A Motorola Razr Flip Smartphone stored at dispay on the launch occasion of the brand new Motorola Flip Smartphones, Motorola Razr 40 and Motorola Razr 40 Extremely, in New Delhi, India.
Kabir Jhangiani | Nurphoto | Getty Photographs
DAVOS, Switzerland — Motorola will possible be the third-biggest smartphone participant on this planet in three years, in accordance with a prime govt at Chinese language tech agency Lenovo, the proprietor of the model.
Lenovo, the world’s largest private laptop maker, purchased Motorola from Google in 2014. Lately, the corporate has sought to spice up the model and place it as a higher-end smartphone participant to compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple.
In 2020, Lenovo rebooted the enduring Motorola Razr as a foldable smartphone.
Matthew Zielinski, govt vp at Lenovo, advised CNBC on the World Financial Discussion board in Davos, Switzerland, that the corporate has turned across the Motorola enterprise and “hyper-prioritized” it and that’s now paying off.
“I’d guess a paycheck that in three years we will probably be quantity three around the globe,” Zielinski mentioned, laying out Lenovo’s ambition with Motorola.
Apple and Samsung are the 2 greatest gamers within the international smartphone market commanding round a mixed 40% share.
Motorola and Lenovo mixed had round a 4% market share within the third quarter 2023, making it the eighth-largest participant globally, in accordance with Counterpoint Analysis. Nonetheless it has discovered success in sure markets. Within the U.S., Motorola is the third greatest smartphone vendor by market share. In Latin America, Motorola is the second-largest participant.
Zielinski mentioned the corporate will probably be focused in the way it grows its market share geographically. The chief mentioned Motorola is trying to develop “stably” within the markets it’s in till it reaches 10% market share in these locations which is able to uplift its market share globally.
A part of the expansion technique revolves across the premium section of the market, by which Apple and Samsung dominate.
Foldable gadgets, just like the Razr, are a part of this class given their excessive price ticket. Zielinski described Motorola’s launch of the Razr foldable as “taking a stab on the premium market.”
Zielinski mentioned a lot of the customers for the Razr smartphone have transformed from utilizing a tool that’s “not Android based mostly.” Android is Google’s cellular working system. The one different main cellular working system round is Apple’s iOS.
Lenovo’s India push
Zielinski mentioned Lenovo is able to ramp up its Pondicherry, India manufacturing plant if it must.
The Indian authorities has sought to get electronics makers to fabricate their items in India. Apple for instance has ramped up manufacturing of its iPhones in India.
Zielinski known as India “by far some of the strategic international locations” for Lenovo.
“We simply consider now that we have made this leap to 5G, the flexibility to get expertise into the palms of the plenty the place it was harder than earlier than, and having the breadth of portfolio that now we have from the pocket to the cloud, having the kinds of conversations we’re having with the Indian authorities, and having native manufacturing and placing extra jobs within the nation of India,” Zielinski mentioned.
“We’ll place as many bets as we are able to as a result of we predict the expansion of the Indian inhabitants is incredible, they usually’re fantastic individuals.”