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Relating to smartphones, producers appear to have this preconceived notion that everybody needs a glass slab with aluminum railings, a number of digital camera lenses, and a design that solely will get more durable to wield after you throw a case on it. Simply have a look at the iPhone 14 Professional Max or the Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely.
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Then, there’s the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola — sure, that is the precise identify — that I am going to respectfully consult with as Motorola ThinkPhone for the remainder of this text. It was first launched at CES in January, the place I went hands-on with the ThinkPad-inspired handset and was left with a sense of positivity.
After years of promoting forgettable Moto G collection telephones within the low to mid-range markets, Motorola was exhibiting glimpses of playfulness once more that even a tech fanatic like myself could not assist however admire. And with the brand new ThinkPhone, the corporate has mapped out a characteristic set that ought to attraction each to fanatics and enterprise customers alike. Here is the breakdown.
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Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola
A 6.6-inch Android cellphone with a slew of safety and business-centric options.
To begin, you are getting the usual wave of flagship components with this Android cellphone: 128GB base storage (configurable as much as 512GB), as much as 12GB of RAM, 5,000mAh battery, IP68 ranking, and a twin digital camera array consisting of a 50MP large lens and 13MP ultrawide.
The 6.6-inch OLED show ramps as much as 144Hz refresh fee.
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Had I hidden the identify of the cellphone on this article, you’d have had a tough time guessing which producer or mannequin the specs are referring to. However that tells me that Motorola needs to compete with the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, and even Google with this cellphone which, within the spirit of competitors, I totally assist.
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Sadly, the January unveiling of the ThinkPhone meant that Motorola was solely capable of leverage final 12 months’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset as a substitute of the newer, extra highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, discovered on 2023 flagships just like the Samsung Galaxy S23 collection and OnePlus 11.
Based mostly on ZDNET’s testing of the 8 Gen 2, Motorola could have missed an enormous alternative right here to convey vital effectivity features to the ThinkPhone. Nonetheless, the handset has been succesful sufficient of operating my common checklist of labor apps like Slack, Outlook, Zoom, Google Sheets, and extra.
Listed here are the options that make it a dream cellphone for energy customers at work.
1. An iconic design involves cellular
Here is the place the Moto actually stands out although. From the mappable Pink Key that pays homage to the ThinkPad’s traditional TrackPoint button to the Kevlar backing that provides the cellphone a extra rugged really feel with out including a lot bulk, that is as near a “ThinkPad cellphone” because it will get. There’s actually no different handset fairly prefer it.
The iPhone 14 Professional (left), Motorola ThinkPhone (center), and Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely (proper).
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Within the hand, the cellphone has a manageable kind issue with its 6.6-inch OLED show and shockingly skinny 8.26mm dimension. The grippier texture on the again helps, too, maintaining the system from slipping out of my arms as I used to be taking footage. However even when it did slip, Motorola touts its Gorilla Glass Victus show for drop safety from as much as 1.25 meters and a MIL-STD 810H certification, that means it will probably face up to among the harshest climate situations.
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All that is to say that the ThinkPhone is among the few gadgets that I really need to use and not using a case. The grip is that reassuring. Should you’re not as daring, Motorola does bundle a smoke-gray cowl within the field for defense.
2. A slew of security measures for the enterprise
Some key enterprise and security measures to spotlight with the ThinkPhone embody Motorola’s personal ThinkShield platform which faucets into Android OS Core Safety, built-in {hardware} safety, and extra.
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IT professionals also can leverage Zero Contact for mass distribution and Moto OEMConfig and Moto Gadget Supervisor to regulate what options and settings finish customers have entry to. And for updates, Motorola tells me the ThinkPhone will obtain three years of OS upgrades and 4 years of safety updates. It is nice to see extra producers going past the underwhelming two-year replace cycles.
3. Destined for ThinkPad customers
The cherry on high for the ThinkPhone is its software program integration with ThinkPads and different suitable Home windows computer systems. Motorola calls these seamless options Assume 2 Assume experiences, they usually embody:
Instantaneous Join: The cellphone and PC will uncover one another when close by and linked to the identical Wi-Fi community.Unified Clipboard: Customers can copy or seize textual content and pictures (proven within the GIF above) from the ThinkPhone and paste them immediately onto the PC.File Drop: Equally, recordsdata may be transferred throughout gadgets via a devoted sharing hub.Superior Webcam: PC customers can leverage the ThinkPhone’s rear cameras for larger res video output throughout conferences and conferences.Instantaneous Hotspot: A one-click toggle lets PC customers seamlessly dial into the ThinkPhone’s cellular connection.
A demo of immediate photograph transferring by way of copy and paste.
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Three months after its launch at CES, the Motorola ThinkPhone is formally on sale via choose B2B channels within the U.S. and may also be bought unlocked via Motorola and Lenovo for $699. At that value, you would be hard-pressed to discover a extra business-focused system that checks most, if not all, the packing containers an influence consumer would wish.