Motorola phones often play third (or fourth) fiddle to Samsung and Google, but the winds are changing. The company's Razr handsets are the most popular folding smartphones in the US, and Motorola continues to experiment with colorful Android phones and fun textures.

The best Motorola phone is the Razr Ultra – a statement piece that combines style with substance. Its 4-inch OLED screen is highly customizable and opens up to reveal a large 7-inch AMOLED display, making it perfect for multitasking on the go. The 50-MP camera system delivers plenty of nice shots, though there’s room for improvement.

If you’re looking for a budget Moto G smartphone, the company releases them at the beginning of the year in January, but wait for major sale events to get the best deals. For its Razr folding phones, the spring is usually when they arrive.

Motorola’s software interface is simple and easy to use, with 256 GB as standard storage even on some cheaper models. The company also includes a microSD card slot for expandable storage and retains the headphone jack in many of its devices. However, Motorola's software updates are lackluster – it promises three Android OS updates and five years of bimonthly security updates for its high-end smartphones.

The cameras on Moto phones can take fine photos but fall behind their competitors. The Razr Ultra’s 50-MP camera system is a step in the right direction, but Motorola still lags behind Samsung, Apple, and Google in this regard.