Foldables, AI and the Reality of Smartphone Upgrade Reasons
Foldable phones and AI-powered tricks are everywhere in marketing, but they barely register in most people’s smartphone upgrade reasons. A recent CNET survey finds that only 13% of smartphone owners would even consider upgrading for a new phone concept such as a flip or foldable design, and just 12% say AI integrations would motivate them to upgrade. By contrast, the big levers are firmly practical: price (55%), longer battery life (52%) and more storage (38%). Even camera features (27%) and display or screen size (22%) rank higher than radical form factors. This gap between what brands promote and what users actually value is at the heart of the foldable phone upgrade problem. Innovation is happening, but for mainstream users wondering whether a foldable phone is worth buying, the answer is still, overwhelmingly, “not really.”
Motorola Razr Pricing: From Value Hero to Premium Outlier
Motorola built a reputation as the king of foldable value, particularly with its base Razr, praised as an outstanding clamshell foldable at USD 700 (approx. RM3,220). It delivered the fun of a flip design without a painful price tag, making a foldable phone upgrade feel almost reasonable for curious buyers. At the premium end, last year’s Razr Ultra cost USD 1,300 (approx. RM5,980), but reviewers could at least point to high-end specs like a Snapdragon 8 Elite, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. This year’s Razr lineup, however, pushes even higher pricing — up to USD 1,500 (approx. RM6,900) mentioned in polling — while offering only limited upgrades and maintaining lackluster software support. The Motorola Razr 2026 price direction undercuts the brand’s long-held value positioning and makes it harder to argue that a foldable phone is worth buying over increasingly capable slab-style midrange devices.
When Innovation Doesn’t Match Demand
The disconnect is stark: brands pour resources into AI features and experimental form factors, while consumers keep asking for better basics at sensible prices. CNET’s survey shows buyers frustrated with battery life, with 58% saying they experience issues and 31% noting their battery no longer holds charge like new. In that context, a fragile-looking foldable hinge or clever AI photo edit is a nice-to-have, not a core selling point. Even the promise of bigger screens in a pocketable body hasn’t broken through as a top smartphone upgrade reason. Meanwhile, baseline “flat” phones like the iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S26 now start at USD 800 (approx. RM3,680) and USD 900 (approx. RM4,140) respectively for 256GB, reminding buyers that prices are climbing even without fancy folds. When everyday phones already feel expensive, premium foldables become an even tougher sell.
Why Foldable Phones Still Struggle to Justify Their Premium
For foldables to become a mainstream smartphone upgrade reason, they need to offer obvious, lived‑in benefits that justify their premiums. Right now, they mostly don’t. Many users aren’t editing 4K video or running desktop-style workstations from clamshell foldables, yet those are the kinds of specs and experiences used to rationalize four-figure prices. At the same time, concerns around durability, battery longevity and weak software support — Motorola’s slow security updates on a USD 1,300 (approx. RM5,980) Razr Ultra are one example — make the elevated cost feel risky. Buyers are effectively being asked to pay more for features they’re not sure they need, while compromising on the stability and value they do care about. Until foldables can compete on battery life, software, and long-term reliability at more grounded prices, most people will stick with familiar slabs and wait out the hype.