Motorola will be re-entering an increasingly competitive Chinese smartphone market next month when it releases the new Moto X, and Moto G. The announcement comes three months after Lenovo announced they had completed a US$2.9 billion purchase of Motorola’s mobility from Google.
The smartphone maker has timed its release with the Chinese Spring Festival, according to a blog post made by the company on Monday. Lenovo pushed forward with the anticipated release despite CEO Yang Yuanqing calling the Chinese market “saturated” earlier this year, claiming the company would have to find “new growth areas” to stay competitive.
Chinese smartphone makers saw intense growth in 2014. Last week, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun claimed that the company had sold 61.12 million smartphones, making a 227% increase over the previous year’s sales. At the same time, Huawei shipments rose 40% from 2013, with 34.27 million sets sold in the first 6 months of 2014.
Motorola also announced they would be releasing a Moto X ‘Pro’ model, which according to its specifications, appears to be similar in specs to the Nexus 6, with a 6-inch QHD display. They did not release any base price points and it’s still unclear whether they will adopt special pricing in China. Currently, the Moto X 2nd generation is still retailing upwards of US$500, while the Moto G is more affordable, just under US$200. Meanwhile Xiaomi’s competing models begin at around US$100.
Lenovo itself previewed the P90 this week, which will compete with the Motorola products when it is also released in February. Lenovo CEO Yang has made it clear in the past that both brands will be maintained, and he will continue to “make [Motorola] stronger.” Lenovo released the teaser for hands-on P90 display at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Vegas this week. The P90 has similar dimensions to the Nexus 6, with a 5.5 inch display, and will be released alongside a headphone jack flash device designed specifically for selfies. Unlike the Motorola products Lenovo’s P90 will not be released in the US.
Image Source: Motorola.com