Motorola devices coming to Verizon in the future might not come bearing the “DROID” name anymore, according to tipster, Evan Blass. The tweet on the subject does not go into any detail or provide any more information than that. However, if true, it could signal a shift in how the company’s devices are marketed going forward.
Although it’s definitely not a universal thing, many smartphone manufacturers have made deals with mobile carriers in the past to make slight alterations to their flagships and sell them under a different name on those carriers. For Verizon and Moto, DROID has been the branding used. Another example is HTC’s Bolt, which was launched as a Sprint exclusive. However, it seems that some manufacturers are moving away from such a strategy for the most part. Moto’s parent company, Lenovo, has talked about expanding its device lineup to include other U.S. carriers as a way to improve sales figures, and as recently as February 2017. So there is some indication that this rumor could be accurate. It is important to note though, if Lenovo and Moto do take this step, it doesn’t mean the DROID branding would necessarily be disappearing completely. As one option could be that the company expands the brand to encompass other devices. It could also mean that carriers will all receive the same device, so no brand alterations between carriers are needed to differentiate them. That, in turn, could have overall financial benefits and create cost savings. It’s also important to note that any decisions happening with the name will likely depend on the contractual agreements between Verizon and the handset manufacturer.
Since the information is coming through without any other details to draw on, there is also the possibility that there will be no change to the direction of Moto, or the DROID brand at all. Until further details do come through on this, it does need to remain in mind as a rumor and one which is in its early stages. Although it will be interesting to see if Moto, Lenovo, and Verizon does take this approach and how the market views such a move, if it happens.