Motorola released a whole slew of YouTube videos Sunday about its new Razr, a revamped throwback to its mid-2000s flip phone of the same name, in celebration of the phone’s pre-order launch. But with them came a disclaimer about the foldable phone: “Screen is made to bend; bumps and lumps are normal.”
Pre-sales became available today exclusively through Verizon at $1,499, though the phones won’t ship out until Feb. 14, according to Verizon’s website, and not on Feb. 6 as Motorola previously announced.
In a video titled “Caring for razr,” the company appears to preemptively temper users’ fears about having another Galaxy Fold situation on their hands. As a recap, for Samsung’s first swing at a foldable smartphone, “lumps and bumps” ended up being the first sign of an impending screen failure for several users.
Motorola says that’s not the case with its Razr, though. The phone’s plastic folding screen apparently relies on a hinge engineered with more give built-in for durability. However, unsightly creases and, as Motorola put it, some “lumps and bumps” are more than likely going to crop up with use eventually, a trade-off for the material’s flexibility that no one’s quite figured out how to nix entirely yet. Though rumors about Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip (or whatever it ends up being called) suggest the company’s opting for an “ultra-thin glass cover for the first time in the world,” which could very well buck the trend.
The rest of Motorola’s how-to goes over a few ground rules for handling the Razr, such as avoiding sharp objects and screen protectors, wiping it down with a dry cloth when it gets wet, and if you’re going to put it in your pocket, for God’s sake at least close the thing first.
In short, turns out that it was only wishful thinking when a Motorola executive specifically said of the Razr in a Verge interview that they weren’t “going to go out there and say, ‘consumers should be cautious of how they use the phone.’”
Also please note, dear reader: Motorola’s disclaimer is only applicable to its foldable Razr phones. If you find lumps and bumps anywhere else, please consult a medical professional immediately.