The inability to adapt is why Samsung will fall
Samsung, along with just about everyone else, continues to push out high end flagships with the latest Snapdragon 800s (Exynos for Samsung) processor and other competitive specs like 3 to 4 gigs of RAM and monstrous 2k, even 4k (Sony), displays. What they aren’t manufacturing is high performing middle ranged devices.
Alcatel, Asus and Motorola have made radical advancements with their midrange devices. The Idol 3, Zenphone 2 and Moto G have been making huge strides in narrowing the performance gap between midrange and highend phones without narrowing the price gap. Although, Motorola’s own Moto X and the OnePlus Two do lower that price gap by offering highend specs for more affordable prices.
Samsung, as well as other manufacturers like Sony and HTC, haven’t had strong offerings in the midrange level. Ever. Samsung is the king of the flagship and the entirety of the sea of the lowend devices, but their “midranged” devices are just lowend devices in disguise.
With the rumors of the HTC One A9 (Aero) being a midranged handset, HTC might be adapting. There were cries of disgust when people realized that HTC’s “saving grace” wasn’t going to be a super-powered flagship, but it might not have to be.
Three years ago, Motorola released the Moto X and the Moto G. The Moto X was a great phone, but the Moto G was even better. The Moto G was a midranged device that did everything right. Sure, its specs were sub par, past yesteryear, but the experience was still there.
The problem with most lowend to midrange phones is that they provide awful user experiences; they are slow, sluggish, and borderline unusable after a six months. The Moto G fixed all of these problems with a snappy feel to it that worked great for everyone besides power users.
Samsung keeps its grip on the market through relentless campaigning. Their strength is marketing. Samsung’s game is to produce the best flagship device and advertise it until they make the next big flagship device. With this, they grow in brand recognition and pick up the low end sales on account of their recognizability from the flagship device.
There are plenty of phones out there at similar price points that offer way more in terms of specs and experience, but nobody knows about them because they are buried in the sea of Samsung. However, that is all starting to change.
Last year, we saw the rise of OnePlus. They offered a flagship device for a midranged price, and the world took notice. It is unfortunate that the company’s marketing team got overzealous and self-destructed, but that is another story for another time.
This year, we have seen the Blu Pure XL rock the tech world with another flagship phone for a midranged price. Cheaper phones are making an appearance. Soon, they will break into the market and topple Samsung, the king of Android. That is unless Samsung adapts.
Samsung has always made premium flagship devices, and that was okay. The world wanted that premium flagship. However, people are changing, and they are becoming increasingly concerned with bang for their buck value over raw power regardless of cost. There is an increasing interest in cheaper phones and a declining one in the flagships.
People are soon going to realize that Samsung’s premium attention to their flagship devices doesn’t translate into their lowend and midranged devices. They are going to figure out that there are other options out there that better suit their needs. When they do, Samsung’s reign will end, and a new king will rise to take the crown. A cheaper king.
The post The inability to adapt is why Samsung will fall appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Moto X Style will arrive in India on October 8th
Motorola began teasing an Indian launch of its high-end Moto X Style last week and we now have a launch date. The phone is set to make its regional appearance on October 8th. We don’t have a retail price for the Moto X Style in India yet, but a safe bet would probably put the phone somewhere around Rs. 26,000 to Rs. 28,000 ($400 – $430).
If you are in need of a quick refresher, the Moto X Style boasts a 5.7-inch QHD (2560×1440) display, hexa-core Snapdragon 808 SoC, 3GB of RAM, a 21 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front facing camera. There’s also a 3,000mAh battery, IP52 protection against water, Android 5.1 Lollipop on board and your choice of either 16, 32 or 64GB of internal memory. Check out our hands on time and impressions of the handset in the videos below:
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If you would like to be in with a chance to win a Moto X Style when it launches in India, Motorola is holding a contest through its Twitter and Facebook accounts today. Send Motorola your definition of “beautility” and explain which 2 traits define that word for you, along with the #BeautilityIs hashtag, and you could be one of two lucky winners. You can read the contest terms and conditions over on this page.
Motorola has also launched the low cost Moto G 2015 model in India and the mid-range Moto X Play arrived in the country just a few weeks ago. Just as with these previous Motorola launches, the Moto X Style will be available through online retailer FlipKart.
