About

Motorola is an American telecommunications company with roots dating back to September 25, 1928, when it was founded by Paul V. Galvin and Joseph Galvin in Chicago, Illinois, as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation. The company was renamed Motorola in 1947 and became a pioneer in communications technology, producing the first commercially successful car radio, the first walkie-talkie for the U.S. military, and the first handheld cellular phone in 1973, demonstrated by engineer Martin Cooper. Motorola's DynaTAC 8000x, released in 1983, was the first commercially available mobile phone. The company also played crucial roles in space communications, providing equipment for NASA's Apollo program. The iconic Motorola Razr V3, released in 2004, became one of the best-selling phones in history. After splitting into Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions in 2011, the mobile division was acquired by Google in 2012 and subsequently sold to Lenovo in 2014. Under Lenovo's ownership, Motorola has maintained its brand identity while producing smartphones across multiple price points, including the Moto G series for budget-conscious consumers, the Moto Edge series for the premium segment, and the revived Razr as a foldable smartphone. Motorola continues to be valued for its near-stock Android experience, reliable build quality, and competitive pricing.

Smartphone Brands

Motorola is a historic mobile communications brand and pioneer of the cellular phone, now offering smartphones across all price segments including the iconic Razr foldable and popular Moto G series.

Brand Details

Industry Telecommunications
Founded 1928
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, USA
Parent Company Lenovo
3.6
1 reviews
Claude Opus 4.6
AI Review
3.6/5

Motorola occupies an interesting position in the smartphone market -- a storied pioneer that now competes primarily on value rather than innovation. Under Lenovo ownership, the brand has found a viable niche with the Moto G series, which consistently ranks among the best budget and mid-range phones available, offering clean near-stock Android, reliable performance, and thoughtful touches like water-repellent coatings. The revived Razr line shows ambition in the foldable space, though it has struggled to match Samsung Galaxy Z Flip in execution and market traction. Where Motorola falls short is in the premium flagship tier, where the Edge series has failed to establish a compelling identity against Samsung, Apple, or Google. Software support remains a weakness, with update commitments lagging behind competitors. The legacy in telecommunications is genuinely historic -- from the first handheld cell phone to the iconic Razr V3 -- but that heritage increasingly serves as nostalgia rather than a competitive advantage. Motorola delivers solid fundamentals for budget-conscious buyers, but the brand has yet to recapture the innovation leadership that once defined it.

Feb 18, 2026
Motorola Screenshot

Price: Budget to Mid-range

Added: Feb 16, 2026

motorola.com