5 Motorola phones that hold a special place in my heart, no matter how old they are

If you’re an enthusiast like me and appreciate the importance of older phones, here are my 5 favorite Motorola phones, ranging from the analog network phones of the 90s to the Android powerhouse flagships of today.

5

Motorola StarTAC

Long before there was a Razr

Motorola brought style to cell phones with the StarTAC. It was sleek and thin at a time when cell phones were more utilitarian. It’s widely considered the first true flip phone, and it’s hard to describe the amazement of using one for the first time unless you held the brick phones that came before it. It weighed only 88g, a drop in the bucket compared to the competition. It didn’t sacrifice durability for style, as its clamshell design and hinge held up well — mine from 30 years ago still opens and closes perfectly.

Motorola didn’t just make a fancy phone with the StarTAC; it innovated. It’s the first device to feature a vibration alert mode, which notifies you of calls in meetings or other occasions when you wouldn’t want the ringer on. It featured a notification LED to alert users of missed calls and charging status. While the first units used the AMPS analog cellular network, variants after 1997 used the CDMA and GSM digital networks for better call reception. If you were into phones in the late 90s, you wanted a StarTAC.

4

Motorola Razr V3

The mid-2000s were a fun time

If you thought the StarTAC was a big deal, the Razr V3 was even more significant. Carrier contracts became more prevalent, and while the starting price of a Razr was $500, a two-year contract scored you one for only $99. It was hard to resist, as the Razr was sleek and stylish, only 13.9mm thick. Motorola also gave it an aluminum body, making it durable and giving it a fantastic feel in the hand compared to the plastic hunks we were used to.

Motorola took the outer display a step further with the Razr V3. We were used to small monochrome displays on the outside of phones, just enough to show contact information or the number of the person calling. The Razr had a 1-inch color LCD that displayed alerts, call and text information, and battery status. The Razr V3 is one of the most iconic phones ever, and I’m glad I got to use one growing up.

3

Motorola Q

Not everyone had a BlackBerry

I’m a huge BlackBerry fan, and I’ve had countless devices over the years. I’ve also owned several Palm Treo phones, but there’s something about the Motorola Q that I’ve always enjoyed. Although I didn’t like Windows Mobile, as its performance held the Motorola Q back, I loved the form factor and keyboard. The scroll wheel made it easy to navigate through the UI, and the keys were bigger than on the Palm Treo phones, making typing more enjoyable.

The Motorola Q was only 11.5mm thick at a time when BlackBerry devices were bulkier. Its 2.4-inch display was more impressive than it sounds, and its 3G network support meant faster downloads — of mobile webpages. If you needed a QWERTY keyboard for text and email in 2006 but didn’t want to pay the BlackBerry data premium through your carrier, the Motorola Q was an excellent option.

2

Moto Z

Expanding your phone with Moto Mods

I still remember the first time I saw the Moto Z. Motorola had a kiosk in my local AT&T store where people could try the Moto Mods. The Moto Z is 5.2mm thick and feels fantastic in the hand. I almost didn’t want to use Moto Mods because I loved the stock feel. However, that thinness came at a price, as Moto fit an undersized battery to the Moto Z, especially considering it was powered by a Snapdragon 820. The battery life was poor; if you wanted to go all day and then some, you needed to use the battery mod.

I was fond of the wood-grain Moto Style Shell, as I’d never seen that look on a phone before. The JBL speaker was also a cool mod. I didn’t get the projector until years later on eBay, but it’s fun if you want to show a video to a group of friends. The Moto Z had a lot going for it; only the Moto Mods were expensive then, and the phone didn’t stack up with the competition because of its poor battery life. Still, it is on my list as a throwback to when Motorola innovated.

1

Motorola Razr+ (2024)

A well-done revival

I didn’t mind the first revival of the Razr branding in 2020. I enjoyed that the phone borrowed heavily from the original and felt it was on the right track. Unfortunately, the device was underpowered with a small battery for such a hefty price tag, and I shied away. Thankfully, Motorola didn’t give up, and we’ve been rewarded the last two years. The Motorola Razr+ in 2023 was one of my favorite devices of the year, and that’s also true of the Razr+ from 2024.

Although the phone’s style no longer borrows from the original, the spirit is there. The Razr+ (2024) is much more stylish than the competition, with sleek lines and a color-matched aluminum frame. Its 4-inch external display is the best in class, and I’ve had no issues with durability. Mine has gotten plenty of pocket time. I can’t wait to see what Motorola has in store for the Razr+ (2025), but I’m confident the company is on the right track with folding phones.

What’s old is new again

It took 30 years, but Motorola came full circle with the Razr+ phones. From innovating with a stylish design on the StarTAC to adding a fresh face to folding phones with the Razr+, Motorola needed some time to find itself again. Part of me will always be a fan of the company, even if it takes another break in the wilderness. I like the niche Moto carved for itself in the last few years. Let’s hope someone is writing an article 30 years from now about their 5 favorite Motorola devices — but I doubt any of them will use an antenna.