A Motorola Razr Flip Smartphone kept at dispay at the launch event of the new Motorola Flip ... [+]
Android 14 is finally arriving on the Motorola Razr 2023 series, according to users who have received the update.
Spotted by 9To5Google, Razr 2023 owners have been posting on Reddit about finally receiving Android 14, which was released last October. Motorola hasn’t officially communicated that it is rolling out the OS to existing phones (I've asked), but a newly updated Razr support page has details about Android 14 and its features.
These include better privacy tools, like only giving apps access to specific media, such as a single picture, rather than your entire media library. Or Android’s unknown tracker detection, flash notifications and more control over location sharing with third-party apps.
The delayed rollout may be to do with customizing the OS for Motorola’s foldable range, but it’s not clear what new Razr-specific features have landed with the update. In any case, Razr users are happy with some of the new fold-specific tools.
"I got it and am pleasantly surprised at the improvement of a lot of foldable functionality. I'm not totally sure these are new, but you can now customize how your phone works in "tent" and "stand" modes for desk usage.” One Redditor said.
Overall Android 14 features have gone down well, too.
“From what I see, the biggest improvements are on the external display. Many more customizations and I have had no problems running all of my apps on it. This was well worth the wait! I also noticed that Bluetooth seems better. I have Bose QC Ultra earbuds and they are now connecting every time which was not the case before.” Another Redditor explained.
The reason for the update might be related to the release of the new Razr and Razr Plus 2024, both of which ship with Android 14 installed.
This story was updated on July 9th with Motorola's Android 14 roll out confirmation.
Motorola has now confirmed that it is rolling out Android 14 to both the Razr and Razr Plus 2023 (also known as the Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra). But there is a difference in regards to features between the two devices. Only the Plus/Ultra model will get “all of the Gemini updates” as Motorola explained it to me, but the base model won’t because it doesn’t have the hardware to support these unnamed AI features. Motorola hasn’t yet responded to a follow up question about what specific AI features the Ultra will benefit from, but I will update this story when and if I get a response.
Motorola’s new Razr 2024 handsets will be released soon, shortly before Samsung debuts the latest iteration of its own clamshell foldable phone: the Flip 6. Motorola isn’t shying away from the competition, though, because it has been running a near-constant sale of its 2023 lineup for months.