Back in February, Motorola joined forces with Canadian company eBuyNow to launch a smartwatch, and now, a rumoured smartwatch Moto Watch 100 has leaked in new official-looking renders. An investor presentation between the two companies revealed they’d launch a Motorola branded smartwatch next year, but it seems like they’re ready to tackle the smartwatch soon.
The leaked renders show a premium-looking minimalistic design smartwatch sporting a circular display, two physical buttons on the right side and is said to come with a silicone strap marked with a striped design. The watch is expected to run on Google’s Wear OS and feature Snapdragon Wear 4100. Along with features like heart rate monitoring, inbuilt GPS support and step tracking, the smartwatch is expected to feature a waterproof design.
According to the reports, the smartwatch is designed for a budget audience, but it has a premium feel. The leaked renders show the watch in a black finish, but Motorola may launch the smartwatch in various other colour options and straps. Interestingly, in the month of February, the smartwatch was referred to as the “Moto G Smartwatch”, but according to some reports, it might be another watch from the company which they’re planning to launch in the coming year.
The source suggests the Moto Watch 100 will feature a 1.3-inch circular LCD display with 360×360 pixels resolution and is tipped to measure 42x46x11.9mm. The upcoming budget smartwatch from Motorola packs a 355 mAh battery and comes with Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
The smartwatch is also expected to feature a heart rate sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, SpO2 sensor, sleep tracking, sensor counting and ambient light sensor. Unfortunately, the smartwatch doesn’t come with a rotating bezel, and there’s no official announcement from Motorola about the launch of Watch 100 yet, but we expect to witness a launch soon.
Moto E40, the latest Motorola smartphone, and newest addition to the Moto E-Series is all set to launch in India on October 12. The company has shared a teaser on social media to offer clear hints about the launch of Moto E40 in the country. Motorola has released the teaser of the smartphone with the tagline “The Perfect Entertainer.”
The budget smartphone phone is being released on Flipkart, confirming its availability on the e-commerce site. The Moto E40 specifications and design have also been teased.
Motorola E40 Specifications
The dual-sim Moto E40 is said to feature a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with 1,600×720 pixels resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Moto E40 will sport a rear fingerprint sensor and the display has a hole-punch design to house the selfie camera.
The smartphone will be powered by the 1.8GHz Unisoc T700 octa-core processor paired with 4GB RAM. There is an inbuilt storage of 64GB and the phone also comes with a dedicated Google Assistant key. It will pack a 5,000mAh battery that is claimed to last for up to 76 hours of music streaming, 14 hours of video playback, and 10 hours of Web browsing.
Moto E40 will run on Android 11.
According to the eMag listing, there will be a triple rear camera setup on the Moto E40 that includes a 48-megapixel main camera, dedicated depth camera, and dedicated macro vision camera. The sensor comes with Quad Pixel technology that offers 4x better low light sensitivity for sharper and more vibrant photos. The phone also has a rear fingerprint sensor with Face Unlock and will feature an IP52 water-repellent design.
The smartphone has a 3.5mm USB Type-C port. Flipkart also confirms that the Moto E40 will launch in Pink Clay and Carbon Gray colour options. Moto E40 is expected to retail around INR 13,500/$180.
2004 was the year when Motorola cemented itself as a mobile master. How did it do that? With the launch of the Moto Razr, which became a style and status symbol almost instantly. Almost two decades later, the phone is back in an updated avatar. But does it have the grunt to re-establish its niche in the market, or will it fall prey to the continuously evolving and never-satisfied nature of smartphones? Let’s find out.
Prudent presence:
It might have seemed unnecessary for Motorola to launch an updated version of the already-recent Moto Razr. So why did it? To offer full 5G support! That is not all, the American manufacturer also amended some of the shortcomings of the previous Moto Razr, making it an even better phone than it already was!
In a market crowded with multiple options from leading manufacturers, what sets the Moto Razr apart? It’s not the folding screen or its sleekness. It is its versatility. Hiding under a rather old-school design is some of the most modern and cutting-edge technology available. It all begins with the boxy design and sharp edges. These have been replaced with curved glass, aircraft-grade aluminium, and a sweet, sweet chin bezel. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip, which looks more of a compromise than a technological masterpiece, the Moto Razr 5G offers a properly foldable screen and looks good while doing it.
Since the phone has practically two modes, let me break it down for you. When folded, the primary display is a 2.7-inch unit with an 800 by 600 pixels resolution. But is that all? Of course not! The front display offers an on-screen keyboard, though any person with average or larger fingers will prefer the voice-to-text feature much more. The screen also allowed me a decent amount of app operation, though it will obviously make more sense to just flip open the phone, won’t it?
Display and dazzle:
The main screen is a 6.2-inch Plastic OLED unit with a 2K display and a 21:9 aspect ratio. It offers quite a satisfactory array of colours, and the anti-glare was sufficient for me to display all the contents even under a bright midday sun. With the fingerprint scanner moving to the back, the chin has become a lot slimmer and honestly, much more appealing as well. Even the back panels have been upgraded from plastic to Gorilla Glass 5, with the frame getting 7000 series aluminium and the hinges being manufactured from stainless steel.
