Lenovo and Motorola’s first mobile phone in 9 years is interesting, but too specific

In January 2014, Lenovo bought Motorola Mobility from Google for just under $3 billion. The deal, considering Mountain View paid more than $12 billion in 2011 to acquire it. But despite the scale of both brands, until today they have never teamed up to launch a mobile phone. This is how we met at CES 2023 Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola.

It’s an Android smartphone with productivity features designed to take center stage in the work environment. At first glance, there is nothing revolutionary in it, but it promises very useful features for the business environment. And its list of specs is on par with any other high-end mobile phone. However, its greatest virtue is perhaps its worst flaw: targets too specific audience (and usage).

Lenovo introduced Motorola’s ThinkPhone as “the best companion for ThinkPad”, and there is no more precise definition. Your device is equipped with features designed for use within the Lenovo ecosystem. And while anyone can buy it and use it as another Android phone, if they don’t have a laptop from the Chinese brand, they won’t be able to enjoy its most interesting features.

Interesting, yes, but very specific

The most important thing about this mobile phone is technology. Think2Think. This allows you to automatically connect your Lenovo ThinkPhone to your ThinkPad laptop wirelessly: they just need to be near each other and connected to the same Wi-Fi network. But it also includes a shared clipboard to copy text or images to your phone and paste them to your computer, and vice versa. And if that’s not enough, it also lets you drag and drop files from one device to another, display Android notifications on Windows, open mobile apps on your PC, and even use your smartphone as a webcam.

Of course, if you don’t have a compatible computer, you won’t be able to take advantage of all these features, and you’ll have an Android mobile phone in your hands like so many others on the market. This is problem? Not necessary. But of course the final answer is be tied to the price of the devicewhich has not yet been discovered.

Main specifications of Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola

In terms of design, Lenovo ThinkPhone similar to many other Motorola models in the shop; especially when viewed from the front. While the rear follows the aesthetic line of ThinkPad laptops. One of the most striking elements is that on the left side has a programmable red button, a reference to the iconic trackpoint used on ThinkPad laptops. However, it is worth noting that it comes pre-configured for use as walkie-talkie through Microsoft Teams.

Another noteworthy aspect of Motorola’s Lenovo ThinkPhone is that it is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance and also meets the military standard MIL-STD 810H. As such, it promises to be strong and resilient enough to withstand the daily grind.

Finally a smartphone includes advanced security tools developed by Motorola and specifically designed for IT environments. The Lenovo ThinkPhone will be sold in the US, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and select Asian markets, although there is no specific launch date yet. For now, the manufacturer has only mentioned that it will arrive “in the coming months” and the price will be determined.