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Y2K fashion has made a drastic return in the last few years, so much so, we're basically living in a 2004 fever dream.
Low-rise jeans seem to be everywhere, and don’t forget the tiny handbags, which are somehow even tinier. And now, one of the most iconic pieces of tech has returned – although this time, it's had a rather extravagant makeover.
The Great Big Story (Giphy)
Millennials will be well aware of the Motorola Razr, and there being nothing quite as sassy as the hot pink version. It was the IT phone, often paired with a ringtone you could hear three rooms away and, if you were really committed to the look, a mini lip gloss dangling from it.
MotoUSA (Giphy)
Fast-forward to 2026 and Motorola has revived the Razr, but this isn't simply a nostalgia exercise. The Motorola Razr 60 Swarovski Edition in PANTONE Ice Melt has all the things we'd expect from a modern smartphone, while keeping the one thing that made the original so satisfying: the dramatic little flip.
Motorola has seemingly decided that if we're going to bring Y2K back, we may as well do it properly. And what better way to make a phone even more iconic than to collaborate with Swarovski?
The Brilliant Collection version comes with 35 hand-positioned Swarovski crystals, plus a 26-facet crystal built into the hinge, so even opening your phone has become a tiny bit of theatre. There's also a quilted, leather-inspired finish, a clear protective case designed to show off the crystals rather than cover them up, and a crossbody case that lets you wear the phone like a bag.
Motorola
And I can confirm, this isn't one of those products that looks good in the box and then sits in the bottom of your bag.
From the moment I opened it, the whole experience felt properly luxurious, right down to the packaging and the fact that the Swarovski Collection comes with the crystal-adorned Moto Buds Loop. It felt much more like a fashion purchase than simply upgrading your phone.
In other words, your phone has officially become the outfit – and a status symbol in itself.
Motorola
And if you really think about it, it makes complete sense. Phones have become one of the things we're carrying around most visibly every day, so why shouldn't they look like something you'd actually want to accessorise with?
The Razr takes that quite literally. The foldable design means it's compact when closed, while the external 3.6-inch display means you don't even have to open it to do plenty of everyday things. You can check notifications, access apps and do plenty from the outer screen – meaning you can have your main-character flip moment without even committing to the full phone-opening experience.
And when you do want the full smartphone experience, there's a 6.9-inch FHD+ pOLED display waiting inside. There's also a dual-camera setup, including a 50MP main camera, and having spent time using it, the camera experience was genuinely one of the standouts for me. The image quality quite frankly surprised me, while the folding design gives you some rather fun ways to use it that you simply don't get with a traditional smartphone.
MotorolaBrazil (Giphy)
One of those is camcorder mode, where you partially fold the phone and hold it horizontally to record videos. It's such a quirky but cool feature, and genuinely makes you feel like you're filming on a retro camcorder.
And, thankfully, all of this doesn't come with the faff you'd perhaps expect from switching to a completely different type of smartphone. Setting it up was incredibly easy, so I could get straight into the fun stuff – including personalising the app icons to fit the Y2K aesthetic, or whatever aesthetic you're feeling that day.
A bigger, more technical positive, perhaps, is that the battery isn't exactly stuck in 2004 either. The 4,500mAh battery supports 30W TurboPower charging, and Motorola says it's designed to provide more than a full day of use. In my experience, I comfortably went a full day and night without having to charge it.
But really, it's the combination of fashion and nostalgia that makes this Razr unique. And people online are clearly getting involved, with some even jumping on the bedazzling trend and upping the ante even more by decking out their new favourite tech addition.
I also discovered that wearing the phone in its crossbody case is a pretty successful conversation starter. On nights out, people genuinely couldn't believe it was a phone at first – because, worn like a little bag, it looks much more like an accessory than something you'd use to call your mum.
We've spent years being told that technology should be smaller, sleeker and increasingly invisible. The Razr feels like a rejection of that idea. It's a phone you're actually meant to notice. The crystals catch the light, the hinge demands a satisfying flip, and the whole thing feels much closer to a piece of jewellery or a handbag accessory than the anonymous black rectangle we've all been carrying around for the past decade.
It’s undeniably very Y2K, a time when your phone said something about you, and the colour you opted for mattered (along with the ringtone and the little charms). It wasn't just a device – it was part of the outfit and, somewhat, your identity.
Tech is being made fun again, going against the status quo of generic glass slabs in our pockets. Now it’s adorned with Swarovski crystals, crossbody cases and the satisfying drama of flipping your phone shut when you’re done with the conversation.
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