Android has observed numerous manufacturers come and cross through the years, however one title that has remained a relentless presence is Motorola. The corporate has been round because the early days of Android (and cell phones generally), and it’s nonetheless right here nowadays regardless of a couple of shifts in possession and technique through the years.
For a temporary second, Motorola even seemed find it irresistible may severely problem Samsung’s dominance within the Android house. So, what took place—and the way did Motorola finally end up the place it’s nowadays?
Motorola used to be the telephone massive that assisted in shaping Android within the early days
Motorola as soon as ruled the cell global
Lengthy ahead of smartphones took over, Motorola used to be probably the most in style mobile phone manufacturers on the planet. If truth be told, Motorola is at the back of the DynaTAC 8000X, which used to be the primary commercially to be had mobile phone. You could be too younger to remember the fact that one, however you unquestionably keep in mind the Motorola Razr line of turn telephones, that have been the good strategy to keep in contact ahead of the primary iPhone reshaped all of the business in 2007—and it’s this contemporary Motorola lately that I need to focal point on nowadays.
Motorola temporarily tailored through transferring over to Android, and probably the most corporate’s greatest hits in that generation used to be the Motorola Droid, which used to be launched in past due 2009. The Droid mixed a three.7-inch (9.4 cm) touchscreen show with a sliding bodily keyboard that used to be in style in telephones from that generation (keep in mind the BlackBerry?). Due to the a hit advertising and marketing marketing campaign run through Verizon and Motorola, it used to be ready to in spite of everything convey Android as an running gadget into the mainstream and become the primary actual “danger” in opposition to the already dominant iPhone.
The following 12 months’s Droid X ditched the bodily keyboard and changed it with an excellent better 4.3-inch (10.9 cm) display, which used to be thought to be completely huge in 2010. Even the Galaxy S’s 4-inch (10.2 cm) display seemed tiny subsequent to this one. Should you sought after a futuristic-looking telephone, the Droid X used to be the telephone to get.
Sadly, regardless of the relative luck of the early Motorola Android telephones, the corporate used to be nonetheless essentially suffering. Their telephones had been unique to Verizon, which locked many possible patrons out as shoppers more and more gravitated towards Samsung’s telephones as a substitute. Additionally, some Motorola telephones from this period ran a heavy, clunky pores and skin referred to as Motoblur, which broken its popularity amongst Android fans who sought after a blank, near-stock revel in.
Through 2011, a suffering Motorola Inc. made up our minds to separate the corporate into two portions: the enterprise-focused Motorola Answers and the shopper electronics arm Motorola Mobility, which is the aspect of the legacy I’ll focal point on all over the remainder of this text.
Motorola’s golden generation is now reminiscence
Motorola made probably the most highest smartphones within the mid-2010s
Should you had been following tech within the early 2010s, you most likely keep in mind Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion in 2012. Google essentially did this to obtain Motorola’s in depth patent portfolio so as to offer protection to Android from patent infringement proceedings from different tech giants like Apple and Microsoft.
Motorola underwent an intensive transformation below Google’s temporary management, and in some ways, it used to be for the simpler.
You’ll see it within the telephones that got here out all through this period. This used to be the golden age of smartphones, outlined through various design philosophies and a willingness to experiment with new options. Motorola used to be probably the most first manufacturers to totally include a inventory Android revel in, which in an instant clicked with fans.
The logo began to increase its personal recognizable design language, that includes a dimpled “M” brand at the again, skinny entrance bezels, and frequently front-facing stereo audio system that advanced gaming and media playback. The telephones additionally had a rounded design that are compatible with ease within the hand, at the same time as a lot of them leaned towards the bigger aspect. Motorola additionally led the business with cool and unconventional fabrics like ballistic nylon, Kevlar, leather-based, and glass, used for again covers as a substitute of usual plastic or glass finishes.
We noticed probably the most highest Android smartphones pop out of Motorola all through this period: the enduring Moto G that redefined the finances marketplace, the flagship Moto X collection with robust construct high quality, and the Nexus 6, which marked the height of Google and Motorola’s collaboration ahead of the corporate used to be offered off to Lenovo.