Performance, par excellence:
Logically speaking, this is a purely business-oriented phone which will mostly be bought by suit-wearing, chauffeur-driven gentlemen. But did that stop us from playing games on it? Of course not! Right from Call of Duty to Candy Crush, this phone can handle it all. Not that it is meant to, but it can. Why won’t it, too? With 8GB of RAM supported by 256GB of storage, it is practically impossible for the phone to run out of, well, storage.
Eyes of the prize:
A 48MP Quad Bayer type setup acts as the primary camera, while a 16MP single camera is offered for selfies. Images are obviously of pretty decent quality, something you would expect from such a premium smartphone. The battery has also improved to 2800mAh, which is not a significant figure considering today’s standards but offers decent backup.
Smartphone, smart box!
Such a premium smartphone requires intelligent manufacturing. And that is exactly what Motorola has done. Apart from the smartphone itself, its retail box also has some unique features. For example, the plastic bottom of the box can be used as a volume booster, while the woven fabric box which contains all the accessories also doubles up as a sunglasses case! Talk about versatility! In conclusion, a price point of ₹1,24,999 means that the Moto Razr 5G won’t be a birthday gift for a 15-year-old kid. But what it definitely is, is one of the best-looking and best-performing business phones in the market, something which will immediately make people say, “The Boss is here.”
In today’s episode, we are in conversation with someone who believes quick decision making doesn’t impact business negatively. Prashanth Mani, MD of Motorola Mobility India discusses how Motorola focuses on innovating what matters to consumers and which futuristic technologies can be incorporated into smartphones.
For quite some time, Motorola has been just vibrating in the smartphone business. Their smartphones did capture the eyes but left people wanting for more in terms of what you would say firepower. For the techies at heart, Motorola devices are the perfect ones until one decides to flip the page over and check what’s inside.
Motorola announced their Edge+
But all of this was put to the sidewalk when Motorola announced their Edge+ smartphones recently. The Motorola Edge+ is set to launch in India, most probably in a few weeks when we would see the current lockdown situation ease. Ease in smartphone shipping and other factors could affect the launch of the device, however, the launch is imminent. The entire smartphone industry is in a very difficult position owing to the restrictions on manufacturing and shipping of smartphones and smartphone-related components.
The Motorola Edge+ and the Motorola Edge smartphones were announced last week and after many rumours and leaks, the devices have finally seen the surface. Motorola was expected to showcase the devices at MWC 2020. However, the cancellation of the event due to the COVID-19 scare left manufacturers with no choice other than online display and launches in a phased manner.
The confirmation of the India launch was indeed given by Mr Prashant Mani, Country Head of Motorola India who tweeted an official video of the Edge+ sharing some amazing details like Snapdragon 865, 5G support, 108 MP camera and a waterfall-like display which ends over the edges. Other specifications include a 6.7-inch Full HD+ OLED panel with 2340 x 1080 resolution, a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera and 90Hz of refresh rate for the screen. The display has the support for HDR10+ playback. The Snapdragon 865 will be paired with 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage.
The rear camera setup on the Edge+ brings three cameras with a 108-MP primary sensor with OIS, a TOF 3D depth sensor, an 8-MP secondary telephoto camera with OIS and a 16 MP wide-angle camera. The rear camera can record 6K video at 30p and 4k video at up to 60fps.
Additionally. Motorola has included stereo speakers, Type-C charging with 5000mAh battery and 18W fast charging and 15W fast wireless charging. The Motorola Edge+ has been announced for $999. However, the Indian pricing will be revealed at the time of the launch.
Technology’s deep impact in human lives means we are very dependent on technology for our day to day lives. As much as humans, technology is rapidly evolving and taking the best shape around us humans. The biggest part of technology in our lives is perhaps our smartphone, which enables us to a lot more and provides access to all sorts of information and data right at the fingertips.
Smartphones have been catching up on all the technology trends and the latest is, of course, folding screens. Flexible folding screens have received a lot of interest both among technology enthusiasts and consumers alike. However, the implementation of folding screens is challenging in itself. Smartphone manufacturers have been using different mechanisms, form factors and materials to reach the destination fold.
Motorola is the name everyone has heard of. They were some of the early pioneers of the mobile world and came up with a lot of interesting phones during the early days out of which a folding phone which snaps into half in the middle was the most preferred way of people’s expression. Again folding feature phones just like any other commodity was being offered by most of the phone companies, Motorola created their iconic Razr phone which was an immediate success. The Motorola Razr of the yesteryear was a uniquely designed phone with its distinct ‘clamshell’ like the design. Its design featured a chin which housed some of the components of the phone as well as giving its iconic look. Motorola did bring out many iterations of the Razr phone and with time, the design just got better and better. It was so slim even after folding, it stood true to its ‘Razr’ name till the time exciting feature phones were murdered with the arrival of the touchscreen, Android and iOS devices.
2019 was no different and the market is oozing with new phones. Meanwhile, Samsung’s second-generation Galaxy Fold was already selling after its first unfortunate screen disaster. Motorola saw the right time and hit us with the Motorola Razr, a smartphone which was about to change the folding smartphones game. Behold the Motorola Razr, a clamshell design folding smartphone which follows the same design lines with the original Motorola Razr.