The Moto X Style will launch in India through Flipkart on October 8
Independent retailer Flipkart has announced that it will start selling Motorola’s latest high-end smartphone, the Moto X Style, in India on Thursday, October 8. The handset will be up for grabs in both Black and White colorways, and will carry a price tag of around Rs. 30,000 ($460).
The Moto X Style is a pretty impressive device, packing a 5.7-inch qHD display, a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 exa-core processor, an Adreno 418 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal memory, a 21MP rear-facing camera and a 3,000mAh battery.
If you’re based in India, like the sound of the Moto X Style and would like to be notified the second it’s available to purchase — hit the source link below to register your interest.
Source: Flipkart
Come comment on this article: The Moto X Style will launch in India through Flipkart on October 8
Sidestepping the carriers: Is Motorola in the right direction?
Carriers have long been a pain, not just for their customers, but also for the smartphone suppliers. While a device is all ready to get in customers’ hands, it first has to go through through the “middle man” and receive the carrier-approved status. This can come in various forms, from physical carrier branding on the phone to bloatware apps.
Also, tired of waiting for that overdue update? Many of the times it’s not the OEM’s fault. The update is merely sitting in the carrier’s holding area until they can test it and make it fit to push out under their terms.
Over the years, we’ve seen OEM’s just suck it up. Phone price subsidizes have been the driving force behind being stuck on carriers. It’s hard to make everyone cough up $700 for a phone (even though people do for computers).
But there is one OEM in particular who is clearly sticking it to the man – Motorola. This year, Motorola ceased carrier involvement with the launch of the newest Moto X flagship. You can’t buy a Moto X Pure from a carrier. It is only sold as an unlocked device, from either Motorola itself or third-party vendors. And the full price starts at $400.
Some may call this too bold of a move. The carrier-way is still how the majority of the market understands phone buying. But we must give Motorola credit for taking a huge risk in an attempt to do it right. Control of the software, updates, design, and pricing is where it belongs – with the company that manufactured the device.
Fortunately, Motorola is not alone. The Un-Carrier (T-Mobile) has been making waves in showing the market the wrongness of the typical carrier strategy. T-Mobile no longer subsidizes phones. And other carriers have begun following suit, with financing options rather than subsidy.
There is also an increasing trend of top smartphone performers coming down in price. Google has been on the forefront of this revolution, beginning with the aggressively priced Nexus 4 and Nexus 5. It followed up this year with the $380 Nexus 5X and $500 Nexus 6P. And you won’t find the 5X or 6P in carrier stores either, they were only launched through the Google Store.
Last year, OnePlus came out of nowhere and offered a “flagship” around $300 (followed by the OnePlus Two). Additionally, we’re seeing fantastic budget offerings from Asus (Zenfone 2) and Alcatel (Idol 3). More strong unlocked options will provide the support needed to wean people off the old ways, and Motorola’s recent move was a big step. We can only hope other OEM’s follow suit.
Just today we’ve seen HTC express that monthly updates are an unrealistic goal. Part of the headache HTC has long had in getting updates out in a timely manner is the lengthy carrier-approval process. It is suspected that the upcoming One A9 will be a strong, budget offering, helping HTC move away from the carrier dependency.
Are you also excited about this unlocked-phone movement and agree that we’re moving in the right direction?
The post Sidestepping the carriers: Is Motorola in the right direction? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
No Marshmallow for Moto X 2014 (AT&T and Verizon)
Owners of Motorola’s second generation Moto X under the AT&T or Verizon brand will not be receiving further updates, including Google’s new Android 6.0 update. This news comes from Motorola’s official statement on which phones will be receiving Marshmallow.
While the Pure Edition of the Moto X will be receiving the update, anyone who bought the phone through the said carriers will be left out. This will disappoint many Moto X users who bought the phone for the reason of timely updates and long support. Here is the full list of Motorola devices receiving Android 6.0:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G (2nd gen US & Europe)
- 2014 Moto Maxx
- 2014 Droid Turbo
- Nexus 6 (carrier and unlocked)
To clarify that carrier branded Moto X 2nd gen will not receive the update, Matt from Motorola stated on Motorola forums that “The carrier version — AT&T and Verizon — will not get the upgrade.”
