Taking into account all the leaks and rumors we’ve seen over the past few weeks regarding the upcoming 4th generation Moto G, it’s safe to assume the device is going to be announced relatively soon. Corroborating those leaks we’ve already laid our eyes on, another batch of detailed renders has found its way online.
Albeit having been released months ago, much like all of its predecessors, the latest Android version, Marshmallow, is still running only on a relatively small number of devices. Much of it can be attributed to carriers and third party manufacturers, which often take a lot of time to properly re-skin, release certifications, and eventually give the green light to updates.
Fortunately for Verizon customers, however, it looks like Google‘s latest software is beginning its rollout for the Droid Turbo 2. In a note released on Tuesday on Google Plus, Motorola‘s David Schuster confirmed that the upgrade is in “full deployment”…
A video has been published on YouTube showing what the uploader claims is a prototype of the fourth generation Moto G. Its design is practically identical to leaks we’ve seen already, and it seems to be much bigger than the current generation budget Motorola smartphone.
With four of this year’s big-name smartphone makers having already announced — and some launched — their most important smartphones for 2016, our attention can turn to the rest. For the past few years, the Moto G has undoubtedly been Motorola’s (now Lenovo’s) most important device range. With competitive specs, a low price and — most importantly — stock Android software, the G has long been a recipe for success. And this year, the range could be getting a serious feature upgrade: A fingerprint sensor.
Last week, the first image of what is likely one of Lenovo’s next Moto devices revealed a front fingerprint sensor in place of dual speakers. Now, an image from Evleaks that shows a sketch of a ‘Moto G4 Plus’ with a similar sensor arrangement likely confirms that the image is legit…
Motorola’s Moto X line has consistently been a lineup of devices which enabled users to express their individuality. Ever since the first version was released with the Moto Maker tool, customers could make the phone look how they wanted it to. At the time, it was initially just a few different colors of plastic, with wooden backs added later on.
Fast forward a couple of years, and we now have multiple plastic colors, multiple wood options and a handful of leather backs. Recently, Motorola teamed up with designer, Jonathan Adler to offer limited patterns, and has now partnered with legendary graffiti artist, Futura, on an even more limited run.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Lenovo is going to release its first device under the ‘Moto’ brand in July. Save for screen sizes larger than 5-inches and a fingerprint sensor, not much is known about the flagship. HelloMotoHK, a leakster who showed us the first photos of the 2nd-generation Moto 360, has now posted a picture of what appears to be an upcoming phone…
A pair of listings on GFXbench (via WinFuture) have revealed two Lenovo phones that may possibly be the next generation Moto E. Additionally, two devices with the Moto X3 moniker have hit an Indian import/export database that might allude to a release sooner than later.
At CES, Lenovo announced that the Motorola brand name would be phased out in favor of ‘Moto’ and ‘by Lenovo’ branding. Today, the company announced a restructuring of its Mobile Business Group that sees the exit of long-time Motorola president Rick Osterloh.
The DROID Ultra, Maxx, and Mini were announced just days before the first Moto X, and now Motorola is reneging on an early promise to provide Android 5.1 to those devices. As consolation, however, they are offering owners a discount on the Droid Turbo 2 or Maxx 2.
Moto X Pure Edition is one of the best phones that launched last year, and now you have even more reason to buy one. Just last month we gave it a “3 months later” second look (spoiler: we still think it’s great), but Motorola wants to make the deal even sweeter with a free Moto 360 Android Wear watch…
Expand
Expanding
Close
Unsurprisingly, Lenovo “product engineer” Ashton Kutcher is also doing online videos to promote Motorola. His last appearance demonstrated how people are incapable of not touching their phones. Now, Kutcher is talking with engineers and showing off features specific to Motorola phones.
A few months ago, as soon as it was officially launched in the UK, I checked out the Moto X Play. Price and spec-wise it stood halfway between the Moto G and the Moto X Style/Pure. Although it undoubtedly had its positives, there were some elements of the experience that left me disappointed. It intermittently stuttered and lagged during transitions, and very often refused to load data within apps. It wasn’t all the time, but it was enough to leave a less-than-great feeling.
With Android Marshmallow, the experience is so vastly different, it’s pretty difficult to believe. In fact, it’s so much better, I felt the phone should be revisited…
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/692745367566356480 align=’center’]
Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang said today that the company will launch a new smartphone for the US in July, according to comments reported by The Wall Street Journal. Earlier this month at CES, the company announced that the Motorola brand name is actually being phased out around the world.
Best Buy offers the 2nd generation Moto X 16GB (unlocked) smartphone in black for $242.99 shipped, which is $57 below its retail price and the lowest price we could find for a brand new model. If you’re looking for its cheaper little brother, though, B&H offers the 2nd generation Moto G 8GB (unlocked) smartphone in black for $99.99 shipped w/ a free Belkin PowerHouse microUSB dock. That’s a savings of $95 compared to what these items would cost at retail…
Recently, Lenovo’s chief made some comments regarding the future of Motorola and Lenovo smartphones. Those comments seemed to indicate that the Moto brand name would only be used for high-end smartphones, while Lenovo’s ‘Vibe’ lineup would form the bottom end of the companies product portfolio. Some saw this as confirmation that Moto G and Moto E handsets would be discontinued.