Early 2020 the Motorola Razr was already on sale in the international markets and in India, we had to wait a bit longer to have our hands on the device. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that has shaken the world to its core, Motorola finally made an official announcement of the Razr in India. As the case would be, we got out hands on the retail unit of the Razr and here is what we think about it.
Build and Design
The design inspiration comes from the original Moto Razr which featured a folding clamshell-like design and was pretty slim in its form, even when folded down. The folding design was so much on the point that one could flip out and flip-close the phone with just one hand. The thin cross-section of the phone led its name to be ‘Razr’ comparing its razor-thin body. The Razr was a particular hit of the time. Motorola did launch other folding handsets but out new devices coming in folding phones lost their charm.
Design-wise, it’s a success. The hinge mechanism works perfectly. When folding/unfolding the phone a tiny gap can be seen but it is interesting to see the display sink inside for a complete fold. You can still feel the middle crease on the display which slightly dips exactly where the folding happens. However, it is to be mentioned that flipping the phone open and close with one hand is a bit of a tricky job, especially if you have smaller hands. The chin portion of the Razr is fat but designed neatly. You will find a USB-C type port at the bottom along with the speakers. Motorola says that they have used the chin area as a resonance chamber for the speaker. However, you cannot differentiate that from the sound. The chin also has the fingerprint scanner and does a good job of unlocking the phone very swiftly. Sadly, the tight fitted design means you have no memory card slot, not even a physical sim which means you have to configure an e-sim to use on the Razr. Motorola has packed 128GB of onboard storage on the Razr.
Sadly a lot of perks have been trimmed down like a 3.5mm headphone jack or a micro-sd slot to make things neat and tightly packed which otherwise is a folding phone in itself. The secondary display is a 2.7-inch OLED mini screen while the primary display is an HD+ 6.2-inch POLD display. The display is a flexible one and you feel the not so firm display when using it.
The main camera on the Motorola Razr is a 16-megapixel unit while the front has a 5-megapixel selfie snapper. When in a folded position, the main camera can also be used as a selfie camera which turns the mini screen as a viewfinder.
Performance
Specifications of the Razr are not going to throw you off your seat. Yes, it is less powerful when compared to the pricier flagship devices. It is powered by a Snapdragon 710 processor which is paired with 6 GB of RAM. Storage options are limited to 128GB. The battery on the device is 2510 mAh which is almost half of some of the budget range devices.
The phone does not feel slow or laggy at any point. The hardware is very neatly integrated with the OS to offer a seamless experience. It ships with Android Pie out of the box but we believe Motorola to be quick in sharing the latest OS and updates providing the user with a very neat experience.
Gaming on the Motor Razr was not bad either. While this is not a phone which you would want to game on. Titles like PUBG, Call Of Duty and Asphalt 9 Legends run smooth with any issues. The gaming experience might not be of like most of the users because of its unusual form-factor.
Viewing content and consuming media is, however, pleasing with the nice and bright display. The overall performance of the Motorola Razr is rather smooth. What majorly concerns heavy users is battery life. With a tiny 2150 mAh battery inside you will see the charging points too often. An 18W Turbocharger comes in the box and it does a good job of charging the phone faster.
Last but not least, the retail box also offers a case which contains the accessories. The case is very similar to goggle cases and has a brained USB-C cable, paperwork and a USB-C type wired headset which is in association with Denon. The retail box itself has been designed to work in conjunction with the down-firing speaker of the Razr. When placed on the box, the sound resonates in the hollow box to make it sound like a mini boombox.
Verdict
A final say on the new Motorola Razr is quite difficult. It is a beautifully designed device which seems a lot more promising in hands than in pictures and videos. However, it does not offer everything that a power user would look for, especially when it costs Rs. 1,24,990 which is surely expensive. So here are a few points on why you should or should not buy the Razr.
Buy the Razr if
You love cutting-edge technology and rather buy a good looking phone which is sure to turn heads around. It is slimmer and smaller than the Galaxy Fold. The Razr is a throwback which is reminiscent of its past.
You like small phones and do not like carrying hefty big smartphones. You could also have smaller hands and are more comfortable with a smaller than average phone. However, when folded, the Razr’s thickness is more than conventional smartphones.
If you like Flip phones; Flip phones have lived their days of popularity and now with technology moving ahead fast, trends which are long gone are catching up at a rapid pace. As folding screens are no longer a technical challenge, it is right for smartphones to fold. The Razr is all about the style.
Do not buy the Razr if
You want high performance, go look elsewhere. There are many phones which will cost you a fraction of the Razr but deliver a higher performance and battery life. You also miss out on a higher refresh display which is the latest trend among smartphones.
You want a big battery life to support your heavy usage. It is quite a bit of sacrifice of performance for style. You will find double the capacity on some phones in just a part of the price of the Razr.
You want a great camera and are actively engaged in phone photography. At Least with four-cameras on offer on most handsets now, the single-camera setup on the Razr is no match. The Razr does take good images but as it is the case with cameras, you would want something more substantial.
