I haven’t used anything except an iPhone as my daily driver since 2015, nor have I regularly used a laptop aside from my MacBook for productivity since then. That’s a decade of nearly full immersion into the Apple ecosystem. I wouldn’t consider myself a fanboy; I just appreciated the convenience of it all. But after taking a look at the price tag of the flagship iPhone 16 Pro Max and the relatively minor upgrades it presents (even over my iPhone 12), the Motorola Razr 60 Ultra has caught my eye.
Its specs aren’t confirmed yet, but the leak we saw this morning comes from OnLeaks — a source that is rarely mistaken on this subject. Foldable phones are everywhere now (and Apple is rumored to be working on one, too), but the price tag is the biggest obstacle for most people. The Razr 60 Ultra is expected to start at $1,000 — less than I paid for my current phone — and outclass even the iPhone 16 Pro Max in terms of power.
The Razr 60 Ultra outclasses Apple in almost every way
As a journalist, the main draw for the Apple ecosystem has largely been the Notes app. I can jot down thoughts and observations on the go and have them waiting on my laptop when I get home, but that feature is easily achieved through third-party applications. It isn’t enough to convince me to buy another iPhone with barely any upgrades. The main selling point for the iPhone 16 was Apple Intelligence, and we all know how that’s turned out so far.
The rising cost of electronics has made me more carefully consider how I spend my money, and the upgrade to the iPhone 16 Pro Max just doesn’t seem like enough. It only has 8GB of RAM, and despite Apple’s claims, that isn’t enough. The Razr 60 Ultra has up to 16GB of RAM, and while it maxes out at 512GB of internal storage, that’s more than enough for a phone.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max can be a bit difficult to use one-handed because of its size. While that’s a perk for some people, I have always been a fan of mid-sized phones rather than massive bricks. A foldable strikes just the right balance, giving me the option to open it all the way when I want to read something or browse the web, or keeping it shut while I quickly respond to messages throughout the day.
Retina displays don’t offer the value they once did
At one time, Apple’s Retina displays were top-of-the-line. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still excellent — but AMOLED screens match them in most any way that matters, and the Razr 60 Ultra supports a refresh rate up to 165Hz versus the 120Hz for the 16 Pro Max. That means smoother animations. Its max brightness of 4,500 nits far outstrips the 16 Pro Max’s 2,000 nit peak brightness, too.
I desire a clear resolution and text more than I care about color accuracy. I want to be able to easily see text while reading. The only content I tend to watch on my phone is Instagram and TikTok vids, and I don’t need cutting-edge displays to watch kittens frolic in the grass (although it never hurts.)
If I focused on photography, I might worry more about color accuracy. As it stands, though, aside from snapping pictures of my own cats, I don’t use my phone camera for much.
But that also isn’t a concern, as the Razr 60 Ultra is said to have a dual-camera setup with two 50MP sensors, on top of a 50MP front camera for all my selfie needs. By raw numbers, that beats the 16 Pro Max’s 48MP sensors, although the Apple Camera Interface architecture could give it an edge — we won’t know until we get hands-on with the Razr 60 Ultra.
The Motorola Razr 60 Ultra looks like it offers far more bang for the buck than a new iPhone would. It also has Gemini AI integration, which puts it ahead of the iPhone 16 line in terms of anything more than bare-bones AI functionality.
While switching from Apple to a different platform would result in some lost integration (and the need to transfer years of notes to another service), the jump in performance — and the cost savings — almost makes it feel worthwhile. I haven’t yet made up my mind whether to switch, but as my iPhone 12 nears the end of its functional lifespan, it’s definitely something I am considering. The last smartphone I had before switching to iPhone was a Razr, and it feels oddly appropriate to bookend the experience with another phone from the same family.
I also can’t talk about switching without mentioning the look of the Razr 60 Ultra. That wood-grain appearance holds a particular appeal, as does the forest green color option. After years of relatively boring iPhone options, it would be nice to jump to a handset that looks so much better.
