Motorola Razr: Secret Retro Razr mode and other details buyers need to know

Now that the Motorola Razr has officially made its debut, some of the questions consumers had about the new smartphones must have been answered. Nevertheless, there are still some nuances that were not directly advertised by the manufacturer. Perhaps its most intriguing feature is the foldable display that allows it to retain a traditional clamshell configuration of the original. While most users think that the nostalgia trip ends there, the Retro Razr mode setting takes it further.

Reports are unsure if it was an intentional Easter egg hidden by the manufacturer. Thankfully after messing around with the actual unit, folks from The Verge were able to trigger the feature. Once activated, Retro Razr mode changes the overall UI of the handset. To be specific, it rewinds time to take users back to when the original still relied on physical buttons to navigate and operate the mobile phone.

Its attention to detail is reportedly outstanding as this exclusive Android launcher nails the presentation down to the most intimate detail. Motorola even went as far as to recreate the original boot animation during startup. It turns the lower half of the new Razr into a fully functional keypad.

It rejects touch input made on the upper half and forces owners to interact using the on-screen buttons instead. It is evident that a lot of thought went into this, which should please nostalgic consumers. The only way to activate this special mode is via the Android Quick Setting menu. The next step is to edit the items that are displayed by adding the Retro Razr option to the set. What follows is to swipe down to access the shortcuts and toggle the launcher.

This appears to be a remarkable tribute to its predecessor, which was one of the most popular mobile phones of its time. The Lenovo-owned company beats Samsung to the punch by unveiling its foldable clamshell handset ahead of the competition. The South Korean manufacturer is rumoured to be working on a clamshell foldable of its own slated for a 2020 release. So far, the only caveat of the Motorola Razr other than the $1,499 price is an exclusive offer from Verizon.