This new foldable phone could be a game changer for photographers

If you've been waiting for a phone that doubles as a serious tool for photo editing, Motorola's latest announcement might be worth your attention. The company has just unveiled the Razr Fold, its first book-style foldable phone, and it comes with something none of its American rivals offer: proper stylus support.

For anyone unfamiliar with foldables, think of it as a smartphone that opens like a book to reveal a tablet-sized screen. When closed, the Razr Fold has a 6.6-inch display. Open it up, and you get an 8.1-inch screen – large enough to genuinely replace both your phone and iPad for certain workflows.

The stylus makes the difference

While Samsung and Google both make foldable phones, Samsung actually dropped stylus support from its latest Galaxy Z Fold 7. That makes the Razr Fold the only flagship foldable in the US market with dedicated stylus capability.

This new phone will include support for the Motorola's Moto Pen Ultra, which offers 4,096 pressure levels and a remarkably low 5.3-millisecond latency. In plain English, that means it should feel responsive and natural to use. The stylus comes in its own charging case and connects via Bluetooth, with an IP55 rating protecting it from dust and water.

So what does this all mean for photographers? Quite a lot, I'd suggest.

The obvious advantage is mobile editing. Trying to make precise selections or draw accurate masks with your finger is frustrating at best. With a proper stylus, you can do detail work that would normally require a desktop setup. Need to dodge and burn specific areas? Want to apply selective adjustments? A stylus makes this possible with actual precision.

Then there's annotation. If you're shooting for a client and need to mark up images, a stylus is invaluable. You can circle problem areas, draw arrows to specific elements, or write notes directly on previews. It makes location-based collaboration much more practical.

For those who sketch lighting setups or shot compositions before a shoot, the large screen combined with stylus input provides a proper canvas. You can draw diagrams, map positions, or quickly sketch ideas – all on the same device you're using to capture images.

The tablet-sized screen, meanwhile, could transform how you review images in the field. Rather than squinting at a small phone display, you get something closer to using a proper monitor. Combined with the stylus, you can make quick editorial decisions, mark selects, or add ratings as you work through a shoot.

There are three 50MP rear cameras on the Razr Fold: a Sony main sensor, an ultra-wide lens that doubles as a macro, and a telephoto with three-times optical zoom. There's also a 32MP external selfie camera and a 20MP internal camera. The device can record video in Dolby Vision for enhanced dynamic range and color accuracy.

Playing catchup

Motorola is arriving relatively late to the market here. Samsung is already on its seventh-generation Galaxy Z Fold, and Google is on its third Pixel Fold. However, Motorola does have some related experience through its Razr line of flip-style devices, which it's been making since 2019.

The Razr Fold is expected to launch this summer and pricing has yet to be announced. So whether the Razr Fold becomes a serious tool for photographers will depend on a lot of things. On paper, though, the combination of a tablet-sized screen, precision stylus input, and a capable camera system does sound genuinely interesting. 

For anyone wishing to review, edit, and annotate images properly while working on location, it could fill a gap that existing foldables haven't managed to address.

Check out our full guide to the best foldable phones