[Update: Story Clarified & Refuted] Lenovo to Discontinue the Moto G and Moto E [Follow Up]

[dgstorm]

[Update: Apparently, Lenovo's SVP Chen Xudong wasn't being clear about Lenovo's intentions with the Moto G and Moto E. A Motorola representative had this to say, "Although we are simplifying the combined Motorola and [Lenovo] portfolio, we have no plans to retire Moto G, our most successful smartphone, or Moto E," a Motorola representative says.]

Here's a follow-up to our earlier story about Lenovo's Moto devices for 2016. There's a detail we missed in the interview with Lenovo SVP Chen Xudong. It turns out the Moto E and the Moto G will NOT have 5-inch displays, but this does not refute his report that all Moto devices in 2016 will have 5-inch or larger displays. It turns out that later on in the interview, he shared that Lenovo will be dropping both the Moto G and the Moto E lineup. Specifically, Lenovo plans to replace those devices with their own Lenovo Vibe series of smartphones. For their Moto phones, they plan to stick to high-end and flagship level devices.

It is a surprising move for Lenovo to "axe" the Moto G and Moto E, especially considering how well they have sold in India and Brazil. In fact, by volume the Moto G was the highest selling Motorola smartphone to date. Still, depending on you perspective, it could be considered good news that they consider Motorola to be their "premium" brand. What do our Motorola fans think of this news?

Source: Yahoo

 

[pc747]

Definitely a surprising move to drop the Moto G and E, unless they are still going to make it but just slap the Lenovo name on it. Motorola put itself back on the map with its phones priced very competitively.
It was 2 to 3 years ago this time (actually it was Black Friday) when the Moto X went from eh to through the roof when moto launched it as a black Friday deal at 399. Moto servers could not keep up with the demand. There is a large demand for the Moto G because it is a nice budget phone that you can get for grandma's first smart phone or for a teenager.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

Yeah. I thought those more budget-friendly devices were doing well for Moto. Definitely going to be interesting to watch how things change for Moto this year and into the future. Lenovo seems to have a plan made up in their minds. Here's hoping it's a good one!

 

[johnomaz]

Glad I got my daughter a Moto E before this happens. Its a pretty decent device.

 

[pc747]

Motorola won’t kill the Moto G, but be prepared for fewer phones

Maybe there is more than meets the eye. Maybe they will keep the X and G but package the E into a Lenovo brand since they are looking to cut the products that are essentially products doing the same thing aimed at the same marketshare.

 

[Dusty]

I didn't read the article so I'm sorry if I'm wrong. I was talking about this to another guy and what I gathered, from what Lenovo said, is that they will keep using the name "MOTO" and the "M" logo for high end phones. They will only use the "Vibe" branding for their low end offerings. The phones themselves won't disappear, as far as being the lower tier models, just how they are branded.

So you will see a mix of what Lenovo has now combined with the Moto E/G product line and morphed into the "Vibe" devices. The top tier Lenovo offerings will combine with what we know as the "Moto X" (think upscale and still highly customizable) and will be branded as MOTO "insert name here" devices.

For example:
Low end = Lenovo presents the Vibe 5000™
High end = Lenovo presents the new Moto ChumpaBump™

The things that make the Moto E/G what they are isn't going away, just the Moto branding. Lenovo is apparently big in other markets in the low end market, but they lack high end stuff. The Moto name will carry the flag for their high end stuff overseas while the Vibe will introduce Lenovo to the European and U.S. market at breakthrough pricing.

 

[Jonny Kansas]

I didn't read the article so I'm sorry if I'm wrong. I was talking about this to another guy and what I gathered, from what Lenovo said, is that they will keep using the name "MOTO" and the "M" logo for high end phones. They will only use the "Vibe" branding for their low end offerings. The phones themselves won't disappear, as far as being the lower tier models, just how they are branded.

So you will see a mix of what Lenovo has now combined with the Moto E/G product line and morphed into the "Vibe" devices. The top tier Lenovo offerings will combine with what we know as the "Moto X" (think upscale and still highly customizable) and will be branded as MOTO "insert name here" devices.

For example:
Low end = Lenovo presents the Vibe 5000™
High end = Lenovo presents the new Moto ChumpaBump™

The things that make the Moto E/G what they are isn't going away, just the Moto branding. Lenovo is apparently big in other markets in the low end market, but they lack high end stuff. The Moto name will carry the flag for their high end stuff overseas while the Vibe will introduce Lenovo to the European and U.S. market at breakthrough pricing.

That's the way I understood articles I read about them dropping the Motorola name as well.

Vibe = "low end"
Moto = "high end".

I also read in one article that the next Moto X is rumored to have Lenovo branding along with the Moto M. That should be interesting.

Sent from my Nexus 6P