ThinkPhone by Motorola is a suit-wearing smartphone
Business-focused blower promises advanced security and Windows-friendly features
Motorola has been under Lenovo’s watchful eye for years now, but 2023 marks the first time the two firms have teamed up to tackle the business world. The ThinkPhone by Motorola wants to be the ThinkPad of the phone world, offering enterprise-level security out of the box and working seamlessly with company computer systems.
It’s an Android phone, naturally, but Moto is promising bespoke business features that aim to set it apart from more consumer-friendly hardware. Think unified notifications across Windows and Android, the ability to use the phone’s camera as a computer webcam, an instant hotspot function, and seamless file transfers using a new Think 2 Think app. It’ll also have Motorola’s ReadyFor mobile desktop, letting you hook up a mouse and keyboard to use the phone like a PC, support for remote deployments, and have a dedicated security chip that should keep sensitive data safe.
The ThinkPhone might have a Motorola logo on the back, but it’s pretty unmistakeable as a ThinkPad relation. The carbon fibre effect finish and red power key are a signature Lenovo look, replicated here on a smaller scale. It’s made from aircraft grade aluminium, with Gorilla Glass Victus covering the 6.6in pOLED display, which has a Full HD+ resolution and 144Hz refresh rate,
It’s both IP68 and MIL STD 810H certified for drops, shocks, splashes and submerges, so should survive a beating. It’s something field workers that have smashed phones in the past should appreciate.
Rather than spring for Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU, Moto has gone for last year’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, which should help keep costs down a bit. It’s still a juicy chip, and paired with 8GB of RAM should have no trouble running Android 13 smoothly. There’s 256GB of on-board storage as standard – a generous and welcome amount, given there’s no microSD card slot.
It shares its camera hardware with the capable Motorola Edge 30 Fusion mid-ranger. That means a 50MP main snapper with optical image stabilisation, paired with a 13MP ultrawide lens at the back, and a 32MP front-facing selfie cam.
Moto is promising over a day of use from the 5000mAh battery, which supports 68W rapid charging using the bundled power brick. Wireless charging doesn’t make the cut, but a 15-minute top-up should be good to get you back to 50%. The adaptor uses USB-C Power Delivery, so should be able to quickly refuel your other compatible gadgets too.
The firm is guaranteeing three major Android version upgrades, along with four years of security patches (monthly for the first three years, then less regularly for the final one).
The ThinkPhone by Motorola should go on sale towards the end of January in Europe. There’s no word on pricing just yet, but don’t expect to walk into a high street phone shop and pick one up: the firm is only targeting business buyers, not general consumers.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
