Motorola specializes in manufacturing Android-based phones and other mobile devices. Motorola has become famous for its mid-priced smartphones. The phone offers a great feature set at an affordable price.
Who Makes Motorola Phones?
Motorola Mobility LLC, a subsidiary of Lenovo, currently makes Motorola phones. Motorola Mobility was originally a division of Motorola Inc., a historic pioneer in mobile communications.
After the acquisition, Lenovo continued to produce smartphones under the Motorola brand and maintained its reputation for innovation in the mobile phone market.
Additionally, several independent technology companies manufacture Motorola phones across multiple countries.
Motorola Mobility is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company has production plants and R&D facilities throughout the world.
Some significant countries include China, Brazil, and India.
On the rise, record in Brazil, a market share of over 20%. It is a well-known brand in Latin America. The company also makes high-end phones with cutting-edge features like the Motorola Edge and Razr.
Read more: Where Are Motorola Phones Made?
Who owns Motorola right now?
Lenovo owns the Motorola company. But before Lenovo, the company was owned by Google. In May 2012, Google acquired the famous mobile phone company Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. Greg Brown is the CEO of Motorola Mobility.
However, he later decided to sell the company. Google sold Motorola to Chinese P.C. maker Lenovo for just $2.9 billion.
Motorola’s history
Motorola, which once dominated the mobile industry, has succumbed to the influx of innovative and affordable smartphones from China. In 1973, Martin Cooper, an engineer at the company, created the first commercial mobile phone, the DynaTAC 8000X, which weighed over a kilogram and was nearly a foot long.
The price was $4,000. Since then, Motorola has made and sold several market-leading products until the company lost its edge after the dawn of the iPhone era. During its 50-year existence, the company changed from Western to Eastern ownership.
Google acquired the smartphone maker in the early 2010s to bolster its Android momentum. After stripping the Chicago-based company of its patents, owner Alphabet sold Motorola to China’s Lenovo, which led to the company re-entering the market with its G and E series smartphones.
There were other series, but these two remain the key drivers of India’s growth. The Lenovo-owned smartphone maker brought a series of foldable smartphones to the market with the Razr 40 and Razr 40 Ultra. This announcement recalled Motorola’s Razr V3, released in 2004.
At the time, this device was an industry-defining phone. But now, almost 20 years later, the foldable phone segment has changed significantly.
Today, Motorola has a clean portfolio, positioning and messaging, and a clean U.I. This helps the brand rebuild a clear market presence. The decision to separate Lenovo into a smartphone brand also added further to this clarity.” said Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and Principal Analyst at Techarc.
He added that Motorola has been recording positive growth in terms of profitability for several quarters. According to IDC, Motorola’s 2022 shipment share was 2%. However, being a largely online-centric brand (over 90% volume on eTailer platforms), the all-important offline channel needs more attention.
Why Google sold Motorola
Google’s mobile strategy is to put Android on as many phones as possible. That’s because almost all of the company’s revenue comes from advertising, including on mobile devices. This differs from Apple, BlackBerry, and Microsoft, all hardware-software integration companies today.
Google wanted Motorola for its patents, not its manufacturing. Apple’s patent assault on Android licensees has slowed things down and worried Google customers. Motorola had an extensive patent library that it could use defensively.
After Google acquired Motorola, some major licensees became risk-averse and began developing or purchasing their O.S. rather than Google’s. For example, Samsung used Tizen, and L.G. used WebOS. They were worried that Google would compete directly with them.
Why Lenovo Acquired Motorola
Lenovo is one of the world’s top six smartphone manufacturers, but its market share in the United States, one of the world’s largest smartphone markets, is 0. Motorola has an 85-year history in the United States, but distribution is currently inferior elsewhere.
The company’s most prominent business remains P.C.s, the world’s No. 1 P.C. manufacturer. However, P.C. sales are not increasing. If Lenovo is going to be a technology leader in the late 2010s, it will have to become a mobile technology leader. Building a global smartphone business is critical.
Lenovo has experience integrating and operating US-based technology companies. IBM acquired the ThinkPad business and made it a success. It now has a Whitsett, North Carolina manufacturing plant, producing Think-branded products.
Entering the U.S. market depends on relationships with U.S. airlines. Motorola’s relationship is perfect. It has a current Droid deal with Verizon Wireless and has placed the Moto X on three of the four carriers in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Motorola going out of business?
No, Motorola is not going out of business. However, the name “Motorola” will be removed from the product and appear under the new name “Moto by Lenovo.”
All phones will no longer bear the famous Motorola logo in the next few years. Two mobile phone companies owned by Lenovo are merging into the Lenovo brand. Motorola’s Moto brand will be used for high-end items.
The Motorola brand still exists in some form. Motorola will continue to exist as China’s dominant consumer electronics company; accordance is probably an attempt to capitalize on the Moto series—a favorite among Android users to increase awareness of the Lenovo brand.
What does the Motorola company make?
Motorola is primarily a smartphone manufacturer. It also manufactures other mobile accessories that run Google’s Android operating system. Excluding smartphones, Motorola makes the following products:
Cell Phone
Tablet
Computer
Two-way radio
Cable television system
Networking system
RFID system
Mobile phone infrastructure
Wireless broadband network
Is Motorola a Chinese company now?
No, Motorola is not a Chinese brand. Motorola is an American company and a division of Lenovo. Here, Lenovo is a Chinese manufacturer. Motorola was split into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility in 2011.
Nonetheless, in 2014, a Chinese company called Lenovo acquired Motorola Mobility. Additionally, the company’s headquarters is in Chicago, USA. Currently, the entire production process of Motorola Mobility’s mobile phone brand is carried out in China.
Are Motorola and Lenovo the same company?
Currently, Motorola and Lenovo are different. Lenovo is an entirely Chinese company that assembles and produces its products in China, with its headquarters. The Motorola’s Motorola’s situation is different.
Motorola is not a wholly owned division of BBK Electronics. Lenovo, on the other hand, does. Moreover, Lenovo specializes in computers, and Motorola specializes in mobile phones. So Motorola and Lenovo are not the same. However, Motorola is a division of Lenovo.
