In 2024, it seems like Motorola is the punchline of every joke in the smartphone industry. The company, once owned by Google but now owned by Lenovo, has been making cell phones since 1984 when it released the DynaTac 8000X. Since then, they have been a prominent player in the cell phone industry, from iconic phones such as the Razr flip phones or the Moto X smartphone. However, today it seems like they are a shell of their former self. Many now think of them as more similar to Nokia than today’s more relevant brands, such as Samsung. In fact, prominent tech YouTuber Linus Sebastian called them a “zombie brand” in a recent video (the clip has since been removed, but you can see the story here). Is this criticism justified, or has the press been too hard on Motorola?

It seems like recent Motorola phones have been slapped with the same criticisms over and over again. The main complaint is their software upgrade cycle. For years now Motorola’s G phones, their established budget lineup, has only only gotten one Android version update. Their more premium Edge lineup has it a little better with two Android version upgrades, and the Motorola Razr even gets three, but this software update policy is very disappointing when compared to the industry standards. For context, Samsung and Google’s flagship lineup now gets seven Android version upgrades, and even Samsung’s budget A-series (most comparable to the Moto G series) gets four upgrades. Every single review you see about Motorola phones will list this as one of the main cons. However, is software support as big of a deal as people make it out to be? Once your phone stops getting Android updates, it’s not as though it can’t be used anymore. You can still download and use all the apps you need, and you will still get security patches for a while after your last version update, so you are protected. Also, in 2024, Android is barely getting any new features, so how much are you really missing out on? These upgrade policy complaints are a mix of a genuine problem and just something that is easy for reviewers to gripe about. Realistically, people often only hold onto their phone for two or three years anyways, so the new seven upgrade standard set by Samsung doesn’t matter for most people anyways. Of course, the number of updates isn’t the only issue. As the owner of a Motorola device, these updates certainly do not reach me quickly. Android 14 came out in October 2023; it is August 2024 and my Moto G Power 2023 still hasn’t gotten Android 14. This is frustrating but at the same time it doesn’t affect how I use my phone, and I probably care about Android updates more than the average person does anyways.

Second to the updates, the other major complaint reviewers have is ads. Motorola phones, particularly the cheaper ones, come with loads of preinstalled and “recommended” apps. These apps often seem trashy and they are clearly placed on the phone as a way to take advantage of less tech savvy users that will just use them anyways. I have mixed feelings about when reviewers disparage a phone for this reason. On the one hand, it is unethical to fill a product with low quality apps that collect user data, but on the other hand, you can just delete them. That is what I did within the first ten minutes of setting up my Motorola phone, and I have had a clean, bloat-free experience ever since. As controversial as it is, preinstalled junk like this makes it possible for the phone to be cheaper, which matters more to me. It isn’t like other manufacturers don’t do this anyways; Samsung phones (as well as devices from other manufacturers) come with some bloatware as well and you don’t see people complaining.

Finally, Motorola has never been known for their cameras. Just like how every review complains about software updates, nearly every review also has something to say about the camera system, which are often characterized as adequate or mediocre at best. In 2024, they are at a state where they will probably be good enough for most, but if camera is a top priority in your phone, you will definitely be better off with offerings from Samsung or Google.

The past couple of paragraphs have painted a bleak picture of Motorola phones, but there’s a lot they do well. The software they run is very similar to stock Android, which many prefer to some of the more customized launchers like Samsung’s One UI. This means you get all of the Google apps as default, including apps considered the best available such as Google Messages and Gboard. The experience is very similar to a Google Pixel. Despite the stock experience, there are a couple little features Motorola has added. Everyone knows the double karate chop to open the flashlight, as well as the double twist to open the camera, but there is also a password-protected secure folder where you can keep banking apps or sensitive files. These definitely aren’t reasons to buy the phone, but they are nice to have. Once you are past all the bloatware mentioned in the last paragraph, it can be a really pleasant software experience.

