There are many things I like about the new Razr Ultra 2025, and one of the latest additions I was most excited about was the AI Key. In my mind, this would open up a world of possibilities, in addition to being an easy way to access the host of AI features Motorola has packed into its Moto AI suite. However, the implementation leaves a lot to be desired, and frankly, the AI Key is often an afterthought when it easily could have been Motorola’s Action Button.
Its faults become even more apparent when we live in a world where AI is becoming more prevalent. Motorola’s implementation of it doesn’t really hold a candle to Google or Samsung, but it’s a decent first step. With that said, I think the AI Key is a great idea when done right, and both Google and Samsung would be insane not to consider implementing something like it in future phones.
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Moto AI limitations
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
Motorola is trying to put its own spin on AI, a strategy that includes its own Moto AI chatbot. You can think of it as a conversational, but somewhat less functional, Gemini or even Bixby. It can answer questions and respond in a fairly natural way, but it can’t really do much on the phone, which sort of defeats the purpose of having an AI assistant/chatbot. Moto AI is a decent offering, but it still pales in comparison to Google’s AI or Samsung’s Galaxy AI.
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On the Razr Ultra 2025, you can customize the AI Key to trigger the Moto AI overlay with a long press. Unfortunately, that’s the only option for the long press, which feels like a glaring oversight. You can’t set it to another digital assistant, despite Motorola literally filling the Razr Ultra 2025 with various options. It’s just Moto AI or nothing.
(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)
Okay, fine, so I’ll use Moto AI. No big deal. The problem then is that when I press the AI Key to trigger Moto AI, I have to then press the mic button to talk to Moto AI, which is usually the case. This differs from how Gemini functions when set to trigger using the power button or corner swipe of the display; it automatically starts listening to you. The fact that I have to press another button to talk to Moto AI adds another seemingly unnecessary step, which feels cumbersome.
This probably has something to do with Moto AI automatically analyzing what’s on your screen when you trigger it, which allows it to provide suggestions on what you should do. However, I don’t see why it can’t do that, and let me talk to it at the same time.
(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)
When I activate Gemini with a YouTube video open, for example, it will know that I’m watching a video and populate options such as “Ask about video” or “Talk Live about video,” but I still have the option to begin speaking to it when triggered automatically. This alone makes Gemini much more accessible than, and why the “AI Key” should be expanded to just more than Motorola’s AI features.
On that note, the only other option when customizing the AI Key is a Double tap, which only lets you activate Catch Me Up and Remember This. Nothing else. Which means between a double press and or long press, you have a total of three functions available from the AI Key. It feels like a complete waste of hardware.
Samsung was on the right track
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For a while, Samsung phones used to include an additional Bixby Key, which at the time, felt like the company was trying to force Bixby on us. I remember not being a fan of the move, since I felt Bixby was always playing second fiddle to Google Assistant. However, as AI becomes more prevalent and capable, I wish Samsung hadn’t removed this button from its Galaxy phones and hope the company considers bringing it back.
The Bixby button may have been introduced as an easy way to access Bixby, but the company has given users at least some level of built-in customization. You could set one gesture, either a single tap or double tap, to open an app of your choice or trigger a Routine, while the other option would be used for Bixby.
What’s more is that users found ways to sideline Bixby completely by using third-party apps like Tasker, which made it possible to trigger Google Assistant instead. This is something I’ve looked into for the Razr Ultra 2025, but so far, I’ve not had much luck.
(Image credit: Android Central)
Still, Samsung had the right idea by giving users options with the button while retaining its primary functionality. But Samsung isn’t the only company that has played around with an AI button, and more OEMs are starting to add it to their latest phones.
The Nothing Phone 3a and 3a Pro launched with a new Essential Key that works in tandem with the company’s new Essential Space. One press captures content, a double press begins recording, and a long press opens Essential Space, allowing you to view all your saved content.
It’s not extremely customizable, but it already makes more sense than Motorola’s implementation, as it provides easy access to content in the hub in addition to having a function that can be activated with a single button press, something Motorola doesn’t offer. Not only that, but users are already finding ways to re-map the button, although hopefully Nothing will allow this sooner or later.
(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)
TECNO is another company that has added a One-Tap button to devices like the Camon 40 Premier 5G, which triggers its Ella AI assistant. Coincidentally, the button doesn’t actually do anything when you tap it once, but a long press will activate Ella, or you can customize the double-press to activate just about any app you want.
So far, it doesn’t seem like anyone has really perfected this extra button, but if anyone were to, it would likely be Samsung, given its experience with an AI button. However, another phone would be perfect for an AI button: the Pixel.
Perfect for Pixel
(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)
Google needs an AI button on the Pixel. Although I would like to see Samsung implement the AI button again (and it definitely should), this would also be a very helpful addition for Pixel smartphones. Admittedly, the first and biggest reason I would love to see this doesn’t really have to do with AI.
For some time now, Android phones, including the Pixel 6 and newer models, have been defaulting to using the power button to trigger AI assistants. By default, turning off the phone now involves holding down the power button and the volume up button. This is different from how I’ve been conditioned to use the power button for many years, which previously only involved the singular button.
Fortunately, it’s easy to change to the “normal” way of using the power button on your Pixel or otherwise, but it’s always annoyed me that companies have moved to hijack the power button for purposes other than powering down. After all, there are other gestures I can use to open Gemini, such as swiping from the bottom corner of the display or double-tapping the back of the phone.
(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)
That’s also where having a separate AI button would come in; it would be a perfect way to trigger Gemini on a Pixel. Google could let users customize single and double taps, and lock the long press to Gemini or Gemini Live. Google could also follow Nothing’s lead and let users access the Pixel Screenshots app for an easy way to save and access on-device content.
With a major AI focus on Pixel phones, they’re the perfect devices to take advantage of an extra button, so long as Google gets it right. The Razr Ultra 2025 had a great opportunity with the AI Key, but so far has squandered it with its limited options and somewhat underwhelming Moto AI offering. Google (and by extension, Samsung) should learn from what Motorola and others have done with their buttons, improve upon it, and free the power button from the constraints of AI.
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