Aymar de Lencquesaing, chairman, and president of Lenovo’s Motorola business hinted at a press event at MWC in Barcelona that Motorola expects US sales to grow “by leaps and bounds” and is not ruling out using other carriers besides Verizon to help in this expansion. Verizon and Motorola have a long-standing relationship by supplying Verizon’s ‘Droid’ series. By expanding to other carriers, Motorola believes they can increase sales. Their popular high-end Moto Z series has been a great seller for Motorola and Verizon, and Moto has now opened another door in the US with their low-end Moto G5 Plus (and Moto G5 for other countries) that will sell for around $229 through stores like Amazon and Best Buy.
One of the driving forces behind the strong sales is the Moto Mods that are available to use on the Moto Z line that includes the Moto Z Play, Moto Z, and top of the line Moto Z Force. Rudi Kalil, VP and general manager of Lenovo’s North America Motorola phone sales said that the Verizon sales of the Moto Z have increased by 50-percent in February even though the device was launched last year. While it is normal for sales to decline after the introduction of a device, the Moto Mods are keeping Verizon’s customers interested in the device. Kalil said that more customers are now purchasing Moto Mods when they purchase their new Moto Z. He explains that with the addition of Moto Mods, “We are bringing a device that improves with time.”
Not only did Motorola claim to be bringing out 12 new Moto Mods during 2017, but Dan Dery, Motorola’s VP, and global product leader also said that other companies would be coming out with their own ‘Mods.’ Motorola talked about and introduced some of the new mods coming out at MWC – one Moto Mod looks like a gamepad that includes its own built-in mini-games and when attached to the Moto Z will allow you to play games on your phone. They are working on Moto Mods that will print off pictures, attach the phone to a larger display to make it into a tablet, as well as a Moto Mod to act as a VR headset. There are already extended batteries with wireless charging, a JBL speaker, and a Hasselblad camera attachment.
Between the additional Moto Mods and the expansion of sales on other carriers, Motorola is hoping to bypass LG and become the third largest smartphone vendor (not counting China) in the world.