This month, Motorola celebrates 95 years. From moon-to-earth communications to the revival of a fashion icon with the new razr family, Motorola is reflecting on key moments of telecommunications that defined human history and sharing what we believe will be next.
Creating societal impact
Since 1928, Motorola has been at the forefront of technology. Perhaps the most notable moment from previous decades was the Apollo 11 moon landing, which utilized Motorola radio equipment technology to provide the first Earth-to-Moon communications. Our technology allowed Neil Armstrong to share his famous words with the world: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
Just a few years later, Martin Cooper, former Motorola VP and Director of R&D, made the first mobile phone call on 6th Avenue in New York City, paving the way for anyone, anywhere to talk with friends, family and work colleagues at any time. These inventions shaped the world we know today.
Influencing culture
In the early 2000s, razr V3 was born, redefining the design of a cell phone. With its bright colors, clamshell design and thin appearance, the razr v3 quickly became a fashion icon.
In 2019, we saw consumers’ desire for more consistent connections and faster download speeds. These insights resulted in the moto z3 combined with the 5G moto mod™, which became the world’s first commercially-available smartphone to connect to 5G. Since then, we’ve prioritized the democratization of 5G connectivity by introducing 5G capabilities to our moto g families and carried this spirit of exploration and innovation into our current portfolio.
Transforming technology
This year, we honor 10 years of the moto g, a franchise built on the democratization of premium technologies, including the fastest processors, advanced displays, outstanding design, turbo power charging, 5G technology and much more. Our latest moto gs offer impressive chipsets, robust camera capabilities and enhanced entertainment experiences across display and audio, so consumers have access to technologies that matter most to them.
From left to right: moto g72, motorola edge 30 ultra, motorola razr 40/motorola razr, motorola razr 40 ultra/motorola razr+
We continued this momentum into our edge family. In the past year, we’ve announced some of the thinnest smartphones yet, an industry-first 200MP main camera sensor, a globally exclusive partnership with PANTONE™, and introduced new, unique device finishes like vegan leather into the range.
Our edge family continues to push boundaries by reimagining how a smartphone looks, what it feels like and what it’s capable of.
We’ve also launched the next generation of razr. The motorola razr 40 ultra/motorola razr+ reimagines the foldable form factor and includes the biggest external display available on a foldable smartphone, allowing users to see what’s important and do more without having to flip open the phone. The device’s dynamic hinge can be positioned at multiple angles for expert content creation, and its compact design fits both pockets and purses.
And to make the foldable category more widely available, we’ve lowered the price point. The motorola razr 40/motorola razr offers a balanced foldable experience with high-end smartphone features. These new razr devices give consumers the opportunity to become a fashion icon once again. In fact, almost 40% of consumers would consider a foldable for their next device1, and 20% of new razr buyers are making the switch from other leading premium smartphone brands.1
The next 95 years of innovation
While we are proud of our history, we continue to focus on the now while keeping an eye towards the future. This perspective has paid off as we see growth in all markets across the globe, particularly within our premium families and B2B, including services, solutions and unique business edition devices like the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola. These advancements build on Lenovo’s iconic PC sub-brands such as ThinkPad known for its purposeful design and trusted quality, modern ThinkBook laptops built for SMBs, premium Yoga PCs for consumers and creators, and Lenovo Legion that pushes gaming to the limit.
“At Motorola, we are disrupting the market with our premium devices and first of its kind features,” Sergio Buniac, President of Motorola, said. “As part of Lenovo’s commitment to smarter technology for all, we are providing consumers with more innovative options than ever before, and it is paying off as we look to double our business in the next three years.”
With this goal in mind, Motorola is committed to entering new markets, strengthening B2B synergies with Lenovo and discovering new ways to enhance the Motorola brand and our relationship with consumers. On top of that, we will continue bringing innovation to the market by exploring ways to interact and engage with Motorola devices through the use of AI technology, new form factors that fold and adapt to different situations, smart and seamless connection across devices tailored to users needs and unique software experiences. Leading with this strategy, we feel ready to take on the next 95 years.
