Targeting Mid-Range to Premium Market
Featuring Large Screen with Popular Past 'Razer Phone' Design
Motorola has launched its first flagship device in Korea, the foldable phone 'Razr 40 Ultra,' challenging Samsung Electronics' stronghold on the domestic foldable phone market.
Motorola released the Razr 40 Ultra on the 28th through Hello Mobile, Coupang, and 11st. The product was launched overseas in June.
This is the first time Motorola has launched a flagship device in Korea. After confirming potential through previous mid-range device sales, it has released a foldable phone to target the premium market. The 'Edge 30,' released last October, gained popularity through word of mouth on online communities, leading to early sell-out of initial stock at Hello Mobile and a second round of orders.
The Razr 40 Ultra features the largest cover display among current flip (clamshell) smartphones, measuring 3.6 inches. The internal display is 6.9 inches. Both are 0.2 inches larger than the Galaxy Z Flip5. The large screen can be adjusted at various angles, making tasks like photography and chatting more convenient. Overall performance is similar to the Flip5. The memory is 8GB, the same as Flip5, and the battery capacity is 3800mAh, 100mAh larger than Flip5. Fast charging is 33W, faster than Flip5's 25W. However, the application processor (AP), the smartphone's brain, is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, the same as Flip4.
The design reinterprets the 'Razr phone' design that was popular in the Korean market during the feature phone era. It is available in two colors: Infinite Black and Viva Magenta. The retail price for the unlocked version is 1,299,000 KRW (256GB), which is 102,000 KRW cheaper than the Flip5 (256GB, 1,399,200 KRW). At launch, it will be sold for 999,000 KRW through promotions. Hello Mobile offers subsidies of up to 710,000 KRW depending on the plan.
The telecommunications industry predicts that Motorola's market expansion with the Razr 40 Ultra will not be easy. The price is not significantly different from the Flip5, and foreign devices, except for Apple, are notably unpopular in the Korean market. There is particularly strong resistance to Chinese manufacturers like Lenovo, which acquired Motorola. When LG Electronics withdrew from the mobile business in 2021, there were expectations that sales of foreign devices would increase, but according to Counterpoint Research, the market share of manufacturers other than Samsung and Apple was only 3% in Q4 2022, up from 1% in Q4 2021. Despite multiple attempts by companies like Xiaomi and Motorola, the increase was only 2 percentage points. Distribution channels are also limited. Motorola again failed to enter the three major telecom carriers and sells through two unlocked retailers and one MVNO. A telecom industry official said, "Motorola seems to have adopted a strategy to increase consumer choices and target niche markets rather than directly competing with Galaxy."
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