As resurrections go Motorola has to take the crown in 2022, with the brand doing a real Lazarus by rising from the dead , to today being a real challenger brand to smartphone market leaders Samsung and Apple while pushing out Chinese brtasnds such as Oppo and Vivo.
For several years Motorola wobbled along the bottom end of the smartphone market in and out of discount retailers such as Big W and the likes of Catch, with a range of sub $400 models.
In 2023 Motorola is set to be the brand that Samsung and Apple have to fear. Now owned by PC powerhouse Lenovo the business is poised to go places with ChannelNews recently exposed to a multitude of new Motorola smartphone models, future mobile technology, and an interesting take on the marriage of PCs with mobile devices.
I recently caught up with Ruben Castano, Head of Customer Experience & Design at Motorola and Sudhir Chadaga, Chief Strategy Officer, of Motorola.
I asked Ruben Castano, why Motorola had gone from being number one in the Smartphone market, with products such as their Razr phone that once dominated the market, up against powerhouse brands such as Nokia and Blackberry in an era when Apple and Samsung were better known for their computers and TV to not being seen as a key player in the market.
“I was around in that era, and I have lived through all those transitions, I would not say that we failed” he said.
“Today we are the fastest growing original equipment manufacturer of smartphones. What we were was slow going from (what he called) future phones to smartphones.”
“We were the first brand to launch an Android phone into the US market, those who failed are not around anymore.”
Recently Motorola launched a new Razr which while being similar to the Samsung foldable range in particular their Flip model the new Razr has a bigger screen on the front which Samsung claims will be a key feature in their next model in 2023.
To demonstrate how far Motorola is down the track on a next generation device Castano then showed ChannelNews a working prototype of the Companies new rollable smartphone concept.
Aiming to take on Samsung in the expandable smartphone market the Lenovo owned Company has created a concept smartphone with a device that rolls down from the top. The concept is neat but one that would not survive the wear and tear that most smartphones are put through today.
The screen of the Motorola concept phone extends and contracts with the press of a button.
With a regular size of 12.7 centimetres the display unfolds to a 16.5 centimetre or 6.5-inch screen, while the interface self-adjusts as needed making it appear as close to a normal size for a smartphone.
Motorola believes that they are on the right track with their rollable device to not only create a compact smartphone but one that can with the click of a button turn the device into a regular sized smartphone.
The question one has to ask now is whether Samsung’s share of the foldable market which is over 65% is set to fall in 2023 as brands such as Motorola enter the market.
Castano said “We have identified from our consumer database what people want in a smartphone today which is why we have announced a rollable which while it is a prototype, we believe we are heading in the right direction.”
“We are applying technology to solve a consumer need” he said.
The one thing that becomes abundantly clear is that the power of Lenovo is at play with such features as their rollable display.
The heart and soul of Motorola’s research and development is based in Chicago in the USA while the Lenovo R&D is a combination of the USA and their Shenzhen offices in China.
The power of Lenovo combined with the mobile smartphone knowledge of Motorola is a major threat to Samsung, and struggling smartphone brand Oppo, both organisations that are competing in the Australian Android market which is where Motorola has to take market share claim retailers.
According to analysts the foldable phone industry is expected to reach a valuation of A$96 billion by 2031, according to Future Industry Insights (FMI), with a CAGR of about 25.2 percent.
Motorola is banking on increasing consumer awareness regarding the latest trends in smartphone technologies with the value of Lenovo’s R&D now coming through via the Motorola brand with a Motorola tablet set to hit the market in 2023.
While Motorola is experimenting with technologies and features in their foldable smartphones, which can be seen in the Motorola Razr, these phones have a unique design which appear to be appealing to a certain consumer.
In April 2021, Oppo launched two new foldable phones which retailers failed to take up in Australia resulting in the product which is sold via a distributor failing to be ranged.
Another trend that is propelling the foldable phone market is the implementation of a work from-home culture which is where Lenovo is carving out market share with their PC’s and tablets.
At CES a new device that interfaces seamlessly with a PC is set to be released by Lenovo, this will give both Motorola and Lenovo a key product offering in the B2B and home business market.
Motorola’s main competition for their Razr.
Leading players in the foldable phone market are Samsung Group, Microsoft Corporation, and Motorola.
Observers claim that the problem that Lenovo and Motorola face in the smartphone and foldable market is a “lack of brand clout” with Motorola management in Australia failing to hold a press conference for their new Razr despite the importance of the launch at the top end of the Motorola range.
The first Motorola Razr failed in Australia because of poor specs with the business struggling to take on Samsung and Apple in the market with both leading brands rolling out multimillion dollar marketing campaigns for their latest smartphone offerings.
In comparison Samsung is focusing on promotional strategies, TV, billboard marketing, and new product launches to improve sales of foldable phones along with their mainstream premium S22 Galaxy smartphones.
One key mobile retailer said “Motorola has got to third spot in the market off the back of a lot of cheap phones. Apple and Samsung are leading because of their premium smartphone offerings. If Motorola is to be taken seriously as a challenger brand they have to spend on their brand, this is the glue that is keeping people attached to their product offering”.
As for Motorola watch this space, there is a lot to come and the battle which is in its early stages is still being played out.
