The Motorola Razr 2022 was unveiled earlier this week. Following on from the Motorola Razr 5G, the Razr 2022 features a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, and the most advanced camera on any flip phone.
What's more, it undercuts the esteemed Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 by around £100. That makes it one of the most affordable foldable phones on the market.
One feature seems to have been glossed over, though, and it could prove to be an important one. Motorola's Ready For technology is nothing new, but coupled with the extra firepower on offer in the Razr 2022, it could be more useful than ever.
What is "Ready For"?
Ready For is Motorola's technology that enables you to cast your phone display to a larger screen, like a TV, and use the handset itself as a remote. At it's most basic level, Ready For turns your phone into a kind of pseudo-computer, doing away with the need for a laptop.
Casting video calls can enable you to see colleagues, friends and family in unprecedented detail, while casting TV from the best streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime, enables you to watch the action on any screen.
But for me, the most interesting feature is the ability to cast games to the big screen, allowing you to break free from your phone screen when gaming. Okay, the Razr 2022 is unlikely to challenge the best gaming phones on the market, but that Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 is a certified powerhouse, and should have no trouble handling a stint of mobile gaming. You can even pair external devices, like wireless controllers, to improve the experience.
That's a package that I think should be worrying the team behind the Nintendo Switch. It's definitely not a like-for-like product, but a big part of the appeal for the Switch is its ability to morph between a personal gaming device and an immersive console for multiple users. If that functionality is tidily packaged into your phone, there's no real need to spend extra for the Switch.
What's more, the Google Play app store that supplies Android phones like the Razr 2022 is equipped with a greater array of titles than Nintendo has. I can see the appeal of games like Call of Duty Mobile, particularly in multiplayer on the big screen.
As someone who hasn't owned a console – like the PS5 or the Xbox Series X – for a few years, the opportunity to game casually from my phone, without investing in a console and the games to go with it, is very appealing.
