Forget The RAZR Flex 27, Get One of These Foldables Instead

Those details are still based on leaks, and Motorola hasn’t announced the phone or its price. But if it arrives costing around $1,500 or more, there’s a simpler option: buy a proven foldable refurbished and keep a lot of that money in your pocket.

A refurbished foldable won’t be brand new, but it gives you the big-screen experience these phones are built around.

For reading, watching videos, browsing and running two apps side by side, a Galaxy Z Fold or Pixel Fold already does the job.

You don’t need to wait for a new model just to get a larger screen.

Best overall value: refurbished Galaxy Z Fold6

• The refurbished Galaxy Z Fold6 is the one I’d look at first.
• Current deals start at $579.99.
• That gets you a book-style foldable with a 7.6-inch inner display, a 6.3-inch cover display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor.
• That chip is already fast enough for normal phone use, multitasking and demanding apps.

You can browse, stream video, check email and use split-screen apps without needing the newest processor available. The Fold6 also has Samsung’s mature foldable software, which matters more to the everyday experience than winning a benchmark test.

At around $580, it costs hundreds less than the rumored starting price of the Razr Flex 27. And unlike Motorola’s unannounced phone, the Fold6 is already available, with real hardware and a known software-support policy.

Best lower-cost big-screen foldable: refurbished Galaxy Z Fold5

If you want the large inner screen for less, the refurbished Galaxy Z Fold5 starts at $384.99. It has a 7.6-inch main display and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor.

The Fold5 is an older model, so it has less software support left than the Fold6. That’s worth considering before you buy.

But for someone who mainly wants a foldable screen for videos, reading and occasional multitasking, it still offers a lot of phone for the money.

This is the point where the value argument becomes hard to ignore. A new foldable might cost well over $1,000, while a refurbished Fold5 can cost less than $400.

You’re giving up some remaining update years and newer hardware, but you still get the main reason to buy a book-style foldable: a large screen that fits in your pocket when closed.

Best alternative to Samsung: refurbished Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold

The refurbished Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold starts at $850. It has an 8-inch inner screen, a 6.3-inch cover display and Google’s Tensor G4 chip.

The Pixel’s large screen gives you more room for reading, video and side-by-side apps. Google also promised seven years of OS and security updates for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which gives it a longer support runway than older foldables such as the Fold5.

At $850, it’s more expensive than the refurbished Samsung options here. But if you want the largest screen and longer software support, it’s a more grounded buy than paying a premium for a phone that has not even been announced.

Want a foldable that fits in a smaller pocket?

The Razr Flex is rumored to be a book-style foldable, so a flip phone isn’t a direct replacement. But if the reason you’re interested in a Razr is the compact folded shape, the refurbished Galaxy Z Flip6 starts at $342.

The Flip6 folds in half like a traditional flip phone. Its 6.7-inch main display is a normal smartphone screen when opened, while the cover screen handles quick checks and simple tasks when it’s closed. It won’t give you the tablet-like display of a Fold, but it is a much cheaper way to get a pocketable foldable.

A new foldable doesn’t automatically make more sense

The RAZR Flex 27 could turn out to be a good phone. For now, though, the processor, screen sizes and price are all based on reports, not a finished product Motorola has put on sale.

The refurbished choices are real phones with established designs, known specs and live prices. The Galaxy Z Fold6 is the sensible all-round pick. The Galaxy Z Fold5 is the cheaper route into a big-screen foldable. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the pick if you want a large screen and longer update support.

For most people, the foldable experience matters more than having the newest processor. If you’re using the phone for browsing, messages, video and everyday apps, an older flagship foldable still has plenty of power. Buying refurbished can also mean avoiding a four-figure phone bill for hardware that doesn’t change how you use your phone day to day.