Motorola is looking to revive the Razr brand – again – as a flip phone with foldable screen and hefty $1,500 price tag, The Wall Street Journal stated.

Lenovo, parent of Motorola, has teamed with US operator Verizon to offer the device on an exclusive basis, with availability as early as February 2019 – meaning it could make an appearance at MWC Barcelona. It was said that testing is still underway, and timing of the final release has not been finalised.

The original, slimline Razr flip phone was an incredible success for Motorola, becoming one of the most sold models ever (in excess of 130 million units across its lifetime, according to reports). But the company struggled to follow it up, and the Razr name has periodically been revived, initially for successor flip phones before being applied to more traditional smartphones.

The reemergence of the brand this time around ties in with what is set to become a 2019 technology trend: flexible screen smartphones. This complements the original Razr’s clamshell design, which can be updated to a more modern format.

Samsung is also set to unveil its first folding screen device in the near future.

A challenge with any new technology is cost, and at $1,500 the Razr is not going to replicate the volumes of its predecessor. According to The Wall Street Journal, “about 200,000” of the new phones will be manufactured, indicating its role will be marketing and technology innovation rather than solely commercial.

And with vendors such as Nokia (HMD) trading heavily on nostalgia, Razr is still a recognisable brand with associated goodwill which will resonate with buyers – particularly in the US.