HANDHELD devices under the Motorola brand returned to the local market, as International Data Corp. (IDC) said worldwide volume shipments of smartphones were up 1 percent in the third quarter.
“Moto’s return to the Philippines solidifies Lenovo’s strong business momentum,” Lenovo Mobile Business Group Philippines Inc. Country Manager Dino Romano said on October 20. “With Lenovo’s Moto acquisition, Lenovo adds a premium smartphone portfolio that features top-tier hardware and software innovations, such as the Moto Z and a customized experience with Moto Mods.”
Lenovo launched that day several Motorola brand smartphones, including the 5.2-millimeter Moto Z, which is being sold for P33,999 ($701.05 at current exchange rates). There is also the Moto Z Play, targeting “heavy smartphone users,” or users requiring an always-on device, which requires longer battery life. This device carries a tag price of P22,999 ($474.23).
Motorola’s launch came as Samsung remained as the top-selling brand worldwide despite the recall of its Galaxy Note 7 according to preliminary results from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker.
IDC said vendors shipped a total of 362.9 million smartphones worldwide in the third quarter of the year. IDC said volumes were up compared to the same period last year, when vendors shipped 359.3 million units.
Motorola is expected to challenge the dominance of Samsung and the other top four vendors—Apple, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo.