“Foldable cell phones are not a passing trend, they are here to stay”

Motorola in 2023 stood out in Europe with the presence of two incredible foldable devices and a series of mobile phones that perfectly meet the needs of many Spanish users. Knowing how to finely spin each of them sparked more interest in this interview conducted by EL ESPAÑOL – El Androide Libre with Andrea Monleón, general manager for the Iberian Peninsula of Mobile Business Group (MBG).

The Moto G returned in 2023 with an excellent mobile at an extremely competitive price and an excellent set of specifications, even holding hands with its younger brother, the Moto G14. Another of its notable launches was the new Motorola Edge 40 Neo in the mid-range and one of the foldables that managed to justify some of Samsung’s shortcomings, the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra.

With this catalog, Motorola presented itself in 2023 with a great return full of strength to undertake this new year 2024 and so from EL ESPAÑOL – El Androide Libre we talk with Andrea Monleón about the goals achieved and the challenges to aspire to, as well as a general overview of the market situation.

What is the “master formula” with which Motorola managed to launch its growth in Europe?

This is the result of the effort and commitment of our great professionals. I joined Motorola in the middle of this year and found a team full of talent, enthusiasm and desire to support the brand in this relaunch in Europe. This is the basis for remaining firm on the path we have charted for ourselves.

To this is obviously added our product. Over the past two years, we have focused a lot on creating products that stand out on key user specifications such as photography, screen quality, battery life, gaming capabilities , processor performance or comfortable and attractive, all accompanied by prices that democratize access to the best version of the most requested features of the moment.

Motorola has been, is and will be a leading company in mobile innovation, as demonstrated by ambitious launches this year such as our Motorola Edge family smartphones (Edge 40, Edge 40 pro and Edge 40 Neo) and the next generation of our Motorola Razr foldable devices (Razr 40 and Razr 40 ultra), which have completely revolutionized and raised the bar for a very booming device form factor.

We also cannot forget a lot of strategic work that this year has focused on strengthening Motorola’s awareness and presence in all channels, both among operators and retailers.

In addition to all this, we are part of Lenovo, a global technological benchmark that gives us the opportunity to equip our devices with differential features that improve the cybersecurity of our devices and their specific use in professional environments.

This year, they opted for a unique concept, that of the smell of a smartphone; Where did this idea come from and how did consumers react?

As part of the differentiation we have sought to give to our main devices, we have sought to ensure that their use not only meets the expectations of the most demanding consumers, but also constitutes a different experience.

The introduction of an exclusive fragrance for our devices is an idea that promoted the brand in 2021, when it entered into an alliance with Firmenich, world leader in perfumes. Together, we created a scent that represents our commitment to a sensory experience, and we’re excited to see how it has managed to rise to the point of becoming one of the most recognizable elements of the Motorola brand by the general public.

We find that consumers have seen it as something truly unique and differentiating in the industry, and that they really appreciate how we are bringing a new dimension to that magical moment of unboxing a new smartphone.

Will the commitment to PANTONE remain the same in 2024 with its own color?

It will always be like this and, in fact, we have just made official the announcement of the special editions of our Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and Motorola Edge 40 Neo models in Peach Fuzz, an orange tone that has been chosen PANTONE Color of the Year 2024. and this will only be available on Motorola devices.

With this collaboration, we are not simply seeking to increase the variety of colors available for sale, but to equip our terminals with tones strategically chosen by PANTONE experts that enhance the user’s self-expression and match their way of understand the world. For example, in the case of Peach Fuzz, we align with a PANTONE vision which defends that this color evokes the need to share and take care of oneself from the tenderness it transmits, and this is something that reflect these devices.

Which terminals are most sought after by Spaniards?

In recent years, Motorola has been closely linked to the mid-range, mainly around our Moto G family thanks to its technology and excellent value for money. But more recently, we have seen growth in demand for our premium families (Edge and Razr), showing that the cutting-edge technologies we have implemented are reaching our customers…

Have folding products ever been grouped into another category? What journey can we expect from them?

As a pioneer brand in this segment, they constitute a crucial category for our business. Our Motorola Razr represents a very important part of our R&D effort because we are sure that they will be the protagonists in making this format one of the main centers of interest among mobile phone consumers.

Our ambition in the foldable segment was clearly demonstrated in 2023, when Motorola first launched not one, but two different models of clamshell foldables. On the one hand, the Motorola Razr 40 ultra has sought to be the great reference in this segment, because in addition to a very advanced design, it has taken care of the essential specifications for the most demanding user, with improvements in aspects keys such as performance (Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor), has the largest external display on the market, offers high screen refresh rates and is exceptional in terms of battery life and photographic quality, two of the aspects the most difficult historically for foldable devices.

On the other hand, the Motorola Razr 40 looks to offer the foldable experience at a lower price range. With features that have nothing to envy of its “big brother”, it also constitutes a benchmark in terms of design, performance and functionality, and seeks to bring them closer to a greater number of consumers.

All this shows that for Motorola, foldable telephony is not a passing trend, but is here to stay. This is why we will continue to evolve our Razr devices so that they not only become benchmarks in the foldable segment, but also in telephony in general, as we will see throughout 2024.

What is Motorola’s ambition in the Spanish market? Can we expect double digits in 2024?

We have set ourselves a clear objective: to maintain this upward trend over the next year. We know that in a sector as competitive as mobility this will be a very demanding objective, but we also see how double-digit figures are already a reality for the brand in markets as close as Italy or Poland .

We have peace of mind that we have a high-level product, with exciting new features that we will see throughout 2024, and the best team to continue to develop the growth of the brand.

Thank you for paying attention to all your questions in order to clearly show that your objectives are well thought out, as happened with each of the mobile phones launched last year in Europe. We hope it stays that way and 2024 becomes a brand new year of success for Motorola.

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