A note from Sergio Buniac:
It´s an exciting time at Motorola, a Lenovo Company. With successful product launches, 5G milestones, and strong financial performance, the last fiscal year demonstrates an important turning point for the brand and how we´ve stabilized the business.
On May 23, we reported that Motorola achieved profitability for the year with three consecutive quarters of operational profitability. The past quarter saw strong performance across the globe, with shipment growth up 41 percent year-to-year in Europe, and Latin America seeing record shipments and 19 percent market share. In North America, year-over-year, Motorola was the fastest growing Android OEM by pure volume for 2018. We also saw this impressive growth globally, with Motorola ranking as the third fastest growing OEM for the quarter. We´re carrying this momentum into this year, with big announcements planned for the coming months.
Before we look ahead to the future, I want to take a moment to highlight a few of Motorola´s most exciting moments over the last year.
first to 5G
As the world moves to the fifth generation of mobile connectivity, I am very proud of the role Motorola is playing in bringing this new technology into the hands of consumers. Thanks to key partnerships with Verizon and Qualcomm, we were able to announce the moto z3 and 5G moto modTM in August 2018, as the world´s first 5G-upgradable smartphone. This past April brought another 5G milestone, as the moto z3 with 5G moto modTM became the world´s first smartphone to connect to the unprecedented speed of Verizon´s Ultra Wideband 5G network. By leveraging our moto mod platform, the 5G moto modTM connects consumers to Verizon´s 5G network without having to buy a new smartphone, making 5G connectivity more affordable and accessible.
the new motorola one family
This past year also saw the introduction of a new Motorola smartphone family: motorola one. Launched in September 2018, the motorola one family offers consumers a different choice from our other smartphone lines. With stylish design and innovation, the motorola one and motorola one power have proved popular with consumers across the globe. So popular, we have already added a new smartphone to the motorola one family. In May, we kicked off the new fiscal year with the launch of motorola one vision, which features a stunning CinemaVision display and incredible 48MP sensor camera system. The newest member of the motorola one family is off to a great start, and we are excited to watch the device roll out across the world in the coming months.
seven generations of success with moto g
In 2013, Motorola made history with the launch of moto g as the first mid-range smartphone, offering premium features at an amazing price point. Today, the moto g is our most successful smartphone line with 26 devices sold per minute, since its launch six years ago. And, in the beginning of 2019, we continued the successful legacy of moto g with the launch of four new smartphones. Now, in the seventh generation, moto g remains the go-to smartphone for consumers looking for premium features, quality construction, and dependable performance, all at a great value.
We accomplished a lot last year thanks in no small part to our trusted carrier and supplier partners and all of our customers. Motorola is carrying this momentum into the current year, and we´re already on track to surpass the growth we saw this year. I can´t wait for you to see everything Motorola has in the works. The future looks bright.
Sergio Buniac
President, Motorola SVP, Lenovo MBG ROW
