Lenovo purchased Motorola in 2014, but the company kept its mobile branch separate from Motorola’s. Fast forward two years later and Lenovo is finally ready to make the transition and embrace the Moto brand fully.
A new report coming out of China claims Lenovo will no longer release self-branded phones. Interestingly enough, the Lenovo Phab2 Pro – the world’s first Project Tango phone was launched a few days ago. Still the source claims that Lenovo’s upcoming phones will be marketed under the Moto brand, while the company’s PC and laptop subsidiary will remain as “Lenovo”.
Lenovo decision apparently rests on its Q3 unsatisfactory financial results. The company smartphone’s business (which includes the Lenovo and Moto brands) saw a huge $2 billion decrease (12%) in profits year-on year. But not all was bad, as Lenovo’s mobile business saw a 20% increase in business quarter-over-quarter.
Historically Lenovo has relied on its PC and laptop business which continue to sustain the company and this is still the case today.
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The Chinese laptop-making giant is also reshuffling its staffing structure. Gina Qiao former SVP of human resources has been appointed as SVP of Lenovo Mobile Business Group and will replace Xudong Chen.
It certainly seems like Lenovo has admitted defeat, at least while the Western markets are concerned. It will be interesting to follow the evolution of the Moto brand now, especially in markets like China and Asia.
Speaking of which, Lenovo has just announced the Moto M mid-ranger in China. The phone is available for purchase for around $295 a pop.
The handset features water-resistant capabilities and comes with a 5.5-inch display with 1080p resolution. There’s a fingerprint sensor living below the camera sensor and an octa-core 2.2GHz MediaTek P15 chispet with Mali-T860MP2 GPU.
The phone comes packing with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, as well as a 16MP main snapper with phase detection auto focus (PDAF) plus an 8MP selfie camera. The Moto M is kept alive by a 3,050 mAh battery and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow ships out with the device. Sorry folks, no Android Nougat for the time being, although an update will probably come at some point.
The phone is presented in Gold and Silver color options! Who knows maybe Lenovo will bring the phone to the US at some point.
