3 Disadvantages of Buying Motorola Phones

Motorola has been a big part of the Android landscape since the beginning, thanks to its Verizon-locked Droid, released in 2009, just a year after the first Android phone, the T-Mobile G1. Motorola enjoyed some success, to the point that Android phones were mostly called Droids during these early years, achieving mainstream appeal thanks to the company’s successful flashy marketing around the term “Droid”, to which even Samsung and HTC contributed.

It could be argued that Motorola contributed significantly to Android’s initial appeal. So it’s no surprise that Google bought Motorola Mobility in 2012. Under Google’s reign, Motorola’s revenues plummeted and the company was sold again in 2014, this time to Lenovo. Although Lenovo is very profitable, continuing Motorola’s budget and mid-range offerings, its biggest move as brand owner was the revival of the Motorola Razr in 2019. This was followed by the Motorola Edge series and then the high-end Motorola Signature. The company is steeped in Android history and is still going strong today, with both budget and premium offerings that stand the test of time in a very turbulent market. But that’s not to say the current lineup is without its drawbacks, especially now that the company has changed hands several times, losing much of its original identity.

These days, Motorola is perhaps best known for its budget devices, the G series, and these are often fodder for prepaid carriers like MVNOs – cheap phones bundled with cheap plans. Sometimes these phones are subsidized, meaning they may contain ads and bloatware, which isn’t helped by Lenovo’s limited support on its hardware and software. Compared to its competitors, there are some drawbacks that will definitely stand out and are worth considering before making your next Android phone purchase.

When it comes to smartphone software support, there are two very important things to consider. First, how long is the device supported with OS updates? For Motorola, this varies and is all too often lower than its competitors. Second, how frequent are security updates? For Motorola, they often lag behind the competition. Add those two together and long-term software support isn’t very pretty, but it can also help keep costs down, which Motorola seems to be passing on to the consumer.

While a few high-end Motorola handsets offer competitive seven-year support, overall the company’s mid-range and budget offerings are where support tends to fall apart. Lenovo-owned Motorola Mobility isn’t very well known for its software support these days, comparing itself more favorably to budget brands that also dial back support to keep prices low, rather than high-end smartphones from Samsung or Google. Basically, with modern Motorola phones, you get what you pay for: if your device is cheaper, software support may have been one of the ways to keep costs down.

What this all boils down to is fewer OS upgrades and fewer security updates, and when updates are rolled out, they can be quite delayed compared to competitors, leaving users vulnerable to attacks. And once you start using some G series models intended primarily for prepaid deals, Motorola doesn’t guarantee any operating system updates. None. On the other hand, Motorola’s high-end devices today come with premium support guarantees. In fact, the Motorola Signature is one of the few Android phones with the longest software support. Again, you get what you pay for, so it’s best to stick with Motorola’s high-end devices if you’re looking for a premium experience.

Following the trends of budget brands, another way to save money when designing a phone is to skimp on cameras, something Motorola knows well. After all, that comes with the territory when making budget and mid-range devices; The camera these phones often come with often isn’t very good, which is why Motorola comes in last place when Android phone brands are ranked from worst to best, according to users. Add to this hardware problem the fact that small cameras require powerful computer software to clean up their images (that’s what Pixel phones are known for, after all), and image optimization on Motorola devices generally leaves users wanting more. Again, this is a one-two punch, as camera hardware and software can be lacking on Motorola devices.

Conversely, Motorola’s high-end devices, like those in the Edge line, typically come with high-megapixel camera sensors, which you can then pair with a hacked version of the GCam app to bypass Motorola’s camera software if you find it lacking. So it’s not that the problem can’t be solved with the right Motorola phone: first and foremost, you need to start with a good sensor if you want good photos. This is precisely where Motorola’s budget and low-end offerings fall short, and even a downloaded version of GCam won’t be able to correct shots from low-quality sensors.

So if you’re in the market for a new phone and considering a Motorola, be sure to check out what types of camera sensors it comes with. The higher the megapixels, the better the resolution – and from there you can use third-party or modified camera apps to bridge the image processing gap.

Finally, another way to reduce costs when manufacturing smartphones is through subsidizing, which can be achieved by selling advertising or app space on the smartphone itself. While Motorola owners say their phones typically last three to four years, that period can be accompanied by ads and bloatware, depending on the smartphone model. For example, the Glance app for Motorola is a lock screen replacement installed by default on some Edge and G series models, and includes an AI-curated recommendation system for shopping, sports, and news. In other words, it’s a default app that serves ads to the user in a vital part of the phone’s software: its lock screen.

Motorola has also been caught hijacking links and replacing them with affiliates, although it claims to have stopped this practice. Third-party apps such as TikTok can also be found on Motorola devices, which may be evidence of paid placement in an effort to reduce the friction of initially using these apps. Motorola goes further by installing games as well, and these are often free, heavily monetized titles, like Monopoly GO and Candy Crush Saga, games designed from the ground up to make you spend.

The good news is that many of these apps can be disabled, and even in the case of Glance, they can be disabled and easily replaced with a third-party app with the same purpose, like AcDisplay. So it’s not like the user has no control over what apps their Motorola phone runs, but ultimately it takes some extra work to get around this sometimes excessive subsidy. Still, this is how Motorola keeps costs down, ensuring it remains competitive in the mid- and low-end smartphone segments.