I'll probably get hated for this but:
When the original RAZR launched, (which was $500, not $1500) it definitely looked neat but I was using another popular handset (which was a brick and indestructible) the 5100-series, which was the most popular phone IMO at the time.
It was out of my price range at the time. Eventually, the V3 (sans the SD Card slot and better camera) got into the clearance rack at Wal-Mart around 2008-09. Even then it was not cheap--it was $399. I ended up getting one to finally experience it. Awful experience.
The good:
1. Metal design, which this 'new' version lacks. Local news had a guy who's RAZR V3i stopped a bullet fired at him.
2. It was futuristic at the time, in an era of monochrome screens and limited ID screens on flips, this one had a super high resolution screen and even wallpaper-capable Caller ID screen. Still holds up today.
3. Excellent battery life. Even with all it could do, it never skipped a beat
4. Older versions offered SD card slots so you could use it as a Bluetooth MP3 player. Even iTunes support came later.
The Bad:
(this is with the GoPhone V3 RAZR I was living with)
1. GPRS was dead/dying. It never did get a data signal--so it just ended up being a very fancy phone and nothing more.
2. No SD slots in its later incarnations. Mine had the VGA camera instead of the 1.2 MP camera.
3. Network was already obsolete--GPRS was out, 3G was coming in. Phone was on life support in 2008.
4. ALL Motorola RAZRs suffered from ribbon cable defects, so eventually the inner screen would go out, then the outer Caller ID screen died, eventually only the keypad would illuminate on mine. It lasted all of 3 months. I didn't know of the defects until it was a problem for me. All the forums and locals praised the RAZR, completely ignoring the defect.
All in all, it was not the fond experience everyone thought it was. At least not for me. And this monstrosity is just another Android phone trying to capture nostalgia and looking literally nothing like the original RAZR.
There was a GSM-capable Moto StarTAC released in the mid-2000s, to appeal to nostalgia. It was offered in many colors but remained a StarTAC like its predecessor. The StarTAC to me was the more iconic handset--it was the first flip phone. It offered vibration alerts and had extended battery pack options. retractable antenna to get better signal. Also quite expensive however.
Why can't the modern RAZR at least look like the original but have LTE compatibility? How long before the folding screen dies? Like many modern phones made these days, it's likely to last 2 years and get tossed in the garbage. People never hold onto things anymore. It's also made of what appears to be plastic, correct me if I'm wrong.
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