan-leather back, and it’s one of my favorite things about the foldable.

I used the Lily White model, which has a matte vegan leather finish that is soft to the touch. The other version, Blackened Blue, has a textured vegan leather finish that adds grip to the rear surface. I much prefer it to the matte glass back on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, even if the latter is a bit slimmer.

The cover screen is a similar story. Both the Razr Fold and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra have cover screens with a 21:9 aspect ratio, but Motorola’s is slightly larger. That extra diagonal screen space makes the Razr Fold less than a millimeter wider when shut. I know that’s a small amount, but it helps the Razr Fold look and feel more like a traditional smartphone than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.