The new foldable Motorola Razr was set to begin its preorders in less than a week. But if you were planning to place your order for the $1,500 folding flip phone on Dec. 26, better make some alternative plans.

Motorola said today (Dec. 20) that it's pushing back both the pre-order period and the launch of its foldable phone. Verizon was set to start taking orders on the Razr next Thursday (Dec. 26), with the phone arriving in January.

This is the third high-profile foldable phone launch to see a delay, after both Samsung and Huawei pushed back the launches of their respective Galaxy Fold and Mate X devices this year. But Motorola says the delayed Razr launch is a reflection of higher-than-anticipated interest rather than any production or design flaw.

"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 said in a statement.

The phone maker says it's trying to figure out "the appropriate quantity and schedule to ensure that more consumers have access to Razr at launch." While Motorola added that it doesn't expect a long delay, it's not providing a timeline for when we can expect Razr pre-orders to begin.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The new Razr captured the imagination of many phone shoppers because it replicated a classic design — the iconic Razr flip phone of a generation ago. However, this new version opens up to reveal a 6.2-inch screen. During our hands-on time with the foldable Razr at its November unveiling, we came away impressed by its pocketable size, gapless display and helpful notification screen on the outside of the folded-up phone.

The Galaxy Fold was set to debut back in April, but problems with that device's screen in early review units forced Samsung to push the launch back to September while it corrected those flaws. Huawei also delayed the Mate X's summer launch to make sure its foldable phone worked as advertised and launched the phone in limited numbers just in China.

It's unclear at this point if we'll have to wait as long for Motorola to work out its supply and demand issues with the Razr. Foldable phones may offer an exciting new frontier for smartphones, but if this past year has proven one thing, it's that the future doesn't always start on time.