Whether this is because the now-owned Lenovo company is shifting resources away from software updates, it’s clear that Motorola is focusing on selling unlocked smartphones to customers rather than through carriers, specifically with the new Moto X Pure Edition they are strongly pushing for $499 in the US.
The post No Marshmallow for Moto X 2014 (AT&T and Verizon) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The 220 day old 2015 Moto E wont be receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow
“We believe your phone should look and behave like you want it to. That means our approach to software is ‘less is more’, so you can focus on the choices that are right for you“
Motorola, taking the “less is more” line a little too literally, will not be updating the 2015 Moto E and the Verizon and AT&T variants of the 2014 Moto X to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The 2015 Moto E, one of the best budget phones around, was announced in only February. In the marketing video for the Moto E, these fateful words were uttered.
“And while other smartphones in this category don’t always support upgrades, we won’t forget about you, and we’ll make sure your Moto E stays up to date after you buy it.“
Apparently what Motorola meant by that statement was that the Moto E would be upgraded from Android 5.0 Lollipop that it was launched with to Android 5.1. This, frankly, is ridiculous. For a company that promises quick updates and a stock-like experience, the new Lenovorola is going in the wrong direction. Gutting much of the workforce, not updating their recent phones and bad customer service is not the recipe that turned Motorola from the disaster it was into a favorite among stock Android fans.
I can’t tell if it’s worse that they’re not updating a popular budget that came out in February or their flagship from a year ago on the two most popular carriers in the United States.
Full list of devices receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia2 (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE2 (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- 2014 Moto Turbo
- Nexus 6
Motorola will also be sunsetting their work on Moto Assist, Moto Migrate and Moto Connect. The logic is a bit more clear on these apps though. Moto Assist and Migrate have had their functionality move into the core of Android and will come on all phones so it doesn’t make sense for Motorola to devote time and resources to a redundant program.
To say this turn of events by Motorola is disappointing would be underplaying it. A lot of people had hoped that after being acquired by Google, Motorola would be the “chosen one” going forward, giving us fast updates, great hardware and an attractive price but now that trust is broken for many people.
Source: Motorola blog via Android Police
The post The 220 day old 2015 Moto E wont be receiving Android 6.0 Marshmallow appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Motorola announces which devices will be getting the Android Marshmallow update
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Motorola has had a pretty stellar reputation when it comes to rolling out software updates to its devices quickly, and we’re hoping that won’t be changing for this round of Android Marshmallow updates. Earlier today, Motorola detailed in a blog post exactly which devices are going to be updated to the latest version of Android, which included the following:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia2 (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE2 (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- 2014 Moto Turbo
- Nexus 6
Motorola does note that things could change and more or less devices could be updated, but you probably shouldn’t hold your breath as some carriers don’t even bother announcing which devices are being updated, let alone give us an incomplete list. We will note that there are some devices we’re surprised are missing, namely all Moto E devices, and carrier versions of the 2014 Moto X – the 2013 Moto X and 2013 Moto G are also missing, but we’re guessing they’ve fallen out of the 2 year window for support.
Motorola also noted in its blog post that it would be retiring a few apps, including Motorola Assist, Motorola Migrate, as well as the Chrome extension for Motorola Connect. If nothing else, Motorola touches on a poignant reason to get rid of these apps:
“Both of these products were valuable in their time but the world has moved on and they no longer add enough value to justify taking up space in your device.”
We’ll pay that. What do you think about Motorola’s Android Marshmallow update list? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Motorola Blog via Android Police
The post Motorola announces which devices will be getting the Android Marshmallow update appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Motorola details its plans for Android 6.0 Marshmallow
With Android 6.0 Marshallow coming as soon as next week to Nexus devices, other companies are going to be hard at work bringing the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system to their own hardware. Among the fast-moving companies to update their devices is Motorola. Today, Motorola shared which devices will receive the Marshmallow software update.
Motorola first explained its software approach:
We believe your phone should look and behave like you want it to. That means our approach to software is ‘less is more’, so you can focus on the choices that are right for you. In fact, we’ve made it a priority to avoid bloatware and skins, and focus on identifying and tackling areas where we can enable more meaningful exchanges between you and your phone, such as simple voice controls and notifications that you can interact with even when your phone is asleep.
