Foldable phones have come a very long way. Crumpled screens with fragile and vulnerable armor have undergone a transformation and become more serious competitors even for the best Android smartphones. Now the only real problems these engineers have to solve are all the other annoying hassles that plague a typical smartphone. In this state of mind, this year’s face-offs are hotter than ever.
In one corner, Motorola launched its first-ever book-shaped foldable, the Razr Fold, featuring an impressive 8.1-inch interior display, a trio of 50 MP cameras, and high-capacity charging capabilities whether you plug it in or deploy it. Opposite it is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, which features a more compact form factor that unfolds up to 7.6 inches in diameter and carries two 50 MP cameras as well as a sturdier overall ecosystem and support base.
At $1,900 each, you’ll want a device that can last all day, let alone for years to come. Foldable phones offer many exclusive features that give you the advantage over a flat handset, but the most important factor to take care of will be battery capacity. On this front, the Razr Fold has a clear advantage with a 25% larger capacity battery than the Galaxy Z Fold 8.
The Motorola Razr Fold has a bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
The Galaxy Z Fold 8 has a 4,800 mAh battery, while the Razr Fold has a 6,000 mAh cell. Both Samsung and Motorola use silicon-carbon battery technology that enables immense gains in energy density. So far, no major issues have been reported on phones using silicon-carbon batteries, but it could arise because silicon batteries are more likely to develop over time. When charging, the Razr Fold can charge at up to 80 watts with a cable, 50 watts via a Qi wireless charger, and can even charge other devices wirelessly at 15 watts. The Fold 8 maxes out at 45 watts wired, 20 watts wireless, and a measly 4.5 watts to another wireless device.
It’s not just the battery where the Razr Fold outperforms the Fold 8 – it simply has more impressive specs all around. The cover screen is 15% larger than the Fold 8, the internal screen is 18% larger, and the Motorola outperforms Samsung with a peak brightness of 6,000 nits compared to 3,000 nits on both screens. The Fold 8 also only offers a base configuration containing 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage compared to the Razr Fold’s 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. With many other factors equalized, the bottom line is that Motorola offers more phone for the money than Samsung, but with big payload comes big responsibility. This bigger battery may last longer on paper, but maybe not as long as you think in the long run.
