I used to be a big supporter of Motorola. I’ve used their products — both consumer products like phones and industrial products like remote terminal units — and thought they were best in class. As far as phones go, the first Moto X is still one of the best and most innovative devices ever made in my opinion.
Then Google lost interest in the company, and it ended up being bought by Lenovo, one of my least favorite manufacturers. Mediocre products with terrible support meant I was happy to tell anyone that you should never buy a product with a Motorola logo on it.
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I wasn’t happy about this. Motorola had fallen from the company that made both the best “flagship” phone in the Moto X and the best budget phone in the Moto G to a company I couldn’t recommend with a clear conscious. Rehashing the same thing year after year and having a pricing strategy that made no sense made their products forgettable, and failing to support them once they were sold made them regrettable.
Motorola may not be the “American-made” company they once were, but the way the company is turning itself around shouldn’t be dismissed. I think one of their phones in particular — The 2024 Razr — is once again the best in class.
I don’t use a foldable and really don’t see myself using them in the immediate future. I don’t think they are a fad though, and I honestly believe they will become mainstream in the coming years. Companies aren’t going to stop making “regular” phones, but foldables will gain significant market share eventually.
I have a few reasons for resisting. I really do love the flip form factor and phones like the Galaxy Z Flip and the Razr are functional and fun to use. I’m not in love with the plastic screens, I think they have inherent durability issues, but most of all I hate the price. I’m never going to buy a Z Flip or a Razr when I can get a Pixel 8a for hundreds less and have every feature except flipping it open.
I know folding phones are more expensive because making them costs a lot more. But Motorola has the right idea here by releasing both the Razr Plus and a more price-friendly Razr. Samsung could do the same (and maybe it will) by announcing a Z Flip FE but Motorola is doing it now.
This ties in with the company’s marketing and advertising push which feels a lot like something we would see from Samsung or Apple. It’s well done, and not a bunch of numbers for nerds to fight about. It shows how fun these phones are and people want something fun. As Android Central’s EiC Shruti Shekar points out, Samsung needs to worry about this because Motorola is doing it better.
Of course, Motorola still makes budget phones and the lineup is still too confusing. I think that the company can meld the Razr marketing into something that works as well for $200 phones, letting you know why you might want one. Websites like AC can still analyze the devices, pointing out both the flaws and features if you need more information before you buy but Moto is making sure you know they exist.
The one concern I still have is product support. I don’t mean some silly promise about seven OS upgrades (your phone is not going to last that long nor will it be able to include all the goodies seven years from now); I mean supporting the products they sell for a reasonable lifespan. I would love to see a reasonable security patch schedule as well as prompt attention to the inevitable bugs that will pop up.
This is one area where Motorola slid from the top of the hill to the sewer and that leaves plenty of room for improvement. Motorola has pledged that it will improve, giving a schedule it can live up to for planned updates and it should have a team in place that can handle any pressing bugs.
I’m willing to believe the company. It has shown me that it does take great pride in its products and it is spending time and money to market them. Supporting them well would be the logical choice.
Times are tough right now. They are slowly getting better and that means more people will have the means to do things like buy a new phone. It really looks like Motorola realizes this and is willing to spend money to try and make money. I think what they are doing is great and I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
My endorsement or my purchase doesn’t mean much for Motorola’s bottom line. But I am a firm believer that we all should “vote with our wallets” and strive to buy products and support companies we think are doing the right thing. Motorola has the right ideas when it comes to selling foldables and offers a great line of affordable products. It’s working to sort out its marketing and appeal to regular folks like us and that’s something we all should get behind.
