5 Day-One Changes I Made On My Motorola Razr 2025 That Make Me Love It Even More
Contents
I’m enjoying the Motorola Razr 2025. I think Moto did the best job of any folding phone manufacturer of capturing what a flip phone should be. It’s not exclusively about performance or support; it’s about a vibe. As I’ll mention in my review, the Motorola Razr 2025 is a fun $700 phone that does the basics well while providing enough flair to justify its midrange performance.
If you pick up a Razr 2025, you’ll want to pay attention to a few items to get the most from your new flip phone. The Motorola Razr lineup is about style and customization, so here are 5 items I spent time tweaking on my Razr that will help you enjoy yours.
Related
5 Set up that outer display
No need for Good Lock
I enjoy the Motorola Razr 2025’s outer screen experience. Even though I prefer the larger display of its more expensive sibling, I can get a surprising amount done on the Razr’s 3.6-inch external panel. It’s a fantastic way to check messages and respond quickly to an email. Typing is more comfortable than expected, and I never have problems sending a WhatsApp message. I have larger thumbs, and while it’s not a luxury experience with plenty of room, I don’t feel cramped typing.
Thankfully, unlike the Galaxy Z Flip phones, you don’t need Good Lock or any secondary app to add apps for access on the outer display. You can go right into the menu and add from a selection of apps by editing the proper panel. It can get a little cramped, but extending the screen around the cameras makes it easy to enjoy a brief Instagram and Facebook scroll without unfolding your Razr and having it devolve into a 30-minute doom scroll.
4 Delete the stuff you don’t need
Bloatware lives
If I have one major complaint about Motorola, it’s the amount of bloatware in its software. I begrudgingly accept it on budget phones to keep costs low for us, but it has no place on midrange phones and higher, like the $700 Razr 2025. I don’t want various games and apps I’ll never use thrown in my face during initial setup, and I certainly don’t want to have to go back and delete items I never intended to install.
Unfortunately, you have some work to do to clean up after Motorola the first time you power up your Razr. The dreaded games folder is full of phantom apps that Motorola suggests you install. I delete the entire thing, and if I want a folder of the titles I want installed, I create a new one. You’ll have to decide on other apps, like Adobe Scan, but Motorola should give us more control over what’s installed on phones we pay good money for. Motorola’s software suite is excellent, but I can do without the bloat.
3 Setting up a Moto account is a must
Save yourself aggravation
I wish Motorola would establish itself as the anti-AI smartphone company. We are forced to constantly use AI “advancements” on phones from Samsung and Google that do almost nothing to improve our user experience. I don’t know how often I’ve stared at Now Brief on my Galaxy S25 Ultra, begging it to do anything that felt generative or helpful, only to feed another unrelated news story. Unfortunately, Motorola is looking to get in on the fun, with its suite of AI functions.
While you can’t avoid running into Moto AI on your Razr 2025, you can make the experience slightly less frustrating. If you set up a Motorola account on your Razr, you’ll get access to Moto AI. Without one, you’ll be prompted each time you access a feature. At least Moto isn’t making us pay, but I hate that I need to be logged into an account to use something like Image Studio. It’s a small thing, but it’ll save you a few headaches during use.
2 Motorola Smart Connect needs love
Better than DeX
I don’t feel like fielding all the hate mail, but I think Motorola Smart Connect is a better app than Samsung DeX. I love its flexibility and the fact that it’ll run on almost anything. Samsung gatekeeps DeX behind its most expensive phones, and some, like the Galaxy Z Flip 6, don’t even get a full DeX experience despite its $1,100 price tag. Motorola puts Smart Connect on even its budget devices, and you can even download it from the Play Store on another Android device. I love that kind of versatility, and it increases the capabilities of your Razr 2025.
Smart Connect allows you to mirror your phone on a tablet or PC. You can also control your device directly or have a desktop environment, like with DeX. Your smartphone can act as a webcam for your tablet or PC, or you can use Smart Connect to replicate multiple monitors, giving you extra space or added windows. It’s an incredibly useful program, and you should take a few moments to connect your Razr to your other devices through Smart Connect.
1 Razrs are supposed to be fun, make it look that way
Customize all over
Hello UI was a refreshing change for Motorola, as the company’s Android software was stale. With the outer display, Razrs provide even more opportunities to customize and make the device your own. I love going through the outer display options and setting up separate wallpapers and panels with apps and widgets. The outer screen is what you make of it, and it’s worth your time to give it personality.
When unfolded, the story is the same. Moto offers several wallpapers, theming options, and even app icon shapes, letting you change the entire feel of your Razr with a few clicks. I don’t do enough customizing on my phones, but there are plenty of opportunities on the Razr, with more to come when Material 3 Expressive is released. Google seems poised to embrace the individuality of other Android manufacturers and form factors with Material 3 Expressive, and I look forward to its implementation on the Razr 2025.
Embrace why you bought a flip phone
Flip phones aren’t excellent value. You can buy much better smartphones for $100 or $200 less, but it’s not about that. We don’t buy a flip phone over a midrange phone because of performance or RAM. We buy flip phones to bring style and fun to our daily tech carry. If you’re tired of the same old, it might be time for a Razr; just make sure you customize it.
Moto Razr (2025)
Motorola’s most affordable Razr gets a glow-up for 2025. With new colors, a more powerful processor, and all sorts of AI tools, this might be the most exciting $700 folding phone you’ve ever seen.
