Motorola: C+
Motorola has proven that there are benefits to being an underdog, as it means there’s plenty of room to grow. The company has done just that while demonstrating it can keep up with the industry’s top dogs. Despite some misses, Motorola had a solid 2025 with some impressive highlights that leave me wanting more.
A winning strategy
Last year, I wondered whether Motorola could keep up in the premium market. In 2025, it feels like Motorola found a winning strategy and ran with it.
The company not only launched the rather enticing Razr 2025 series, but also emulated a tried-and-true strategy from companies like Apple, Samsung, and Google by offering three different models. This included the affordable Razr 2025 and the premium Razr Ultra 2025, which ended up being my favorite [flip] phone of 2025.
Motorola also seems to have found its stride in design. It heightened its focus on CMF (Colors, Materials, and Finish) across its lineup through its partnership with Pantone, offering vegan leather, Alcantara, and even wood on its phones, harkening back to the days of Moto Maker.
We even got a thin phone to compete with the Galaxy S25 Edge and iPhone Air, proving that Motorola isn’t going to sit by and let Samsung and Apple have all the fun.
If anything, this has all improved Motorola’s reputation, transforming it from just a budget Android phone maker to one that can hang with the best of them.
Two steps forward, one step back
Despite its impressive flagship and even midrange hardware like the Moto G Stylus 2025, there was a notable hole in its lineup: a flagship option for consumers who don’t want a foldable phone. Last year, I had hoped that Motorola would finally challenge the likes of Samsung’s Ultra phone in 2025 with a follow-up to the excellent Edge Plus 2023, but alas, we never got it.
We also got a new smartwatch, but still no Wear OS or a true Moto 360 revival. That felt odd at a time when Android OEMs like OnePlus are proving they can make compelling devices to strengthen their device ecosystems, something Motorola truly needs. Motorola introduced new tablets and its first laptop, but unfortunately, neither came to the U.S.
On the software front, Motorola didn’t move the needle very much. Hello UX is largely unoffensive, and there are some clever uses of AI like Look & Talk and the ability to choose from a wide selection of AI models like Perplexity. However, the overall software/AI package still feels less mature and cohesive than Samsung’s One UI, and I often end up ignoring Moto AI in favor of Gemini and Circle to Search.
Motorola also continues to trail its rivals in software updates, offering one of the shortest update promises for flagship phones and less consistently than others. This ultimately reduces the overall value of its phones, since they’ll lose support sooner than those of Samsung, OnePlus, or Pixel.
Ultimately, Motorola still lacks compelling software differentiators. While its camera software and algorithms have improved, there’s little reason to buy a Razr over a Pixel or Samsung phone if you want great photos.
Motorola is getting comfortable
… but hopefully not too comfortable. The company has made a triumphant comeback with the impressive Razr series, and its budget phones are decent enough for the price.
That said, it feels like Motorola is still trying to find its footing in building a hardware and software ecosystem. At a time when companies like Samsung and Google have made AI so accessible and easy to use, Motorola’s lack of software focus feels like a glaring misstep.
Ultimately, Motorola hasn’t really given us anything to keep us interested, whether that’s a cohesive family of devices or the software that holds it together. And aside from some genuinely useful Smart Connect features, there isn’t anything to tether us to its products.
