Motorola's new $1,500 Razr flip phone has been delayed, and the company says it's due to high demand
- Motorola has delayed the launch of its $1,500 foldable Razr phone due to popular demand.
- The company hasn't said when the phone will launch, but did say the timing shouldn't be very different from its original timeframe.
- The Razr is a revival of the popular flip phone Razr launched in the early 2000s, but with a foldable touchscreen.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Motorola's $1,500 revival of its iconic Razr flip phone was supposed to be available for preorder starting December 26 with a launch set for January. But the company is delaying the launch due to high demand.
The company didn't specify when the Razr would launch, but did say that doesn't anticipate "a significant shift" from its original launch timeframe.
"Since its announcement in November, the new Motorola Razr has received unparalleled excitement and interest from consumers," the company said in a statement. "Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions."
Motorola said it's adjusting the launch timing to accommodate customer demand.
"We are working to determine the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to Razr at launch," the company said.
Motorola's new version of the Razr, announced in November, features a bendable screen that enables the phone to fold in half just like a vintage flip phone. The device has a 6.2-inch main screen and a smaller 2.7-inch display on the front for viewing notifications.
Motorola is one of several companies working on foldable phone technology. Samsung and Huawei both unveiled foldable devices earlier this year - and both also experienced delayed launches.
Samsung's Galaxy Fold, for example, was initially supposed to launch in late April. But the release was pushed back to September after some early reviewers reported that their devices had malfunctioned after only a couple of days of use.
Huawei, the Chinese tech giant that's been blacklisted from working with American companies, revealed its foldable Mate X phone in February. It was set to launch in June, but was delayed twice: first, the company pushed the release back to September, and then extended the delay further to November.
Motorola's approach to foldable phones is notably different than that of Samsung and Huawei. While both of those devices are essentially smartphones that double as tablets with screens that become larger when unfolded, the Razr is designed to serve as a regular smartphone. It's the same size as a standard smartphone when unfolded, and becomes more compact when closed.
