The Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is a welcome shock. It’s geared toward company varieties with a PC, particularly if it is a ThinkPad. I’m not a enterprise government, nor do I personal a PC, and but after testing it for a number of weeks, the ThinkPhone has change into my favourite Motorola smartphone in years. And because the Tyler Perry-esque identify suggests, the telephone is made by Motorola and its mum or dad firm, Lenovo.The ThinkPhone has character, in contrast to many Motorola telephones prior to now few years. It’s greater than only a bunch of tech specs voted on by advertising and marketing analysis members and packaged collectively at a low worth. And with telephones, like canines and pigs, character goes a great distance. The ThinkPhone is harking back to 2017-’20 period Motorola designs that made me admire how a lot worth a Moto telephone can pack in comparison with gadgets from Google, Samsung and, on the time, LG.At $700 (which converts roughly to £565, AU$1,060), the Lenovo ThinkPhone is an unbelievable worth. It has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, (which feels speedy regardless of being a technology previous), a 5,000-mAh battery, 68-watt quick charging (with an included energy brick) and a stunning 6.6-inch 144Hz show, all wrapped within the Lenovo ThinkPad’s pinstriped and refined aesthetic. 8.0 Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola Like
Cohesive design
Incredibly quick charging
Cross performance with PCs
Incredible worth for the value
Don’t like
The cameras are good, however battle in low gentle
The Google Pixel 7 is $100 much less
It runs Android 13 and has numerous nifty shortcuts and cross-platform utilities with Windows. The cross performance is not restricted to Lenovo ThinkPads. In reality, the ThinkPhone can work with most Windows computer systems launched in the previous few years. The telephone was first introduced at CES earlier this yr and sells unlocked on Motorola’s web site in addition to Lenono’s web site and B2B enterprise gross sales channels. Perhaps the ThinkPhone’s largest downside is that the $600 Pixel 7 exists. While the ThinkPhone beats the Pixel 7 in most points, it lacks Google’s head-of-the-class computational photograph processing and cheaper price. To be honest, a Pixel 7 with 256GB of storage (which matches what’s on the ThinkPhone) prices $700. And that ideas issues in Motorola’s favor.Lenovo ThinkPhone design and efficiencyThe ThinkPhone has an identical design as Lenovo’s fashionable ThinkPad laptop computer line, all the way down to the signature pink button. For a brand new telephone that is possible the primary in a brand new product line, the design feels refined and mature; mimicking the ThinkPad’s company look. There’s even a ThinkPhone by Motorola badge on the again that is similar to the ThinkPad emblem. The diagonal aramid fiber weave inlay on the again provides the smartphone a classy look and feels nice in hand.The telephone is rated IP68 for water and mud resistance and may survive being submerged in 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes; about 5 ft. But don’t be concerned, it additionally comes with a case. The ThinkPhone has an aluminum physique, and the rear is roofed in aramid fiber. James Martin/CNETThe 6.6-inch show seems good, even beneath brilliant gentle. Its refresh price can go as much as 144Hz. What I did is depart it on “auto,” which switches the refresh price by as much as 120Hz relying on what’s in your display. Under the display is an optical fingerprint reader, which labored properly.The telephone runs final yr’s Snapdragon chip as an alternative of the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip discovered within the OnePlus 11 or Galaxy S23. And to be exact, it is the plus variant that debuted final summer season. It’s a savvy approach to stability highly effective efficiency and wonderful effectivity whereas retaining the value down. I want extra corporations would use final yr’s premium processor to assist decrease the fee. In reality, Motorola’s upcoming Razr Plus runs on the identical chip, which I’m sure helps maintain its worth down. The again of the telephone comes with the identical backside nook branding as a Lenovo ThinkPad. Patrick Holland/CNETEssentially, this can be a Motorola telephone that runs on a close-to-stock model of Android 13 with a number of enhancements like Moto UX, shortcuts and options like GameTime, a mode that minimizes distractions throughout recreation play. It has Microsoft Office preinstalled and that is the place that pink button on the aspect appears most at residence. I can use the button with Microsoft Teams’ push to speak function or program it for an additional shortcut. It’s a stunning addition that makes the telephone extra distinctive than its Motorola Edge cousins. I used the button to set off the audio recorder app.Performance was typically quick and clean, apart from one minor “bug” I discovered throughout my testing. When I rotated the telephone between a horizontal and vertical place, often content material stayed in panorama although the ThinkPhone was vertical. (And no, the orientation lock wasn’t on.)The ThinkPhone dealt with gaming properly once I performed titles like PUBG Mobile, Super Mario Run, Alto’s Odyssey and Genshin Impact, particularly in Motorola’s nifty GameTime mode. Remember the telephone’s Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip is similar one which debuted on final yr’s Asus ROG Phone 6.Geekbench V.5.0 Single-core Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola 1,335Motorola Edge Plus (2023) 1,470Samsung Galaxy S23 1,518 Note: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Geekbench V.5.0 Multicore Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola 4,339Motorola Edge Plus (2023) 4,849Samsung Galaxy S23 4,789 Note: Longer bars point out higher efficiency
