Production delays push back Motrola Razr launch in Australia

Motorola has delayed the launch of their nostalgia inducing Moto RAZR foldable phone in Australia, with the phone now being launched in March due to production delays.

Motorola previously announced the phone would launch in Australia on February 24th but JB Hifi, which previously listed today as the launch date, has since updated the website with a new launch date of March 17th. JB Hifi has offered a statement on the product page advising the reason for the delay.

EFTM also understands the date currently listed on the JB HIFi website is indicative only, and there’s no confirmation yet of an official delivery date, given the production delays are requiring Motorola to make constant changes to production and delivery schedules”

Motorola too has updated their Australian website advising of the delay, but simply stating ‘Orders ship mid March’, with no further explanation.

Motorola experienced similar delays with the launch of the RAZR in the US. The company issued a statement in late December for the US market stating:

Since its announcement in November, the new motorola razr has received unparalleled excitement and interest from consumers. Demand has been high, and as a result, has quickly outgrown supply predictions.

Motorola has decided to adjust razr’s presale and launch timing to better meet consumer demand. We are working to determine the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to razr at launch.

We do not anticipate a significant shift from our original availability timeline.

JB Hifi customers who pre-ordered are likely affected by the delay with JB Hifi’s policy on shipping new units reading ‘Due to strict supplier embargo, pre-order products may often only be shipped 1 day prior to the official release date‘.

EFTM understands JB Hi-Fi notified all pre-order customers last week when they were advised of the delay

The $2,699 phone has faced increased competition since its launch with Samsung releasing a competitor in the foldable flip phone category with the Galaxy Z Flip earlier this month. Samsung has faced their own challenges with production though with the company closing their Gumi plant in South Korea, which manufactures the Z Flip, due to the Corona virus outbreak over the weekend.

Motorola Australia has issued the following statement:

The situation in China is inevitably impacting the launch and availability of the motorola razr. Most of our factories in China have reopened and are operational, albeit on a limited basis due to health, public transportation and travel limitations. The remaining factories located in the Hubei region, will open in line with the policies of the respective regional government. We are leveraging the full strength of our global manufacturing and distribution networks and anticipate the razr will be on shelf in Australia by mid to end of March 2020.