Here are the phones that Motorola says it will bring Marshmallow to:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- Nexus 6
Is your device missing from the list above? It looks like the original Moto X from 2013 is not included; that also seems to be the case for the Verizon and AT&T variants of last year’s Moto X (2014). For the latter, let’s just hope that is has something to do with the carriers holding up the process of getting device owners Marshmallow.
Motorola does not yet have a schedule for any software updates but the company does plan to issue those details in the coming weeks.
The company also announced that it is using the release of Marshmallow as an opportunity to reorganize its own apps and services. Since Marshmallow has a plethora of sound and notification settings, Moto Assist is no longer necessary and will be removed. The same goes for Motorola Migrate as Google has really improved data backup. And Motorola will also shutdown the Chrome extension within Motorola Connect — a way to text from a computer with Google’s Chrome browser — with the rise of other alternatives and instant messaging services.
Source: Motorola
Come comment on this article: Motorola details its plans for Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Motorola outlines Marshmallow upgrade plans for devices
Many of us favor Motorola’s approach to smartphone software, not deviating too much from the true Android experience. One benefit to this is that you get more reliable OS updates. Being that Android 6.0 Marshmallow is the current hotness, Motorola has just opened up about what to expect and who should expect it.
On The Official Motorola Blog, the OEM discusses the future software plans. Firstly, it is made clear that the true-to-Android vision is still the driving force. I particularly connected with this statement:
“This philosophy has enabled us to make what we think are the most personal and responsive phones in the world, built on a foundation of pure Android with a few Moto Enhancements to improve (not impede) overall functionality.“
With that said, there happens to be some Moto Enhancements features made redundant by new features in Marshmallow. Motorola said they will be removed to “ensure we’re complementing Android (not competing with it).” For instance, with Android’s new “Do not disturb” mode, Motorola doesn’t feel the need for Moto Assist anymore. Also, because Marshmallow handles user data backup/restore, Motorola Migrate will be retired.
Motorola also addressed probably the most questioned thing about updates, “Is my device getting it?”. Here is the list of device currently in the works to receive Marshmallow:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia2 (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE2 (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- 2014 Moto Turbo
- Nexus 6
Motorola warns that this list isn’t final, and also defers to its per region software upgrade page. There’s no word about timing yet, only that the team is working fast and will release the updates when they’re ready, and to “Look for more news on timing in the coming weeks.”
Are you satisfied with Motorola’s support?
The post Motorola outlines Marshmallow upgrade plans for devices appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Motorola confirms Marshmallow plans, no love for US carriers’ Moto X (2014)
After Google announced Marshmallow and the new Nexus family, HTC was the first 3rd party OEM to chime in on its plans for Android 6.0. Now it is Motorola’s turn. In an official blog post, Motorola detailed some of the best features found in Marshmallow and also gave a list of the devices confirmed to be getting the update.
Motorola is known for being pretty good when it comes to software updates, and so the devices omitted from the update list come as at least a little of a surprise. Most notably, the US carrier versions of the Moto X (2014) are being left out of the fun, as is the Motorola Moto E (both the original and the 2015 version). The original Moto X and Moto G are also being left out, though that’s a little less surprising given their age.
See also: Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (Moto X Style) review
Now it is important to note that Motorola says “right now we have plans to upgrade the following Motorola devices. Things may change, so please refer to our software upgrade page for the latest, and specifics by country.” That means that they could still be negotiating with carriers and don’t want to get our hopes up, or it could mean they are really leaving US Moto X (2014) devices in the dark.
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Here’s the full list of devices that are confirmed to be getting the Marshmallow update:
- 2015 Moto X Pure Edition (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Style (3rd gen)
- 2015 Moto X Play
- 2015 Moto G (3rd gen)
- 2014 Moto X Pure Edition in the US (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto X in Latin America, Europe and Asia (2nd gen)
- 2014 Moto G and Moto G with 4G LTE (2nd gen)
- DROID Turbo
- 2014 Moto MAXX
- 2014 Moto Turbo
- Nexus 6
In addition to announcing its Marshmallow plans, the blog post also revealed that Motorola is retiring Moto Assist and will no longer be offering Migrate and Moto Connect as a preload on new devices.
What do you think of Motorola’s Marshmallow plans? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
AIVAnet 