Motorola RAZR 2018 Confirmed? Lenovo CEO Hints At Revival

While most companies, like Samsung, are focused on showcasing new high-tier handsets at this year’s Mobile World Congress, some phone makers prefer to bring back famous cellphones from the past. This is what HMD Global did by reviving the Nokia 8110 banana phone early this week. Interestingly, Lenovo could follow this strategy by re-releasing the Motorola RAZR.

A year ago, Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing said that the company is open to the possibility of bringing back the Motorola RAZR, which is one of the most popular handsets in history. The flip phone apparently sold over 50 million units from 2004 through 2006. It could have sold even more but 2007 came and the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone, marking the start of the smartphone revolution and the end of feature phones.

This week, Yuanqing was interviewed by TechRadar at MWC 2018 and during the brief dialogue, the CEO once again reiterated that the idea of rebooting the RAZR has not been scrapped. However, he may have hinted at the possibility of a revival that’s packed with up-to-date features and specs. In particular, he mentioned foldable screens as a technology that could be used in developing an upgraded Motorola RAZR.

“With the new technology, particularly foldable screens, I think you will see more and more innovation on our smartphone design,” he said. “So hopefully what you just described [the Motorola RAZR brand] will be developed or realized very soon.”

TechRadar speculates that the mention of foldable screens could be hinting that the company is already experimenting with flexible display technology like the one that is being rumored for Samsung’s highly anticipated Galaxy X phone. So it’s possible that the device that Lenovo is working on could be a new phone line that will use the RAZR branding.

Rumors about a revival of the Motorola RAZR phone actually started almost two years ago. Back in May 2016, Motorola released a promotional teaser that featured the very popular flip phone in a typical high school setting way back in 2005. The video clip apparently showcased RAZR and how it made such a huge impression among teens. At the time, many speculated that Motorola was teasing at the return of the well-loved cellphone, according to Phone Arena.

Unfortunately, the rumor was quickly shut down when the modular Moto Z line was unveiled a day after the release of the promo clip. Despite this, many still chose to hold on to their desire of seeing a rebooted Motorola RAZR. Given Yuanqing’s statements, it’s only a matter of time until fans will once again get their hands on the nostalgic device.