One among my non-public favourite fashions from this period used to be the 2014 Motorola Droid Turbo, which I purchased after seeing Linus Tech Pointers use it as his day-to-day driving force all over a lot of 2015. The telephone had a surprisingly tough design, a 1440p show, an enormous-at-the-time 3900mAh battery, a flagship Snapdragon 805 processor, and 3GB of RAM when many flagships just like the Galaxy S5 nonetheless best had 2GB.
Motorola ultimately discovered it could not proceed chasing flagships
Stepping again from the highest tier made sense
Motorola misplaced a large number of its momentum when Lenovo obtained the corporate in 2014. The primary few telephones that got here out had been nonetheless following the components established within the Google generation, however what adopted used to be an identification disaster. Motorola doubled down at the G and E collection of ultra-cheap finances telephones, that have been nonetheless promoting k, however the actual meat of the marketplace—which can be at all times the flagships—used to be beginning to fight.
Lenovo couldn’t make a decision what to do with the logo—in the beginning, it sought after to stay the “Moto” title at the flagships whilst blending the finances fashions into Lenovo’s current Vibe branding, and there used to be even a brief duration when all Motorola telephones had been rebranded as Moto through Lenovo. Thankfully, that used to be later remedied in 2017, when Lenovo made up our minds to maintain Motorola’s legacy through proceeding to promote telephones below the unique model title.
The actual drawback wasn’t the branding, although—it used to be the route of Motorola’s flagship technique. This used to be completely illustrated through the 2016 Moto Z collection, which leaned closely on a first-party equipment gimmick within the type of “Moto Mods.”
It’s essential upload such things as a JBL speaker or mini projector, which looked like a fab thought for fans, however if truth be told, maximum customers didn’t truly care about those dear add-ons. The Moto X4 used to be an try to revive a once-beloved flagship line, however if truth be told, it ended up being little greater than every other midrange telephone with flagship branding.
16 years in the past, Google introduced probably the most necessary telephones in Android historical past
And it planted the seeds for the Pixel collection.
Motorola in spite of everything discovered its identification, however there’s one giant drawback
A transparent route held again through a well-known factor
Even if Motorola struggled to promote its flagship telephones, gross sales remained robust within the finances and mid-range segments. If truth be told, gross sales doubled between 2020 and 2024, a duration through which Motorola doubled down on its focal point on inexpensive, value-driven smartphones. Even the foldable Razr lineup has constructed a cult following amongst customers who like compact folding telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Turn however need one thing extra inexpensive.
The actual drawback throughout all of the Motorola lineup, together with its flagships, is the loss of instrument reinforce. Whilst the instrument itself has in most cases been blank, Motorola has historically been fast to desert its gadgets after only a 12 months or two of updates—in terms of ultra-budget telephones, even much less.
Should you best have $300 to spend on a telephone, it’s laborious to counsel Motorola over a refurbished Samsung or Pixel that may proceed receiving updates for longer than a brand-new Motorola tool—even supposing Motorola telephones nowadays frequently be offering probably the most maximum fascinating {hardware} and design possible choices for the fee.
I don’t care if my telephone will get long-term updates
I want a excellent telephone nowadays, no longer updates seven years from now.
Motorola could be able for a flagship comeback
I am all right here for it
Despite the fact that Motorola has struggled previously, the logo is a ways from long past. If truth be told, it held a marketplace percentage of round 12% in the USA all over 2025, which is a decent determine whilst you believe Samsung’s 24% marketplace percentage. The logo has already surpassed Google and all different Android manufacturers (except Samsung) on this house, proving that it nonetheless has actual weight out there regardless of its difficult historical past.
That momentum, mixed with its fresh go back to flagship territory, means that Motorola might be coming into a brand new section. The Motorola Signature delivers trendy high-end {hardware}, like a 165Hz show, as much as 16GB of RAM, and a 5,200 mAh silicon-carbon battery in a novel, slender design. Most significantly, it in spite of everything fixes Motorola’s long-standing weak point with 7 years of promised main Android updates. If that dedication holds true and carries around the wider lineup, I will see Motorola as soon as once more changing into a major challenger within the wider Android house.
The telephone I maximum need to see is from an underdog no person talks about
Occasionally the most productive telephones by no means win awards.
