Motorola
2021 Motorolas Start Hitting Carrier Stores
Metro by T-Mobile today announced the launch of the Motorola one 5G ace, a relatively affordable 5G phone at just $280, a significant discount from the $400 Motorola charges for the unlocked version. T-Mobile will also launch the one 5G ace soon. The more-affordable moto g play (2021) also just launched on both T-Mobile and Metro, for $150 and $160, respectively. Motorola charges $170 for the unlocked version. Separately, Cricket just launched the moto g power (2021) for $120 (plus $25 upgrade fee for existing customers). The g power sells for $250 unlocked. Metro is offering launch deals on the Motorola 5G ace for a limited time: New customers can get the phone for just $20, while existing customers adding a line can get the phone for $90. All three phones were announced in early January and went on sale unlocked January 14th.
Motorola Taps Bullitt for New Lineup of Rugged Phones
Bullitt Group will soon launch a new range of rugged mobile phones bearing the Motorola brand. Bullitt specializes in rugged phones, and already makes rugged phones for the CAT and Land Rover brands. This long-term "strategic brand partnership" gives Bullitt the exclusive global license to develop and market rugged mobile phones bearing the Motorola brand. In this "unique strategic alliance", "Motorola and Bullitt will combine their expertise". Although Bullitt will lead the development and marketing, the phones "must meet Motorola's strict quality, safety, and reliability standards, and Motorola also maintains 100% control over merchandising, marketing and customer experience". Bullitt will reveal details of the first phones (plural) from this partnership later this quarter.
Motorola Sale Brings Verizon razr to just $500
Motorola and Verizon are running a Valentine's Day sale offering a $500 discount on the flex-screen razr (2019) and the 5G edge+. Both are normally priced at $1000, so the discount cuts the price in half, to just $500. That is, by far, the lowest price for a foldable phone to date. This discount is available to both new and existing customers, and does not require a new line nor trade-in, but it does require a "select unlimited plan" and is only available online. The sale started February 4th and runs through February 14th. Further discounts can lower the price to zero with an eligible phone trade-in. The companies are also offering a buy-one-get-one-free (BOGO) deal on the edge+ "with new line activation and premium unlimited plan."
Samsung, Motorola Cut Foldable Prices
Samsung is permanently dropping the price of its Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Separately, Motorola is offering major discounts on its 2020 phones — including the 2020 razr with 5G — in the first half of February. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G is getting a $250 price cut, putting it at $1,200 unlocked or from AT&T. (T-Mobile is still offering the Z Flip 5G for $1,450.) Motorola is offering discounts on unlocked phones from today through February 14th in celebration of Valentine's Day. The razr (2020), edge, and one zoom are all on sale with $200 discounts. That brings the new razr down to the same $1,200 price as the competing Galaxy Z Flip 5G. Motorola is also taking $150 off the one fusion+ and one action. Finally, Motorola is offering $30–50 off last years' g-series models. All of Motorola's discounts are for its unlocked models and available through motorola.com, bestbuy.com, and amazon.com.
Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 is a Slightly Faster 865
Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon 870, a new high-end chip that sits between the company's flagship chips of last year and this year (the 865 and 888, respectively) in terms of performance. In terms of architecture and features, it's almost identical to least year's 865, including having a separate 5G modem chip. (Most other Snapdragon chips, including the 888, have modem integrated into the main chip.) The key difference between the 865 and 870 is a boost of up to 10% in CPU and GPU performance. Commercial devices based on Snapdragon 870 are expected to be announced this quarter. Motorola and OnePlus are among the companies that have committed to using the 870.
Hands On with the 2021 Moto G series and One 5G ace
Motorola has a full slate of new affordable phones for 2021, ranging from $170 to $400 for the 5G model. The company's G series has long been well-regarded for quality and value. The new entries are the moto g play (2021), moto g power (2021), and moto g stylus (2021). There's also the Motorola one 5G ace, which — while technically part of the "one" series — seems closely related to the other three. In fact all four phones are quite similar, clearly sharing certain components and design priorities. But what are these phones like in person? How do they feel and what should you know beyond the specs? We're here to show you in this hands-on report.
Motorola Unveils Full Affordable Lineup for 2021
Motorola today unveiled a full lineup of four new affordable phones, including three g-series models ranging from $169 – $299 and one 5G model for $399. All four feature large batteries (4,000 – 5,000 mAh) and large displays (6.5 – 6.8 inches). All four also include a fingerprint reader, multiple cameras, headset jack, memory card slot, USB-C connector, and a "water-repellant design" that protects against accidental spills, splashes, sweat, or light rain. They ship with Android 10 and Motorola promises one full OS version update plus two years of security updates. Moto's latest camera app supports AI scene detection and optimization, Google Lens, portrait mode, RAW format, Active Photos, Auto Smile Capture, Gesture Selfie, time-lapse, and slow-motion on all models. All four also support gestures such as Lift to unlock, Flip for DND (Do Not Disturb), Pick up to silence, and Fast flashlight, where a quick double-chop motion turns the flashlight on or off. All four phones will be available unlocked as well as from many US carriers.
- moto g play (2021): The most affordable at $170, this phone has a 6.5-inch HD display with notch, huge 5,000 mAh battery, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 chipset, 3 GB RAM, and 32 GB built-in storage. Its primary 13 megapixel camera is assisted by a depth camera for portrait mode, and the front camera is 5 megapixel. It also has 10W fast charging. The new moto g play will be offered in the coming months by AT&T, Cricket, Boost Mobile, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile.
- moto g power (2021): Upgrades compared to the g play include: Snapdragon 662 chipset, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage, up to 15W fast charging, "48 megapixel" main camera that outputs 12-megapixel photos using pixel binning, 2-megapixel macro camera, and an 8-megapixel front camera. The upgraded main camera enables a Night Vision mode and better low-light performance in general. The camera app also gains Cinemagraph mode, Group Selfie, and Spot Color for video. The fingerprint reader moves to the side and the display is slightly larger at 6.6 inches, with a corner hole-punch design. This new moto g power will sell for $250, although Best Buy will sell a variant with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage for $200. It will also come to Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Republic Wireless, US Cellular, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile in the coming months.
- moto g stylus (2021): This model adds a stylus that stows in the bottom-right of the phone. It comes with two special apps: Moto Note and Coloring Book. The stylus also offers system-wide shortcuts and works with third-party apps. This is the only model of the four to come with a smaller 4,000 mAh battery, which Motorola says was necessary to make room for the stylus. It has several spec upgrades compared to the g power, including a larger 6.8-inch display with full-HD resolution, Snapdragon 678 chipset, 128 GB storage, 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, 16 megapixel selfie camera, and 4K video capture. It will sell for $300 unlocked. Boost Mobile, Cricket, Consumer Cellular, and Republic Wireless will also offer it in the coming months.
- Motorola one 5G ace: Combines the best of the g power and g stylus specs (minus the stylus) while adding 5G (sub-6 GHz only) thanks to its Snapdragon 750G chipset. Other upgrades include 6 GB RAM, NFC, and an official IP rating for water resistance: IP54 for the T-Mobile version and IP52 for other versions. The display measures 6.7 inches with a centered hole-punch design, and the fingerprint reader is located on the back. It will run $400 unlocked. AT&T, Consumer Cellular, Google Fi, Metro by T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Republic Wireless, Verizon, and Xfinity Mobile will also offer it in the coming months.