Speaking to The Verge, a Motorola representative was quick to debunk those suggestions:
“Although we are simplifying the combined Motorola and [Lenovo] portfolio, we have no plans to retire Moto G, our most successful smartphone, or Moto E.”
Despite the fact that Lenovo’s chief seemed to be indicating an end to the bottom-tier Motorolas, it seems that instead, the Moto and Vibe brands will be used in different markets. The Moto G and Moto E are incredibly successful in a number of markets, particularly North America. In Asia, the Vibe brand is a better fit. So it could be instead that it slims down its portfolio, while still continuing to build new models of affordable Moto-branded products.
Most of the confusion and interest surrounding Motorola and its phones stems from a recent discovery that the Motorola brand name will be dying. Since then, it seems as though everything has been up in the air, at least in the media. While Motorola is going away, the Moto brand is too strong to give up. Just like it did with ThinkPad, Lenovo is going to continue using the Moto moniker for its devices.
If you’re still using a 2014 Moto X on Verizon, some good news has emerged today. A Motorola Forums Manager revealed today that the company will now allow bootloader unlocks for the 2014 Verizon Moto X, although it will still void the warranty.
Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.
[tweet https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/685497066211176448 align=’center’]
Update: Motorola has provided us with an official comment on the new branding.
In an interview with CNET, Motorola COO Rick Osterloh said that the storied Motorola brand will be phased out for Lenovo. Purchased by Google in 2011 and then sold to Lenovo in 2014, Motorola has had varying level of successes. While praised for stock Android, Moto devices on the high-end have not been successful in dethroning Samsung or LG.
Running up to the holidays, Motorola was offering some great discounts on its older Android and Android Wear products. Sadly, those same deals didn’t apply to the newer and rather fantastic Moto X Pure and Moto 360 from 2015. That changes this month, as the Lenovo-owned company begins offering money off for customers buying both products together.
Anyone buying the new Moto X Pure Edition (2015) and 2nd gen Moto 360 together will get $100 off at checkout. There’s no promo code to remember, just add the two products to your basket at Motorola.com in the US and the discount applies automatically. That means a package deal combining the two devices will cost you $599 for the base models, rather than the usual $699. Of course, adding extra storage to your phone or choosing a more premium material for the phone’s back or the Moto 360’s watch strap will cost extra.
This is the first time we’ve seen either of the new products with a significant discount anywhere in the US. The deal is available until January 12th, 10:59 Central Time.
Holiday season may have ended, but that doesn’t mean companies are ready to stop discounting products. We’re heading in to 2016, and have just seen an influx of new products hit the market in the last few months. That means older versions of gadgets are now available cheaper.
One such device is the original Moto 360. Head on over to Woot and you can snag the champagne gold version of Motorola’s first Android Wear watch for just $149 with either the 18mm or 23mm strap. That’s down 35% from the original list price of $229.
As a reminder, here’s a rundown of the specs:
The Moto 360 was arguably the first attractive, fashion-forward smartwatch running Android Wear. The champagne metal version emphasized that focus on design further. By the time the second generation was released towards the end of last year, Motorola had competition from the likes of Huawei, LG and Apple. Coming in to 2016, competition is only going to get fiercer as traditional watch-makers get involved in the wearable tech market. Both Fossil and TAG Heuer have launched Android Wear watches, and we expect other well-known fashion brands will do the same this year.
From 9to5Toys:
If you are looking for a last minute deal for Android-loving Christmas recipients, Amazon has matched the lowest price we’ve ever seen on the Marshmallow Nexus 6 phablet at $249.99 shipped in Cloud White or Midnight Blue.
Until very recently, this was Google’s flagship phone and it still has enviable specs and gets the first updates. Whether you use this as your main phone or a burner/development/extra/kids/parents phone, it still holds up very well and includes fast charging Micro-USB, a huge 6-inch display, front stereo speakers and much more.
You can get it with plenty of time for wrapping and putting under the tree. Prime will get it there by the 23rd.
If you want to got full bore, the 64GB is also available for $299.99, also an all time low. If you are after something smaller, grab the Moto X Gen 2 leather for the same price.
Of course, if you are looking for the latest and greatest, You can grab the Nexus 6P for $50 off here.
Expand
Expanding
Close
Update: You can order the Star Wars editions of the DROID Turbo 2 from Verizon’s Motor Maker page from today.
With the upcoming premiere of the first Star Wars movie since the 90’s abominations we can’t mention by name, every brand on the planet is seemingly teaming up with Disney to produce their own Star Wars themed merchandise. Whether it’s LEGO, lampshades or mineral water, you can now get it with Star Wars branding all over it. Episode VII is launching in theaters next week, and Verizon and Motorola are the latest companies to jump on the bandwagon…