Everyday duties had been peppy, as had been operating Motorola’s Ready For connectivity instruments, a few of which have been repackaged as Think 2 Think (get it?) to hook up with PCs, screens and TVs. For instance, I copied and pasted textual content and pictures from the telephone to a ThinkPad laptop computer and used the ThinkPhone’s 50-megapixel foremost rear digicam for a video name I took on the ThinkPad. The picture appeared good.I used to be additionally capable of pull up the ThinkPhone’s display on a ThinkPad. There was the occasional lag however total it labored OK. I am unable to consider when I’d need my telephone’s show to seem on my laptop computer or what I’d use that for precisely. The ThinkPhone’s software program is similar to different Motorola telephones apart from a number of Lenovo options. James Martin/CNETLike most Motorola gadgets, the ThinkPhone has Lenovo’s ThinkProtect, which helps with knowledge privateness. There are additionally utilities for distant administration which are clearly geared toward an organization’s IT workforce. While cross-platform compatibility is not distinctive to Motorola and Lenovo, the ThinkPhone and ThinkPad work collectively nearer to what Apple does with its iPhone and Mac than different Android and Windows gadgets.Since software program productiveness instruments are very important to the ThinkPhone’s total premise, it is good to see Motorola and Lenovo commit to 3 years of main OS updates and 4 years of safety updates. That places it on par with what Google guarantees for its Pixel telephones and simply behind Samsung, which presents 4 years of Android upgrades.Lenovo ThinkPhone battery and chargingSupplying the proverbial fuel is an enormous battery that simply lasts a day after which some. I ran a 45-minute endurance take a look at that consisted of taking part in video games, streaming video, making a video name and scrolling social media to see how a lot the battery would drain after a full cost. After the take a look at, the ThinkPhone’s battery was at 96%, which is the most effective end result on any telephone we have examined this yr. By comparability, the Pixel 7 dropped to 94% and the Samsung Galaxy S23’s battery drained all the way down to 91% in the identical take a look at.I additionally streamed a stunning YouTube video of a prepare experience via the Alps to see how a lot a full battery would drop over the course of three hours. As you possibly can see within the outcomes beneath, the ThinkPhone fared higher than the Pixel 7 and Galaxy S23, which had similar outcomes. It’s curious because the ThinkPhone has the next decision QHD show in comparison with the Pixel and Galaxy telephones, which have decrease decision FHD Plus screens.CNET’s streaming video battery take a look at Phone 1 hour2 hours3 hoursLenovo ThinkPhone 97%92%86%Google Pixel 7 95%88%81%Samsung Galaxy S23 95%88%81% If all that battery heft nonetheless is not sufficient to your spreadsheet macros and Zoom marathon wants, the ThinkPhone has quick charging. And once I say quick, I actually imply it. The ThinkPhone comes with a 68W wall charger within the field. The ThinkPhone went from an empty battery to 92% in 30 minutes, making it one of many fastest-charging telephones bought within the US. For perspective, the equally priced iPhone 14 solely added 42% in the identical period of time.If you overlook that pretty charger at residence, you need to use the ThinkPhone’s wi-fi charging to prime off your battery. In 30 minutes, the battery went from 6% to 43%. For comparability, the brand new Pixel 7A wirelessly charged its battery from 37% to 47% in the identical period of time. There are two rear cameras: broad and ultrawide. James Martin/CNETThe ThinkPhone’s cameras, wrap-upThere are two cameras on the again, a 50-megapixel foremost one and a 32-megapixel ultrawide, which might double as a macro digicam. Photos from the ThinkPhone are good, particularly when taken beneath brilliant lighting. There’s a noticeable step down in high quality when photographing in dimmer environments. Check out a few of my favourite ThinkPhone pictures beneath. I took this snap of Peebles the cat with the ThinkPhone’s portrait mode. Patrick Holland/CNET I used the ThinkPhone’s night time mode to snag this pic at Club Fugazi in San Francisco. Patrick Holland/CNET The telephone actually nailed the colours on this photograph. Patrick Holland/CNET The foremost digicam captures good element in brilliant, even lighting. Take a have a look at the names of the books. Patrick Holland/CNET There are undoubtedly some curiosities at each flip in San Francisco. Details look delicate within the fur of the double-raccoon head. Patrick Holland/CNET Under blended lighting, like on this picture I took at Luna in San Francisco, the telephone did simply OK. It would not have the most effective dynamic vary. Patrick Holland/CNET OK, this photograph is out of focus. I blame myself. (I used to be making an attempt to stop a cat from consuming a ladybug.) But the ultrawide lens doubles as a macro lens and permits for close-up pictures of small issues. Patrick Holland/CNET And this is the identical ladybug in focus, sans cat. Patrick Holland/CNETThe ThinkPhone can file movies as much as 8K decision at 30 frames per second. The picture high quality in pictures is unquestionably higher than movies you file, which is ok so long as filming movies is not a precedence. But video picture high quality suffers when recording beneath low gentle. Overall, this is not meant to be a digicam ahead machine however ought to be greater than able to capturing on a regular basis snaps.With every little thing thought of, the Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola is a stunning shock that is aggressive with among the greatest Android telephones you should purchase. While it is designed to be a business-minded telephone, it would not act a lot in a different way than an everyday shopper telephone. It undoubtedly has quite a bit in widespread with the costlier Motorola Edge Plus that got here out final month, however the ThinkPhone’s cheaper price makes it a significantly better worth. It even bests the Edge Plus in our battery and charging checks. The ThinkPhone brings collectively Android and Microsoft Windows via Lenovo-specific options. Patrick Holland/CNETHow we take a look at phonesEvery telephone examined by CNET’s evaluations workforce was truly utilized in the actual world. We take a look at a telephone’s options, play video games and take pictures. We study the show to see if it is brilliant, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing each standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and taking part in graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges.All the cameras are examined in a wide range of situations from brilliant daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like night time mode and portrait mode and evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally take a look at the battery life through the use of it day by day in addition to operating a collection of battery drain checks.We have in mind further options like help for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus help, quick charging speeds and foldable shows amongst others that may be helpful. And we stability all of this in opposition to the value to provide the verdict on whether or not that telephone, no matter its worth is, truly represents good worth.