It seems like everything in this article has been about software. So how is the hardware? Motorola offers a huge range of devices at every price point, with their lowest end device at just $150. Let’s start with their budget line, arguably what the company is most known for. What used to be just one phone, the Moto G, is now a few different devices, all with different selling points and focuses. These include the Moto G Play, Moto G Power, Moto G Stylus, and finally, the plain Moto G. Each model gets a new release every year. The specs these devices pack are certainly impressive at their respective price points. The Moto G Play is the lowest-end in their 2024 lineup, with a Snapdragon 680 chip, 4GB RAM and just 64GB storage for $150. The Moto G Stylus, on the other hand, is their best this year, with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage, a 1080p OLED display, and of course, a stylus for just $400. While most people would struggle to make the Moto G Play their daily driver, many could get by with the Moto G Stylus. While this hardware is pretty good, the naming system is a little problematic. For people not poring over the specs sheets like I have, it can be hard to tell which of these phones will be good enough for you. For example, other than price, how are people supposed to know what differentiates a Moto G Play from a Moto G Power? This can lead to customers making the wrong decision for themselves, which isn’t doing Motorola any favors. Why not make it easier for people to find the device they need at the price point they can afford?

Shifting over to the higher end, there is the Motorola Edge lineup. These are not quite a flagship phone, but they certainly are a step up from the Moto G devices we focused on in the last paragraph. They are named for their “edge display,” meaning the displays have curved edges. While there are multiple different Edge models released worldwide this year, only one has been released in the US for now. The phone retails for $550 and contains (mostly) unremarkable specs: a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chip (I bet you haven’t heard of that one), 8GB memory, a 5000mah battery, etc. However, there are a couple features that seem unusually high end for a phone as cheap and otherwise unremarkable as this. The first one is 68 watt charging, which is much faster than anything offered by Samsung or Google at this price point. The other, and arguably more interesting, is the 144hz display. Nearly every Android phone, even the highest-end ones, only have a 120hz display. What practical reason would this phone have to have one? Though I haven’t seen one myself, the difference in smoothness is surely negligible if Samsung hasn’t decided to put one in their flagships. This is clearly a feature more focused on making headlines than actually improving the user experience. Despite this, the phone is an overall decent value for the money, but customers have some other strong options at this price point, including the $499 Google Pixel 8a or the $499 Oneplus 12R.

The one category where Motorola could really be considered an industry leader is their Razr flip phones. These phones, named for their famed line of traditional flip phones back in the early 2000s, have consistently been on the forefront of smart flip phone innovation. Their first model in the Razr refresh was the Motorola Razr 2019, released on February 6th, 2020 (just several days before the first Galaxy Z Flip came out). Ever since, they have proven the biggest competition to Samsung’s Z Flip line. For example, on their 2023 Razr+ phone (released June 2023), Motorola introduced a large 3.6 inch cover screen which allowed people to run full Android apps without opening their phones. This is in comparison to the small 1.9 inch cover screen used on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which only allowed people to perform simple actions like look at notifications or media controls. Of course, Samsung was quick to follow suit, launching the Z Fold 5 in August that year with a 3.4 inch cover screen. However, this cover screen was more limited than Motorola’s, with only a select few apps allowed to run in their entirety on this screen. As this article has made clear, Motorola is rarely on the cusp of innovation with their hardware, but their flip phones really do set themselves apart as some of the best in the game.

After a comprehensive review of their products and software, why do people choose to buy Motorola phones? I believe it can be summed up in one word: value. Oftentimes Motorola is not necessarily someone’s first choice, but what you get for the price with these phones is just so hard to beat (especially considering the constant sales you can find them on). This is why their budget G series, not the pricier Edge or Razr devices, are their best sellers. After all, it is why I bought a Motorola phone; at the same price, the specs absolutely demolished the Samsung device I was looking at. I was perfectly willing to put up with some of these imperfections if it meant getting more performance from a budget device, and I do not regret my decision at all. I both understand why people bash them but also wouldn’t hesitate to buy another. They are not for everyone, but for the value-oriented customer, a lot of the aforementioned problems can be forgiven in the search for a good deal.